Travis Erwin's Blog
October 10, 2016
Overwhelmed
OverwhelmedWe all know both the word and the feelings that come with it. Overwhelmed is one of those words that can be both a negative and a positive. I have experienced both these last few weeks. First of all I was overwhelmed with joy at the support for the new publishing venture Barbadum Books. Thank you again to those of you who contributed to the Kickstarter.In the aftermath, I have been a bit overwhelmed with work at getting everything lined up and ready to go. But that is a good problem to have because frankly this year has been overwhelmingly rough for me. Having a healthy outlet to pour my time and energy is truly a blessing.Because I love the absurd I began thinking o the word overwhelmed and then thought about how you also hear underwhelmed but never just plain ol' whelmed.whelm(h)welm/verbarchaic literarypast tense: whelmed; past participle: whelmedengulf, submerge, or bury (someone or something)."a swimmer whelmed in a raging storm"flow or heap up abundantly."the brook whelmed up from its source"Apparently hitting that fine line of being perfectly whelmed was so tough, the very word became archaic. Even though the word itself already meant drowning or flooded over. I understand because that's a bit how I feel about life currently.There is a spot there in the middle somewhere I am trying to land, but it seems to be eluding me. I don't mind being neck deep, but I sure want to keep my head above water.Moving on.Back many long years ago, I took my first ever writing class under Jodi Thomas. She taught me a lot and I forged a few lasting friendships from that group. Right at the top of that list is Marcy McKay. Marcy's novelPennies From Burger Heavencameout earlier this year and because I have been so overwhelmed I only recently made time to sit down and read it. I now urge you to do the same. Told from a young homeless girls POV this dark and gritty novel sheds light upon the people we've all ignored or walked past hurriedly at one time or another. It is a novel that not only entertains with it's thrilling pace down the stretch but at the same time teaches us some humanity. All without knowing you are getting a that lesson. Great job Marcy.I also want to share a video from another friend of mine. Dan Johnson has a band called the Salt Cedar Rebels and all their music is great, but early one morning I woke up to a text message from Dan with the lyrics to a song called Hemingway. I was moved reading the words and told him so, Later that morning he sent me a rough cut of the song recorded on his phone and the character spoke to me straight away. I listened to the haunting vocals and story all throughout the day and that evening I basically begged Dan to let me flesh out the story. I did so and I am very proud of the result. I shared that story with the Kickstarter backers, and sometime soon I will be able to share it with the world. Until then please check out Dan's video.And please visitwww.hemingwayproject.orgto learn more about how you can help our military members struggling with this all too common problem. Because being overwhelmed, is no way to live and turning our backs on the problems of others is truly an archaic idea.
September 29, 2016
Life Is Like A Dirty Diaper
Summer gave way to Fall last week, Brad and Angelina are no more, and heck, there's even a new Dos Equis man. Yes folks, change is in the air.
But isn't it always?Aren't we constantly evolving? No, I don't necessarily mean in a Darwin kind of way, but I am talking about our thoughts, our likes, our opinions, our wants, desires, dreams and fears. Sure some of those things stick with us forever, like a bad hairdo from the 80's. Come on dude that permed mullet just ain't cool anymore.So why do most of us dread change? Fight it, run from it, hide from the inevitable?What makes us so reluctant even when it is a change we want or at least can see benefit from?I wish I held the answers to these questions as my life has changed over and over again the past 4 months or so. The changes have not always been welcome and they certainly have not followed any of the various plans I have made under the constant assault of these changes.But like that,Can You Hear Me Now? Guythat changed from Verizon to Sprint I have learned a few things along the way.!) Straddling the fence will get you nothing more than a sack full of splinters.2) You can't control the actions of others3) The world is in sore need of more honestyNo, not all change is good or planned, but one shot is all we got. Unless you believe in reincarnation and a side note on that thought. I had my first ever colonoscopy the other day and maybe it was the sedation but as I lay there curled on my side wondering what kind of man goes to school that long to spend his days probing assholes all day it occurred to me that if a dog was reincarnated into a human then this would almost be like a normalHi, how you doing kind of greeting.Butt, let's get back on the subject of change. So much has been out of my control that this summer finally pushed me to take complete control over my writing career. And I am excited about those changes. My Kickstarter has been successfully funded but there is still time for you to pre-order books or contribute to make Barbadum Books even stronger out the gate. The campaign ends tomorrow at 9PM central time so hurry to get on board.I have been working on thewebsite for Barbadum and it is upthough still very much a work in progress.So what I am saying is don't run from change, you don't know maybe the new Dos Equis guy really will be more interesting than the last. Because let's face it, life, like a diaper, has to change ... otherwise it begins to sag and stink.Don't be a shitty diaper my friends, welcome the sweet aroma of change.
But isn't it always?Aren't we constantly evolving? No, I don't necessarily mean in a Darwin kind of way, but I am talking about our thoughts, our likes, our opinions, our wants, desires, dreams and fears. Sure some of those things stick with us forever, like a bad hairdo from the 80's. Come on dude that permed mullet just ain't cool anymore.So why do most of us dread change? Fight it, run from it, hide from the inevitable?What makes us so reluctant even when it is a change we want or at least can see benefit from?I wish I held the answers to these questions as my life has changed over and over again the past 4 months or so. The changes have not always been welcome and they certainly have not followed any of the various plans I have made under the constant assault of these changes.But like that,Can You Hear Me Now? Guythat changed from Verizon to Sprint I have learned a few things along the way.!) Straddling the fence will get you nothing more than a sack full of splinters.2) You can't control the actions of others3) The world is in sore need of more honestyNo, not all change is good or planned, but one shot is all we got. Unless you believe in reincarnation and a side note on that thought. I had my first ever colonoscopy the other day and maybe it was the sedation but as I lay there curled on my side wondering what kind of man goes to school that long to spend his days probing assholes all day it occurred to me that if a dog was reincarnated into a human then this would almost be like a normalHi, how you doing kind of greeting.Butt, let's get back on the subject of change. So much has been out of my control that this summer finally pushed me to take complete control over my writing career. And I am excited about those changes. My Kickstarter has been successfully funded but there is still time for you to pre-order books or contribute to make Barbadum Books even stronger out the gate. The campaign ends tomorrow at 9PM central time so hurry to get on board.I have been working on thewebsite for Barbadum and it is upthough still very much a work in progress.So what I am saying is don't run from change, you don't know maybe the new Dos Equis guy really will be more interesting than the last. Because let's face it, life, like a diaper, has to change ... otherwise it begins to sag and stink.Don't be a shitty diaper my friends, welcome the sweet aroma of change.
