Michael Hodges's Blog, page 16

Writing news, appearances, etc

I had a great time at the Montana Book Festival! It was an honor to be back, and I was thrilled to meet so many cool authors.

In other writing news, The Invasive remains an Amazon best seller, which is obviously great news. I have a reading at Fact and Fiction in Missoula October 12th, and a brand new agent (Layne Heymont of Tobias Literary). Things are very interesting right now to say the least. But I will have new novels out soon. And even cooler, it’s a series. I’ve had this project up my sleeve for a long time now, and it’s about to be unleashed (muahaha). If you enjoyed The Puller and The Invasive, you should enjoy the Raven Eyes series.

Best,

– Michael

Montana Book Festival appearance

I’ll be appearing at Shakespeare and Co book store on Sunday, 12:30 until 1:45 for a writing panel. Lucy Torgrimson is the moderator, and the event is part of the Montana Book Festival. Come say hi.

Best,

– Michael

Montana Book Festival

I’ll be appearing at the Author’s Reception for the Montana Book Festival on Friday the 23rd. Come say hello. After that, I’ll be on the “Crafting Dangerous Characters” panel Sunday from 12:30 until 1:45 pm.

Best,

– Michael

My new fiction agent, Lane Heymont of Tobias Literary

Hey everyone, I’m thrilled to announce that I have a new fiction agent, Lane Heymont. Lane is a Harvard guy with a fierce work ethic, and a great fit with my career goals. I couldn’t be more happy and look forward to a bright future with Lane. You can check out the Tobias Agency here.

Best,

– Michael

P.S. The Invasive is still an Amazon Best Seller for its genres. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you can do so here.

Signed copies of The Invasive

Hey everyone, I have a few signed copies of my Amazon Best Selling novel, The Invasive for sale.

You can hit me up at writer@michaelhodgesfiction.com. $25 per copy.

Best,

– Michael

The Invasive continues its run on Amazon Best Seller lists

I want to thank all my readers for making The Invasive launch a big success. It continues to sit amidst the Amazon Best Seller lists in its genres.

If you have not checked it out yet, you can do so here.

Just watch out for those sneaky leaves….

Best,

– Michael

My grandfather, Raymond Stejskal

In the late 90’s, when Radiohead had released Ok Computer and Oasis was still a thing, I took a trip to Wisconsin’s Northwoods. The reason? Ten days of demolition work on my grandfather’s cabin. Our goal was to completely remove a bedroom, and board up the hole before a massive extension could be built. I was the first one into the project, just like I was the first grandson.

It was early fall, the sky azure, a light wind singing in the red pine along the shoreline. This was Wisconsin’s famous lake country, and Little St. German Lake was one of the stars. My grandfather had purchase the land long ago, a wise investment financially and for family unity. What better place to keep family close than a cabin on a lake?

My grandfather is perhaps the most handsome man I’ve ever known: broad shoulders, a powerful jaw line, and intense blue eyes. He stood tall even amongst the red pine and birch trees surrounding his cabin.

The work was not easy. We had to tear down walls stuffed with ancient fiberglass insulation, rip out plumbing, and make sure we weren’t littering the entire Northwoods in the process. The air quality in that bedroom was not good. Particles of who-knows-what filled the air, and we coughed and swore a lot.

I remember getting electrocuted by a drill with a chunk missing from the cord. I had to lay on the couch for a half hour to recover. My grandfather teased me, asked if he needed to call an ambulance.

That was his way.

“Get tough kid”, was his motto.

It wasn’t a bad one.

Amidst the endless demolition, cleanup, and configurations there were petty arguments. I told him we would’ve been done two days ago if we didn’t need to bag up and keep half the stuff we were destroying. But that was his system. And now, I have my system when it comes to writing. I understand him now more than ever.

My grandfather couldn’t cook for shit, and neither can I. I got that from him. I also got his shoulders and eyes. I was lucky.

We spent a lot of time at the tiny local grocery store, Camp’s Red Owl. I loved the place, loved the quaintness of downtown St. German. It always felt like home, a better high than anything you could get from drugs.

