Jeffrey Ricker's Blog, page 54

Defining Moments

"What's the biggest and most defining moment of your life?

"A friend asked me this question recently, and my initial response was, Only one? I'm not sure I could point to one particular moment. The question reminded me of a conversation I had with my mother a number of years ago."



You can read the rest of my thoughts on this over at the Bold Strokes Books Authors' Blog.

Book Launch Party November 21!

Monday, November 21, 2011

6 to 9 p.m.

The Civil Life Brewing Company, 3714 Holt, Ave., St. Louis, MO 63116

So, as you may know (I mean, you *have* been paying attention, haven't you?), my first novel, DETOURS, is now available from Bold Strokes Books. It's been eight years since I concocted the initial crackpot idea (while on a walk at the Garden with Mike and our friends Jim and Laura) for a farce that eventually became what my friend Elizabeth called "a gay bildungsroman" (and just so you know, I spelled that without having to look it up—so there).

Anyway, this is a good reason to have a party! Another good reason to party? Jake Hafner's microbrewery in Tower Grove South, a mere stone's throw away from my old house. Yes, if we still lived there, I could be within staggering distance of some of the best beer the Gateway City has to offer. My liver is grateful that we moved, but the rest of me is not so sure.

So! Come join me for a celebratory occasion, and here's the kicker: the first round's on me! Yes, I'm buying the first pint for the first 50 people who show up. And if, like me, you can't imagine that 50 people will actually turn out for this, then I might just buy you a second pint. (No, I am not trying to get you drunk.)

If you've got a copy of the book (WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED A COPY OF THE BOOK?) I will of course be more than happy to sign it for you. Seriously, there might be tears.

Need a copy? You can always pre-order it from Left Bank Books—but if you wait until the last minute (don't feel guilty, I do the same thing), Left Bank will have one of their fabulous staff members on hand to sell you a shiny new copy! I HIGHLY recommend getting yours from Left Bank. Support your local independent!

I hope you can make it!

Two days to win a copy of DETOURS

Hey there! I'm on vacation right now (specifically, I'm on a cruise ship leaving Cozumel even as I type this), but I wanted to remind you that you have until November 6 to enter to win a signed copy of Detours. Just email me at jeffrey@jeffrey-ricker.com and tell me about your favorite place you've ever visited. What are you waiting for?

All I ever wanted

We're leaving on vacation tomorrow morning. I suppose I should finish packing, but my brain is moving a mile a minute and I'm thinking about all the things I still need to do that have nothing to do with getting ready for holiday. Fortunately, we're going on a cruise to the western Caribbean, so wardrobe doesn't matter much—shorts, t-shirts, and swim trunks are just about all I've packed. Unfortunately (sort of), it's a gay tour group, which means they'll all probably be more fashionable than me. This does not take much, mind you.

What I'm really looking forward to? The two days spent at sea. No cell phone, no email, no Internet (yes, the ship has wireless, but at the price of a king's ransom, I'm content to do without). I'm bringing my laptop with me (yes, really) and hoping to do some writing.

And boy, do I have a lot of writing to do. I've been struggling for the past week or so with a ghost story that I've finally finished (pending feedback from my ever-reliable beta reader whose first name starts with an apostrophe). I'm going to completely miss the deadline on another call for submissions. I'm saddened, but I'm also keeping my eye on another deadline on the horizon: the next book, which, now that I've finished with the ghost story, I'm turning back to.

I have a lot of work ahead of me, moreso than I can do in those two days at sea, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

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Want to win a copy of DETOURS?

Then you should head over to my website—did you know I have a website? It's true; check it out—and find out how you can win a copy of Detours before it comes out.

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"42, that sounds promising"

Today, I am the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.

No, I'm not being full of myself. I'm just saying that I'm 42. Apart from the whole ultimate-question business, it's probably going to be a quiet day. I have yoga class in about 45 minutes, I have a Groupon for a massage that I need to use before it expires, and for dinner I want to go to Schlafly Bottleworks (this will be news to Mikey because when he asked me last night, I said, "Ugh, I don't know"), because sticky toffee pudding is probably the best birthday cake.

And I have to finish that damn ghost story. I think I'm going to change the name to that: "That Damn Ghost Story." It has a nice ring, don't you think?

