Jan Notzon's Blog, page 20
May 1, 2023
Whew!
At the risk of jinxing myself, I finally got what I hope and pray is a legitimate beginning for the next novel I'm working on.
Has it been a slog! I descended into the depths of despair for a while there. Everything seemed completely stagnant: relationship, my singing in my church choir, and my new project.
I worry that I'm too dependent on writing success (not success in sales but rather in production).
I'm constantly getting so many emails from people promising 40 reviews on Amazon and on goodreads. When I google their names, they don't even exist.
SCAMS!
Has it been a slog! I descended into the depths of despair for a while there. Everything seemed completely stagnant: relationship, my singing in my church choir, and my new project.
I worry that I'm too dependent on writing success (not success in sales but rather in production).
I'm constantly getting so many emails from people promising 40 reviews on Amazon and on goodreads. When I google their names, they don't even exist.
SCAMS!
April 24, 2023
The Woes of Rejection
Since a Hispanic editor at Kensington Books was specifically asking for multicultural works, I thought my new novel To Sing Like a Mockingbird might at least get a read. The story takes place on the Mexican border in Texas, has mostly Hispanic characters and a prominent African American antagonist. I thought this would be my best opportunity to at least get a read.
No dice. This was the fastest rejection based on a query letter I have received.
Ah well, to be a writer you have to have the hide of an elephant.
No dice. This was the fastest rejection based on a query letter I have received.
Ah well, to be a writer you have to have the hide of an elephant.
April 9, 2023
Research
Flew to my birth state of Texas and drove along the trail followed by my ancestor Johann Michal Kaczmarek with his mother and adoptive family, the Macalisters featured in my novel ONLY THE DEAD (Know the End of War).
Started from St. Hedwig and followed the trail up to San Angelo as it was in that area that his adoptive father, G.P. Macalister's ranch was located. They were bringing some Herefords they'd bought from the Kotula ranch in the central part of the state. On that long and eventful sojourn, GP's adopted sister, Luz McAlister tells Johan Michal (now John Michael) the family history including the founding of the Texas Republic.
I'm now working on a sequel and needed to see what the topography was like and get an idea of there journey might have entailed. Serendipitously, I happened on my way to see the mesa they might very well have traversed along the way.
A fringe benefit was the abundant wildflowers of Texas along the roadsides. Although it is past peak and there was a dearth of bluebonnets, it was still a feast for the eye.
I'm now back in my hometown of Laredo, visiting family and friends. Had the wonderful opportunity of seeing cousins, children and grandchildren on my mother's side of the family during their traditional Easter reunion.
What delightful people they are! Thank you, Lord! (I just wish the neighbor would turn down the volume of his acid rock music! Wouldn't want to live here again!)
Started from St. Hedwig and followed the trail up to San Angelo as it was in that area that his adoptive father, G.P. Macalister's ranch was located. They were bringing some Herefords they'd bought from the Kotula ranch in the central part of the state. On that long and eventful sojourn, GP's adopted sister, Luz McAlister tells Johan Michal (now John Michael) the family history including the founding of the Texas Republic.
I'm now working on a sequel and needed to see what the topography was like and get an idea of there journey might have entailed. Serendipitously, I happened on my way to see the mesa they might very well have traversed along the way.
A fringe benefit was the abundant wildflowers of Texas along the roadsides. Although it is past peak and there was a dearth of bluebonnets, it was still a feast for the eye.
I'm now back in my hometown of Laredo, visiting family and friends. Had the wonderful opportunity of seeing cousins, children and grandchildren on my mother's side of the family during their traditional Easter reunion.
What delightful people they are! Thank you, Lord! (I just wish the neighbor would turn down the volume of his acid rock music! Wouldn't want to live here again!)
October 31, 2022
Copycats and Doom
I have had to pause in considerable measure the promotion of my novels and the cause is most concerning.
My cousin in Tulsa was attacked by a maniac with a sword when he tried to stop the perpetrator from burning down his church. The perp said, "God sent me."
My cousin suffered severe cuts on his hands, a severed artery and two broken bones in his left forearm. He is facing months of therapy. How much of the use of his hands he will regain is an intangible.
I hate to be such a fervid pessimist, but I can't help thinking that all the arson, looting and violence perpetrated against any form of authority sanctions like behavior from others. The church, after all, is seen by many as a member of the authority structure.
It strikes me that any lashing out (including the "mostly peaceful" demonstrations) is justified by the press, which legitimizes such violence and therefore encourages it.
It has now struck home for me.
The constant message from the media, academia and entertainment is that all authority is evil and resistance--including by violent protest--is always justified.
So we have the attacks on the police, on churches and, in response because it is apparently sanctioned, on the congress, on Paul Pelosi, etc., etc.
I fear it is the breakdown of American society. Maybe I'm an alarmist, but it is respect for law and order that is the necessary (but not sufficient) basis of a functioning democracy.
I fear we have lost all respect for differences of opinion. Those who disagree are therefore considered the enemy and worthy of condemnation and even violent resistance.
Insanity may not reign, but it is reaching very dangerous levels, and its spread is a worrying trend.
