Sanford News, Duma Key

My  new Sanford News column can be read at http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/GJCOMMUNITY03/130529662/-1/SANNEWS   Most of it is about the 80's, when I was a teenager, so if you remember that long-ago decade you may like it. And if you don't remember the 80's, well, you still may like it.

The sun is shining and the temperature is almost 70! It's about time. We haven't had any warm weather yet and after the winter we had, seventy degrees feels good. Seventy-five will feel better. Thursday could be over 80. I'll try not to complain about it. Everyone else will - "Boy, I can't wait till wintah" - but you'd be hard pressed to hear me say it's too hot and I can't wait for winter.

I'm reading Stephen King's "Duma Key". It's actually really good, much better than I expected. I'm about halfway through. The main character, Edgar Freemantle, is an artist using his paintings to kill criminals and heal friends with bullets in their heads. Sounds strange, yes, but this is all perfectly normal in the world of Stephen King. I don't like a lot of his story lines, especially when they drift way over into sci-fi, but I love the way he writes. And so far, "Duma Key" is a good story, among my favorite Stephen King books. It's a long book, around 600 pages, but so far it's going quickly.

I've got 3 more episodes left before I am finished with season 3 of Arrested Development. I may watch them tonight. Then I move on to the new episodes on Netflix. I can't wait, I hope they are as good as the older ones.

Captain America Is Keeping Us Safe

First, I'd like to say there's nothing that makes a person feel safe like having a superhero in the house. Captain America has been here this week, and occasionally Spiderman stops by as well. I never see them together or with Samuel, but he says that is just a coincidence. As you can see below, Captain America looks very brave and serious, as a superhero should.

I started writing "Rock Star" again. It's always difficult for me to finish writing anything, especially anything long like a novel. Over the period of time it takes to write it, I get so many ideas for other stories that I want to just take a break to work on them. The problem is, I never get anything finished that way. The only way I can finish a writing project is to focus on that and block out all the other wonderful ideas floating around in my head until I'm finished. And so, I will write nothing else (except newspaper columns) until I am finished with "Rock Star".

My sales this month are very slow, the slowest since I first published "Lettahs From Maine". Let's go, people! Summer's coming, time to download some great books onto your kindles. I did sell a copy of Children of Mother Earth in the UK the other night. I sell a copy or two there almost every month, which is very exciting to me. I keep hoping it'll take off there, but so far it hasn't.

Let's see, what else? I've been watching a lot of Arrested Development, which is probably why my story is coming along so slowly. But it's just so funny. When I'm finished with the old seasons and the new one, I'm sure my writing will pick right up. That's pretty sad.

It's a beautiful day, I'm going to do some writing and then spread compost in the garden. Yes, I do have an exciting life.

Spring & The Sanford News

Spring is finally here. The weather is beautiful, and I have so much yard and garden work to do. So why am I here writing this? Because I pulled my back out yesterday rolling up a garden hose. Yes, you read that correctly, my back is weaker than a garden hose. Very sad.

My new Sanford News column can be read at http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130425/GJCOMMUNITY03/130429566/-1/SANNEWS  . It's about the beach and how nice it is to live near the Maine coast. So read and enjoy.

Otherwise, I've been doing very little writing. I still can't decide whether to continue with Rock Star or not. I have a few ideas for short stories, so maybe I'll write a couple while I decide.

This is a short posting but I have to get back outside and enjoy the sunshine.

The Sanford News, Defending Jacob, Roger Ebert

I have a new monthly column in my local newspaper, The Sanford News. The column is called "Musings of a Middle-Aged Man", and can conveniently be read here  http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130403/GJCOMMUNITY03/130329179/-1/SANNEWS .   I'm going to try and set up an easier link on my blog so my rabid fans can more easily access the column. But in the meantime, check out the link above and marvel at my writing prowess, or just laugh at how old I am. Either way, read and enjoy.

I've now written 36,000 words of Rock Star. My writing has been a bit slower this past week, before that I was cruising right along. I'm hoping to get up to 40,000 words by the end of this weekend, which really should be pretty easy.

I'm currently reading "Angela's Ashes". Very depressing, but also very witty. I read it when it first came out, which was over 15 years ago. Holy crap, 15 years. Previously, I read "Defending Jacob" by William Landay. It was recommened to me by my sister, who is in a book club. I assume that means a bunch of women meet every couple of weeks to drink wine and eat cheese and pretend that they are there to discuss the book they were supposed to read. But anyway, the "Defending Jacob" book was okay, kind of slow paced. The courtroom chapters were very drawn out, like reading an actually court transcript. I've read 2 John Grisham novels recently and the pace of those will give you whiplash. I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I liked the Grisham novels, but there was a nice twist at the end. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Speaking of reviews and ratings, I read that Roger Ebert passed away today. His movie reviews were the best out there. You really don't see icons in the movie review business, but Ebert certainly was one. Thumbs up.

