Eden Baylee's Blog, page 81

Read an Exchange with Author @NedHickson #interview #humor

Ned Hickson is a terrific writer, and he does it with a sense of humor. On more than one occasion, I’ve done a spit-take while reading one of his blog posts.

It’s my great pleasure to introduce him to you, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so much conducting an author interview. Thanks Ned, I need to clean my computer screen again! That’s the last time I drink expensive scotch while I’m reading your stuff!

Please give a warm welcome to Jurnalist and funny man, Ned Hickson.

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Ned, how would your best friend describe you in 20 words or less?

“He is thoughtful, funny, attentive, romantic and without question the most incredible lover I have ever had.” (Did I mention my wife is my best friend? I probably should have said that first.)

Yes, that might have helped! Are you a full-time writer or do you have a day job?

I have worked full time as a journalist since 1998, when I lucked into the job here at Siuslaw News after a reporter position opened up. It doesn’t matter that I’m the one who ran him over. Three times. What matters is that is was ruled “accidental.” And because it happened in front of the newspaper office, I was the first to apply for the position.

I call that “making your own good luck! ” Is there another profession you would like to try (without running over someone first)?

I was a chef for 10 years, then became a journalist, and I’m also a volunteer firefighter/engineer. I can honestly say I’ve managed to try my hand in all the occupations I’ve ever wanted. Except maybe underwear model. Not that I’ve ruled it out. Although at this stage it will likely be for “Depends” undergarments.

Great Ned, now I can’t get that image of you in Depends out of my head. That’s why I’m including this picture of you as a firefighter. (Ahh … much better). What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

The first thing that comes to mind is my children. But they’re not really done yet. So I guess I’d have to say adding a second story to our home. Aside from the framing, I did all the rest myself without any previous experience. I had a great set of Sears “do-it-yourself” books that I literally worked from while running all the electrical, hanging sheetrock, mounting a toilet (in the floor, not… you know), etc. When I got approved by the building inspector it was one of the proudest moments of my life. Still, for the first year after that, every time there was a power failure, I ran to the fuse box to make sure it wasn’t on fire.

I’m impressed, especially about the toilet! As a funny guy, tell us what makes you laugh, and I mean REALLY laugh?

My wife. Hands down one of the funniest and most clever people I know. Aside from that, really great satire. The Blue Oyster Cult bit with Will Ferrell and the cow bell, and any SNL skit with Alec Baldwin still reduces me to tears. And comedian Jim Gaffigan, my favorite of the new standup comedians out there. Oh, and whenever Justin Bieber sings.

Yup, you know I’m Canadian, but you can keep Justin down there. Now let’s learn more about YOU as the writer. From where do you draw your inspiration?

As cheesy as it may sound, I draw most of my inspiration from everyday life. It can be a personal experience, current event or maybe something I’ve witnessed. Oftentimes my columns start out with a “what if?” scenario, such as: “What if Peter Parker had been bitten by a radioactive dung beetle instead of a spider?” Or “What if, thanks to new pre-natal education systems, babies learned to talk even before they were born?” And “What if a baby asked for a lawyer after having its butt slapped?” These are the kinds of questions I ask myself on a regular basis.

Ned, you’re weird! Haha! What motivates you to write?

You mean aside from my editor? I’d have to say my strong belief that now more than ever humor is important in our lives. While there many great things technology and instant communication has brought, it has also made us less and less able to stay “in the moment” in our lives. We are constantly distracted by — and multi-tasking with — our devices, and as a result are becoming a society of people constantly communicating and living in the future tense. Humor is one thing that grounds us in the moment; while we’re laughing we are in the “now.” I like knowing I can help provide that to people. I also think humor is important because it has a way of allowing us to put things into perspective by blowing them out of proportion.

Agree, sometimes all we have is humor to keep us going. What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer?

I’d have to say it was something scrawled across my first assignment as a high school sophomore. It was a college prep writing class (although I never went to college), and it was the first assignment of the year. I got an “A+/F” as a grade. Under it, Mr. Danielson wrote: “A+” for enthusiasm and content; “F” for organization. What are your trying to SAY?! It was my introduction to essay format (state your point, offer three examples, conclude with your point), which is basically the structure I still follow today with my columns. The year before, my freshman college prep writing teacher, Mrs. Fillers, flunked me my last quarter for not doing the work. That hit me pretty hard. Beginning my next school year with that note from Mr. Danielson was a huge wake-up call for me. I realized I either needed to 1) Buckle down and learn the tools of a good writer or 2) Become an editor (haha just kidding! *cough cough*)

Sounds like Mr. Danielson was a great teacher, and … I really hope your editor is laughing. What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being a writer?

Favorite parts would definitely include all the adoration, chanting, huge sums of money and being in that Twitter picture with Ellen at the Oscars. Least favorite parts? Waking up and realizing none of that actually happened. However, I truly love that feeling of getting into the zone and writing something that catches me off guard and makes me laugh; if it makes me laugh, then I know readers will, too. I love the process of writing: sitting down at the keyboard with my coffee, listening to AC/DC playing over my headphones, and entering that mindset where I get to blow things out of proportion. My least favorite part would have to be when the coffee hits, I head to the employee restroom, then see Joe coming out before I get there.

Are we back to the Depends again? (Hehe) Do you have a schedule for writing?

Even before I was a full-time writer, and was working as a chef, I kept a writing schedule on my days off and days when I didn’t go in until the afternoon. Having that time set aside was important to me because it trained my brain to gear up for the creative process on a regular basis. It was also important because it said to myself and others that my writing was just as important as my full-time job and all the other things I did as a husband and father. If you don’t set aside specific time for writing, it’s too easy to fill that time with other things and never write. I wanted to strike a balance with my job, my family and my writing, and sticking to a schedule allowed me to do that. Even now, though I write full time at a newspaper, after 7 p.m. and on weekends I’m off the grid as much as possible because it’s family time.

I’m sure your family appreciates it. We don’t want you falling asleep on them after (ahem) working so hard at the job. Are you writing another book at the moment?

I actually have two books in the works because, let’s face it, I’m verbose. Actually, one is an extension of my weekly blog post “Ned’s Nickel’s Worth on Writing,” and is a collective of a year’s worth of writing advice that I’ve expanded on. It’s going to be offered exclusively as an eBook because I want to make it easily accessible, and also because I’ve never been through the eBook process and want to try it out. The other book, No Safe Harbor, is a murder mystery set in Seattle with a young boy as the central figure. I actually wrote it 10 years ago when I was still a chef. Maybe I should throw in some recipes? I figure it’s time it saw the light again. We’ll see if a publisher feels the same.

Oooh … a murder mystery, love it! Do you have any advice for new authors?