September 21, 2016
New Novel
You can pre-order my new novel, Waiting on the River for the next eight days visit http://kck.st/2c0RKh6 and get a signed copy mailed direct to you before it is on sale publicly. A new edition of The Feedstore Chronicles with a shiny new cover including a never before released audio version is also available.
September 15, 2016
Twists and Turns
I'm always curious to the origins of art.Be it a song, a painting, or a book I wonder about that original seed of creativity that motivated the creator to pick up the brush, the guitar, or to sit down at the computer and start bleeding emotion.That is what art is. The ethereal emission of emotion. Good art anyway.From artist, to songwriter to novelist we are all trying to capture and contain part of the human spirit and give it to the world in a more tactile form. And when we succeed it is a beautiful thing. Of course it is always subjective. The manner in which the creator delivers it may not be appealing to others, or the very emotions we are tapping may not be common to the consumer. Or maybe, it hits too close to home?There are lots of ways to miss making that emotional connection with the audience but like I said when it all works art is the truest thing in this world. And yes, that goes for fiction. I am of the mind that a well written piece of fiction contains many many truths.That brings us to me and my work. I work hard on my characters to make them as true and honest as I can. I am a character writer first and foremost. Plot comes second for me. Also I am a storyteller more than a writer which is why my grammar and punctuation needs the help of a sharp-eyed editor. But an editor with the wisdom to realize some of my mistakes are intentional and vital to my writing voice.Over the next series of posts I am going to talk a bit about the books I will be releasing as part of my new publishing venture, Barbadum Books. The Kickstarter campaign is going very well by the way. With 15 behind it, and 15 days to go I sit at $2908 funded from 57 donors in 5 countries and 3 continents. That leave me only $592 short of the goal soif you have not checked out the video or mission statement please do so by clicking here.I will start with the genesis ofTwisted Roads.
Originally titled Small Town, Big Lies I began writing the novel as an assignment in my very first writing class. At the time I had no plans to actually finish the thing I just wrote the required first three chapters. I had secret ambitions to be a writer at the the time but I still thought a country boy from Amarillo, Texas has no shot at literary success much less stardom. Then I met RWA Hall of Famer Jodi Thomas and she convinced me otherwise after reading those sample chapters. She really encouraged and pushed me to finish and submit and by then I was hooked. Still it took a decade and a half before that book was published. By then there was next to nothing left of those original three chapters except for the idea behind the book.And what was that original idea that sparked me to begin?That answer is twofold. One, I had a friend who fell in love in high school. They had a very tumultuous relationship mostly due to their parents who wanted to curtail the intensity of their teenage love. After a time her parents in particular succeeded to end the relationship but my friend simply could not move on emotionally. He married another young girl his senior year and still he pined for his old original love. To the point if he had a beer or three you could bet on tears and sobs about how he'd been cheated out of love.Truth of the matter was he had the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong person. I mean completely in love, so I incorporated that into the novel. The What if situation of … What if you spent your life loving a person not only that you can't have, but that is wrong for you even if you could have them.Conversely, I thought about the other party. And what she most wanted in this world. In this case it was a stellar reputation. In their own way both characters are tragic figures in that they have been so blinded by their ambitions that they have lost their own identity and no longer have any idea what true joy feels like.
I set this novel in the small fictional town of Grand, Texas because small town life is a bit like a fish bowl in that there is no place to hide. You can lie, you can scheme, but you can't hide who you rally are. Not forever anyway. I added in a disenfranchised daughter of the town forced to return against her will to mix things up and still the novel was missing something. I sold the novel once, did a rewrite, then the original publishing company never released it and returned the rights several years later and I had improved so I rewrote it again but still I wasn't completely happy with the male protagonist.It wasn't until years later when I met a talented young man named AJ Swope that something clicked. AJ was a songwriter and both a vivacious dreamer and an overachieving doer. He was bound for greatness but sadly his life was cut tragically short. I won;t lie I still grieve not only the loss of his friendship but the loss of what he would have brought into this world with his talent.But before that tragic January day when a suicidal driver collided with him I stole small bits and pieces of AJ and incorporated them into my lovesick protagonist Lucas. AJ knew this. He helped me shape the character into a songwriter and while Lucas is not, and never was meant to be, a direct representation of AJ I like to think my friend lives on in that character and in a million other ways. AJ made the book better, he made my life better and he made a whole lot of other people's lives better. AJ you are missed.Learn more about AJ and his music here.So it took that original seed, Half a dozen rewrites and the inspiration of a great friend to bring the book fully alive. If you have rad it. I thank you. If you haven't I hope you will. It is available now topre-order via my Kickstarter. Here is a bit of the opening …September, Grand, TexasLucas Cahill had never spent a great deal of time pondering death. Being an eternal optimist, he refused to dwell on the finality of life, any life. Way he saw it, death was nothing more than a change, and unlike some, Lucas did not fear change. Actually he embraced change, hoped for change, even encouraged change when need be. Then again, he was only thirty-four. Maybe when he was older and the idea of death was more tangible he would come to fear the inevitability of its arrival.Flat on his back, he stared up at the moth struggling in one of the many spider webs decorating the wood rafters of his garage, and wondered if the insect realized change was at hand. Others might find the scene morose, but spiders had to eat too.The circle of life.One thing giving way to another. You could call it death, or you could call it change. Either way it was inevitable. Laying there beneath the flickering fluorescent light in the backseat of the Cadillac, Lucas chose to remain positive. He’d spent most of the night thinking about her. About what tomorrow might bring. The moth provided a welcome distraction.Maybe he could write a song. Use the spider web and the moth as a metaphor. His Martin guitar sat propped up in the front seat of the convertible, the neck reachable from where he lay, but Lucas remained in the same position he’d been in for the better part of an