My cousin in Tulsa was attacked by a maniac with a sword when he tried to stop the perpetrator from burning down his church. The perp said, "God sent me."
My cousin suffered severe cuts on his hands, a severed artery and two broken bones in his left forearm. He is facing months of therapy. How much of the use of his hands he will regain is an intangible.
I hate to be such a fervid pessimist, but I can't help thinking that all the arson, looting and violence perpetrated against any form of authority sanctions like behavior from others. The church, after all, is seen by many as a member of the authority structure.
It strikes me that any lashing out (including the "mostly peaceful" demonstrations) is justified by the press, which legitimizes such violence and therefore encourages it.
It has now struck home for me.
The constant message from the media, academia and entertainment is that all authority is evil and resistance--including by violent protest--is always justified.
So we have the attacks on the police, on churches and, in response because it is apparently sanctioned, on the congress, on Paul Pelosi, etc., etc.
I fear it is the breakdown of American society. Maybe I'm an alarmist, but it is respect for law and order that is the necessary (but not sufficient) basis of a functioning democracy.
I fear we have lost all respect for differences of opinion. Those who disagree are therefore considered the enemy and worthy of condemnation and even violent resistance.
Insanity may not reign, but it is reaching very dangerous levels, and its spread is a worrying trend.
September 12, 2022
Queries
When I was an actor in a former life back in The Big Apple, pounding the pavement and wearing out my ear (not to mention my psyche) on the phone and probably the umpteenth actor that the agent had heard from that day, there was an interesting catch 22 which is I suppose is true in any field: you have to have experience to get work and you have to get hired to get experience.
Although I must say that these literary agents are a lot more polite than the show biz agents I chased after in New York, the same catch applies: you've got to have sold well to get an agent and you have to have an agent to sell.
Ah well, when I was tending bar in NYC to scratch out a living, one of my regulars, a Whit McDowell said, "Jan, any job you do there are going to be parts of it you hate, and you've got to do those parts too.
But queries are A LOT OF WORK!
Although I must say that these literary agents are a lot more polite than the show biz agents I chased after in New York, the same catch applies: you've got to have sold well to get an agent and you have to have an agent to sell.
Ah well, when I was tending bar in NYC to scratch out a living, one of my regulars, a Whit McDowell said, "Jan, any job you do there are going to be parts of it you hate, and you've got to do those parts too.
But queries are A LOT OF WORK!
July 15, 2022
Dishonesty
It is amazing to me the number of scams for self-published authors. I get at least one or two per week.
It strikes me that there is a lot more dishonesty in the present era than in the past. Of course, that may be just the "good ole' days" syndrome.
However, I remember the landlord of the rented house next to mine telling me when I was going to rent mine as a prelude to selling it. He warned me quite strongly that when he started in the business, he could tell if people were on the up and up. Nowadays, he said he had to check them out on line, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TOO COMPETENT LIARS!
I also remember an interview with Thomas Sowell, relating that when he grew up in Harlem, he never heard a gunshot. Also, he would sleep on the fire escape during the summer and walk two blocks or so at midnight to get next day's newspaper. Finally, he pointed out that there were two blackouts in New York, one in 1965 and another in 1977. There was no increase in crime during the first; during the second, looting was rampant.
My New York friend Sue Ellen says that it was just a different time.
Maybe, but when a society degenerates so markedly, I question its survivability.
It strikes me that there is a lot more dishonesty in the present era than in the past. Of course, that may be just the "good ole' days" syndrome.
However, I remember the landlord of the rented house next to mine telling me when I was going to rent mine as a prelude to selling it. He warned me quite strongly that when he started in the business, he could tell if people were on the up and up. Nowadays, he said he had to check them out on line, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE TOO COMPETENT LIARS!
I also remember an interview with Thomas Sowell, relating that when he grew up in Harlem, he never heard a gunshot. Also, he would sleep on the fire escape during the summer and walk two blocks or so at midnight to get next day's newspaper. Finally, he pointed out that there were two blackouts in New York, one in 1965 and another in 1977. There was no increase in crime during the first; during the second, looting was rampant.
My New York friend Sue Ellen says that it was just a different time.
Maybe, but when a society degenerates so markedly, I question its survivability.
May 28, 2022
Unsettling
I find that writing about oneself as I was in the distant past to be most unsettling. The novel I am working on now takes me back to me at my most idealistic and, pre-antidepressant, most neurotic.
I can only hope that there are enough readers out there who have been through the battle against weltschmerz, that oh-so-insightful summing up of the crisis of the young when one comes to the realization that your ideals will never be realized--that as Edmund Burke said, "We cannot change the nature of things nor of man, but must act upon them as they are."
That, I believe is the central conflict for Hamlet, a character, for his incredible intelligence has such a vivid vision of idealized life and idealized man. ("And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights now me")
In fact, I believe that tendency to cling to the illusion of perfecting life is the most destructive force among people.
As Ellen Glasgow so wisely summed it up, "Ideals, like mountains are best at a distance."
I can only hope that there are enough readers out there who have been through the battle against weltschmerz, that oh-so-insightful summing up of the crisis of the young when one comes to the realization that your ideals will never be realized--that as Edmund Burke said, "We cannot change the nature of things nor of man, but must act upon them as they are."