Take Mr. Danielson’s college prep writing class! If you can’t because being 30 years old in a high school freshman class would feel awkward, then here’s my second piece of advice: If you spend time exploring your thoughts and observations through the written word, you are a writer. It doesn’t take a book contract, publication or ever a readership to be validated as a writer. Ultimately, those things are out of your control. If you tap the keyboard or move a pen across paper to capture an idea or moment? It’s time to confess to yourself and others that you’re a writer.

Excellent, encouraging words, Ned. Let’s find out more about your book, Humor at the Speed of Life. Why should people read it aside from the great cover? That alone makes me laugh. 

As I mentioned earlier, I think humor and laughter are really important in our lives right now. The idea behind the book was to offer something people can get a laugh from, whenever they want or need it, at their own pace. Because it’s a collection of columns divided into categories (Parenting is as Easy as One, Two… Scream, or Women Are From Venus and Men Won’t Ask for Directions, etc.) people can choose a particular topic and get a quick laugh in three-minute reading, or keep going as time allows. Personally, I think it should be in every DMV office in America.

How are you marketing your book?

The obvious places, like my blog, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and scratched into public bathroom stalls along the Oregon coast. Thanks to national syndication through News Media Corporation, I’m lucky to have a built-in marketing system through newspaper readership. I also do a lot of guest speaking at organization meetings (Kiwanis, City Club, Rotary, etc), and I was fortunate enough to be on NPR radio last month. Oh, plus my mom is telling all her friends to buy my book.

Your mom! Awww! How did you celebrate when you finished your book?

I’d been keeping a glass bottle of Coke (the soda) in the back of the refrigerator. I popped it open and drank it on the porch. That night, my wife took me out to dinner and drinks. Then… well… Eden, you’re better at that kind of descriptive passage than I am.

Haha, ok, we can use our imaginations, as long as Depends undergarments are not involved. What is the biggest lesson you have learned from writing your book?

How much I don’t know about social media, and how willing people are to help. One of the things I love most about blogging is the instant interaction with people, and the relationships you forge with people all over the world. We’re constantly told about all the Internet predators, but there’s also a lot of kindness going on out there. It’s like the news media in general; all we hear about is the bad stuff unless it has something to do with Dancing With the Stars.

I agree, I’ve met wonderful people across the networks, and I’d like to share the back cover of your book too, along with a blurb and buy links. I’m really enjoying the read so far. I’m thrilled it’s now available in print AND e-book too! 

Buy Links:
Humor%20at the Speed of Life">Port Hole Publications  ~  Amazon: Amazon.com">Print | e-book
Barnes & Noble: Barnes%20& Noble">Print | e-book

Book blurb: Ned Hickson is an award winning, nationally syndicated humor columnist, headquartered at the Siuslaw News in Florence, Ore. This, his first book, shows why his popularity is growing across the country. From the dangers of family forays in the kitchen (Flaming Pop Tarts), and the careful maneuvering of male-female relations (Women are From Venus, and Men Won’t Ask for Directions), to the dangers of working as an under-appreciated “Jurnalist”, Ned takes us through day-to-day misadventures we can all relate to.

Love it Ned, let’s finish with a fun lightning round!  

1) Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save from a house fire? My iPad. Sad but true. Man, I really need to learn how to use iCloud…

2) Name a food you could eat every day: Breakfast (That’s one food to me)

3) Salty or sweet? Swalty (Hey, it’s a word. At least if we were playing Scrabble)

4) Cat, dog or other pet? We have two dogs and a cat. I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that whoever I don’t pick will poop in my boots.

5) Favorite style of music? I love all kinds of music, from John Williams movie soundtracks to AC/DC to Brad Paisley. If I had to pick one I could listen to all the time? It would be 80s-90s country music; reminds me of my Dad.

6) Best gift you ever received? Without question my incredible wife, Alicia. She is truly a gift.

7) Your most guilty pleasure? See above… ;)

8) Favorite season? Fall. I love the crispness in the air, the turning of the leaves and knowing the holidays are coming.

9) Name something you cannot go a day without: Do you really need to ask? (See 6 and 7)

I hope your wife is reading. This is going to score you MAJOR points. ;)  Any last words for my readers?

I just want to take a moment to thank you for having me, Eden. When I mention the kindness of people on the Internet, you are at the top of the list. Not only for what you do on your blog but also through your support of important issues in the “real” world.

You’re too kind Ned. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to have you here. I will definitely write a review for Humor at the Speed of Life when I’m finished reading it. Loving it so far!

Readers, please connect to Ned at all his virtual homes and get ready to laugh your ass off. Oh …  and he left some information for his bank account too. Feel free to dip into it. ;)

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Connect To Ned

Ned’s Blog | Twitter: @nedhickson | Facebook
Email: nedhickson@icloud.com
Checking account routing number: 0123456789 (weird, huh?)

Ned Hickson is an award-winning humor columnist for Siuslaw News, a small Oregon newspaper where the motto is:

Your dependable source for local news. Twice weekly. Unless we lose count.

Ned has been awarded “Best Local Column” from both the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists.

In 2002, he took his self-syndicated column online to newspapers and, by 2003, received his first measure of national success: A threatening letter from the Velcro© Corporation for not using the “©” symbol when making fun of its product. That same year, he became a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists — mostly for his own protection.

Currently, his weekly column appears in dozens of newspapers in the U.S. and Canada as a syndicated columnist for News Media Corporation. He writes about daily life and important social issues, such as glow-in-the-dark mice and injuries caused by overheated pickles. Humor at the Speed of Life is a collection of his most popular columns, as opposed to the kinds he usually writes, during his 15 years as a newspaper columnist.

Ned lives on the Oregon coast with his wife, four children, two dogs, a cat and entirely too many seagulls.

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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews

Stranger at Sunset ~ Sneak Peek ~ Releases 6.30.14

Last Monday, I introduced my upcoming novel, Stranger at Sunset, which releases June 30th. What a difference a week makes.

Since then, I’ve been busy setting up promotion for the book, and I’m thrilled to learn so many people want to help. THANK YOU to all those who have shared about it already. Your kindness is incredible. ♥

It’s going to be a busy two weeks, but I’m looking forward to the frenzy of it. Below is a passage I will include in the book. You get to read it here first. ;)

Stranger at Sunset is a departure from a genre I’ve become known for—literary erotica. It’s also my first novel. Those who have read my novellas and flash fiction know that characters drive my stories. As much as I enjoy telling a good tale, I love writing about the motivations and actions of people. For me, a story exists because people make it happen. People do not exist because of a story.

A trip to Jamaica in 2013 following Hurricane Sandy inspired Stranger at Sunset. It is the first in a series I envision will include at least three books, if not more. It all depends on how much the characters have to say. Lucky for me, my protagonist, Kate Hampton has a lot to say. As with all my female characters, she is a strong, intelligent woman. But she is much more than that. She is complicated and passionate, and she is wicked. It has been a pleasure to discover her, and her story is just beginning.

