Joseph Demakis's Blog, page 5

Quotation of the Day

“All that is gold does not glitter,Not all those who wander are lost;The old that is strong does not wither,Deep roots are not reached by the frost.From the ashes a fire shall be woken,A light from the shadows shall spring;Renewed shall be blade that was broken,The crownless again shall be king.” 

- J.R.R. Tolkien -

Quotation of the Day

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not- André Gide -

Maine Author - Gerry Boyle

Like many crime novelists I began my writing career in newspapers—the best training ground ever. After Colby College, I knocked around, including stints as a roofer, a postman, and a manuscript reader at a big New York publisher (thumbs up for the roofer gig, thumbs down on the publishing job).My first reporting job was with a weekly in the paper mill town of Rumford, Maine. It was there that I left my sweaty mark on high-school wrestling coverage. But there was lots of small-town crime in Rumford. I would later mine my Rumford time for my first novel, DEADLINE.After a few months it was on to the daily Waterville, Maine Morning Sentinel, where editors learned early on that I worked best when left to my own devices. They gave me a thrice-weekly column and I wrote about stuff I saw in police stations, courtrooms, in the towns and cities of Maine. I enjoyed both hanging out with cops—and sitting with inmates in prison visiting rooms. I learned that the line between upstanding citizen and outlaw is a fine one, indeed.And all the while I was making up stories on the side, typing away on a Smith-Corona electric typewriter.DEADLINE came out in 1993. With an assist from Robert B. Parker, I landed a top-flight literary agent and the books came steadily after that. McMorrow and I grew up together, though at different rates. (My kids are grown up, or close to it; his daughter is four). I continue to live in a small village in central Maine, making regular trips for book research. My deal with Jack: I’ll send him into some pretty dangerous places, but I’ll scout them out first. I walk point; Jack has my back. Brandon Blake and I are still feeling each other out.More background: I also write for magazines, including Down East. And I’m the editor of the alumni magazine at Colby College, a school that is near and dear.Personal stuff: My wife Mary is a schoolteacher  and dispenser of wise counsel. We have three children, who have scattered from Maine to Ireland. They’ve grown up with these books, and helped make them what they are.
Deadline: A Jack McMorrow Novel
“Boyle shocks readers into the recognition that life, in all of its subtlety, will constantly contradict itself.” -Publisher’s WeeklyJack McMorrow’s debut. Jack leaves the New York Times to run a weekly newspaper in the remote milltown of Androscoggin, Maine. When the newspaper’s photographer is found drowned in a paper mill canal, Jack realizes that this small town is a dangerous place for anyone digging into its secrets.
Port City Shakedown: A Brandon Blake Crime Novel 
This first book in a new series is set in and around the Portland, Maine, waterfront. It introduces Brandon Blake, a loner who lives on his old wooden cruiser. Raised by his alcoholic grandmother after his mother was lost at sea, Blake learned to depend on himself. During an assignment for a law-enforcement class, Blake gets involved in a fight and is marked for payback by a soon-to-be-released convict. Meanwhile, questions surface about his mother's disappearance.

Quotation of the Day

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life
- Bob Marley -

Quotation of the Day

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover- H. Jackson Brown Jr. -

Quotation of the Day

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together- Marilyn Monroe -

Quotation of the Day

We accept the love we think we deserve- Stephen Chbosky -

Quotation of the Day

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results - Narcotics Anonymous -

Quotation of the Day

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” 
- Rob Siltanen -

Quotation of the Day

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment- Ralph Waldo Emerson -