We spent our afternoon and evening breaks eating fried chicken, Cole slaw, and potato fries on the deck. We ate quietly as osprey and bald eagles ghosted silently above the red pine canopy. Sometimes, passerby’s on pontoon boats or fishing boats waved at us to and from the local resorts. But mostly, we kept to ourselves.

I didn’t always get along with my grandfather. He was a guy who liked to get things done, an alpha male in a world shedding them. I got that from him, too. He didn’t care for my creative tinkering, and sometimes I didn’t care for his buy-the-book philosophy. But either way, we complemented each other.

My grandfather was a Korean War veteran, probably the thing he was most proud of other than my beautiful grandmother. And when they named Highway 51, the “Korean Veteran’s Memorial Highway”, he loved it.

Of all the people in my life, he probably had the biggest influence. He brought me to the Northwoods time and time again, instilling a hard core outdoor lifestyle that involved days spent on scenic lakes rather than sitting on a couch.

I was hooked, and eventually made my outdoor way from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (where The Puller takes place) to Missoula, Montana. His leadership and direction was a massive influence on books like The Puller and The Invasive. This cannot be emphasized enough.

Besides his brilliant carpentry and metal-shaping skills, he was a master fisherman. I have yet to see someone as disciplined or as keen, and he taught me well. He was not a clumsy man. He taught me how to fly fish, even bought me expensive Sage rods to get me going. Even at the age of 21.

During those ten days, we did not fish. There was just too much work to be done. But when we finally boarded up the huge hole in the cabin and walked towards our cars to head back to Illinois, my grandfather stopped in the gravel drive and glanced back at what we’d just done:

“I changed my mind,” he said with a grin.

I busted out laughing, and we got into our cars and left the Northwoods.

My grandfather passed away on August 25th.

I heard the news while crossing Lookout Pass on the Montana/Idaho border. Below me swept millions of acres of the Bitterroot National Forest. My girlfriend saw my face after I put the phone down, and took my hand. I drove for the next two hours to Missoula in complete silence. I could not breathe, my chest was tight and everything numb.

But I think my grandfather would be proud that I ended up in Montana, a place we often talked about fly fishing together….but never happened. However, many good things DID happen, and those are what I think about, of musky fishing expeditions in his 16 foot aluminum boat, outrunning storms like fools, of bailing out the boat, the pleasant smell of the Northwoods after a summer rain.

My grandfather was the kind of guy who kept and used a beat-up aluminum fishing boat for himself, and a new pontoon boat for everyone else. Shiny things didn’t mean all that much to him, after what he’d seen. He didn’t live beyond his means, he didn’t brag, he didn’t gossip or backstab.

He was a man.

When I was eleven, I was fishing in that same boat with him, staring down at lily pads in East Bay on Little. St. Germain Lake. I was buzzed on the delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon my grandmother had made in the cabin. So wired on syrup I’d fouled up my fishing line on my spinning rod. My grandfather, in that warm Wisconsin sun looked down at me and smiled. “You’ll learn,” he said.

I did, Grandpa.

Thank you.

The Invasive on sale at Amazon, plus Shakespeare & Co reading.

For a limited time, you can pick up The Invasive for 99 cents on Amazon.

I’ll also be at Shakespeare & Co in downtown Missoula tonight for a reading.

Best,

– Michael

The Invasive on sale at Amazon 8/15

For those who have not picked up my second novel yet, The Invasive will be on sale the 15h to the 19th on Amazon.

The launch has been a success, with the novel staying within the top 100 of its genre categories for quite some time. And I’m happy for the reader feedback so far, especially all the people digging the “attack leaves” haha.

We’re pretty thrilled over here in Montana.

Best,

-Michael

P.S. This photo was taken on July 20th. Usually I’m doing the photography.

The 16 foot fishing boat reminded me of all my fishing trips with my grandfather. They are all good memories. Thank you for everything, grandpa.

Thankfully, there were no secapods in this Montana scene.

The Invasive, Chicago Tribune, and Amazon

A big thanks to the Chicago Tribune for the shout-out on my second novel, The Invasive.

And thanks to my readers, The Invasive is in the top 100 for all its genre categories on Amazon.

best,

-Michael