With a natural curiosity for people and a fondness for psychology, penning a mystery with a psychological bent seemed the ideal choice for me.

I invite you to take a trip with me to Jamaica in Stranger at Sunset. It’ll be a vacation like you’ve never experienced.

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4 easy ways to stay in touch with me:

1) Upper right, hit the RED button to add your name to my mailing list (Releases and my book news only).

2) Upper left, add your name to receive my blog posts to your inbox each time I publish.

3) Upper left, add me to your RSS feed.

4) Follow me on any of my social networks where I share my blog posts.

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Filed under: Stranger at Sunset

Read an Exchange with Author Britt Skrabanek (@brittskrabanek)

I’ve met many authors via comments they left on my blog. That is how Britt and I connected. Of course, then I discovered we had friends in common, so I’m thrilled to showcase her and her work.

She was a lot of fun to interview and I’m sure you will enjoy reading more about her. Please welcome Britt Skrabanek to Eden’s Exchange.

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Britt, so great to meet you and have you here at last! Tell my readers if you have any great extravagances.

International travel is my vice. I love the rush that begins with entering another country, from the sound of the stamp as it pounds my American passport to the unfamiliar language drifting into my ears. Traveling abroad opens our minds to other cultures and helps us grow into more tolerant human beings. Each time I come back home, I feel like a better version of myself.

Agree 100%! I think travel is the best way to learn about people. It’s one of my favorite things too. What are some of your favorite curse words?

I’m not the most ladylike person, so cursing is a regular part of my verbal repertoire. Besides the usual, a few novelties are “Scheisse”, “Oh, Balls”, and the occasional “Shit on a Stick”.

Good ones! Do you have a motto you live by?

Stand up for the good, but do it with class.

Yes, class is a must. What makes you laugh, and I mean, REALLY laugh?

Though most of life amuses me endlessly, the secret language my husband and I share, which is filled with inside jokes and inappropriate shenanigans, always makes me laugh my ass off. Also, we have silly song and dance numbers we perform on the fly in our apartment. It’s kind of a competitive thing to see who the biggest ass is. We usually tie.

How sweet ;)  Let’s learn more about you as the writer. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Everything. As I answer this I’m looking outside of a window on my lunch break from an enclosed skywalk which hovers above a bustling downtown street. Bundled up adults in work attire are rushing back from lunch, speed-walking and narrowly avoiding a man picking up dog pooh on the snowy sidewalk. The park on the corner is stuck between the death rattle of winter and the spirited promise of spring, and a combination of snow, ice, and brown grass duke it out to dominate the scene. Yellow taxis break up the grey feel of the streets, buildings, and skies like spunky canaries soaring through the town. Again…it’s everything.

How do you market yourself?

By cultivating organic relationships with other humans. I loathe guerrilla warfare book marketing tactics. You know the ones…read my book, read my book, read my book, seriously read my book. I believe in establishing real connections through blogging and social media with stellar conversation, off-kilter humor, and steady positivity.

I think that’s the only way to do it. No one likes the hard sell for anything. How would you define your style of writing?

I suppose I’m a bit of a rule breaker. I have a yen for oddball adjectives and I often make up hyphenated words for shits and giggles. Although I love to play around with history, culture, and fashion, my purpose is to provide a snapshot of life with all of its awe-inspiring awesomeness, and above all to make people feel deeply.

What part of writing a novel do you enjoy the most? The least?

To create another world and become fully immersed in it is like living a dream. When I write I can be a lounge singing spy or traipse off to Prague on a whim. It’s my adult version of make-believe. The downside for me is the time I spend on it, as writing so intensely tears me away from my husband during the sparse moments we share together.

Tell us about the book you’re working on now.   

My third book, The Bra Game, is a throwback American romp which takes place in Chicago during 1954. I love buying vintage fashion and made an incredible discovery after purchasing a handbag here in Milwaukee a couple of years ago. Hidden in the folds of the interior were two baseball tickets from 1954 and a voting receipt with a shopping list on the back that read: chocolate, fly swatter, shoes, film, loan. For a history lover like myself, this was comparable to opening a treasure chest. My imagination went into overdrive, picturing three distinct women who might have owned the handbag during that time. Because of the baseball tickets, I decided these women would have played in the All American Girls Baseball League during WWII and the story would follow their lives after the league disintegrated, when the boys came home and the women were expected to return to making pies and babies. Call this one a deeper, sexier A League of Their Own. (Shameless plug…The Bra Game releases Summer 2014.)

Your book has a terrific concept. And for the record, book plugs are NEVER shameless when you’re doing an author interview. It’s your time to shine.

What is your best advice for new authors?

Do it for the love. If you’re writing for anything else, you’re missing it.

I agree. You have to love writing. Tell us about the genre of your current book, Beneath the Satin Gloves. I love the title, very mysterious.

Because Beneath the Satin Gloves is a serious genre bender, I’ll quote a recent reviewer who said it’s “a little bit romance, thriller, time travel, and historical fiction”. Hey, I’m Indie. Why not span an absurd amount of genres for the hell of it?

What inspired you to write the book?

I’ve been a WWII junkie since I was a little girl. As I had unintentionally completed lifelong research, it was an ideal setting for me to give historical fiction a go. WWII was a turning point in history, when the world became a much smaller place, when atrocities and destruction almost overshadowed our existence. The stories of bravery and unity during this time continue to astound me. And on a lighter note, 1940s music and fashion are exquisite in my eyes. Powerful dreams were another driving force behind Beneath the Satin Gloves, exploring the possibilities of past lives unearthed by the unconscious mind.

Excellent, and I’d like to share the video you made for the book. It’s very well put together.

How did you celebrate when you finished your book?

Sadly, my husband was out of town on business. I poured myself a glass of wine, toasted my laptop and my two cats, then cried like a little girl. I just couldn’t believe I had written an entire freaking book!

I know the feeling well, Britt. I’m on the verge of tears thinking of you toasting your laptop! What has surprised you the most about writing the book?

That I would be batshit crazy enough to write another, and another. Turns out I’m a writer after all.

You most certainly are. And I’d like to provide readers with your buy links below.

Buy Links:  Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Apple

Beneath the Satin Gloves A modern day woman, torn by her illusive dreams, awakens to a strange life in 1943, hurdled against the throes of destruction in wartime Berlin. Following a haphazard trail of clues, she discovers her new identity as Alina Feuer, code-named Sparrow, a famous entertainer, seducing a high-ranking SS officer to gather vital information for the Allies. But, Alina is an amateur in these incessant spy games, relying solely on her wit and instinct to make her next move while frantically hiding her erratic behavior from the watchful eyes of her suspicious liaison/love interest and her pestering socialite gal pal along the way. A reluctant heroine, she must use charismatic glamour as her weapon of choice to fulfill her deadly mission before the week is through.

