Malcolm R. Campbell's Blog, page 70

Writing in the rain

Rain is considered a sign of good luck. As rain symbolizes positive things such as change, renewal and life in general, it can be taken as a sign that good things are about to come your way. Rain is the symbolic announcement of a new beginning within a specific area of your life. – Calming Cosmos.

North Georgia has had more than it’s fair share of rain, much of it coming from tropical storm Fred, with more last night and today.

I live in the middle of that yellow stuff. Contrary to the title of this post, I don’t go outside and write in the rain. But when there’s rain outside, I write better. When I write, I always wing it. That is, I rely on inspiration and intuition. Never do this. All the experts say it’s wrong, and that accounts for why I’m not selling as well as James Patterson or Clive Cusler.

Intuition is like drugs. Once you’re addicted to it, that’s all she wrote. As far as I know, there aren’t any 12-step programs that will lead me back to reality. If there were, they wouldn’t help because I don’t want to come back to consual “real life”. I prefer dreams, magic, and everything that isn’t logic. That explains why my novels are in the genres of magical realism, paranormal, and contemporary fantasy.

I was having a bit of a problem with writer’s block (aka, too many sunny days) until Fred (the storm) came through town. I probably wrote more words in my novel in progress in a few days than I had in weeks. Since it’s still raining, I know what happens next in the story–a rare thing for me. (I almost never know.)

There are plenty of writing rules in the books on my shelf and more on the Internet. I ignore most of them. If you want to be Steven King or John Grisham and turn out salable bestsellers several times a year, you should probably write down those rules and follow them like a seaman recruit in navy bootcamp. Otherwise, do what you want without apology because doing what you want is who you are.

Being who you are is, as my grandparents used to say, that cat’s pajamas. There’s nothing better. You may not be either rich or famous–or even 100% happy. But, you’ll be you instead of somebody else. And that’s what matters.

—Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of the four-book Florida Folk Magic Series, beginning with “Conjure Woman’s Cat” and ending with “Fate’s Arrows.”

Writers, variant D, and booster shots

When my hearing more or less went away, I stopped doing readings, signings, and panels. But a lot of writers count on them as part of their marketing strategies and/or as a reward for coping with many months of self-imposed isolation while working on each novel.

Just when we thought things might return to normal (whatever that is) the whole COVID mess is turning into a new or continued mess. Mask regulations keep changing. So are rules about gatherings. And, the administration is actively talking about booster shots. Needless to say, my writer friends who “need” to go on the road with each new book are having a lot of hard decisions to make about when/if they can schedule anything.

I haven’t seen my granddaughters for over a year, and still have to keep a trip on hold because the youngest isn’t old enough to be vaccinated. That might change, but who knows when. And for all we know, once she’s vaccinated, travel restrictions might tighten up again. These disruptions continue for many of us, and it’s no picnic–especially if you get it, and some of my friends did.

As far as writers are concerned, I see nothing for it but to use a lot of Skype and Zoom, keep the newsletter exciting and current, and start work on the next novel. Or, get out of your office and take a walk in the woods and (perhaps) read though some of the accounts of how earlier generations coped with the depression, dust bowl, influenza epidemic, and the intrusions of WWI and WWII. How they coped speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and shows us that no matter how badly life is treating the country now, there are ways to survive and come out of the experience without becoming totally bitter.

After all, those of us who write are used to concocting alternative endings to the crises we create for our characters. We need to create happy endings for ourselves and our families from the dark years of 2020 and 2021.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of magical realism, paranormal, and contemporary fantasy novels and stories. “Conjure Woman’s Cat” was the first in his four-part Florida Folk magic series.

Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era? | The New Yorker

It’s not just an epic defeat for the United States. The fall of Kabul may serve as a bookend for the era of U.S. global power. In the nineteen-forties, the United States launched the Great Rescue to help liberate Western Europe from the powerful Nazi war machine. It then used its vast land, sea, and air power to defeat the formidable Japanese empire in East Asia. Eighty years later, the U.S. is engaged in what historians may someday call a Great Retreat from a ragtag militia that has no air power or significant armor and artillery, in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Source: Does the Great Retreat from Afghanistan Mark the End of the American Era? | The New Yorker

We have, I believe, proven again that we cannot successfully intervene in civil wars in far-flung countries in which the established governments are as corrupt and inept as those who are attempting to wrest power from them. Every country that went into Afganistan has left with mud on its face at the cost of many dollars and many lives.

