Cal Armistead's Blog, page 3

I’m Still Here.

In case you were wondering. (I know I am.)

Here’s the thing. I am still writing like crazy. It keeps me sane. The book I’m working on right now is positively best-seller material. I know this because I look forward to working on it every single day, and it brings me joy.

As Toni Morrison said, “Write the book you want to read,” and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

I hope you also have something that brings you delight, a place to go in your head, to focus your energy, to feel good when things in the world are weird and make no sense and you’re looking for something to offer your days a spark or two of light and amazingness. Arts and crafts are good for that. I’ve been doing stained glass and pour painting and mosaic and mobiles and sun catchers and anything else that fires me up in the moment.

So yeah. I’m still here.

And so are you.

Here we are.

Hi.

Tell me your thoughts!

I realize this is highly irregular, but I trust my readers (and this social isolation thing is giving me more time to write!), therefore I’m going to be bold and crazy, and ask you outright: If there were to be a sequel to BEING HENRY DAVID, what would you want to be SURE the author included?

I mean…I feel like Hank/Daniel, Hailey, Thomas, Susan, Jack, Nessa, Rose, and the others are living in a parallel universe where I get to peek in now and then to visit them, so of course there’s PLENTY to write about…but what are you most interested in seeing on the page, that perhaps was left unsaid at the end of the book and left you wanting more?

I hasten to add that there’s a new story brewing, something you don’t see coming…but in that telling, I might be able to tie up some loose threads.

I’m in a Podcast! (In Which I Reveal Breaking News…)

It was my great honor and pleasure to be interviewed recently by Jordan Rich, Boston radio personality extraordinaire, and dear, longtime friend. In the interview, I reveal some TOP SECRET (well, not anymore…) info about some exciting projects I’m working on. (Woohoo!) Our conversation is available on Jordan’s podcast, On Mic With Jordan Rich!

There are several ways to listen in:

https://player.blubrry.com/id/52136319

Here’s a link to Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-mic-with-jordan-rich-podcast/id1274234593
And here’s Google:
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9vbm1pY3dpdGhqb3JkYW5yaWNoLmJsdWJycnkubmV0L2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdC8

On Mic with Jordan Rich

I hope you enjoy listening!

I’m in a Podcast! (Revealing Breaking News…)

On Mic with Jordan Rich

THE AUDIO BOOK IS READY, THE AUDIO BOOK IS READY!

I’m so excited to announce that the audio version of BEING HENRY DAVID is available at last. My narrator, Ed Churchill, is the best! (Thank you to the boys at CHART PRODUCTIONS in Braintree, Jordan Rich and Ken Carberry @ chartproductions.com ) I’m trying to figure out how to attach an audio link…in the meantime, there is one on the Amazon page! https://www.amazon.com/Being-Henry-David/dp/B07XH3PZ2P/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Coming Soon: BEING HENRY DAVID, the Audio Book!

[image error]Exciting news: We are working on an audio book version of BEING HENRY DAVID. It was so much fun to hear auditions for the all-important voice of my narrator, and a blast to work with him and the amazing crew at Chart Productions in Boston. Just a few more minor steps that need to be crossed off the “To Do” list, and then the audio version will be LIVE…and available in all the usual places where you find audio books. I’m so excited! More soon….

More Recognition for BHD!

 

GREAT NEWS! I’ve just received word that Being Henry David has been chosen to be included in the recently published Wiki:

10 YA Novels About Teens Away From Home!

You can see the published wiki (Including video) here:

https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/XXSBrUUrDDIUB

Check it out!

Founded in 2011, Ezvid Wiki was the world’s first video wiki, and is now among the top 3,000 websites in the United States. Their YouTube channel has over 425,000 subscribers, 250 million views since founding, and they have informed over $200 million in purchasing decisions to date.

Such an honor–thank you!

 

A Reason to Wake Up in the Morning

“Man, I really hate it when I visit an author’s web page and they haven’t updated in months, or even years,” a friend said last week at a writer’s retreat in Maine. The others with us agreed.

