Jacke Wilson's Blog, page 69

Contest Winners! The Brilliant Readers Who Guessed the Cover Themes

So here was the contest: guess the cover art themes to my book The Race and win a free copy of the book.

As a reminder, here’s the cover:

I also gave a brief description that had a few clues. I was looking for two things, or maybe three.

The book is about American politics, which the blue background and white stars reflect (as if we’ve zoomed in on a corner of the American flag).

It’s also about twilight, as a politician’s career heads toward darkness. The black and yellow at the bottom reminds me of a Wisconsin highway at night, your headlights lighting up the road as you head toward the horizon with an open starry sky ahead of you. (A good image for the loneliness of the campaign trail, at least for this particular candidate and his erstwhile biographer.)

And finally, there’s the small star that’s hanging on. Falling? Rising? Just hanging on.

“There’s some dignity in that little star!” I cried to my designer when I saw it. “It’s hanging on in spite of all the odds. No one knows why!”

My main character is elliptical in that way. Why hang on? Well, maybe he’s not capable of anything else…

I know, I know: I get a little carried away. You have to remember that I love like these, from a great Kafka series:

Aren’t those great? The eye motif, so perfect for Kafka. And the art is bold and full of expression, and the meaning has some playfulness and thought to it.

Kafka is a hero of mine, and while not at all trying to compare myself to such a genius, I thought some of the absurdities of The Race had some affinities with Kafka (also Svevo and Poe). If the spirit of the art above could work for the covers of Kafka, I thought it would work for mine too. Hence, the lowly little star, struggling to maintain its place in the heavens.

Okay! Did anyone guess? Indeed they did! Readers nailed this. 

Our first lucky winner was Christopher Peter, who guessed:

Is it something to do with night falling / sun setting on this man’s career / life?

Yep! That’s close enough for me, although there was still room for additional winners. Anyone have anything else?

Ok, I’ll bite. Two ideas: star on the bottom is the candidate, the stars up top are photographers; map of Wisconsin cities with Madison at the bottom.

That’s reader nstearns. Two ideas, both new to me…but both excellent! I’m awarding a prize for originality!

Still room for more, I think. MF came up with this:

I notice the one star, a “falling star” down below the title, and suppose this is our anti-hero, the politician. He’s fallen from grace–lost his family, his political party, his honor and respectability. He’s separated from the rest of these “stars”, and plummeting toward the dark, black, flat ground below. Feels like certain destruction.

And how about this interpretation–because you’ve used stars to represent the protagonist and the other characters in the story, then there is the possibility for redemption hidden in that symbol. The chance to once again be “heavenly” (and I don’t mean in the religious sense, but rather, that the character has the hope of being greater than his base, “earthly” self that is full of selfishness, delusion, and greed).

Wow! Very good. A prize for MF! In fact, I thought this was basically so good I did not think anyone would top it. Contest closed! Until…

There are nineteen stars above the title, and one star below. Nineteen, a prime number, has only two factors, itself and one. The single star, isolated from the others, is one of only two factors, but yet it is not the determinative factor. It is, in fact, both centrally important and arguably irrelevant to the (political) equation.

But let’s see how deep this goes. All the stars have five points (another prime number), but the stars above the title are all oriented in the same way, with one of their points directed straight upward. The star below is in the reverse orientation, with a point directed straight downward. The lower star is off-kilter, or askew. Reubin Askew, one of the famous names of American politics, served two full terms as governor of Florida in the 1970s. But today, the best-known former governor of Florida is Jeb Bush, George W. Bush’s brother and George H.W. Bush’s son, who also served two terms. The Bush family, though, hails from Texas, the Lone Star State.

Like a lone star, the candidate here is proud but isolated, far from the other stars. If the other stars wanted to reach him, they would have to call loudly, and probably would cry something like “Star!” Star in Latin is Stella, and is famously the cry loudly uttered by Marlon Brando (himself an isolated star) in his best-known role as Stanley Kowalski in the filmed version ofA Streetcar Named Desire. A streetcar, of course, drives only a predetermined route which it repeats endlessly; the numberless parallels to desire, and also to the “machinery” of politics, are obvious and are left as an exercise to the reader.