Let’s finish with a fun lightning round!  

Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save if your house was on fire? Since my work is always backed up a hundred different ways and my laptop is replaceable, hands down I would save my oversized stuffed animal, Ken Follett the cow. We go way back.

Favorite place you’ve traveled to or would like to travel to? I’m obsessed with the world, so I’ll just list some places I’m currently drooling over: Barcelona, Buenos Aires, and Bali. (So many B’s!)

Salty or sweet? Sweet tooth…right here!

Favorite style of music? Eclectic taste is an understatement for me, but world music, classic rock, and sultry jazz—think Billie Holiday or Anita O’Day—are my jams.

The best gift you’ve ever received? For my thirtieth birthday my husband gave me the gift of time to focus on writing. I quit my full-time job for a year and kicked some major creative ass.

Your most guilty pleasure. Aromatherapy massages. They’re beyond yummy.

Favorite season. Fall. It’s damn magical.

Something you cannot go a day without. My husband. He is my everything.

Beautiful answers, Britt. Like me, I think you’re somewhat of an old soul. Thank you for being here, and I wish you every success with your current books, as well as your summer launch of The Bra Game. Readers, please connect to Britt at all her homes on the web.

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Connect To Britt

Website/blog | Facebook | Twitter @brittskrabanek

Goodreads

Britt Skrabanek is the spirited indie author of Beneath the Satin Gloves and Everything’s Not Bigger. Her blog, a physical perspective, is a whimsical snapshot of life, musings, and the glory of the written word. She is blissfully married, has two delightfully incorrigible cats and loves to experience the world—all of its quirky beauty inspires her endlessly. When Britt’s not writing, she’s a bike riding Yogi who loves to dance. She is currently plugging away at her third novel, The Bra Game, with love, humor, and relentlessness.

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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews

Stranger at Sunset ~ My Mystery Novel releases 6.30.14

I’m not sure any author has had a longer lead-in time to the release of a book. I originally intended for my novel to release last year, but you know what they say about the “best laid plans.” I actually blogged about it here if you’re interested.

This post introduces my new book ~ Stranger at Sunset. My first novel – Wheee!

I’m extremely proud of the book, and it’s been a long haul but a worthy one. Stranger at Sunset encompasses my love of psychology, specifically for what lurks in the murky corners of our psyches. The story flows out of my own curiosity for what motivates people to do what they do. Over the coming weeks, I will tell you more about it. In the meantime, I’m revealing the cover. Don’t you love it? I certainly do! Huge thanks to JB Graphics for the excellent work on it.

Stranger at Sunset is a psychological mystery, which explores the dark side of human nature. It takes place in the Caribbean on the beautiful island of Jamaica. Over the course of a week, twelve vacationers gather at a holiday resort. Secrets will arise revealing their duplicitous nature. The story explores questions of loyalty, friendship, and secrets.

It also asks: What would you kill for? And why?

The answers will surprise you.

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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews, Important Announcements

Angela M Carter releases Memory Chose a Woman’s Body (@amcarterpoetry)

Angela M. Carter was introduced to me by friend and poet, Loren Kleinman. I’m very happy to spread the word of Angela’s first book.

Please find out more about Angela and Memory Chose a Woman’s Body. 

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Buy in paperback from Amazon

Memory Chose a Woman’s Body is a poetic memoir, one woman’s harrowing yet hopeful story of harm and healing. The poems, each powerful as stand-alone works, are a journey of self-discovery, an epic tale of finding one’s way and voice. Angela M Carter navigates uninviting terrain with the skill and grace of a veteran truth teller. Memory Chose a Woman’s Body is a ray of cleansing light directed at the dark corners of the human heart. It is an offering of sisterhood to survivors of all kinds.

Connect to Angela

Website | Twitter @amcarterpoetry | Facebook

Poets & Writers Magazine profile

ANGELA M CARTER has been a writer since the age of eight. What began as an escape from the events of her childhood became a way of life. Angela writes about subjects many people are uncomfortable talking about. Each of her poems is its own story, yet they all carry the same message: silence is not golden. Born and raised in a Virginia farming town with a population of fewer than 280 souls, Angela moved to England for several years only to find her memories followed her. She returned to Virginia with new-found confidence and a voice. She has been speaking with that voice ever since. Angela is a wife and mother and she believes that had it not been for poetry she would not be either of those things. She believes that poetry saved her life.

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Filed under: Author Promotions

Music Monday with Bradley and the Bouncers

I happened upon a lovely band this weekend while a friend was in town. Catch them if you get a chance. Great sexy vibe, and they sound even better in person.

Here is “Sway” with  Bradley and The Bouncers.

You can like their page on Facebook too.

Filed under: Musical Mondays

Read an Exchange with Author Anthony McManus (@Deepcaster)

Anthony McManus (Tony, I call him ) is an author who lives in Chiang Mai, a beautiful part of northern Thailand I had the pleasure of visiting years ago.

We connected after he read one of my books, and have been friends since. As in the serendipitous world of the social network, he also happened to come from my provincial birthplace of Quebec. Small world.

Please welcome Tony—a diligent writer, a man of many talents, and someone worth knowing.

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Tony, so lovely to have you here finally! It seems like so long ago since we connected. Tell my readers h ow your best friend would describe you in 20 words or less? 

I asked him: A passionate animal lover. A boy who’ll never grow up. A true friend, totally reliable. He’ll never let you down.

Nice. Are you a full time writer or do you have a day job?

Since I don’t have a day job where I punch a time clock, I suppose you could say I’m a full time writer. But in reality I do have work to do. My Thai home is a guesthouse in the mountains outside Chiang Mai town, so I have chores and demands on my time. It’s easier in Canada in my Quebec log home.

I think it was Hemingway who said there is no such thing as a full time writer, and he was correct in my view. I do more reading than writing. So I would say I’m a reader who writes. But as a writer, my ideal day is this:

First, I’m a morning man. I’m up early, before the birds, around 4:30 to 5:00. I freshen up with a shower, grab a cup of coffee and get down to it. I’m on the keyboard well before 6:00. I work for two hours. My first move is to reread my previous day’s work, revising and self editing as I read. Then I press on. I aim to write 500 to1000 good words a day; 1000 words a day of good writing is going some in my opinion.

At 8:00, I quit and run my dogs through the country. Back home I feed them and they sleep and I take my breakfast. Then back to the computer. I quit writing before noon. With a good four to five hours under my belt, it’s time for exercise on my mountain bike or a gym visit for a workout. I’ll then take a siesta for an hour if I’m lucky.