This New Yorker op ed asks a cogent question. Can the U.S. survive another Vietnam-style defeat? I don’t think so. Some say the unexpected collapse of just about everything in Afganistan occurred because the U.S. was operating with bad intel. I suggest we were operating with zero intel. Did any sane official or military commander think when we went into that country in 2001 that we would be there so long, spend so much money, sacrifice so many lives, and then emerge saying, “By God, that was worth it?”

If so, how naïve they must have been, and continued to be up until this very moment.

–Malcolm

Review: ‘The Boy from the Woods,’ by Harlan Coben

I read a variety of black ops/thriller books that I generally refer to as “grocery store books” because that’s where I see them while buying milk, bread, eggs, and inexpensive wine. I know my definition is unfair because, frankly, if an author’s books are on grocery store shelves, they’re usually compelling, well-written, bestselling books. Coben’s books fit all three of those categories.

Publisher’s Description: Thirty years ago, Wilde was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. Now an adult, he still doesn’t know where he comes from, and another child has gone missing.

No one seems to take Naomi Pine’s disappearance seriously, not even her father—with one exception. Hester Crimstein, a television criminal attorney, knows through her grandson that Naomi was relentlessly bullied at school. Hester asks Wilde—with whom she shares a tragic connection—to use his unique skills to help find Naomi.

Wilde can’t ignore an outcast in trouble, but in order to find Naomi he must venture back into the community where he has never fit in, a place where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it’s too late.

Wilde is an interesting character who will subsequently appear in a second book in the series called The Match. He lives off the grid and becomes uncomfortable if he has to come into the city too often. But he has some handy black ops skills and some very strategic common sense when it comes to solving things that aren’t what they seem.

This works well in The Boy from the Woods since most of the crimes and other strange events aren’t what they seem. The reader can only think that everyone except Wilde is probably lying. Fortunately, Wilde has some high-powered friends who believe in his abilities. That’s good, for this plot is so tangled up that even Sherlock Holmes might be tempted to say, “Watson, this time, I don’t have a clue.”

If you like thrillers, this book will probably appeal to you. You certainly won’t be bored. You might even condone the dash of schmaltz in the ending.

—Malcolm

Don’t take any wooden nickles

“Each year, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or confidence scheme, including romance, lottery, and sweepstakes scams, to name a few. Criminals will gain their targets’ trust and may communicate with them directly via computer, phone, and the mail; or indirectly through the TV and radio. Once successful, scammers are likely to keep a scheme going because of the prospect of significant financial gain.” – FBI

When I was a kid, “old people” (like my grandpa) always told me not to take any wooden nickles. When I was in grade school, I thought that was a joke. As I got older, I figured out that “wooden nickles” generally referred to one kind of scam or another even though such coins had in the old days been issued as company tokens or script.

Every issue of AARP Magazine and also its Bulletin details the latest scams against the elderly. There are always several thousand known scams being tracked daily. One favorite is the Grandparent Scam in which a young-sounding person calls and says, “Grandpa, guess who this is?” Grandpa says, “I know, I know, it’s Bobby.”

Now the scammer has an “in” without doing any research. A real name. Most common is borrowing money, say, for getting a parent a gift which, naturally, keeps the elderly person from telling their real grandson’s parents about the loan.

Another scam–one that’s been tried on me without results–is to co-opt a friend’s e-mail and use it to send a message saying that they are traveling in a foreign country where they’ve run into a financial snag. One clue there for the elderly (or other) person getting such a request for money is: does the purported friend sound like the purported friend? Usually not.

If you’re concerned that you, or you elderly parents could become targets, there are plenty of places to look for potential anger areas, such as AARP’s “Top Scams Targeting Older Americans in 2021.” The FBI notes that “Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite. They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit—all of which make them attractive to scammers.”

In the so-called old days, which probably happened before any of us were born, elders were purportedly revered for their wisdom and the longevity. Apparently not today. Taking their money is somewhat like a hunter shooting ducks in the water–there’s no honor in it. No shame, either, I guess.

Frankly, I’m surprised nobody has called me up yet and asked if I’m aware of the shortage of coins that’s occurred nationwide during the pandemic. When I say, “yes,” then they’ll tell me that the U. S. Mint is issuing wooden nickles to tide us over until regular coins are available again. Thanks to my grandfathe, I’m not falling for that. The sad thing is, some people will.

I’d rather have people call me up for my wisdom, but that’s just not happening.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell

Publisher: Thomas-Jacob Publishing

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I’ve left my two orphan audiobooks on my website

I’ve mentioned these two audiobooks before. They are still for sale,  but only the seller is earning anything from them. Why? Because the publisher who placed them never bothered to include a contract provision that reverted the rights to the books to me if it went out of business. So now that the publisher has gone out of business, I can’t do anything about the audiobooks except leave them where they are.