The book’s cover, then, symbolizes the isolation of the protagonist: a lone star, a political misfit who is forever askew, doomed never to be an important factor but trapped by his own desire to be a part of the system, and to follow a course not of his choosing and which he cannot change.

That’s reader Rain, Rain, blowing my mind. A genius entry, and certainly worthy of a free book.

Congratulations to all the winners! I will be contacting each of them to coordinate the prizes.

And now, onward and upward with a little Kafka and a great Wisconsinite…

The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done? Fooled My Significant Other with a Fake Online Persona…

I’m getting some great responses to my request for “the worst thing you’ve ever done.” What I’m interested in exploring is not just the act itself, but the aftermath and the impact. Why does it seem like the worst? Why does it stick in your head?

A reader reports the following:

I was in a serious relationship for over a year when my significant other had to move across the county due to a family emergency. They didn’t know anyone there aside from family and decided to use social media to reach out.

Okay, sounds harmless. A family emergency? Who wouldn’t need a little social comfort?

By social media I mean they created a dating profile but insisted it was just for meeting new people and nothing else.

Hmm. I could see where this could cause some problems. A dating profile just for meeting new people? I would expect suspicion. Maybe jealousy. Maybe a complete lack of trust. On the other hand, this is someone dealing with a family emergency! A little slack seems to be in order.

How does one handle this? Our reader handled it this way:

Me, half way across the county alone and feeling insecure decided to test this idea of befriending on a social network. I created a fake account (using pictures I found online) and befriend my “significant other” and by befriended, I mean seduced. They didn’t give in, though their conversation was definitely questionable.

Oh no! It’s finding out your worst fears coming true…it’s awful, awful, awful when that happens. And then?

I stopped going on the site after a few months, it became difficult to balance as my partner often talked about their “new friend” and the guilt because overwhelming as I realized they really did have pure intentions.

Oh man, this is so painful! It’s those last nine words that kill me. That’s the dagger to the heart. I can just imagine how horrible that must have felt! We’ve all been there, right? Obsessed to the point of reckless behavior?

A friend of mine once called a girl and let the phone ring a few hundred times (this was an era when some phones didn’t have voice mail or answering machines), thinking that she would get home, hear the phone ringing, and pick up immediately. He wanted to talk to her as soon as possible! Later he learned that she and her friends were sitting outside at the pool, listening to the phone ring and wondering what kind of creepy idiot would let the phone ring for that long. She recounted the story to him and he sat there pretending to be shocked, terrified that somehow she’d trace it back to him.

Back to our confession! Here’s the reader’s self-analysis:

I think about this often because it refers to a state of mind I never want to find myself in again. The amount of insecurity I possessed at the time is sickening and the things I did because of the insecurities is inexcusable.

In case you’re wondering, at some point I did tell my significant other that I was in fact, their long lost friend. It didn’t go over too well…

That must have been terrible! On the other hand, it was probably the right thing to do. It was certainly brave. I admire the reader for confessing, which I’m not sure I could have done. My phone-calling friend certainly never did.

This topic fascinates me. I’m planning to devote the next episode of my podcast to it – what we choose as the worst things we’ve ever done, and why we choose them. I’m not looking for horrible crimes here. I’m looking for things that even normal, healthy, law-abiding citizens carry around in their minds, thinking back on their behavior and cringing.

So let’s hear it, people! Tell us your secrets, either in the comments section or email me at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com. Anonymity – and a sympathetic ear – are guaranteed.

Special thank you to the reader who submitted this entry. I found the story brimming with tenderness and humanity and courage. Take heart: what you did is perfectly understandable, you learned from the experience, and it sounds like you’re in a much better place now. Life is hard, and being a human being is often a terrible ordeal. Together we all make it through (somehow)!

