Gerald Everett Jones's Blog: Gerald Everett Jones - Author, page 45

Thank You Claude Monet

Impressionist painter Claude Monet did not become commercially successful until relatively late in his life. By that time, he was prosperous enough to buy a farm estate at Giverny, located a train-ride trip from Paris. Here’s a picture of him in his eighties, seated on a bench near the pond on the estate where he painted his masterwork series of water-lily panoramas.

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Claude Monet at Giverny

I first saw this photo in the gift shop at Giverny. It’s a wall-sized blowup. I see him all dressed up in his three-piece suit – very probably, his best – waiting for the photographer. He has a straw hat to shade his eyes. He usually wore one with his bib overalls and old long-sleeved shirt when he painted. Perhaps this is a new one. You can almost see the gold-rimmed spectacles staring out beneath the brim. And the long beard was a trademark, dating from back in the day when it wasn’t all white.

I could imagine his saying to me, “Well, let’s get on with it.” Or, “What are you waiting for?”

I have a framed copy of it on the wall in my bathroom.

He asks me those questions every morning.

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Uninvited Houseguests

That’s what Jean Renoir’s 1932 movie Boudu Saved from Drowning, Paul Mazursky’s 1986 flick Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and Christmas Karma have in common.

Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) deeperintomovies.net

Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) rottentomatoes.com

Christmas Karma (2014) La Puerta

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Goodreads Book Giveaway


Christmas Karma
by Gerald Everett Jones

Giveaway ends November 28, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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The Golden Glow of the Gilded Age

Evening on the Avenue, New York City – Original Oil on Canvas by G. Harvey (J Watson Fine Art)

I saw this painting in a recent issue of Southwest Art magazine, which covers fine art, and not just of cowboys and cattle.

It evokes a holiday feeling of yesteryear on the streets of uptown Manhattan, something we can imagine even if we’ve never experienced. The warm glow reminds us this was near the end of the gaslight era.

My historical novel Bonfire of the Vanderbilts takes place back then. I live in Los Angeles now, but looking at G. Harvey’s painting makes me think about frigid, gunmetal-gray days when reading a freshly-minted paper book by the fire was just the perfect thing.

(According to the J Watson Gallery website, the painting is still available for sale.)

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Goodreads Book Giveaway


Bonfire of the Vanderbilts
by Gerald Everett Jones

Giveaway ends December 02, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Feeling Blue on Black Friday?

Christmas Karma book cover sketch and finished cartoon by Gary Palmatier, Ideas to Images

As the holidays approach, I’m not necessarily happy about it.

I wrote Christmas Karma after I’d gone through a series of personal losses. I think in those situations everyone experiences a whole spectrum of emotions, from bewilderment, to anger, and even at times some relief that your dear one’s suffering is over. And then I thought about how, if the soul is truly immortal – and, if so, it can’t ever be hurt, harmed, or endangered – wouldn’t it have a sense of humor?

You don’t need to have any particular brand of religious faith – or any at all – to enjoy this book. Most of all, please don’t take any of it too seriously. And if you post reviews – and I hope you will – please hold back the spoilers! If the sometimes bewildering plot twists entertained you, you’ll understand why it wouldn’t be, ah, good karma to give the game away.

May it bring you some welcome tears and laughter.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway


Christmas Karma
by Gerald Everett Jones

Giveaway ends November 28, 2016.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

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Not Just Another WordPress Site

LaPuerta – “The Door”

My friend and colleague Steven Sanchez advises companies and authors how to develop websites, exploit social media, and use WordPress in particular. After I took in a seminar he gave last week for the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC.org), I realized that my Web activities needed some reorganization. As you can see from the menus in the sidebar of this new site, I’m active in a lot of places. But there was no hub, nowhere I put my stake in the ground and called it my center.

So here it is, thanks in large measure to Steven’s advice – geraldeverettjones.com, a place where this author can rave and rant. I plan to be thoughtful here and to encourage your comment and debate. Let’s get past the cute videos (not that I don’t enjoy them) and the snippets. And the memes, whatever those are.

As to the picture, the name of my small press and production company is LaPuerta.

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Episode 8: Bodybuilders vs. Writer Geeks

Tom, Gerald, and Cheyenne

Episode permalink: http://getpublishedradio.libsyn.com/8-bodybuilders-vs-writer-geeks

On this field trip, Gerald and Cheyenne take you to a meeting of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) in beautiful downtown Culver City, across from the Sony movie lot. On that same day, the community center where we held the event also had a convention of bodybuilders. No fracas ensued, but we were inspired – to pump you up!

