JaxPop

Sunday Stroll - in the old town

2012-01-28T00:15:00.002-05:00

It's been almost a month since I've written anything. More than 3 since my last post. Almost zero time online. Lots going on. Getting to the final stage of my project in Miami. Pushing hard. Tired.

Six weeks ago my doctor (Dr Butcher) said I looked like crap. He ought to see me now. Dark circles under the dark circles. Guess that happens when you try to cram the work of 6 months into 3. More design changes in the works. The days seem really long but the calendar pages are flipping by way too fast. Can't believe it's almost February. Two looooong years.

This engraving of bat wings on each side of the hour glass means "time flies". It's a marble insert on the face of a St Augustine tomb where a Catholic Bishop was once buried. He "moved" home to Cuba about 100 years ago, 40 years after his death. Hope I get home sooner than that! (And not in a box.)

Last week Deb suggested we take a little stress-relief walk around our haunted seaside hometown. First stop was an old cemetery. Maybe she was tryin' to make a not-so-subtle point.

Next we visited the old drugstore where we buy our loose tea & organic Florida honey - but no drugs.

Deb wanted to get a shot of the old city gates. It was a gray day, not great for photos, but she managed to get a picture without tourists in the scene. Across the street, in the background, is the Castillo de San Marcos. That was our next destination. These structures are built with coquina.

The Castillo pictures - same day (within minutes) 2 angles.

Busy day at the fort. On weekends they fire cannons every hour using "Spanish" soldiers in full uniform. A few years back we were in our boat (our boat really is named Laffin' Gaff), 10 yards away from the fort's seawall facing the inlet when that cannon went off. Though my engine blew up. That incident blossomed into a part of the story in BAD LATITUDE - the night Jack & Kai were fired upon by the ghost ship.

The Bridge of Lions. This bridge was recently taken apart & hauled away. A temporary bridge was built in its place. The original was completely restored, trucked back in sections & reassembled. THAT would have been an awesome project to run. In RECKLESS (book number 2), Pop does some showin' off, sailing through this very drawbridge in his restored schooner Reckless Endeavor as they leave port in search of the Rackham treasure.

We need to run a contest to see who can figure out where the name of the bridge comes from. (Hint: Granite statues.) The inscription P de L 1513 stands for Ponce de Leon who founded the city in 1513, making St Augustine the oldest city in America & the very first Catholic mass in all of North America.

Now drawbridges are fairly common, but how often do you see pirate ships crossing through 'em?

Or doors with this kind of hardware?

Seeing pirates walking the streets is no big deal - happens all the time. Certainly my idea of using a dead pirate as a character couldn't have been influenced by the history of a haunted town, a town ready to celebrate its 500th year.

Hoping to get back home soon - where inspiration lurks at every corner . . . & where I work best as The Haunted City Writer.

It's just after midnight - I'm going to write. Tonight. Finally.

What's In YOUR Attic?

2011-10-16T15:43:00.000-04:00

You've spent countless hours crafting stories - tweaking, revising & rewriting. Maybe it's been your life's passion. Maybe it's a passion that's been kept secret. Your insecurity, maybe a fear of failure or criticism from a twenty-something-year-old literary agent, caused you to ignore the publishing options & you never put your work "out there" for the world to see. And all of those stories & manuscripts lie tucked away in boxes, maybe in the attic .....

Alas, your days come to an end & after a suitable mourning period, perhaps ten minutes following the funeral, family members rummage through your home disposing of anything they deem worthless - like boxes of meaningless old papers. And so it is - your stories are gone forever.

What if you had a chance to hit the rewind button? Would you take your shot? Let's assume so.

Your grandkids have grandkids. One day they find YOUR BOOKS, yellowed & battered as they may be, but there they are. You've left something of your passion behind.

GALLOWS POINT (in progress)

Imagine That

2011-09-19T01:34:00.001-04:00

Over the years I've written a bazillion letters, emails & narratives related to the challenging business of construction management, otherwise known as "my big boy job". There's never been anything remotely creative about any of that correspondence, other than touches of biting sarcasm, something I often struggle (with limited success) to control. I've always been one to get to the point & making friends, in business at least, has never been a priority. With that bit of background on the table, ME writing books for kids is still something I can't wrap my brain around. The two worlds are so opposite.

Today we visited The Baliker Gallery in Palm Coast to check out the sculptures of the very talented Paul Baliker. His work is incredible, especially the way he uses driftwood, like this:

And this:

There's more on the website, all very click worthy - so check it out. But there was a bronze piece that caught my eye ... & would look great in my writing room. (Deb? It's only $4500!!!)