Confession Time! What’s The Worst Thing You’ve Ever Done?

Readers! I’m putting together the next episode of The Jacke Wilson Show and I could use your help thinking through some issues.

Let me know (email or comments) your answers to the following:

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?
How often do you think about it?
Why was it the worst?
Why do you think about it as often (or as little) as you do?

Got it? That’s it! I’ll keep everything anonymous.

I have a special corollary question:

Is there some small bad thing that you’ve done that you think about way too much?
What is it?
Why do you think it sticks in your mind?

Feel free to answer some or all of the above questions – or craft a response that has nothing to do with any of them. No pressure to follow rules! Just let me know what you’re thinking! Pour your heart out on the page!

International Feedback on The Race!

Yesterday I posted a quick little request that summarized my thoughts on the U.S. elections. And of course, I wrote a book about a politician, based on some personal experience I had ghostwriting the autobiography of one of our nation’s gems. The politician in my book, a former governor recovering from a sex scandal, exemplifies everything bizarre about our system.

What is it about democracy that produces such creatures? Is there something about the process itself that turns people into these aliens? Is it an American phenomenon or is it true of democracies everywhere?

Well, I’m happy to report that at least some of the ideas in The Race translate rather well. Here’s a report from a reader in India.

Some highlights:

I admire the governor’s character-someone who is more than determined to fight and make a comeback no matter what people think of him. Even after being humiliated by his Italian mistress, his sons and his wife he still goes strong with this character, smile and determination to fight against a stronger opponent.

Yes! There is something admirable about the governor. Something sympathetic. A pathetic creature. But dogged. He exists.

The story has its own pace and takes you by surprise on every shameless and unplanned statement the governor has to prove himself.

Thank you! I know this will sound a little self-serving, but it took me by surprise as well. I vividly remember the day when I thought, “Wait, we’re ending every chapter with someone telling him how much they hate him…well, all right then! Let’s get it on!

The story showcases a lot of American humour which clearly shows how people from different parts of the country think and behave differently in a particular situation.

Glad you liked it! It’s Wisconsin, for sure. But it’s also Anywhere, America.

All in all a hilarious piece of work…

Wow!

…with two different characters who come together to shape up the life of the governor in words and in turn realise how sensitive and greedy can human nature be at times.

Readers, could I ask for a better review? It’s so generous!

A great political comedy wrapped with insight on changing human nature.

Thank you!

You can check out The Race at Amazon.com and elsewhere. Paperbacks still less than 5 bucks, e-book versions still less than three. And of course, free books available to all reviewers. Aha, you say: I don’t review books for some fancy news organization or million-hit blog. Discrimination in action! No, dear reader, you’ve misunderstood. Any review counts – even on your own blog, even at Goodreads, even a plain customer review at Amazon. It all works for me!

My thanks to Janak Mistry for the wonderful book review (which I lost in the shuffle for a while – sorry for the delay, Janak!). And check out Janak’s writings about Tibet, we all need more Tibet in our lives.

Onward and upward!

Election Day Request

A request for Election Day:

On this national day of voting

Can’t we put aside our differences

And recognize the great source of our unity:

We all hate politicians

Go vote, everyone!

And then, after you’ve recovered from that, take a look at my book The Race, which is about a disgraced former governor trying to make a comeback after a sex scandal. He has it all: name recognition, funding, political savvy…and the hatred of a nation.

Onward and upward!

Good Luck NaNoWriMoers!

It’s National Novel Writing Month! And once again, I’m astounded by people who hate this project. (Has Laura Miller written her annual screed yet? I can’t wait.) Here’s a post from a year ago:

NaNoWriMo: A Full-Throated Defense

Democracy, Tolstoy (again!), NaNoWriMo, and hate. A good post.

Onward and upward, everyone! Good luck with the writing!

Small Press Shoutout: Enchanted Lion Press!

Happy November! In honor of the holiday season, we’re resurrecting the Small Press Shoutout Series, in which I highlight some of the most amazing small presses around.

