I Do Things. You Do Things. Let's Do More Things.

There have been few posts here the past year or so, which is good.  This means I've been busy.  I thought I'd give an update.

I've gone back to school, aiming for the MFA and teaching credentials.  I've gone through two terms this year.  I'm headed for English.  Literature.  Creative Writing.  Teaching them.  Any and all would be wondrous.  I put in two college years in my youth, and those still count, so I'm starting out in my third year, for the most part.  While I have always been somewhat of a D student, I'm surprised to note that I've made the honor roll this time around.  Two terms now.  I suppose I can officially start showing people my All Grown Up certificate.

My son has finished pre-school and will begin kindergarten in the fall.  He's amped, asks questions constantly, and I'm endlessly fascinated with the things he comes up with.

"Hey daddy, what's your job?"

"Me?  Well, I'm unemployed... I'm a student...  writer.  Heh, I'm a writer, son."

"How much money do you get?"

[jaw clenches tight] "It's fine.  Everything.  Is.  Fine.  People... people will read."

"I don't like books."

"Go to your room."

He is highly imaginative, makes up stories daily, loves to build things and is weirdly preoccupied with symmetry in everything he builds.  Even I'm sort of baffled by that one.  While I love his particular curse of creativity, I do know he's in for a rough time.  Creative kids mature late and don't quite fit the mold as well as they'd like.  Ever.  Ask me.

I wear a watch that doesn't work and a newsy cap to be different.

Things are going well.  My brother-on-law is staying with us, which has been fun, and Mary and I are enjoying Summer as best we can in Oregon's never-Summery weather.

On to the projects:  For those of you new here, Tatterdemalion, somewhat of a psychological thriller with some comedy here and there, and Amphisbaena, my experimental romance novel, (both novels through Cauliay), are still available and some more reviews have turned up, all very positive.  I'm happy about how these books are doing.  Give one a read; I can promise you I spent a lot of time writing them, revising through ten drafts each, working them over in a variety of ways, and getting them published.


A Fine Young Day, my take on a horror novel, is currently in its sixth draft and I've begun sending it around to publishers.  Another novel, Thank You and Good Night, a fictional biography modeled very closely on the life of Rod Serling, is also finished, and is currently in its third draft.  I'll put it through a few more revisions before sending it out, so don't expect this one  anytime soon.  It's a long book, as well, so the revisions take more time.    Differentia Press put out a collection of mine, online, titled Other Cruel Things.  This one isn't fiction, but poetry.  Those of you that know me are well aware that poetry is my mainstay, so this was a nice setup.  I don't have any plans for future chapbooks or collections of poetry at this time, mainly because I prefer to break up all the books of poetry I write and send the poems around to the great mags of the small press.  I've been doing this quite a bit with the Summer.  Submitting to publications I like.  At some point, I'll probably send a collection out to someone, but I have no actual plans for it right now.

I'm starting a new novel in a few weeks.  The idea I have in mind is quite ambitious and will be difficult to put into concept, much less write.  I like ambitious.  I like difficult.  You readers are ambitious and difficult.  I like you, too.

That's all for now.  I'll try to get back here within a month or so.  Until then, read a book, or write one.  Let's hang out.

'Other Cruel Things', 'A Fine Young Day', and 'Thank You and Good Night'

Hello electronic world, I greet you in the middle of December with the usual apologies for lack of update and other, thick behavior. For those three or four of you that read these posts, I give you much information regarding several projects either underway, completed, or outright published.

OTHER CRUEL THINGS, my first and fledgling book of poetry has just been released through Differentia Press as an ebook, free for all, and edited by the always great Felino Soriano. The book compiles what I feel to be some of my best work from the past 18 months or so, and can be read here: http://www.differentiapress.com/2009/11/other-cruel-things.html

I worked hard on this one, and I hope you enjoy it.

In other news, A FINE YOUNG DAY, my third novel, is currently in my publisher's hands, and I'll let you know the minute I've heard back. I'm nervous about this book for a variety of reasons, the first and foremost being that I think it's the best thing I've ever written, which always makes one nervous. The other reasons for my shaking knees involve the subject matter, the way the book unfolds, the more poetic and sound-oriented language I let myself use, for once, and the outright disturbing things that happen throughout the book. There's no whimsy in this one. It's my take on a horror novel, and it runs both pretty and repugnant at the same time. My thanks to Andrew David King for his artwork on the potential cover.

I'm about 28 chapters into a new novel, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT, which has come along nicely thus far. I'm having a surreal round of experiments with the biography format, and this book has much going on, beyond it's large size. A fictionalized biography modeled on the life of Rod Serling, the novel snaps into teleplay format often, has commercial breaks, and generally follows the rise and fall of Rod Serling's career. There is some real tragedy in this book, and it doesn't let up much, as well as some moments of Rod's early achievement and success. It spans forty-five years. In short, I'm writing the life of Rod Serling in a fictional style, Serling as a protagonist, and doing so as if he were a fictional character on his own famed show.

That's about all for now. I did finish another book of poetry, but have no plans to seek out a publisher for it just yet. I'm going to send the poems around a bit, see if anyone likes them for the glorious mags of the small press.

Life is busy but good. My son will be turning five in February, and my wife and I are having a great end-of-the-year with present shopping and other, various shenanigans of festivity. Hurrah!

Happy holidays to all.