This is named "Once Upon A Time". The kid is obviously readng a book (very cool) & his imagination, as you will "see" below is in high gear.

All from the pages of a "book".

Out of the blue, in July 2007 to be exact, I started writing. It was totally unplanned. There were no goals & zero expectations. It wasn't something I had to do. Nothing inside was screaming to get out, like many writers claim (or like the movie "Alien"). It just happened. Four years & two books later, grabbing a reader's imagination - & squeezing it with both hands - is my new brass ring.... or maybe it's bronze. Actually, it feels pretty good - finally having a goal. Guess that means I'm getting serious. Imagine that.

If you're a writer - what made you take the plunge? Oh ... and what's the brass ring you're reaching for?

Click The Link - Whaddya Think?

2011-08-13T22:44:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Miami. How 'bout that - a picture of Miami minus the traffic! We travel a lot. In fact, we're mapping out a couple of new adventures in the upcoming weeks, though the mode of transportation, in one case, is under serious debate. First on the agenda is a trip to The Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles offshore from Key West. I want to go by seaplane - Deb's thinkin' that a boat's the way to go, since she's not a great fan of small planes, especially the ones that land in the ocean. Time to negotiate. The 2nd trip planned is a little further south to the Virgin Islands - by boat. For the record, taking off & landing in a seaplane is a total rush. So how 'bout helpin' me out with a strategy.

Now I get lots of emails askin' about the Rackhams & their lifestyle. It's true they're loaded, have a few awesome boats, including an 82' schooner named Reckless Endeavor, & they've recently built a second home in the Bahamas. In fact, here's a picture - taken from a seaplane I might add. It's much smaller than the house in St Augustine, but it's comfortable.

Where the Rackham tale is somewhat embellished in Reckless is the part about Nan being totally comfortable island hopping in a seaplane. Now the Rackhams have some very good friends, Eb & Flo, who own & operate The Last Resort - a secluded getaway in the middle of the islands. Flo pilots a yellow seaplane, 'cause it's easier & more fun to get around. In the story, Nan gets a kick out of cruising with Flo above the turquoise seas. In "real life" that's not quite true. The other day Flo sent Pop a picture of her new plane & he forwarded it to me to use for this post. (Sadly, the one in the book crashed in the Everglades, but at least it was insured.)

This plane's a real beauty, dontcha think? Congrats, Flo! Can you think of any reason NOT to wanna fly in one of these babies? So back to my dilemma. How do I convince Deb to forget the boat n' give the seaplane a shot?

Sidebar - I really like reader comments. This one was posted on my FB by Matt Keever from Houston:

Your book made me want to start talking like a pirate. The dialogue for Calico Jack is absolutely PERFECT.
I actually read all of it aloud, which made me laugh harder than I have in quite some time.
I'll write a short review of the book and put it on Amazon soon. Thanks for the great read, Dave.

(Thanks, Matt.)

Okay - now about the seaplane ..... Click the link - Dry Tortugas - Whaddya think???

A NEW POST - FINALLY!!!

2011-07-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Someday I'll grow up - but what's the hurry? My grandson Jack is convinced I'm a real pirate. Have no idea why he would think such a thing. Do you? As usual, he spent his birthday (last week) with 'Pop' & 'Nan' here in St Augustine. That's me n' Jackman in the picture below. The beard is real - grown specifically for this shot. Of course, Deb wasn't thrilled with it during the weeks leading up to this photo, so the beard was neatly trimmed to its normal length about an hour after this picture was taken.

Of course, we were well prepared for the kids' visit.

Say hello to Isabel. Everyone will get a better chance to know her once SPANKY AND THE SPECKLED BUTTER BEAN comes out. She's our lil' princess.

Okay, so I've been really busy & haven't posted for a coupla months. Have barely managed to visit & comment on my usual blog stops. But the kids returned to Pennsylvania & things are settlin' down. Well, not completely but I'm gettin' back into my writing projects & thinkin' it might be a good idea to start doin' some promotion on RECKLESS. (Ya think?)

So, you ask, what else is up? Okay, you didn't ask. Well, there are 3 more stores now carrying my books, including a really busy touristy spot in Key West! Hint: Ever hear of the famous Conch Train Tours? I also received some great feedback on RECKLESS from a terrific author.

Author & columnist Mark LaFlamme posted an awesome review of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR on Amazon. Kinda made me wanna read the book myself. I'll post his kind words here.