hour. Prone, with his arms folded across his chest. The front seat had more room, but hoping for musical inspiration, Lucas stretched out in the back as he had every night for a week now. So far that hope, like most of his others, had been denied.After doing most of the restoration himself, he’d sent the car’s seats off for the upholstery work. Last week he bolted them back in place, and he’d spent hours out here with his Martin D-28 every night since. The sun would be up in an hour or so, meaning once again, Hank’s ghost had failed to appear. Of course this wasn’t the actual car Hank Williams took his last breath in. Same make, model, and color, but that particular ’52 Cadillac was on display in a museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Whereas, Lucas Cahill’s garage sat in the small town of Grand, Texas.At six feet three, Lucas was taller than Hank Williams, so his feet stuck up on the side door when he stretched out.Up above, the moth fluttered a few more times and finally escaped the spider web. There went his metaphor. At least for the song he had in mind.He’d written a shithouse full of songs about her these last sixteen years. Some with metaphors, others nothing but the stark truth about loving what he couldn’t have.He’d yet to sing any of them for her. That would change soon. Maybe today.The hinge on the back gate creaked, and the crickets stopped chirping. Lucas didn’t need to sit up to know the identity of his visitor. Sometimes she snuck up on him, but not today.“Morning, Abby.”“Saw the light from my kitchen, so I brought you some coffee.”He sat up. Last thing he wanted was Abby handing him the cup while he was inside the Caddy. The seats were black leather, with baby blue piping. He didn’t want to chance a single blemish.Abby Dewitt was dressed in her work clothes, a knee length black skirt and white button up shirt. As usual one button too many was undone. Later, if he swung by The Whirlwind Cafe before opening up The Oasis, she would have her ample cleavage hidden, but Abby never failed to let the girls breathe when she visited Lucas. He owned the bar smack across the street from her employer, but as both, neighbors and classmates, he and Abby had always swam in the same fishbowl.Getting out of the Caddy, he reached for the offered mug letting his eyes linger on Abby’s pale skin, mostly because that’s what she expected.“So is it ready to drive yet?” Abby ran her hand over the car’s bold curves. “I’m eager for that ride you’ve been promising me all these years.”He took a sip. “Good coffee, Abby. Nobody serves it up hot and steamy like you.” He enjoyed the game they played, even if their banter was more than a game to her.“The seats look nice. Can I sit in it?”Lucas nodded and opened the passenger door for her. “Watch out for my guitar.”She winked. “I’m not interested in the front seat. It’s the back I want to try out.” Abby reclined back with her knees up and her legs parted.Lucas had an unimpeded view of her purple panties. He took another sip of coffee. Abby DeWitt had been flashing him since ninth grade, so it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before. Someday he would give her that ride, though not the one she wanted.He pointed at his watch. “You’re gonna be late opening up if you don’t hurry. Big day. You might be busy.”Abby sat up, not a bit fazed he’d once again ignored her overt attempt to gain his attention. “You think that skank will show?”He pretended to ponder the question even though he already knew the answer. Draining the last of the coffee, he said, “Yeah, she’ll be here. And both of our places will be full of people gossiping all about it.”“Oh, I hope so.” Abby stepped away from the Caddy. “We need some excitement around here.” She winked and brushed the dark wavy curls away from Lucas’s eyes. “And since you won’t provide me any, I’ll have to settle for the return of Angela Ross.”Abby took the empty mug and strolled toward the garage door. Lucas waited until just before Abby stepped out into the purple predawn light before calling to her, “Hey, Abby!”She turned.He flashed her a dimpled grin. “The purple ones are my favorite.”Pre-order here
Originally titled Small Town, Big Lies I began writing the novel as an assignment in my very first writing class. At the time I had no plans to actually finish the thing I just wrote the required first three chapters. I had secret ambitions to be a writer at the the time but I still thought a country boy from Amarillo, Texas has no shot at literary success much less stardom. Then I met RWA Hall of Famer Jodi Thomas and she convinced me otherwise after reading those sample chapters. She really encouraged and pushed me to finish and submit and by then I was hooked. Still it took a decade and a half before that book was published. By then there was next to nothing left of those original three chapters except for the idea behind the book.And what was that original idea that sparked me to begin?That answer is twofold. One, I had a friend who fell in love in high school. They had a very tumultuous relationship mostly due to their parents who wanted to curtail the intensity of their teenage love. After a time her parents in particular succeeded to end the relationship but my friend simply could not move on emotionally. He married another young girl his senior year and still he pined for his old original love. To the point if he had a beer or three you could bet on tears and sobs about how he'd been cheated out of love.Truth of the matter was he had the misfortune of falling in love with the wrong person. I mean completely in love, so I incorporated that into the novel. The What if situation of … What if you spent your life loving a person not only that you can't have, but that is wrong for you even if you could have them.Conversely, I thought about the other party. And what she most wanted in this world. In this case it was a stellar reputation. In their own way both characters are tragic figures in that they have been so blinded by their ambitions that they have lost their own identity and no longer have any idea what true joy feels like.I set this novel in the small fictional town of Grand, Texas because small town life is a bit like a fish bowl in that there is no place to hide. You can lie, you can scheme, but you can't hide who you rally are. Not forever anyway. I added in a disenfranchised daughter of the town forced to return against her will to mix things up and still the novel was missing something. I sold the novel once, did a rewrite, then the original publishing company never released it and returned the rights several years later and I had improved so I rewrote it again but still I wasn't completely happy with the male protagonist.It wasn't until years later when I met a talented young man named AJ Swope that something clicked. AJ was a songwriter and both a vivacious dreamer and an overachieving doer. He was bound for greatness but sadly his life was cut tragically short. I won;t lie I still grieve not only the loss of his friendship but the loss of what he would have brought into this world with his talent.But before that tragic January day when a suicidal driver collided with him I stole small bits and pieces of AJ and incorporated them into my lovesick protagonist Lucas. AJ knew this. He helped me shape the character into a songwriter and while Lucas is not, and never was meant to be, a direct representation of AJ I like to think my friend