I rarely write in the afternoon which I reserve for reading or any work that needs doing. But whatever I’m doing, especially physical work, my imagination takes free rein and I create scenes mentally. Hiking with the dogs is an excellent creative time for me; ideas flow. For example, while repairing a wooden deck I came up with the short story idea that became A Bangkok Solution.

Around 4:00pm I do a short afternoon run with the dogs. After supper I catch up on news, read emails. And then I hit the sack, read some more in bed, then sleep.

Some personal questions, shall we? What is your greatest extravagance?

As a self confessed, card carrying biker, I would like to say an MV Agusta Brutale, or Triumph Speed Triple, fine, expensive motorcycles, both. But present circumstances deny me that. So, I’ll settle for a fine scotch malt whisky; Lagavulin Distillers Edition is a good one, chased with pure ice cold water, taken in good company as the sun goes down; not too extravagant, but a superb way to end any day. Aahhh.

I knew there was a reason I liked you. Scotch drinker :D  Do you have a motto you live by?

Yes. It’s the old Christian one. Do onto others as you would have others do onto you. It’s simple, but not easy. I do try hard though.

No, it’s not easy, but you can only try, right? What is one thing you want to do before you die?

I want to paddle the length of the Ping River, Thailand’s longest, from source to sea in my Canadian Feathercraft sea kayak. That’s the adventurous boy in me. It is in the cards.

I”m sure you will do it.  What do you consider your greatest accomplishment to date?

Satisfying a long standing ambition by designing and building a log home almost single handed. It took almost five years to finish. It’s in Ste. Adele, Quebec.

It looks like a great place to write. Who are a few of your favorite authors and books?

In paperback, I’ve just finished Raylan by Elmore Leonard. It was his final book as he died last year. It’s an excellent yarn about Leonard’s favourite protagonist, US Marshall Raylan Givens, giving the bad boys a hard time in a delightful array of connected short crime stories melded into one long one and written in Leonard’s inimitable style; a perfect last hurrah from a superb crime writer. If ever a writer worked hard at developing and honing his craft it was Elmore Leonard.

I’ve just started Annie Proulx’s Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3. I love her stuff. My introduction to her was via The Shipping News, set as you may know in Newfoundland, and so good I’ve read it twice. Next up was Close Range: Wyoming Stories. As a short story lover, this held me spellbound as she plumbs great depths of emotion through the lives of fascinating characters with incredible names in a rugged, yet beautiful territory. Bad Dirt her second anthology of Wyoming tales was more of the same. Annie Proulx is a great writer.

On Kindle, I recently finished The Lair Of The Fox by Dan Pollock. Fine exciting stuff if you like adventure thrillers. It’s my second novel of Pollock’s, the first being Orinoco, set in Venezuela, a great read from a fine writer. I just started The Yen Conspiracy by John Lewis which was recommended to me by Jake Needham. Apparently John Lewis passed away so this novel will be his only one. Very sad.

You’ve named off some greats. What motivates you to write?

Being able to create a small world with characters, breathe life into them, place them in conflict, and watch them work it out. I also enjoy writing well and the feeling it gives. Good prose is like a fine piece of music for me.

I would also like to be known, famous even, have a fan base of those who like my work. I’d also like to make a lot of money; not for myself as much as my dear animal charities.

As for your books, where do you draw inspiration from?

I get inspiration from various sources, such as voracious reading, observing people and taking note of events around the world. I’ve also travelled a great deal and met many interesting characters who’ve led interesting lives and had tales to tell; I tap into that.

I find that a good source of story ideas for a fiction writer is the society columns in the big daily newspapers where one can follow the antics and shenanigans of the elites. The internet is an incredible source of inspiration. I do also have a fertile imagination which helps.

Do you outline, plot and structure, or do you just sit down and write?

I plot, but loosely. A fiction writer is a story teller, he should know as much as he can of his story before beginning to tell or write it. Some writers spend a great deal of time creating a detailed, and often involved, plot structure of their story. F. Scott Fitzgerald did so and advocated it. Hemingway plotted. I feel it’s the best, the only way to go if you can do it.

Other writers take a more laissez faire character driven route. The late Elmore Leonard is a good example. He used his characters to drive the narrative along whereby their interaction with each other takes precedence and the plot, “just sort of comes along,” so he claimed. Much as I admire Leonard, I don’t completely buy that. Just ask yourself this: could, say Alexander Dumas, have produced a complex masterpiece like The Count of Monte Cristo by just sitting down and writing? The great writers, the masters we admire, plotted, so why shouldn’t we?

I certainly don’t just sit down and write. I come up with an idea, something dramatic like a bank heist, a stockbroker robbing his clients, or a young man walking out on his wife and kids and never returning, and I say: what if? I then create an outline of what happens next; but no rigid plot structure. I then create my characters, a protagonist and a few other characters plus a villain or villains. Then I start to write. Things are flexible with me and possibilities abound. Right now I’m 32,000 words into the novel I’m working on: A Bangkok Interlude, but I can’t tell you how it’s going to end, because I don’t yet know myself.

You could say that I plot on the fly. As I write I think ahead, working on sub-plots with the endgame, the denouement, in the distance, but not yet in the cross hairs.

I believe all good writers do at least some plotting, even Mr. Leonard. Despite what he said, he knew where he was headed. One should plot for disciplines sake. If one just sits down and writes, one’s story will tend to get out of control and become too big like some of the 400 plus page crime novels I come across these days on Kindle; and sometimes that’s just Book 1. And some of these novels, I sense, are nothing more than overblown short stories. Only plotting will tell you if your idea is worthy of being a novel, a novella or a short story.

If you want to create plot-less stories that were so in vogue a few years ago, then it’s fine to just sit down and write. But I’m old fashioned. I believe in law and order. I don’t like or accept plot less stories. A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. And to achieve that plotting is essential.

That I might overwrite seriously worries me, so I do intend to plot more seriously in the future, for the sake of control and in the interest of brevity. Because in my view, with exceptions such as War and Peace, a writer, especially a thriller writer, should try to wrap things up in less than 300 paperback pages. Ian Fleming’s From Russia With Love took207; Diamonds Are Forever required 192 and Casino Royale needed all of 189 pages. And Hemingway’s Nobel Prize winner, The Old Man And The Sea, weighed in at a sweet 127. That demands plotting and serious control. But that’s the way to do it. 

What is the best advice you’ve received as a writer?

I’ve never received direct writing advice from anyone. But thankfully the best advice for any writer is available at the click of a mouse on the internet. For me George Orwell’s 6 Rules of Writing, which come from his essay, “Politics and the English Language”, are timeless.

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules are terrific, fun to read and make sense. Hemingway offers 7 tips and so does his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald. I refer to these often as a discipline. Thank God for the internet.

Is it important for you to know the title or ending of a book before you write it?