The Pope, John Grisham, and Whatnot

Well, we have a new Pope. The crowd at the Vatican yesterday was very excited about it, as were the priests and nuns interviewed for the local news today. I have to say, I'm rather indifferent about the whole thing. I consider myself Catholic - I was an altar boy - but not a good one, sort of a non-practicing Catholic, especially with the continuing saga of the Priestly Pedophiles. A lot of the older Catholics seem to be able to overlook that, and it's wonderful to be able to forgive, but I have problems with it. God and prayer are still a part of my life, but I hesitate to get involved again in organized religion. Well, maybe this Pope will change my mind about all that. Doubtful, but maybe.  All day, I've been thinking of Rodney Dangerfield saying, "Hey, who made you Pope of this dump?"

I finished reading John Grisham's "A Time To Kill". Very good book, one of his best. His early ones are much better than the ones he puts out now. The book finished with too many loose ends, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I'm reading a Garrison Keillor book right now that isn't so great, and then I think I'll read "The Firm", which is about a renegade Zumba instructor in Kennebunkport, I believe.

Sam's new favorite word is "whatnot". He saw it on tv and thought it was so funny that old people say whatnot. He asked me what it meant and I stuttered and stammered and then said I really don't know, I guess it means something like whatever. I hate when he asks a question and I don't have the answer. It actually happens quite often. But if I want to make Sam laugh, I just say whatnot in a sentence. For instance, when he asks what we are having for supper, I'll say, "Ham and potatoes and carrots and whatnot." Guaranteed laughs. He also sometimes calls me Great Dad, because he saw on tv that great is another name for old. I think he learns more from tv than he does from me.

"Rock Star" is up to 25,000 words. I like what I've written so far, but I'm thinking of changing the title. To what, I have no idea. So for now, we will continue to refer to it as "Rock Star".

House Of Cards, Arrested Development, The Brooklyner

My latest short story was published online today at http://brooklyner.org/2013/late-winter/ . It's a good one, about an old guy in the late winter of his life. It may also be the shortest story I've had published, I think it is around 800 or 900 words.

A couple of days ago, I finished Stephen King's "From A Buick 8". It was average, definitely not his best. I left a review of it on Amazon.com, my first review. 3 Stars. I wish more people would review my books. Well, only if they have something positive to say and leave 5 stars, of course.  I'm now reading John Grisham's "A Time To Kill". I haven't read it in 7 or 8 years and I remember really enjoying it. I've read 2 chapters and I remember now how fast-paced the book is, really well done. I enjoyed "The Firm" a lot also and will try to read that within the next few months.

I'm up to about 16,000 words in "Rock Star". I'm beginning to find more ideas to explore while writing it, which is always a good sign. Once the characters really become clear, the story becomes very easy to write. Well, not very easy, but it creates a flow. "Be like water", as Bruce Lee said. Don't think he was talking about writing, but it works.

I began watching "House Of Cards" on Netflix. I like it, I wouldn't say I love it but it has my interest. I watched episode 3 last night and every episode has been better than the one previous. Problem is, there are only 13 episodes total and if I grow to really enjoy it, then what?

Really looking forward to the new season of "Arrested Development" in May on Netflix. The funniest show ever, in my opinion. I'm going to watch all 3 seasons again before watching the new one, I think. I'm just not sure how I'm going to find time.

Stephen King, Twilight, The Band on Vinyl

This morning, I wrote for about an hour. The working title of the new novel is "Rock Star" and it's about...well, a rock star. A former rock star. I've got about 12,000 words written so far. Where it will go from here is anyone's guess. This afternoon I sent query letters for "The Auctioneer" to a few literary agents. I absolutely hate doing that, but somebody has to.

I'm reading Stephen King's "From A Buick Eight". Definitely not his best work, I thought it would be like "Christine", which would not have been great because he'd be repeating himself, but instead the car seems to be not really a car. So either way, I wouldn't be happy. And I'm less than halfway through so I really don't know what's going to happen.

I've been thinking about the "Twilight" books. I may have to read them again for inspiration, because the first time I read them I said to myself, "I can do better than this crap." The story lines are actually not bad, I like the werewolves and vampires fighting.  Nothing like a good werewolf vs. vampire brawl, I always say. The romance is junior high and immature, which I guess makes sense when your books are directed at young teenage girls. But after reading the series about three years ago, I decided to start submitting my short stories to literary magazines. I got my first acceptance letter within three months, and two more in the month after that. So thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for inspiring me with your poor writing and blockbuster sales.

I'm listening to "The Best of The Band" on vinyl. I like when songs sound different on vinyl than they do on cd or mp3. It's because the digital songs are so compressed, they don't have the highs and lows of vinyl. Or maybe they are actually different versions of the songs and I have no idea what I'm talking about. Either way, I like it.