lives on in that character and in a million other ways. AJ made the book better, he made my life better and he made a whole lot of other people's lives better. AJ you are missed.Learn more about AJ and his music here.So it took that original seed, Half a dozen rewrites and the inspiration of a great friend to bring the book fully alive. If you have rad it. I thank you. If you haven't I hope you will. It is available now topre-order via my Kickstarter. Here is a bit of the opening …September, Grand, TexasLucas Cahill had never spent a great deal of time pondering death. Being an eternal optimist, he refused to dwell on the finality of life, any life. Way he saw it, death was nothing more than a change, and unlike some, Lucas did not fear change. Actually he embraced change, hoped for change, even encouraged change when need be. Then again, he was only thirty-four. Maybe when he was older and the idea of death was more tangible he would come to fear the inevitability of its arrival.Flat on his back, he stared up at the moth struggling in one of the many spider webs decorating the wood rafters of his garage, and wondered if the insect realized change was at hand. Others might find the scene morose, but spiders had to eat too.The circle of life.One thing giving way to another. You could call it death, or you could call it change. Either way it was inevitable. Laying there beneath the flickering fluorescent light in the backseat of the Cadillac, Lucas chose to remain positive. He’d spent most of the night thinking about her. About what tomorrow might bring. The moth provided a welcome distraction.Maybe he could write a song. Use the spider web and the moth as a metaphor. His Martin guitar sat propped up in the front seat of the convertible, the neck reachable from where he lay, but Lucas remained in the same position he’d been in for the better part of an hour. Prone, with his arms folded across his chest. The front seat had more room, but hoping for musical inspiration, Lucas stretched out in the back as he had every night for a week now. So far that hope, like most of his others, had been denied.After doing most of the restoration himself, he’d sent the car’s seats off for the upholstery work. Last week he bolted them back in place, and he’d spent hours out here with his Martin D-28 every night since. The sun would be up in an hour or so, meaning once again, Hank’s ghost had failed to appear. Of course this wasn’t the actual car Hank Williams took his last breath in. Same make, model, and color, but that particular ’52 Cadillac was on display in a museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Whereas, Lucas Cahill’s garage sat in the small town of Grand, Texas.At six feet three, Lucas was taller than Hank Williams, so his feet stuck up on the side door when he stretched out.Up above, the moth fluttered a few more times and finally escaped the spider web. There went his metaphor. At least for the song he had in mind.He’d written a shithouse full of songs about her these last sixteen years. Some with metaphors, others nothing but the stark truth about loving what he couldn’t have.He’d yet to sing any of them for her. That would change soon. Maybe today.The hinge on the back gate creaked, and the crickets stopped chirping. Lucas didn’t need to sit up to know the identity of his visitor. Sometimes she snuck up on him, but not today.“Morning, Abby.”“Saw the light from my kitchen, so I brought you some coffee.”He sat up. Last thing he wanted was Abby handing him the cup while he was inside the Caddy. The seats were black leather, with baby blue piping. He didn’t want to chance a single blemish.Abby Dewitt was dressed in her work clothes, a knee length black skirt and white button up shirt. As usual one button too many was undone. Later, if he swung by The Whirlwind Cafe before opening up The Oasis, she would have her ample cleavage hidden, but Abby never failed to let the girls breathe when she visited Lucas. He owned the bar smack across the street from her employer, but as both, neighbors and classmates, he and Abby had always swam in the same fishbowl.Getting out of the Caddy, he reached for the offered mug letting his eyes linger on Abby’s pale skin, mostly because that’s what she expected.“So is it ready to drive yet?” Abby ran her hand over the car’s bold curves. “I’m eager for that ride you’ve been promising me all these years.”He took a sip. “Good coffee, Abby. Nobody serves it up hot and steamy like you.” He enjoyed the game they played, even if their banter was more than a game to her.“The seats look nice. Can I sit in it?”Lucas nodded and opened the passenger door for her. “Watch out for my guitar.”She winked. “I’m not interested in the front seat. It’s the back I want to try out.” Abby reclined back with her knees up and her legs parted.Lucas had an unimpeded view of her purple panties. He took another sip of coffee. Abby DeWitt had been flashing him since ninth grade, so it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before. Someday he would give her that ride, though not the one she wanted.He pointed at his watch. “You’re gonna be late opening up if you don’t hurry. Big day. You might be busy.”Abby sat up, not a bit fazed he’d once again ignored her overt attempt to gain his attention. “You think that skank will show?”He pretended to ponder the question even though he already knew the answer. Draining the last of the coffee, he said, “Yeah, she’ll be here. And both of our places will be full of people gossiping all about it.”“Oh, I hope so.” Abby stepped away from the Caddy. “We need some excitement around here.” She winked and brushed the dark wavy curls away from Lucas’s eyes. “And since you won’t provide me any, I’ll have to settle for the return of Angela Ross.”Abby took the empty mug and strolled toward the garage door. Lucas waited until just before Abby stepped out into the purple predawn light before calling to her, “Hey, Abby!”She turned.He flashed her a dimpled grin. “The purple ones are my favorite.”Pre-order here
September 11, 2016
A Thousand Words While Hoping for a Thousand Dollars
I thought I'd use a bunch of random pictures from my phone to catch y'all up a bit.This is Tarek. He will be sixteen soon so the whole driving nightmare is about to begin, but I'm really hard of all the hard work he puts in to school and football.
This is Tarek again. Back earlier this summer when my buddy Alex Keto came down for Maryland to take some photographs. Alex is a fine arts photographer who would never stoop to taking a shot of someones backside as they are trying to navigate steep terrain. I am not Alex so I did take this shot of him. Sorry Alex. To make amends I suggest all of you go visitAlexKeto.com to see his talent on display.
Speaking of Alex's talent, he took this shot which will be the basis of the new cover for my memoir The Feedstore Chronicles.
This is Zalen. He will be 14 soon and as you can see he is thrilled to be posing for a first day of 8th grade picture. But he is developing a nice Elvis-like snarl.
This is me whipping both boys on the go-kart track even as I drive with one had to take a selfie.
I however did not take any of these shots. Apparently 1913 was a very bad year for somebody, Or maybe it was the last four digits of an exes phone number? Who knows but someone had some frustration they needed to work out on this lonely stretch of road.
Spotted this bit of advertising just the other day.