I like to have a title to begin with. Even if, in all probability, I change the title later down the path, I still like to start with one. I wouldn’t like to work on Project X or something nameless. My novel: The Iran Deception was originally titled: Dangerous Men. Knowing the ending is not so important; it will come in its good time.

What part of writing a novel do you enjoy the most? The least?

For me, the best part is the beginning. You’ve come up with a story idea, you’ve plotted and now it’s time to create, to tell your story, develop your characters and bring on the conflict. Next I like the denouement. The least I like is the marketing effort and the worry that it may not be well received or sell well, and languish in a literary limbo.

Let’s talk about your collection of Thai stories. What is the genre of Down and Out in the Big Mango?

Down and Out in the Big Mango is a collection of short stories with most, but not all, in the crime genre. Its setting is Thailand.

What inspired you to write it?

Living in Thailand. Visiting, as a tourist, you see nothing but paradise. When you reside here you come to know that paradise has a dark side, even a dangerous one. You come to know of corruption, con artists, lovely women separating suckers from their money, bent cops on the take, motor scooter assassins and dangerous outlaws in the pristine forest wilderness. And Thailand has its mafias and has long been a choice hideout for international fugitives. I like to mine that rich ore and write about it. I plan many more stories; a series in fact.

Here’s a summary of Down and Out in the Big Mango.

Thailand; a name to conjure with. A land of smiles, exotic women, superb cuisine, sun, sea, sand and, almost, free love. A promise of paradise it seems. But a paradise that has its dangers. Thailand can surprise the unwary in manifold ways,

These stories of foreigners, experiences in Thailand, explore those surprises and dangers. A foreign love triangle leads to a deadly denouement in Bangkok. A French expat, cleaned out by a Thai beauty, panhandles Bangkok streets. A gullible tourist gets fleeced by corrupt cops in a cool massage parlor take down. A man walks out of his house, his family and his life and turns up thirty seven years later in a Chiang Mai guesthouse; dead. A broker rips off his clients and flees with a million dollars on his head. Seven years later a bounty hunter sets out to find him with a photograph his only clue. A rich playboy, enjoying a Girl Friend Experience with a difference, gets more than he bargained for. Buy all of Tony’s books from Amazon.

Tell us why should people read your books?

For the same reason they read any other work of fiction; for entertainment, to escape their world and venture into another perhaps unfamiliar one. If you know Thailand you’ll especially enjoy it. But it’s not necessary to have been to Thailand to get pleasure from my stories.

How are you marketing it?

Poorly at the moment. Marketing is a skill I’m lacking. But, like all skills, one can learn it. I have the tools: Twitter, a dedicated Facebook page, Linkedin plus a rather neglected website. My intention is to concentrate on this area and develop good marketing skills. I’m about to advertise it on a Bangkok site with a huge farang reader-base and I expect good results from that. I have had some good email feedback from satisfied readers. And I also hope that this interview with Eden Baylee will help.

Ha! I hope so. At least I hope it won’t hurt ;) What is the best way for someone to support your book, aside from buying it?

By reading and enjoying it and spreading the word. Then by writing a review which I will greatly appreciate. Reviews have received a bad press recently, after the antics of some people, but writers still need them. So, I say to anyone reading my book: do enjoy the yarns and write a review, please.

Let’s finish with a fun lightning round!  

Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save if your house was on fire? It’ a tossup; my laptop computer or my Nikon camera whichever’s closest to hand.

Favorite place you’ve traveled to or would like to travel to? Quito, Ecuador.

Name a food you can eat everyday. A good, homemade, vegetable soup.

Cat/dog/other pet? Many dogs, one cat.

Salty or sweet? Salty

The best gift you’ve ever received? A simple artwork of two porcelain gulls landing on a piece of driftwood. From an Acadian girlfriend in Montreal who passed away of ovarian cancer 2003. Looking at it I’m reminded of the many lovely things Aline and I did together.

Favorite season. Autumn.

Favorite style of music? Classical.

Your most guilty pleasure. I want to say drinking sake out of a lovely Japanese girl’s navel. But, sadly, it remains a fantasy. So it has to be eating far too much ice cream.

Happy to finally feature you here, Tony, and it was great  to learn more about you. Readers, please connect to Tony at all his virtual homes.

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Connect To Anthony

Website | Facebook | Twitter @Deepcaster

Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Of Irish stock, Tony McManus was born in Manchester, England. He worked in many jobs to serve his passion for travel such as English teacher, bar tender, taxi driver, and in southern Africa in the Transvaal goldmines and the copper mines of Zambia. He left England for Canada, settling in Quebec which would become his base area and spiritual home. In 2000 he designed and commenced building a long planned log home in Ste. Adele, Quebec. In 2007 he moved to Thailand and built a country guesthouse in the hills north of Chiang Mai.

His passion for writing began at school where he excelled at English and composition. He considers himself a “journeyman writer” and believes that only through hard work and dedication can a writer develop and hone his skills. Over the years he’s written abundant articles on a variety of subjects and had many short stories for children published.  His first novel, The Iran Deception was self-published on Amazon in September 2012. He has just published a collection of short stories:  Down and Out in the Big Mango, about western foreigner’s experiences in Thailand. He is presently working on a second novel, a thriller titled: A Bangkok Interlude.

Tony pursues and advocates good health through diet and exercise. An outdoorsman, sailor, sea kayaker and canoeist, he also loves cross country skiing and snowshoeing and cycling. When in Thailand, he misses Canada: in Canada he misses Thailand.

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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews

Music for Memorial Day ~ Fortunate Son

It’s Memorial Day in the US … Putting politics aside, this is a  great song  with a strong history.

Fortunate Son by CCR

Some folks are born made to wave the flag

Ooh, they’re red, white and blue

And when the band plays “Hail to the Chief”

Oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain’t me, it ain’t me

I ain’t no Senator’s son

It ain’t me, it ain’t me

I ain’t no fortunate one, no …

Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews

Read an Exchange with Author Angus Vieira

Angus Vieira is an author I met by way of mutual friend, screenwriter/poet Wally Lane. We read each other’s books and connected on Facebook. To say that he is an ‘interesting’ man would not do him justice. He is a unique blend of sexy and sassy, raunchy and sagely, and someone who does not mince words.

See what I mean by reading more about the one and only, Angus Vieira.

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Welcome Angus! Tell my readers how your best friend would describe you.

An iconoclastic, smutty mouthed ethical slut with a lot of energy and a facile wit who is loyal and trustworthy to his friends.

Nice description. Are you a full time writer?

I am a retired Merchant Marine so writing is now my primary occupation and it’s a very good thing I have a small pension because I love the job, but the pay and benefits suck so far.

Ha, tell me about it! What is your greatest extravagance?

Well I spend money to keep my 68 Skylark convertible in good shape, but if I had more discretionary income, say if my books start to sell better I would like to get back to giving 10% to the arts, including Strippers, brothels and the occasional casino.