Hosted by IWOSC President Gary Young, we respond to wide-ranging questions and comments from writers and self-publishers who want to get to the next level in their careers:

What book topics are hot in the marketplace, and which should I undertake?
Do agents advise against self-publishing?
Besides selling books, what other ways are there to derive income as an author?
What’s the current market for memoir, including military-service stories?
How is an emotional subplot essential to an action story?
What drives the popularity of historical fiction? Why is it so valuable to our culture?

What’s the appeal of dystopian fiction? What elements does it need?

And on this episode, we add further balance to our team by introducing our Resident Curmudgeon, Thomas Page, author of the sci-fi novel The Hephaestus Plague, which became the B-movie cult classic Bug. Tom narrates a featurette from his collection of “132 Tough Guys.”

GetPublished! announcer Bill Navarro quips that host Gerald Everett Jones has the answers – because he’s already made the mistakes himself. And calling him out for his gaffes is the show’s new, we’ll-see-about-that Millennial co-host, Cheyenne Cockrell.

Gerald serves on IWOSC’s board as director of outreach. After a decades-long career as a freelance writer doing more than thirty business and technical books for mainstream publishers, he self-published three nonfiction books (including How to Lie with Charts) and six novels (including Bonfire of the Vanderbilts). He is a recent winner of a WGA Diversity award for his screenplay Christmas Karma.

Cheyenne Cockrell is a voiceover talent and an operations manager of the DirecTV Audience channel. She holds a degree in journalism from Humboldt State.

Discover a wealth of resources for authors and publishers at the GetPublished! Radio website www.getpublished.guru. There’s more information about IWOSC membership and its activities at www.iwosc.org.

 

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Episode 7: Q&A Crazy with Cheyenne

Gerald and Cheyenne

Now available on iHeartRadio and on the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), serving National Public Radio (NPR) stations!

Episode 7 Permalink

GetPublished! Radio host Gerald Everett Jones has the answers – because he’s already made all the mistakes himself. To which guest co-host Cheyenne replies, “We’ll see about that!” She challenges him with questions we’ve received from listeners, such as:

⦁ Why shouldn’t I monetize my book blog?

⦁ How can I go viral on social media?

⦁ What can I do with an Author Page on Amazon?

⦁ How might a four-star review actually be better than five?

⦁ What do I need to know about getting photo permissions?

⦁ What’s the smartest thing you ever did to promote yourself as an authior?

⦁ – and more…

Gerald and show producers Runkee Productions launched GetPublished! as a kind of self-help resource for wannabe authors. As producer Lori Marple describes it: “GetPublished! encompasses a demographic from older to younger. Gerald is telling Boomers to give up golf and give back, to give us their life stories and lessons learned from the real battlefield and the capitalist wars. He’s saying to Millennials, if they can’t find a job or hate the one they’re in, give us a plan for a new product, a new industry, or a few well-crafted Constitutional amendments.”

Gerald wants to goad the thought leaders of tomorrow. He asks them, “Tell us about the feelings that flow from your heart of hearts, thoughts that can motivate others, ideas that can make a difference.”

And, then, there’s entertainment value:

“We have call-ins. We can’t tell you how to get your cat to pee in the toilet, but we can tell you how to promote your next book on the World Wide Web.”

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Episode 6: Socks, Life, and Audiotape – How Not to Screw Up Your Next Audiobook

Rebecca Roberts, narrator of Bonfire of the Vanderbilts

My charming guest is none other than Rebecca Roberts, the multi-voiced talent you hear reading Bonfire of the Vanderbilts on Audible.com. In a full and frank exchange of views, she offers lessons learned working with me on Bonfire.

She even confesses how her role can be much like an experienced nanny dealing with a new mother (the proud parent of the book).

Episode 6 Permalink: http://getpublishedradio.libsyn.com/6-socks-life-and-audiotape-with-angel-voice-rebecca-roberts

We include a brief clip of her reading, as she becomes a proper Bostonian lady of the Gilded Age dishing dirt about the scandal behind a famous painting.

And in keeping with the theme of this episode, Gerald offers his book review ofMy Voice Will Go with You by psychiatrist Sidney Rosen – about how Dr. Milton Erickson’s therapy – based on storytelling –could change a patient’s lifetime behavior patterns.