Spring of last year I had the pleasure of reading at a literary conference down in Belton, Texas. While there I discovered this magical walkway.
On the same trip i also spied this. A casket in a pickup discreetly hidden beneath a Dora the Explorer blanket. I imagine it went something like this ..."It's how much to transport the body to the cemetary?""Oh hell no. I got a truck. I ain't paying for that."
Here is another shot I took while Alex was here. He was using all sorts of fancy equipment and without a doubt capture far superior pics than I did, but I like the way this sunset came out.
I want to thank all of you who have contributed to my Kickstarter. As I type this the stats stand at 50 contributors from 5 countries and 2 continents. So far $2490 of the $3500 goal has been met so the project sits at 71% funded with 18 days to go. If you haven;t yet please watch the video and read the story. If you like what see you can pre-order books in a variety of formats. You can opt for critiques, or a short story created exclusively for you. If you are in a book club there are special packages geared for you as well. Please check things outhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2147333411/barbadum-books
This is Tarek again. Back earlier this summer when my buddy Alex Keto came down for Maryland to take some photographs. Alex is a fine arts photographer who would never stoop to taking a shot of someones backside as they are trying to navigate steep terrain. I am not Alex so I did take this shot of him. Sorry Alex. To make amends I suggest all of you go visitAlexKeto.com to see his talent on display.Speaking of Alex's talent, he took this shot which will be the basis of the new cover for my memoir The Feedstore Chronicles.This is Zalen. He will be 14 soon and as you can see he is thrilled to be posing for a first day of 8th grade picture. But he is developing a nice Elvis-like snarl.This is me whipping both boys on the go-kart track even as I drive with one had to take a selfie.I however did not take any of these shots. Apparently 1913 was a very bad year for somebody, Or maybe it was the last four digits of an exes phone number? Who knows but someone had some frustration they needed to work out on this lonely stretch of road.Spotted this bit of advertising just the other day.Spring of last year I had the pleasure of reading at a literary conference down in Belton, Texas. While there I discovered this magical walkway.On the same trip i also spied this. A casket in a pickup discreetly hidden beneath a Dora the Explorer blanket. I imagine it went something like this ..."It's how much to transport the body to the cemetary?""Oh hell no. I got a truck. I ain't paying for that."Here is another shot I took while Alex was here. He was using all sorts of fancy equipment and without a doubt capture far superior pics than I did, but I like the way this sunset came out.I want to thank all of you who have contributed to my Kickstarter. As I type this the stats stand at 50 contributors from 5 countries and 2 continents. So far $2490 of the $3500 goal has been met so the project sits at 71% funded with 18 days to go. If you haven;t yet please watch the video and read the story. If you like what see you can pre-order books in a variety of formats. You can opt for critiques, or a short story created exclusively for you. If you are in a book club there are special packages geared for you as well. Please check things outhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2147333411/barbadum-books
August 31, 2016
Kick It
Here we go!My Kickstarter campaign is live. If you don't know much about crowdfunding let me tell you what it is and what it isn't.First off it is not begging for donation. It is a way to gather support and pre-sale your work to gain the working capital to do things right. Every contributor receives an actual product of some type for their contribution.One of the big keys to a successful Kickstarter campaign is getting early support to build momentum. If you are able and you'd like to pre-purchase any of my work which includes, a new edition of my memoirThe Feedstore Chronicleswith a brand new cover for both print edition and Kindle. And for the first time an audio version with me narrating.I will also be re-releasing my debut novel,Twisted Roadsin print and e versions as well as a brand new, never-released novel, titledWaiting On The Riverin both print and e version.In addition to these titles I am offering a limited number of critiques for any writers out there. A few reward levels offer readers the chance to name characters. And I even have some book club packages.I will be including some unmentioned bonus rewards as well, especially for those who jump in and pledge early. So I ask if you plan to pledge at all please do so early on to help build that momentum. None of the funds are actually charged to your card or account until the end date which is September 30th, so if you are waiting on that paycheck in a few weeks go ahead and pledge early. And if your budget is simply too tight to jump in I understand, but you can still be aHUGEhelp by sharing the link below or any of my social media posts about the Kickstarter.Best wishes and many thanks,Travis
August 29, 2016
What the Hell?
So I read a couple of interesting things this weekend. Both made me think ...What The Hell?From my last post you know I've eating healthier by necessity. That does not mean I've gone meat free. I would starve if that was the case it just means I now shell out three times the price for free range, never had growth hormone, or antibiotics chicken. Guess what folks? It still tastes like Chicken.But I've been reading about nutrition and I came acrossan articleabout a new vegan, non meat burger that wait for it ... bleeds.What the hell?First off it doesn't really bleed. It oozes beat juice. Now these soy patties of nastiness are no doubt
horrid enough without infusing them with beet juice, but taste aside here is what I don't get. Why the hell would a vegan want a burger that mimics blood?Seems like a Christian wanting a bible with nude pictures in it. Isn't most vegans gospel about the cruelty to animals? Isn't bloodless meals the point for their crusade? This falls in the same line as the asinine comments of ...Here try this grilled mushroom it tastes just like steak.No, steak tastes like steak. And if I want to taste steak I'm going to eat steak. If I want a bloody hamburger, I'm going to eat a bloody hamburger. actually I like my steaks medium to medium rare but ground beer I prefer medium-well. So hold the blood even on a real burger. It only gets my bun soggy. And speaking of buns, I'm gonna kick you square between yours if you get beet juice anywhere near my burger.I'm a meat and cheese only kind of guy when it comes to burgers but don't these meatless burger eaters realize that they are sticking a plant based patty on a bun which comes from a plant. Then they add the green devil otherwise known as lettuce, a tomato, and this sick creatures probably ladle on guacamole too. Come on man. You might as well head out to the garden and bend over to start grazing like the very cows they are so desperate to save.Maybe the saying has been spelled wrong all these years. maybe it really reads.If you can't beet 'em, join 'em.Moo'ving on.Truman Capote. What does he have to do with cows and vegans? Not much that I know of but hey he did writeIn Cold Blood.Who knows, had he been alive today maybe he'd write a sequel called In Cold Beet Juice.