5.0 out of 5 stars A high-seas page turner, July 15, 2011

By Mark Laflamme (Maine) - This review is from: Reckless Endeavor A Jack Rackham Adventure

David Ebright knows sailing. He knows the value of young friendships and he sure as hell knows adventure.

In Reckless Endeavor all three are vital to the lives of Jack Rackham and his circle of friends. The adventure in particular is not slow to come. As he did with Bad Latitude, the first in the Jack Rackham line, Ebright gets right to it. He doesn't mess around with intricate knots or long looks at the weather forecast, he sails his readers right into the eye of the storm.

It starts with some history, a pair of pirates brutalized in wretched prisons hundreds of years back. In short order, that history will collide with modern day where Jack Rackham is just beginning a new adventure.

After rescuing a homeless teenager from a knife-wielding lunatic and uncovering the secret of Mary, the spirit of a thief trapped in St. Augustine's Old Jail for one hundred years, Jack Rackham puts to sea with his friends in search of another lost treasture, this time aboard the magnificent schooner, Reckless Endeavor. As a reader, I made the same mistake I made when I began Bad Latitude - I assumed it was a book written largely for young people and that it would be short on grown-up chills. Again, I was wrong. The Hardy Boys, I'm afraid, would not last a night with Jack Rackham and his friends. In addition to high seas spooks - freak whirlpools and long-dead pirates rising from the mist - there are adult themes all over the place. Homelessness, loyalty, betrayal, love and greed are among them. Ebright weaves them into his story without steering away from the action, and the result is a high-seas page turner.

Ebright spins an impressive piece of fiction, but there is also a good bit of history to be found here. One of its main characters, after all, is Calico Jack, an English pirate who designed the Jolly Roger flag and who made a career out of plundering across the Bahamas in the early 18th century. In Reckless Endeavor, Ebright brings Calico Jack back to life and introduces him to young Jack Rackham, who bears a suspicious resemblance to the legendary pirate. The meeting might leave Jack Rackham and his friends fabulously wealthy or it could turn them into so much chum for the sharks. There's only one way to find out, bilge rats. Batten down the hatches, beat to quarters and take some Dramamine if you have to. Reckless Endeavor is one wild adventure.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks, Mark. So there you have it. RECKLESS is a high seas page turner - as opposed to a run of the mill page turner!

Now for one more picture from last week which will show how, in our family anyway, the inability to properly enter adulthood with dignity is being passed along to the next generation. Here's my oldest son Mike (Jack's dad) at 6 feet & 180 pounds makin' my poor grandson tote him around on his new bike. Ol' Jack's got some strong legs.

See y'all again soon - promise.

Do You Text?

2011-05-22T12:39:00.003-04:00

Deb loves the whole texting thing. She's just a youngin' - must give her an advantage. Me? Not so much. It's bad enough gettin' emails poppin' up on my cell phone. How 'bout you? You into it? Well, for people more MY AGE here's a brief tutorial. This should prove invaluable. Or maybe not.

TEXTING FOR SENIORS

Since more and more "Seniors" are texting and tweeting there appears to be a need for an STC (Senior Texting Code). If you qualify for Senior Discounts this is the code for you!

ATD: At The Doctor's

BFF: Best Friend Fainted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair

BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM: Covered By Medicare

CGU: Can't get up

DWI: Driving While Incontinent

FWBB: Friend With Beta Blockers

FWIW: Forgot Where I Was

FYI: Found Your Insulin

GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!

GHA: Got Heartburn Again

IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LOL: Living On Lipitor

OMMR: On My Massage Recliner

TTYL: Talk To You Louder

WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?

WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again

WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil

GGLKI: Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In

Any suggestions to add to this list? PTH (post them here). CWTR (can't wait to read).

Just Writin'

2011-04-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

Plannin' 5 days of no work, no travel, no meetings, no internet, no phones - just writin'.

Startin' this THURSDAY!

Stress Management Technique #27

2011-04-12T20:35:00.000-04:00

Just in case you are having a rough day, here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological journals. It really works. You might even smile.

Picture yourself lying on your stomach on a warm rock that hangs out over a slow moving stream

         Your hands dangle in the cool running water
         Birds sing sweetly in the cool mountain air
         No one knows your secret place
         You're in total seclusion from that hectic place called 'the world'
         The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air - a cascade of serenity
         The water is crystal clear & you can easily see .....
          ...... the face of the person you are holding underwater

Hometown Setting

2011-03-31T09:51:00.001-04:00

Haven't been around much lately but thought y'all might like to see a music video filmed in my hometown of St Augustine, Florida. It's not a bad song either. I posted it on my FB page a few days ago.

