Jonathan Carroll's Blog, page 20

CarrollBlog 10.26

"He never forgave her for being so wonderful at the beginning of their relationship. Later when everything went south between them, all he could do was remember that magical woman and compare."

fragment from a stillborn story

CarrollBlog 10.21

Smells are unlike any other memories. They remain with us fully 100% forever on some remote desert island of the mind where they keep the lowest profile. Unless they’re shaken awake by something, they lay silent and still like sleeping dogs under the table. But once roused, they return as completely as the moment we first encountered them.

from the new book

CarrollBlog 10.19

Much of the time we are here pretending our way through our days. Now and then things come up quietly behind us-- new love, death, unexpected surprises both good or bad-- and scream BOO! We stagger, sometimes our whole *life* staggers at the shock. It can take a long time to recover and get back again to our normal pretending.

CarrollBlog 10.15

OPEN ROAD MEDIA is celebrating Halloween with a cool e-book sale and A CHILD ACROSS THE SKY is part of it. Get a copy for only $2.99

http://bit.ly/SV4H6Y

CarrollBlog 10.14

There is almost always a “but” in any triumph. The nasty little bone in the delicious piece of fish, the dangerous slick spot on the just- waxed and gleaming floor, the “no” hiding under “yes’s” bed, waiting for the right moment to spring out and bite you.

from the new book

CarrollBlog 10.13

Despite humanity’s general obsession with sex, you probably would not want to see naked most of the people you encounter in life.

CarrollBlog 10.4

In Vienna, men who work on the garbage trucks are as a rule huge burly guys who wear orange suits for safety and are a rowdy, very macho bunch. Walking down the street this morning I passed an outdoor self service snack joint that opens very early and caters to the morning trade. At one of the tables were four of these guys, one bigger than the other. They were all drinking chocolate milk. I think I smiled for the next hour.

CarrollBlog 9.29

She felt love and gratitude for that book because it kept her company throughout a very bad, dark time. For some inexplicable reason, whenever she felt on the verge of bottoming out again because of his leaving, she would reread the story. It invariably calmed or kept her busy. It tided her over till the sadness, the anger or the panic attacks passed and she was pretty much all right again. People—family, lovers, friends-- are supposed to do that: keep us sane or balanced at difficult times. But sometimes things really are better at pulling us back from the edge.

from the new book

CarrollBlog 9.25

All memory lies. It paints nice colors over the ugly or disturbing things. Or it cleverly distorts them; bends and twists them, so that they fit better into the convenient history we’re all continuously writing and amending of our lives. No matter who you are, your memory is always and for everything an unreliable witness. Never trust it to tell the truth about who you are or how you got here.

from the new book

CarrollBlog 9.19

Here's the first clip of me done by Open Road Media, the company releasing my backlist as e-books. More to follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnYEVl...

(cut and paste the link into your browser)