But Capote is not alive. Hasn't been for 32 years.Now his ashes are going up for bid at auction.I have always been intrigued by Capote and his relationship with Harper Lee. Who help who. Did he help her writeTo Kill A Mockingbird? did she really writeIn Cold Blood? Who doesn't love a good literary rumor?But my intrigue doesn't not extend to a morbid fascination with the cremated ashes of Capote. Actually just half of the ashes. I wonder which half you are getting? Upon his death half went to his partner, and half to his Johnny Carson's ex wife who was Capote's friend. It is Carson's half going up for sale.And the guesstimated price is somewhere between $4 and $6 grand.Save your money people. If you want to invest in a literary endeavor I suggest you take part in my Kickstarter campaign when I launch it Wednesday night at approximately 9 PM central time.Here is the deal folks. I am basically pre-selling copies of my work that I am releasing on my brand new publishing venture Barbadum Books. You are donating nothing as every contribution will receive merchandise of some sort. Contributions start for as little as $5 and go up depending what package you opt for.The thing with Kickstarter is contribution are only accepted if the project reaches its pre-stated goal. My goal is $3500 ( that is at least $500 less than you would spend for half a deceased author) to re-releaseThe Feedstore Chronicleswith not only a new cover but an audio version, re-releaseTwisted Roads, and to bring the world a brand new novel titledWaiting On TheRiver. The funds are needed for cover work, studio time, ebook formatting, and of course editing and finally marketing.
What I really need is early contributors. The funds are not deducted from you card or account until the last day of the campaign. So even if you are waiting on a payday please consider contributing early on as that build momentum and encourages others to contribute as well.Again the campaign kicks off at 9 PM Wednesday and will run for 30 days. I will post here and on all of my social media as a reminder. and I understand some people have zero room in the budget but you can still support me and this project by sharing it widely. Thanks again for your support. As I stated before there will be something extra for those who contribute within the first 48 hours as a special thank you for helping me build momentum.
horrid enough without infusing them with beet juice, but taste aside here is what I don't get. Why the hell would a vegan want a burger that mimics blood?Seems like a Christian wanting a bible with nude pictures in it. Isn't most vegans gospel about the cruelty to animals? Isn't bloodless meals the point for their crusade? This falls in the same line as the asinine comments of ...Here try this grilled mushroom it tastes just like steak.No, steak tastes like steak. And if I want to taste steak I'm going to eat steak. If I want a bloody hamburger, I'm going to eat a bloody hamburger. actually I like my steaks medium to medium rare but ground beer I prefer medium-well. So hold the blood even on a real burger. It only gets my bun soggy. And speaking of buns, I'm gonna kick you square between yours if you get beet juice anywhere near my burger.I'm a meat and cheese only kind of guy when it comes to burgers but don't these meatless burger eaters realize that they are sticking a plant based patty on a bun which comes from a plant. Then they add the green devil otherwise known as lettuce, a tomato, and this sick creatures probably ladle on guacamole too. Come on man. You might as well head out to the garden and bend over to start grazing like the very cows they are so desperate to save.Maybe the saying has been spelled wrong all these years. maybe it really reads.If you can't beet 'em, join 'em.Moo'ving on.Truman Capote. What does he have to do with cows and vegans? Not much that I know of but hey he did writeIn Cold Blood.Who knows, had he been alive today maybe he'd write a sequel called In Cold Beet Juice.But Capote is not alive. Hasn't been for 32 years.Now his ashes are going up for bid at auction.I have always been intrigued by Capote and his relationship with Harper Lee. Who help who. Did he help her writeTo Kill A Mockingbird? did she really writeIn Cold Blood? Who doesn't love a good literary rumor?But my intrigue doesn't not extend to a morbid fascination with the cremated ashes of Capote. Actually just half of the ashes. I wonder which half you are getting? Upon his death half went to his partner, and half to his Johnny Carson's ex wife who was Capote's friend. It is Carson's half going up for sale.And the guesstimated price is somewhere between $4 and $6 grand.Save your money people. If you want to invest in a literary endeavor I suggest you take part in my Kickstarter campaign when I launch it Wednesday night at approximately 9 PM central time.Here is the deal folks. I am basically pre-selling copies of my work that I am releasing on my brand new publishing venture Barbadum Books. You are donating nothing as every contribution will receive merchandise of some sort. Contributions start for as little as $5 and go up depending what package you opt for.The thing with Kickstarter is contribution are only accepted if the project reaches its pre-stated goal. My goal is $3500 ( that is at least $500 less than you would spend for half a deceased author) to re-releaseThe Feedstore Chronicleswith not only a new cover but an audio version, re-releaseTwisted Roads, and to bring the world a brand new novel titledWaiting On TheRiver. The funds are needed for cover work, studio time, ebook formatting, and of course editing and finally marketing.What I really need is early contributors. The funds are not deducted from you card or account until the last day of the campaign. So even if you are waiting on a payday please consider contributing early on as that build momentum and encourages others to contribute as well.Again the campaign kicks off at 9 PM Wednesday and will run for 30 days. I will post here and on all of my social media as a reminder. and I understand some people have zero room in the budget but you can still support me and this project by sharing it widely. Thanks again for your support. As I stated before there will be something extra for those who contribute within the first 48 hours as a special thank you for helping me build momentum.
August 23, 2016
See Ya' There
I am proud of what I did here for over 8 years, but as they say all good things must come to an end.
This blog is now inactive. For new blog posts from me please visit ...
http://www.traviserwin.com/blog
It is a process but I will be moving the posts that still have relevancy as well as the ones that simply make me smile over to the new site.
This blog is now inactive. For new blog posts from me please visit ...
http://www.traviserwin.com/blog
It is a process but I will be moving the posts that still have relevancy as well as the ones that simply make me smile over to the new site.
The Mighty Have Fallen
I have several confessions to make that is going to shock you all ...... I've been eating health food.
No, I have not been taken hostage by PETA, or a band of angry vegans. I am not being force to type this against my will.I haven't had a beer in weeks or nary a drop of rum in months and months.I've been exercising.Oh I hear your jaws hitting the floor all across the globe. What the hell Travis? Are you possessed by the green devil that is lettuce? Are you under a court ordered mandate not to have any booze? What about bacon? Tell me you haven't forsaken bacon?I have. No bacon for me in well over a month.