Forcing their removal would cheat the narrators, both of who did a great job. And, who knows, perhaps a few people will listen to these and decide to try some of my current audiobooks. I hope so.

The original contract didn’t include audiobooks because at the time bringing out audio editions wasn’t forseen. When the publisher suddenly found narrators, I pushed for an amendment to the contract. It was promised, but never appeared. Now my former publisher, Vanillia Heart, is gone, and the individual in charge is incapacitated and unreachable. She’s left many of us hanging out here with our books in limbo.

Fortunately, I extracted most of my books before Vanilla Heart closed. These two remained. So they’re still on the seller’s site and I guess I’ll leave them there. They’re fun to listen to.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell

Publisher: Thomas-Jacob Publishing

Website

Facebook Author’s Page

Amazon Author’s Page

Conjure Woman’s Cat is also available as an audiobook with a prestigious Earphones Award from Audiofile Magazine.

Jeff Shaara’s ‘Midway’ and other stuff

I have enjoyed all of Jeff Shaara’s books, but The Eagle’s Claw had a flaw in it, that being that Raymond Spruance, who commanded both the Enterprise and the Hornet in the battle, was not in the book. This left many questions about the last part of the battle unanswered in the novel. It seems unlike Shaara to omit a major character and/or part of a battle. So, I would have to give this book three stars if I were writing an Amazon review.  As always, I enjoyed the book and the approach to the story.Thank you to those of you who went over to Facebook and chipped in a few dollars in my birthday fundraiser for Sun Kissed Acres Equine Rescue. My modest $300 goal was met by your generosity, plus, I got a nice thankyou note from the farm.My actual birthday is tomorrow. No need to send lavish gifts or cash because that might push me into a higher tax bracket. (Yeah, right.) My wife made a cherry pie, my favorite, and we cheated by having some of it last night.I have given up getting the rights to my audiobooks, Emily’s Stories and Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire assigned to me now that my former publisher is out of business, leaving all of us seeing our books still being sold with the sellers keeping the royalties. There should have been a clause in the contract and I kept pushing for it, but my former publisher was lazy in many ways about such things. My current publisher keeps up with her authors!I’m reading an interesting suspense novel by Christine Carbo set in Glacier National Park called The Wild Inside . For a Glacier fan, it’s fun following a story set in a place one knows well. She lives in a town next to the park, so she knows the territory. I might just have to read a few more from her “Glacier Mystery Series.”Yes, I’m still working on another novel set in Glacier, but at my advanced age, I type very slowly. This one is a contemporary fantasy, like The Sun Singer and Sarabande. It’s been fun returning to the Montana mountains.

–Malcolm

Horse Rescue Fund Raiser

Now in our 25th year, we continue our mission to help the abused, neglected and abandoned horses and dogs of Georgia find their last, best, home.

Since our official beginning in 2004, hundreds of horses and dogs have been rescued, rehabilitated, rehomed, and if their pain is too much to bear… a humane and peaceful passing becomes our mission. The animals teach us so many valuable lessons from life skills to kindness, and they have become an integral part of our work with the more than 50 foster children with special needs who called the farm home since 2006.

–-Sunkissed Acres Eqine Rescue.

Many of my Facebook friends have been doing birthday fundraisers in support of their favorite causes. Since my birthday is this week (you know I’m a Leo, right), I decided to try this out for Sun Kissed Acres which isn’t too far from here. Here’s the fundraiser link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/192142529620652/

Before we moved to the country and learned about Sun Kissed Acres, we had no idea how many people buy horses, enjoy them for a while, and then leave them to starve when the fun is over. Some of these horses are found wasting away on abandoned property. Others show up when the owner contacts a horse rescue program.

I can understand people buying horses for their kids, and then once the kids grow up and move away, the elderly parents don’t have the health or the resources to take care of the horses. So, the horses need a retirement community. Among other things, that’s what Sun Kissed Acres provides. My neighbor across the road found a half-dead horse and called Sun Kissed Acres. They went and got it, and nursed if back to health, and due to its amazing recoverym named it Miracle.

“Hundreds of horses have come to the farm, most have endured unspeakable cruelty and neglect. They come to us unable to stand, unable to trust, and they are given careful attention and veterinary care, a soft place to land.”