Today’s small press is  unbelievably good. If you have a child in your life under the age of, say, ten, head on over to Enchanted Lion to check out their books. It will be time well spent: your holiday shopping will be complete.

Take a look at this:

And this:

And my personal favorite:

Here’s a list of our previous small press shoutout-ees, with links:

Owl and Zebra Press
Valancourt Press
Luath Press
Pantera Press
Bobbledy Books
The New Press
Les Figues Press
Little Pickle Press
Black Balloon Publishing
Akashic Books
Ugly Duckling Presse
OR Books
SALT Publishing
The Permanent Press
Kaya Press
Tiny TOE Press
Atticus Books
Soho Press
Graywolf Press
Overlook Press
Other Press

 

Today’s Comment of the Week: Halloween Lizards and the Accidental Listener

Wonderful Listener Rose Red writes:

I thoroughly enjoyed [episode two of the Jacke Wilson Show], which I had to listen to because I knew the Beatles would be mentioned. I am listening to the Halloween one and I think I just wet myself laughing at your take on the geckos in space. “Do they not have feelings?”

Thank you! I’d like to think they do. And I know I have feelings, and your comment made me laugh and feel proud and…a little apologetic! I didn’t mean to cause an accident! Maybe some laundry postponement but that’s as far as I was hoping to go!

I hope things turned out okay. And of course I’m very tickled by the comment. Thank you, Rose Red!

You can listen to the Halloween episode by subscribing to iTunes, following this link to download the mp3, visiting this show page, or pressing this button:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/jackewilsonshow/The_Jacke_Wilson_Show_1.1.mp3

Fun for everyone. Even our dark master Edgar (pictured above in a great drawing by KAL for Raven Beer) makes an appearance in a short story as heard through the filtering mind of Jacke Wilson Jr.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Top Ten Writers Laughing: The Very Best!

Okay, we already looked at numbers 10 through 6. Let’s take a look at the top five from our very popular Writers Laughing series. Away we go!

Number 5: Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving

Number 4: Samuel Beckett

Number 3: Flannery O’Connor

Number 2: George Orwell (this was close – he was overtaken on the final day!)

And the number 1 Writers Laughing are…

Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir!

Congratulations, winners! Now everyone, let’s all try to make laughter part of our day today. Come on! We can do it!

Note: Commentary and image credits are on the original links.

The Jacke Wilson Show – Subscribe on iTunes!

One… one one… one one… It’s the Jacke Wilson Show!

And now you can subscribe on iTunes. Every episode, downloaded to um… the device of your choice… um, it streams to ah… HEY LOOK. IT WORKS ON IPODS. PHONES. IPADS. COMPUTERS. ALL STUFF LIKE THAT. WHATEVER YOU OWN AND USE.

Ahem. Some of us are not always up on, say, technology. But we try. We make do, as my mother said as she wiped my nose with a leaf after a cataclysmic sneeze disrupted my walk to kindergarten.

How do you partake in these glories? Just click this link. Or this graphic:

And you will hear the lost scenes of Macbeth, the Fall OFF the House of Usher, the new Michael Jackson play (starring Bryan Cranston), lusty lizards, Tolstoy and his horse, Jacke Wilson Objects galore, philosophers galore, great books galore, morning thoughts, late-night thoughts, prehistoric fish, Tibetan rainbows… it’s a journey, people. We can take it together.

And I promise I won’t make myself laugh so much in the future! I’m getting more professional, episode by episode.

Enjoy!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE JACKE WILSON SHOW IN ITUNES.

Prefer to download directly? Or stream on your computer? You’re in luck! Here are the episodes:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/jackewilsonshow/The_Jacke_Wilson_Show_1.2.mp3

Download the mp3 file: The Jacke Wilson Show 1.2 – Perception and the Mind

Or download The Jacke Wilson Show 1.1 – the Halloween Episode or listen to it here:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/jackewilsonshow/The_Jacke_Wilson_Show_1.1.mp3