So what gives you ask?My gut it turns out. It gave way. Back in May life raised up a big old sledgehammer high above her head and in one swift blow brought it crashing down onto my life. I pretty much went a month without eating or sleeping much at all in the midst of great personal stress. Turns out that shit is bad for you. I June my colon ruptured. Or more accurately perforated in two places but no surgery was required. I can't blame the stress entirely after all my eating habits have never been great, but my tailspin continued. After a five day hospital stint my gut continued to plague me. The doctors put me on antibiotics and Id feel okay until I finished the cycle and two days later I'd be back bent over unable to stand up. The doctors pretty much decided it was time to hack out 13 inches of my intestinal track. But I was reluctant to do that.Then finally about about two weeks ago, some caring friends called me and said, "Travis we know this isn't really your thing, but something has to give so we went to the health food store and bought you everything you need to follow this regiment set forth by the guy who owns the place. He says in three days you will feel markedly better and in 30 days you will be cured of this pain."So I went reluctantly and picked up the stuff. This nutritionist advised me to stop my antibiotics and flood my system with good bacteria. So for three painful night I drank bottles of this rancid chunky buttermilk like stuff called Flora Lac and it was painful in a whole new way. But damned if by day three I wasn't feeling a a thousand times better. i could actually straighten up and walk without holding my guts in.After that was shakes for breakfast and lunch and a dinner consisting of foods on the good list. There was also a bad list of stuff I couldn't have including all the things I love like bacon, beer, and brats. But here I am going on the third week and my gut is pain free for the first time in months.No I'm still not eating lettuce or salads but bananas apples, dates, organic meat, no processed meat, or processed food of any kind. And no alcohol.
So its been a rough summer my friends but if there is one positive from all the stress and my new eating restrictions it is the fact I've gone from just north of three hundred pounds, down to a svelt two-forty something. About 65 pounds in all so far.
Heck I even got the old beard trimmed up.
Hope your summer is going well and remember there is still time to jump in and pledge early support to my upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Everyone who commits to contributing within the first two days of launch will get an extra bonus reward on top of those that will be offered to all contributors. Just shoot me an email travis@traviserwin.com to be included in this growing list.
No, I have not been taken hostage by PETA, or a band of angry vegans. I am not being force to type this against my will.I haven't had a beer in weeks or nary a drop of rum in months and months.I've been exercising.Oh I hear your jaws hitting the floor all across the globe. What the hell Travis? Are you possessed by the green devil that is lettuce? Are you under a court ordered mandate not to have any booze? What about bacon? Tell me you haven't forsaken bacon?I have. No bacon for me in well over a month.So what gives you ask?My gut it turns out. It gave way. Back in May life raised up a big old sledgehammer high above her head and in one swift blow brought it crashing down onto my life. I pretty much went a month without eating or sleeping much at all in the midst of great personal stress. Turns out that shit is bad for you. I June my colon ruptured. Or more accurately perforated in two places but no surgery was required. I can't blame the stress entirely after all my eating habits have never been great, but my tailspin continued. After a five day hospital stint my gut continued to plague me. The doctors put me on antibiotics and Id feel okay until I finished the cycle and two days later I'd be back bent over unable to stand up. The doctors pretty much decided it was time to hack out 13 inches of my intestinal track. But I was reluctant to do that.Then finally about about two weeks ago, some caring friends called me and said, "Travis we know this isn't really your thing, but something has to give so we went to the health food store and bought you everything you need to follow this regiment set forth by the guy who owns the place. He says in three days you will feel markedly better and in 30 days you will be cured of this pain."So I went reluctantly and picked up the stuff. This nutritionist advised me to stop my antibiotics and flood my system with good bacteria. So for three painful night I drank bottles of this rancid chunky buttermilk like stuff called Flora Lac and it was painful in a whole new way. But damned if by day three I wasn't feeling a a thousand times better. i could actually straighten up and walk without holding my guts in.After that was shakes for breakfast and lunch and a dinner consisting of foods on the good list. There was also a bad list of stuff I couldn't have including all the things I love like bacon, beer, and brats. But here I am going on the third week and my gut is pain free for the first time in months.No I'm still not eating lettuce or salads but bananas apples, dates, organic meat, no processed meat, or processed food of any kind. And no alcohol.So its been a rough summer my friends but if there is one positive from all the stress and my new eating restrictions it is the fact I've gone from just north of three hundred pounds, down to a svelt two-forty something. About 65 pounds in all so far.Heck I even got the old beard trimmed up.Hope your summer is going well and remember there is still time to jump in and pledge early support to my upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Everyone who commits to contributing within the first two days of launch will get an extra bonus reward on top of those that will be offered to all contributors. Just shoot me an email travis@traviserwin.com to be included in this growing list.
August 21, 2016
Starting Anew
First off welcome to the new website. I have decided to migrate from my old blogspot location to have a one stop website where you can keep track of me and my writings. I will slowly copy over the old posts that still have relevancy so if you are an old time blog reader of mine or a brand new reader there will be plenty to check out here both old and new.To catch y'all up to speed the publisher for my first two books has closed up shop so I regained my rights. Along with that I am taking a page from my musician friends and going full out independent with my creative efforts. We shall see how it goes. I still believe the traditional path offers the best path at building a writing career, but it is not the only path so I have officially launched my own publishing venture called Barbadum Books.