I’m positive no one has ever quite said it like that before. ;) Is there  one thing you want to do before you die?

Be part of having one of my books made into a movie.

I think that is many a writer’s dream. Have any favorite curse words?

Well I am trying to break the stereotypical use of the names of Christian deities like Jesus etc. and substitute more pagan Gods and Goddesses like Boanne and Dagda (who were the parents of the mythical Angus) without making it an affectation but generally I stick to the old standbys, fuck, shit and asshole or douche nozzle if you arouse my ire.

I love them all, and they all have their place. Do you have a motto you live by?

It is what it is.

What makes you laugh, and I mean, REALLY laugh?

Many things, especially when I’m a little stoned, but a good fart joke is right up there.

No matter how old we get, fart jokes are always good. Where do you draw your inspiration from?

For my mystery-noir novels I have a muse. The lady who I modeled the primary female character around, a lady named Kate.

I love the name Kate. it has a role in my upcoming book too. What motivates you to write?

The Puget Sound Indian tribes believed, as do many aboriginal peoples who have few or no written records that saying the dead person’s name kept their spirit alive. The thought of people repeating his name made Chief Seattle angry but I kind of like it, and giving people a little different way of looking at the world and the people in it is appeals to me. Since I love books so much, not writing some now that I have the opportunity would be kind of ungrateful.

What a wonderful response, Angus, so eloquently put. Do you have favorite authors and books?

Well I could talk favorite authors for several days, so let me just name some authors of my favorite mystery thriller genre with repeating characters through several books. Dashiell Hammet, James Lee Burke, Elmore Leonard, Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blasé, John D. McDonald’s Travis McGee, Sir Author Conan Doyle, Sax Roehmer’s Fu Manchu, Chandler, Spillane and on and on to Maxwell Grant’s The Shadow and Leslie Charteris’ The Saint.

Wow, fabulous list and reminds me I need to pick up more books!  How would you define your style of writing?

I never thought about that, but I will go with ‘functional realism.’

Murder on a Two Lane Road introduced me to Angus’ work. You can buy it from Amazon and Smashwords. Below is a summary for the book.

Ride along with Seattle detective Angus Vieira as he follows a trail of blood and bodies from the Emerald City through the strip joints and brothels of northern Nevada as he tracks a ruthless killer down. (the premiere offering in a new mystery series)

Do you outline, plot and structure, or do you just sit down and write?

This reminds me of a favorite quote of my manager, editor, friend Wally Lane, you can make an outline or just wait and your first draft will be your outline, so yes I do but it’s a loose one and subject to changes as the book progresses.

Are you working on a book now? 

I am starting to get down to the short strokes of the third book in my ‘Murder’ series that starts with Murder on a Two Lane Road, then Murder on a Small Island, and now Murder and Witches. I would never want to write the same book twice, by which I mean within the structure of a thriller novel I want each perilous situation to be very unique, but to paraphrase a popular movie, there will be blood, and sexual situations frankly described, and likely some shit jokes.

Here is a blurb for Murder on a Small Island which is available on Amazon.

PI Angus Vieira and ex-stripper Kate Hickok, now strip club owner, go after a sleazy mayoral candidate, who is campaigning against local Seattle strip clubs—and threatening Kate’s and her girls’ livelihoods. Angus, with the help of Kate’s girl Friday, Tanya, set up a honey-trap to catch the philandering wannabe-mayor and expose him as the phony he is. But things go monumentally wrong and all Hell breaks loose.

What is your best advice for new authors?

Read as many books as you can find and when you are writing take as much time as you need to get it right. Do not get discouraged because some days will go much better than others when you are starting out, and as long as you write in my case anyway.

Wise words, Angus. What is the genre of your book?

Like my attitude about life, my book is a little hard to fit into a category, but I would call it a Mystery-noir, others have called it an erotic thriller because there is quite a bit of sexual content, but it’s a vital part of the story, if it tends to titillate some readers well that’s all to the good.

Why should people read your book?

Well as hard as it is for me to imagine a life without them in it, a lot of people do not have any friends who have worked in the erotic entertainment industry, or been to a strip club or a brothel and probably have a very distorted idea about the people who make up that part of America. It might make them want to explore that form of entertainment, that is the key word; I hope they find it entertaining.

Absolutely, I learned a lot from reading Murder on a Two Lane Road. How long did it take for you to write it?

The book Murder on a Two Lane Road started out as a travel book I was going to call ‘Lust on a Two Lane Road, a field guide to the brothels of Nevada,’ and to research it I drove a circuit of Nevada visiting and talking to the Owners, when they would talk to me, and the Hookers who worked in all 24 functioning and open Brothels in the state. When I found that the industry had little enthusiasm for a book about itself, I had a flash of inspiration and turned it into a murder mystery. About three years altogether. The second book in the series Murder on a Small Island went a little quicker, say almost two years and I am about a year into writing the third book in the series.

What inspired you to write this book?

Being a bent Judge for a friend who wanted to win an amateur strip contest, the contest ended up in the book fairly accurately described, however with quite a different end to the evening.

Intriguing ;) Tell us about your road to publication.

I do not know for sure if I would have published any books at all in my life so far without the enthusiastic help, computer expertise and editing of Wally Lane. We met in Pioneer Square at the Central Saloon where the old sea dog owner Ken (Jomo) Ward, a longtime friend of his and he put together a series of poetry slams. I considered  the place my alternative living room in those days between sea voyages and evening driving cab and Jomo introduced us because he knew I wrote some poetry and I ended up liking it, and all three of us have been friends ever since.

About a year after that he published my book of poetry, The Snake Swallower of Cochin and other Odd Occupations in 1995. He went on to concentrate more on Screen writing and directed, wrote and filmed the short film ‘Winos and Pigeons’, and I continues my career as a Marine Engineer, but when the murder mystery idea hit me in a motel parking lot in Elko Nevada I called him right then and he said it sounded great and if I wrote it he would help me publish it. He had to learn how to translate a book from/into two different kinds of ‘E’ book also. One reason I would like my books to achieve some financial success is so he gets a share of the compensation. Basically we just started a publishing company from scratch. The lady who created my web site traded the work for the little trailer I lived in out at a nudist camp in Washington State, thank you for a great job Robin Sizemore.

The Snake Swallower of Cochin and other Odd Occupations is described as Poems written at home and abroad by a seafaring man and available via Amazon.

What has the reception been to your books?

The response from the small number of people who have read them having heard about them through mutual friends, word of mouth or my web site have been very positive, one lady down in Arkansas whose sister in law is an old friend of mine liked the first one so much that she ended up editing the second one, thank you Georgiaberry Mobley, but from the major book sellers or the literary community, nary a single word.

What is the best way for someone to support your book, aside from buying it?