Rebecca Roberts (www.rebeccarobertsvoice.com) has narrated over 120 audiobooks, as well as commercials and instructional media. According to her fans, her greatest attribute is how easy it is to hear what she has to say, and not how she’s saying it. In developing her trademark sound over the years (and often falling into the trap of trying to emulate her favorites), she found her niche – “being real.” She has a natural cadence, a smooth comfortable tone, and pace that is truly a delight to listen to. Anne McAneny, author of Raveled, said, “She’s so good, you don’t even hear her. All you hear are my words.”

And Remember – GetPublished! Website Memberships Are Now Free

GetPublished.guru has all kinds of support resources for authors, publishers, and book promoters. We have resource pages – such as research links, vendor listings (editors, illustrators, publicists), and sample documents (templates for book proposals and press releases). And it’s all now free. And, of course, downloading or streaming the podcast has always been free.

That said, to get the GetPublished.guru resources, you still have to register at the site – all you need is an email address and a password.

If you’re amused by GetPublished! Radio or find it helpful – please subscribe through your podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Feedburner, TuneIn, or RSS) and tell your thousand closest friends!

And, by all means, GetPublished!

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Episode 5: Blank-Page Freak-Out! with Motivational Humorist Tim Gard

What’s bugging you?

Learn to laugh in the face of writer’s block. (And shake the stress and sadness of world events.)

Gerald’s guest is Tim Gard, top motivational speaker and corporate entertainer, known for bringing tears of laughter to audiences worldwide. More than an insightful and funny guy, Tim teaches people to be more resilient and resourceful using their own comedic style. Gerald and Tim talk about turning frustration into comedy – and inspiration. Tim also gives tips on dealing with stress and getting started in public speaking.

Click here to listen to Episode 5 (17 minutes).

Also in This Episode

Gerald gives his featurette book review of Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare – citing countless words the Bard coined that we use every day – including countless.

Next Show – Episode 6: She Says What You Write with Audiobook Narrator Rebecca Roberts

We’ll be getting the behind-the-scenes, green-room scoop on how authors and publishers can work best with audiobook narrators. Our charming guest will be none other than Rebecca Roberts, the multi-voiced talent you hear reading Bonfire of the Vanderbilts on Audible.com.

Some Big News – GetPublished! Website Memberships Are Now Free

GetPublished.guru has all kinds of support resources for authors, publishers, and book promoters. When we launched the show, we set up the website on a subscription model. We charged a low monthly fee to access the resource pages – such as research links, vendor listings (editors, illustrators, publicists), and sample documents (templates for book proposals and press releases).

Well, it’s all now free. Call us crazy, but no more subscription fees – it’s all free. And, of course, downloading or streaming the podcast has always been free.

Click here to listen to Episode 5 (17 minutes).

That said, to get the GetPublished.guru resources, you still have to register at the site – all you need is an email address and a password.

If you’re amused by GetPublished! Radio or find it helpful – please subscribe through your podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Feedburner, TuneIn, or RSS) and tell your thousand closest friends!

And, by all means – GetPublished!

Photos courtesy www.timgard.com.

Everyday frustrations inspire Tim to write every day.

The post Episode 5: Blank-Page Freak-Out! with Motivational Humorist Tim Gard appeared first on GetPublished!.

Episode 4 – Biztalk with Dr. Tom Sant – What’s Hot and What’s Not in Business Books

Former professor, standup comic, entrepreneur, and global marketing wiz.

Gerald’s guest is Dr. Tom Sant, who went from being an overworked English professor to a global marketing consultant and bestselling author of business books. He talks about his NOSE technique for writing killer proposals, along with his wish-list for business titles that aren’t on the shelves yet.

Episode permalink: http://getpublishedradio.libsyn.com/4-biztalk-with-tom-sant

Besides his past professorship, Tom has been a standup comic and a founder of two successful business enterprises. He’s been called the world’s foremost authority on winning sales proposals and was named one of the top ten sales trainers in the world by Selling Power Magazine. He is the author of three popular business books: the bestselling Persuasive Business Proposals, which was named one of the seven most important sales books of all time by Inc magazine, as well as The Giants of Sales and The Language of Success, all of which were published by the American Management Association.

More about Tom Sant at his consulting firm’s website Hyde Park Partners www.hydeparkpartnerscal.com.

The episode also has a clip from Gerald’s humorous business book, How to Lie with Charts.

Next episode: Blank-Page Freakout-Not with Motivational Comic Tim Gard

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