I like the work they do and the care with which they do it. If you feel you can chip in a few dollars and/or use this charity on your Amazon Smile account, here’s that link again: https://www.facebook.com/donate/192142529620652/

–Malcolm

Olympic Athletes: a lifetime of work

I enjoy watching the Olympics in spite of all the reasons people have for not watching the Olympics.  As a so-called “winter person,” I liked the winter Olympics best, though I’m a fan of the swimming, diving, and gymnastics in the summer games. One thing I noticed during reporters’ brief talks with the medalists is the athletes’ coments that they’ve been working all their lives to reach–and triumph in–the Olympic games.

I think all but the most avid sports enthusiasts are unaware of most of that work. We may hear about the hours of training, but we don’t see (or know about) the meets and competitions that lead up to a place on a country’s Olympic team.

While sports is quite different that the careers most of us choose, I think those of us in many areas can say we’ve been working a lifetime to move up the chain of command (instructor to full professor, line supervior to middle manager, resident to fellow to attending physician). I see this, of course, as a writer sees it as s/he “moves up” from a staff writer, to a paid freelance, to a successful novelist or nonfiction author. Other than reaching bestseller lists or winning prizes, the “best” authors appear at convocations and panels, serve as faculty in MFA programs, and/or teach upper level college writing courses.

When comparing a writer’s version of working for a lifetime with an Olympian’s version of working for a lifetime, most people in both groups are those who either don’t make the team or–if they do–don’t medal. For writers, we at least don’t have careers that can be cut short so quickly by physical injury of age. (You don’t know how much it raises my level of hope to see that Clint Eastwood, at 91, is coming out with yet another movie.)

Needless to say, there aren’t a lot of Olympic sports that have 91-year old competitors. It’s sad that whether it’s the Olympics or other sports, the window in which competing is possible is so short. Writers and actors and directors and doctors have more time. Yet time is always mving fasters than it appears: what seems like forever to a young writer (for example) suddenly becomes a time crunch with age.

So, we keep at it, happy that we don’t have to hang up our skiis or gloves or rackets (not counting the Williams sisters) when we’re only forty. The snare, of course, is always thinking tou have plenty of time. Ha! You might write your best book when you’re reach Eastwood’s age, only it doesn’t take off, only nobody believes in it enough to nominate it for a Pulitzer, only when the book fades from the scene, you feel no closer to your goals than you did when you were 18,

Time runs on so many continuums: sports figures probably have the shortest, college teachers don’t have forever to advance in rank; neither to officers in the military where the phrase is you either move up or you move out. Perhaps writers have it easy: we “get” to keep working on our lifetime dreams long after people our ages have already retired in other disciplines.

But we know what it means when an Olympic athlete a third of our age says, “I’ve been working a lifetime to get here.” I watch the Olympics partly because I enjoy the compeditors’ success. And, I feel sad then they come in .002 seconds behind the bronze medalists. “All glory is fleeting,” General Patton supposedly said. Yes it is. But experiencing it for a moment is a special honor whether you write or direct or care for the sick or swim 1,500 meters into the history books.

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell

Publisher: Thomas-Jacob Publishing

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Amazon Author’s Page

Book discussion groups: heaven or hell?

They should he heaven, but somehow, many of them just don’t quite work. Publishers pretend that they work because they (the publishers) often include discussion questions in the back of he books.  Nothing starts an argument faster that choosing what the club will read during the year. Some want all Nora Roberts. Some want all Tom Clancy. Some want a mix of mainstream bestsellers. Others want prize winners.

How do you choose?

Logistics are a problem. Some people want the latest books off the press while others can’t afford to buy them until they’re finally issued in mass market paperback a year later. The public library may or may not have enough copies for everyone in the club.

The best clubs seem to be focused on a specific genre, one that’s decided upon at the begining of the year. That way, the members know what they’re getting into and nobody has to feel put-upon when it comes time to read and discuss books they don’t like or care about.

Staying on the plan is difficult when–as often happens–most of the people in the club are behind on their reading. Sometimes they skip meetings because they’re embarrassed and sometimes they skip because if they’re on chapter 3 and most of the club is on chapter 7, the discussion will be filled with spoilers. And then, too, those who keep up with their reading often get ticked off at those who can’t keep up due to numerous real and imagined excuses.

Discusssing the books one likes sounds like fun, like a good way so spend the evening, but then when it’s time to start talking, it turns out that reading really isny a priority in people’s lives. After all, the statistics are pretty grim when portraying reading habits. Trying to make it a priority seems like having to go back to school and being saddled with homework.

What’s your experierience? Have you been a member of a club that really worked? If so, what did the moderator do to make it work?

–Malcolm

Malcolm R. Campbell is the author of contemporary fantasy and magical realism stories and novels.