Telling their friends of course, if they like it they might write a review for the Amazon book site or tell me about it on Facebook. But even more important than anything that happens to my books, they should support all women’s right to health care and reproductive rights and the repeal of the draconian laws of America criminalizing sex between consenting adults. It should be legal everywhere, regulated, and supported by health care and worker’s rights. I love hookers but I’m not too crazy about pimps. A brothel owner is not a pimp. There is a big difference there, or should be.

Thank you, Angus for your openness and sharing your views. Let’s finish with a fun lightning round – Go!

Aside from people/pets, what is the ONE item you would save if your house was on fire? My biggest and best piece of wood sculpture is an eight foot tall cedar log I carved into a totem I call Baphomet, Ganesh and the winged Monkey. I’d risk some singed clothes for it.

Favorite place you’ve traveled to or would like to travel to? Some rainy days I have to fight off the urge to go live in Thailand.

Name a food you can eat everyday. Good cowboy roots, I am a beefeater.

Cat/dog/other pet? Up until I met and lived with my friend Kate and her rabbit I would have said cat, now I think she has turned me into a rabbit guy.

Favorite style of music? The blues. 

Ha! Me too. I knew there was a reason I liked you!

The best gift you’ve ever received? My friend Kate convincing me to take acting and screenwriting classes at Shoreline Community College.

Your most guilty pleasure. Spending an afternoon watching Matlock reruns on the Lifetime Channel.

Favorite season. High summer.

Name something you cannot go a day without. The Buddhist chant I do every night before going to sleep.

It’s been a pleasure learning more about you, lovely man. I have no doubt you will continue to pave your own path.

Readers, feel free to say ‘hi’ to Angus and be sure to pick up one of his books!

~eden  

Connect to Angus 

 Website | Facebook
Amazon page | Smashwords

Angus Vieira mystery writer: I grew up in the suburbs around Seattle, Washington. In those dear dead days, before those wooded hills were full of Dot.com millionaires and the tallest building in Bellevue was the four stories dubbed Fredrick and Nelson’s, I spent my youth running in the woods, watching a red tailed hawk raise its young, and living in the exotic romantic foreign lands of my imagination. The latter, fueled by my love of books… the usual suspects, from Kipling and London, through Burroughs and Doyle, Chandler. And then I discovered that girls did indeed smell funny but I liked it, and after that, Henry Miller and D. H. Lawrence led me to love Shakespeare and Dickens, in spite of a concerted effort by the school system to convince me they were boring old requirements by omitting all the sex and violence.

As a teen, I was too busy being a clueless rebel without a cause, to bother watching the movie, but I sure did love Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road. So it isn’t too surprising that getting busted for liking beer and girls and speeding around the back roads of the cascade foot hills late at night led the exasperated local law enforcement community to offer me the choice of six months in the county jail or four years in the Marine Corp. I chose, hugging an M-60 and looking out the window of Med-Evac choppers in Vietnam. At first it was enjoyable, but as I slowly grew a political consciousness, the waste of lives and landscape convinced me that I did not belong in a uniform. I am proud of the one I wore and the men I wore it with; I just don’t march well with others.

Out of uniform, with no readily available civilian jobs for helicopter machine gunners that did not involve wearing a uniform, and still trying to figure out how I felt about the entire south east Asia clusterfuck — something I am still trying to do a little — I discovered that a wonderful vitamin named LSD. And that it made things a little more understandable when ingested with several thousand of my closest friends to the music of Dylan, Hendricks and the like.

I finally lucked into a job with a bunch of other colorful scalawags on a far sailing scientific research vessel during that storied golden age of humanity, when there were no STDs that could not be cured by a trip to a long-suffering union Doctor. Long sea voyages of sobriety and sweaty engine room work punctuated by visits to third world ports, where my monthly wage was more than their citizen’s annual median wage. I behaved with all the sober probity of a roared brothel ballad and do not regret a moment or a farthing.

I bought a small apartment house in Seattle, naming it Palamabron, after the horned pagan god of William Blake’s mythology, and tried my hand, with some success, as poet, sculpture, photographer, and Taxi owner/driver in between long sea voyages, as a Marine engineer. The latter were by far the most lucrative parts of my life, although, as I see it now, inevitably resulted in disastrous effects on my love life.

Poetry was my foremost artistic love, then and now. So, when a friend, and bar owner named Jomo, told me that an old friend of his named Wally was hosting a poetry slam at the Central Saloon once a week and he, Jomo, would pay my admission if I wanted to bring down and read some of the stuff I had been scribbling away at on those voyages. I decided to give it a try.

I had read a few times at my friend Robert Otto Borsodi’s coffee house before he up and moved to NoLa (New Orleans) and once at the local wankers stage at Lolapalooza between acts of Rock and Roll wrestlers MC’d by a fugley Tranny mistress of ceremonies, but that was about it. I found that reading my own poetry before people made me more nervous than dancing around naked in front of them, but was also more exhilarating.

That night I met the slam’s host Wally Lane, who was also publishing some books of local poetry and we kind of hit it off. He published a book of my poetry in 1995. The Snake Swallower of Cochin and other odd occupations and we remain friends and collaborators still.

When steel deck plates and ladders eventually took their toll on my knees and ankles and

I — amazed as I was — realized that, against some fairly long odds, I had lived long enough and slowed down enough, to return to my first love of writing books… Wally was the one I called from the parking lot of a motel in Elko Nevada with the idea for a murder mystery, set in the west’s strip clubs and brothels and staring a fictional version of myself, and another good friend of mine. Wally said, “Sounds like it could be interesting, now all you gotta do is write it.” – I’m just finishing up book three as I write this.

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Filed under: Author & Artist Interviews

Author Jay Finn releases Fastian (@JayFinn32)

Good friend and author, Maria Savva, introduced me to a new author from Ireland named  Jay Finn. I’m happy to highlight his debut fantasy novel Fastian. He has also penned two short story collections Looking Back and Beneath the Darkness.

Here is how Jay describes himself:

The deeper, isolated and sometimes darker side of the human psyche has always fascinated me. It doesn’t make me a dark or morbid person but I’ve always loved stories that reflect that side of human nature. I try to do the same in my own writing.

Learn more about Jay and connect to him on all his networks!

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Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

The Nation: A sadistic and cruel empire that has ruled Edgeweir since time beyond memory. But under the tutelage of Alabaster Shanks, a group of disparate rebels have come together to fight back and stand up to the Nation’s rule.

Amongst them is Fastian; dark, dangerous and with an eye for vengeance; and Jacob, a boy and the newest recruit, who possesses a skill craved by the rebels. 

Now they come together to undertake a mission that could be the beginning of the end for the Nation. But with Fastian’s mind ever on the past and Jacob’s eye firmly on his future, will they be capable enough to ever see it through?

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