There's no rest for the wicked or the weary after that. There's a closed call for another story that's due at the end of the month, and I have no idea if I'm going to make that. I have two ideas for that one and don't know which one to pick. Then there's a story due at the end of the year that I've already started, and I'm looking forward to writing that one. The anthology is an erotic one, but my story is going to fall more on the other side of steamy. Heck, it's going to involve a Tony Bennett song.

And then there's the little matter of the first draft of the second novel due in December.

I know, I know… Don't Panic.

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"Well, that could have been handled better, NBA" or "Phoning it in"

As you may or may not know, Lauren Myracle's novel Shine was named a finalist for a National Book Award in young adult literature… and then just as quickly un-named. It turned out the foundation had erred, and instead of keeping her novel on the list, asked her to withdraw it. She agreed.

Let the shitstorm commence.

Over here, the wife of Lauren's agent has a "backstage pass to this travesty." For the record, do not convey notification of award finalists by telephone. Clearly, it would have been better for the foundation to take a stance and stick with it, as opposed to this back-and-forth of "we're keeping it" and "we're adding another" and "would you please withdraw your book" and "here's a nice donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation to make up for the fact that we don't seem to have our act together" (and this is probably the one good thing that has come of this apparent fustercluck). Shine is about a girl who tries to solve an antigay hate crime in her small North Carolina town, so the donation is completely appropriate.

Lauren Myracle's books, it turns out, are frequently on lists of the most-challenged and most-banned books. Admittedly, I haven't read any of them. That's about to change, though. I've ordered Shine from my trusty local bookseller (that's Left Bank Books, by the way; check them out if you're in the STL) I'm looking forward to reading it, because I like things that most people object to.

And being a bestseller is the best revenge.

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Work in Progress

Taking a page from 'Nathan, here's a peek inside the folder on my computer labeled "3. WORKING" (in case you're interested, the others are "1. PUBLISHED" and "2. DONE").

A Murder of Crows
Amazons
Awakening
Celestine
dog
fiveminutefiction
Haven
hearts
Seven Boxes
story (yes, really, that's the filename—I haven't opened the file since 2002; I have no idea what that one's about)
Straightening Up
Tea
The Client
The Curious Case of Buttons (it's about a cat named Buttons—no, really)
The Messenger (this one will never see the light of day, I assure you)
The Teacher

And just for today, I'll tell you about the files in the "2. DONE" folder, because I have a feeling some of them really aren't—done, that is:

Blackout
By the Numbers
Heroine
Normal
Reunion (that one's not done so much as dead and buried)
Something like Heaven
The Long Ride Home
The Sidekick
Waiting Room
Walking (that one I originally wrote in 1988—I cringe at the thought of opening it and reading what I thought was good 23 years ago)

This doesn't even include the stories that have been started and exist in a file called "ideas.doc"—one of those in particular I am really eager to start, but it'll have to wait until next year, once I clear my current projects list.

So, since 'Nathan made the same offer, if you name one of these, I'll tell you what it's about. Mostly. Maybe.

Holy Rollers Detours, Batman!

I swear, people are going to start thinking Rob Byrnes is my other twin. (The first twin being, of course, 'Nathan, since we appear in an inordinate number of anthologies together. No, this is not by design; we just seem lucky that way.)

Anyhow. InsightOutBooks is presenting our books as a featured bundle. Is it wrong that I'm tempted to order this? Rob let me read the first few chapters of Holy Rollers while he was working on it, and it was a hoot. I must admit, the description of my book presented on the aforementioned page makes it sound like more of a laugh riot than it actually is, but there are plenty of humorous moments. And for the record, the only person in the book riding through life on a cloud would be Joel's mother, and that's only because she's dead.

But anyway, what are you waiting for? Go pre-order. Go on, really.

Holly Rollers Detours, Batman!

I swear, people are going to start thinking Rob Byrnes is my other twin. (The first twin being, of course, 'Nathan, since we appear in an inordinate number of anthologies together. No, this is not by design; we just seem lucky that way.)

Anyhow. InsightOutBooks is presenting our books as a featured bundle. Is it wrong that I'm tempted to order this? Rob let me read the first few chapters of Holy Rollers while he was working on it, and it was a hoot. I must admit, the description of my book presented on the aforementioned page makes it sound like more of a laugh riot than it actually is, but there are plenty of humorous moments. And for the record, the only person in the book riding through life on a cloud would be Joel's mother, and that's only because she's dead.

But anyway, what are you waiting for? Go pre-order. Go on, really.