That, I believe is the central conflict for Hamlet, a character, for his incredible intelligence has such a vivid vision of idealized life and idealized man. ("And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights now me")
In fact, I believe that tendency to cling to the illusion of perfecting life is the most destructive force among people.
As Ellen Glasgow so wisely summed it up, "Ideals, like mountains are best at a distance."
April 4, 2022
Ukraine
I wish there were more I could do to help the horrendously suffering Ukrainians besides contributing money. I have written to the White House offering my home to house a Ukrainian family. Even that seems paltry in the face of this atrocity.
Never has there been a clearer example of naked imperialist aggression. For those of you who consider the United States an imperialist power, THIS IS WHAT TRUE IMPERIALISM LOOKS LIKE!
It is as definite an act of barbarism as we have seen since WWII. May God and all of us come to Ukraine's aid.
Never has there been a clearer example of naked imperialist aggression. For those of you who consider the United States an imperialist power, THIS IS WHAT TRUE IMPERIALISM LOOKS LIKE!
It is as definite an act of barbarism as we have seen since WWII. May God and all of us come to Ukraine's aid.
February 13, 2022
Review of Newest Novel
Jan Notzon - Only The Dead (Know the End of War) 5 Stars
Magnificent read!!!
What a powerful and realistic story in Only The Dead (Know the End of War) by Jan Notzon. This is the second book of this author that I have read, and I have just become a fan. I want to read more from Notzon.
The characters were historically correct, and very real, and full of depth. This is a time and place that many might not really know about, and this book, though it was a story, it taught me a lot. I love it when I can read something I am enjoying and also learn from it. It's a two for one for me.
Anyway, this story brings the reader back to the early 19th century, when Texas and Mexico both had republics, and seems to be fighting for a separation, as well as survival. Not just of their lives, but their own culture, and against a system that could make or break the expansion of the United States, such that it was.
It was both a heart breaking, and emotionally charged story, with perspectives on all sides of the power, and the entrance of a brutal war. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). It is a very well-written plot, and I enjoyed it.
It’s one of those embraceable stories. It’s definitely un-put-downable! I read the book as slow as I could, and then I went back to my notes, and the page I marked, spoke to me, so here is something that I feel shows one of the layers of the story. "Of course, we did it in our own self-interests, but in doing so, we've created wealth that has been invested and spawned other concerns that likewise have provided employment and hope to so many - even those who perennially excluded from such opportunities. And now, because of the accident of our birth, and simple envy, the country will destroy such promise ..."
Masterfully written! Only The Dead (Know the End of War) is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.
#5Stars #Notzon #ABSR #storytelling #reviews #reviewsmatter
Magnificent read!!!
What a powerful and realistic story in Only The Dead (Know the End of War) by Jan Notzon. This is the second book of this author that I have read, and I have just become a fan. I want to read more from Notzon.
The characters were historically correct, and very real, and full of depth. This is a time and place that many might not really know about, and this book, though it was a story, it taught me a lot. I love it when I can read something I am enjoying and also learn from it. It's a two for one for me.
Anyway, this story brings the reader back to the early 19th century, when Texas and Mexico both had republics, and seems to be fighting for a separation, as well as survival. Not just of their lives, but their own culture, and against a system that could make or break the expansion of the United States, such that it was.
It was both a heart breaking, and emotionally charged story, with perspectives on all sides of the power, and the entrance of a brutal war. This book deserves a second read! (and maybe more). It is a very well-written plot, and I enjoyed it.
It’s one of those embraceable stories. It’s definitely un-put-downable! I read the book as slow as I could, and then I went back to my notes, and the page I marked, spoke to me, so here is something that I feel shows one of the layers of the story. "Of course, we did it in our own self-interests, but in doing so, we've created wealth that has been invested and spawned other concerns that likewise have provided employment and hope to so many - even those who perennially excluded from such opportunities. And now, because of the accident of our birth, and simple envy, the country will destroy such promise ..."
Masterfully written! Only The Dead (Know the End of War) is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more books by this author.
#5Stars #Notzon #ABSR #storytelling #reviews #reviewsmatter
January 25, 2022
Editor's Endorsement
My new novel, "ONLY THE DEAD (Know the End of War)" is now available on Amazon.
I'd just like to share what the person who edited the novel said when she had finished it:
Commented [IDJ13]: Wow. I am bereft of words to describe the feelings I have on finishing this book. Perhaps the tears that started to fall as I read these final words say it all.
This is masterful, epic tale, evocatively and beautifully written. Thank you. I feel honored to have been your editor (although you left very little to be edited – rarely have I been a assigned a book so eloquently written.) - IDJ
I'd just like to share what the person who edited the novel said when she had finished it:
Commented [IDJ13]: Wow. I am bereft of words to describe the feelings I have on finishing this book. Perhaps the tears that started to fall as I read these final words say it all.
This is masterful, epic tale, evocatively and beautifully written. Thank you. I feel honored to have been your editor (although you left very little to be edited – rarely have I been a assigned a book so eloquently written.) - IDJ