Barbadum is Latin for bearded in case you were wondering.So along with the new publishing venture I am taking to opportunity to do things exactly as I want them. So the old cartoonish cover ofThe Feedstore Chronicleswill soon be replaced. I have the cover art thanks to the photography talents of my friend Alex Keto. Please check out his work at www.alexketo.com.The thing is even with the art it takes someone with talents other than I posses to turn that art into a professional looking cover. I also plan to release an audio version ofThe Feedstore Chronicleswith yours truly reading it. I have had a lot of people request such an animal so I am going to give it a shot. But even with me reading it studio time is costly as is paying someone to edit the recording itno a seemless audiobook.ForTwisted RoadsI am paying an editor to give it the edit it needed to have had originally. Again we are talking a fair amount of money to get a good professional job.And finally I am going to release a novel I am very proud of titledWaiting On The River. This novel has been around a while and has more near misses than a drunken game of horseshoes. I believe in both the story and its characters, but it is one of those 'tweener novels that marketing departments hate.Literary or mainstream? Women's Fiction or Romance? And central to the plot is the politically divisive subject of abortion. My aim was to write a novel that does not deal with the legality or morality of abortion, but rather the emotional aftermath from two vastly different points of view.This new novel needs a cover, again I have the art but not a finished cover. It will need a good professional editing. And all of these projects could use a financial boost to help market them to the world.Thus I am planning to launch a Kickstarter campaign very soon. Now I know some people see crowdfunding as begging for money, but what we are really talking about here is pre-selling. Everybody that "donates" will get in return a product to read and enjoy. There will be different levels of rewards as they are called from print copies to the new audio version ofThe Feedstore Chronicles, and of course e book versions of all three. Also those who donate will be privy to material unavailable elsewhere including deleted, never seen before chapters ofThe Feedstore Chronicles, new short stories that have never been released, possible even some music co-written by me and people with actual musical talent. I have a lot of cool things planned for those who have faith in me and my writing and are willing to extend a bit of help to me in getting things launched.One of the big things about a successful Kickstarter campaign is getting off to a good start so that people on the fence can see the project has a real shot at getting funded and that others believe in it. It has been suggested that a person should have at least 25% of the funds needed pledged before launching. I will be asking for a total of $3500 to get all of the projects I've mentioned above paid for. Anything above that will got to marketing. I wish that I could just reach into my pocket and funds these things but as life tends to be for us all this last year or so has been rough with many unforeseen roadblocks. All of which has left me cash strapped.So here is the deal there will be a lots of options as far as what you get as a reward for your donation and I do not have them all set, but I'm asking for vague, no commitment whatsoever, pledges from y'all my most loyal readers. Once I have garnered $900 in abstract pledges I will launch the Kickstarter campaign, but I will let each of you that pledge know ahead of time. And by the way, there will be aspecial rewardfor each of you that do donate after pledging this initial support.So if you are interested in being one of these pledgers please shoot me an email attravis@traviserwin.comand give me a guesstimate to how much you are interested contributing and I can also give you a vague idea of the rewards available for that amount. By the way rewards will start for as little as a $5 contribution and go up from there with such things up for grabs as naming a character in the book, to personal visits to your book club so any level of pledge is greatly appreciated. i expect the average contribution to be in the $25 dollar range which will have many many options of books or audio books so please chime in no matter how much you can pledge. And if all you can do is share a link to this blog post or the actual Kickstarter when it launches, well that is a big help also. So thank in advance for reading and for believing in me.
Barbadum is Latin for bearded in case you were wondering.So along with the new publishing venture I am taking to opportunity to do things exactly as I want them. So the old cartoonish cover ofThe Feedstore Chronicleswill soon be replaced. I have the cover art thanks to the photography talents of my friend Alex Keto. Please check out his work at www.alexketo.com.The thing is even with the art it takes someone with talents other than I posses to turn that art into a professional looking cover. I also plan to release an audio version ofThe Feedstore Chronicleswith yours truly reading it. I have had a lot of people request such an animal so I am going to give it a shot. But even with me reading it studio time is costly as is paying someone to edit the recording itno a seemless audiobook.ForTwisted RoadsI am paying an editor to give it the edit it needed to have had originally. Again we are talking a fair amount of money to get a good professional job.And finally I am going to release a novel I am very proud of titledWaiting On The River. This novel has been around a while and has more near misses than a drunken game of horseshoes. I believe in both the story and its characters, but it is one of those 'tweener novels that marketing departments hate.Literary or mainstream? Women's Fiction or Romance? And central to the plot is the politically divisive subject of abortion. My aim was to write a novel that does not deal with the legality or morality of abortion, but rather the emotional aftermath from two vastly different points of view.This new novel needs a cover, again I have the art but not a finished cover. It will need a good professional editing. And all of these projects could use a financial boost to help market them to the world.Thus I am planning to launch a Kickstarter campaign very soon. Now I know some people see crowdfunding as begging for money, but what we are really talking about here is pre-selling. Everybody that "donates" will get in return a product to read and enjoy. There will be different levels of rewards as they are called from print copies to the new audio version ofThe Feedstore Chronicles, and of course e book versions of all three. Also those who donate will be privy to material unavailable elsewhere including deleted, never seen before chapters ofThe Feedstore Chronicles, new short stories that have never been released, possible even some music co-written by me and people with actual musical talent. I have a lot of cool things planned for those who have faith in me and my writing and are willing to extend a bit of help to me in getting things launched.One of the big things about a successful Kickstarter campaign is getting off to a good start so that people on the fence can see the project has a real shot at getting funded and that others believe in it. It has been suggested that a person should have at least 25% of the funds needed pledged before launching. I will be asking for a total of $3500 to get all of the projects I've mentioned above paid for. Anything above that will got to marketing. I wish that I could just reach into my pocket and funds these things but as life tends to be for us all this last year or so has been rough with many unforeseen roadblocks. All of which has left me cash strapped.So here is the deal there will be a lots of options as far as what you get as a reward for your donation and I do not have them all set, but I'm asking for vague, no commitment whatsoever, pledges from y'all my most loyal readers. Once I have garnered $900 in abstract pledges I will launch the Kickstarter campaign, but I will let each of you that pledge know ahead of time. And by the way, there will be aspecial rewardfor each of you that do donate after pledging this initial support.So if you are interested in being one of these pledgers please shoot me an email attravis@traviserwin.comand give me a guesstimate to how much you are interested contributing and I can also give you a vague idea of the rewards available for that amount. By the way rewards will start for as little as a $5 contribution and go up from there with such things up for grabs as naming a character in the book, to personal visits to your book club so any level of pledge is greatly appreciated. i expect the average contribution to be in the $25 dollar range which will have many many options of books or audio books so please chime in no matter how much you can pledge. And if all you can do is share a link to this blog post or the actual Kickstarter when it launches, well that is a big help also. So thank in advance for reading and for believing in me.