I didn’t say anything. Because, well, because I was one of those people, and I’m not proud of it. But I’m here to make it right.

What took me so long? Well, I wasn’t sure I had anything worthwhile to say about being a working writer with one published book, three that are not, and two in progress.

But come to think of it, I have plenty to say.

Five years ago, I wrote a young adult book, got a magnificent agent who found me a wonderful editor, and it was published. Published! My dream come true! Even better, it was well received, making its way onto a bunch of “must read” lists, getting a Kirkus starred review, and winning a few awards. I was invited to speak at conferences and libraries and bookstores, and sit on panels and lead writing workshops. I visited a bunch of schools and met scores of bright-eyed middle school and high school kids (and teachers and librarians) who sparked in me joy and hope for the future.

Also, I signed an offer for a two-book deal.

A two-book deal! I was, to put it mildly, crazy excited. And then it fell through. I’ll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that authors are not always treated with respect in the publishing business, indignities were suffered, and my agent pulled the deal. And even though we tried, we did not find another editor in another house who wanted to publish my work.

Yeah, it sucked. And yes, I have cried and raged and railed over this a lot. I pondered—for about a nanosecond—ditching this whole writing thing and finding a job in retail. Something I could do where I didn’t have to think, or agonize, or feel stripped naked (in a literary way) and rejected on a regular basis.

But I got over it. Why? Because I had to. I had no choice.

Because writing is my ikigai.

A young friend shared that word with me recently (thank you, J), and it is perfect. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being,” “the thing you live for,” or “the reason for which you wake up in the morning.”

Even though I have three completed novels without a publishing home (yet), the thing I live for is the project I’m working on right now.

When I wake up in the morning, it is with an exciting new world in mind, peopled with characters I’ve come to love who speak to me in idle moments sitting in traffic, waiting on line at the bank, and when I’m drifting off to sleep at night and have to switch on the light one more time to jot down a new idea before it darts away.

Every book I work on is, in my heart, a best seller, and whether that ever proves to be true or not, I adore believing it. Exploring and attempting to harness ideas and stories and imagination is exciting. It is magic.

To quote Stephen King, “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. Writing is magic, as much as the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”

For the record, I feel in my bones that I’ll be published again. Maybe soon. (Book #3 is pretty awesome, just so you know.) But even if another publishing contract never comes across my desk again, I’ll be okay. Because writing is water to my soul, it gives me a reason to wake up in the morning. And even on days when the words aren’t flowing and I only get a sip, I am still drinking magic.

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Geez Cal, Where Ya Been??????

“GEEZ CAL, WHERE YA BEEN???” Okay, so nobody is actually asking this question. Not that I know of, anyway. But it just occurred to me that it has been a LONG time since I wrote any kind of update on this page and I need to explain myself in case anybody stops by, wondering. And I do have an excuse. Signed by my mom. (By that I mean she’d sign it if I asked her.) But that’s not important right now, because if you really did stop in on my webpage to see what’s up and if I’ll ever get my butt in gear to write another book, I just wanted to let you know the answer is YES.

In fact, I’ve finished two. They are on a circuitous route to publishing that would take an entire book to explain (and I don’t want to write that book), but they are complete, and in good hands.

Also, I’m in the midst of writing four more books. So who knows? Maybe there will be a bunch of books coming out soon from Cal Armistead, one right after another. I can hope, right? But no matter what happens next, the best news of all is that every day I get up and go to my office, play inside my imagination for a while, and then I get to write about it. How lucky am I??

All the best to you and yours. ❤

Longing…

Just wanted to share this quote about the thing we as humans long for, but that’s so hard to describe:

“It’s being in love with the place where love comes from, and wanting more, more, more of THAT. And not knowing what to call that place. So we call it the closest thing we can think of to that feeling. The biggest love-shaped word we can think of. So we call it Home. We call it Family. We call it God.”