In the meantime - Still working to get the paper version of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR out. Had a problem with a link to the cover art - a reference to a name that doesn't go along well with the stuff I write. Anyway - that's solved to everyone's satisfaction so I'm waiting to see the revised proof copy before cutting it loose. While this is all going on, RECKLESS is selling well as an ebook on Kindle, better than expected since I've had no time to breathe, let alone promote. While that's cool n' all, I'm stumped trying to figure out why the first book, BAD LATITUDE (on Kindle since January) is outselling RECKLESS. Seems like BL will jump ahead almost 2 to 1 & then there'll be a surge on RE to go neck n' neck. I only check the sales stats once or twice a week (when I think of it), so maybe it's common for this to happen with multiple titles. Whatever. What do I know about how it all works?

Back to the video. There are lots of backgrounds in the video that are right out of BAD LATITUDE (set in St Augie, naturally - or maybe I should say supernaturally). The lighthouse - which is haunted by Hezekiah Pittee & his dead daughters. The seawall at The Castillo de San Marcos overlooking Matanzas Bay, where 2 of my characters meet & eventually share their first kiss. Must be a good place for kissin'. The pristine beach (they blocked vehicle access for the video shoot - we're allowed to drive on our beach). Then there are the quaint streets which are perfect for late night zombie chases or, if you're not into that - you can just check out the shops & galleries.

RECKLESS starts out in St Augustine, but moves on to the Bahamas, naturally requiring a sail through the Bermuda Triangle - which leads up to an encounter with a dead pirate on a mission.

So check out the video if ya feel like visitin' my town.

There's also a good website - http://www.augustine.com/ that's worth clickin' on.

Hopefully I'll get back to blogging soon - need to figure out a theme.

Bitter, Sweet by Laura Best

2011-02-13T01:18:00.001-05:00

I'm supposed to be finishing up some last minute tweaks on RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, things like a brief synopsis, for the Kindle, iPad & Nook versions, but I was sidetracked. It'll be a late night now for sure, but I'm gonna get it done. Have to. Anyway, it all started this afternoon when I stopped at the Post Office to pick up the mail .....

There it was - Laura Best's book - Bitter, Sweet. So, I unwrapped it & started checking it out. Then I started reading. And then I kept reading. Had bought some rib-eye steaks for the grill earlier in the day. Instead of putting them on during daylight, I kept reading - until the book was finished. (It was completely dark when I fired up the grill. When I went outside & turned the steaks, I reached for the handle on the grill's lid - to close it - & since I couldn't see, missed it, & put my hand on the hot lid. I now have no fingerprints on my right hand.)

Sorry, back to the topic. (It's okay - I'm typing left handed.)

Okay, now I'm not a writerly literary genius or even a student of the craft, & don't pretend to be. And usually I favor action packed novels, thrillers, mysteries, sometimes horror & I write adventure tales for kids - but that's not gonna stop me from offering my thoughts on Bitter, Sweet.

First of all - this book is flat out entertaining. It is also very well written, IMHO. The characters have unique personalities. The scene description is balanced - not overdone - enough to pull the reader into the setting without disrupting the flow of the story. The dialogue is strong - each character's voice stands out. It's easy to get a real feel for the poverty, the loss, the heartache & the family's ultimate struggle to put up a 'united front' in order to survive. Well, Laura has managed to make all of her words count & created a remarkable story. Very impressive. A terrific read. Thumbs up, my friend.

Okay, I'm off to soak my hand .... Oh yeah, click the Amazon link & buy Laura's book. Go on. Hurry!

Hangin' Out

2011-02-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've been just kinda hangin' out lately, doin' research on a buncha stuff that's gonna be in the next book, which is already underway. The picture above is from The Old Jail in St Augustine. The jail provides a fun chapter location in RECKLESS for one of the "adventures". It was also necessary to do some readin' up on how hangings were carried out, since that's how Calico Jack Rackham met his end in 1720. That little detail doesn't stop him from visiting his young descendant.

Right now I'm into Aztecs, jungles, and caves.... with a few twists, of course. I'll need some first hand cave experience, you know, for realism's sake, so there's gotta be a trip in our future (get your camera ready, Deb!). Maybe after the pirate invasion in Tampa later this month. In the meantime, I'm doing my usual poor job of marketing & promotion, in the weeks leading up to the release of the latest Jack Rackham Adventure - might be on Kindle & Nook in a week, not sure.

Well, I've been kinda quiet lately but I ain't just sittin' around.

Jack Rackam Is Back

2011-01-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

Guess what's happenin' this month .... Give y'all one hint ....

Think I Need A Compass?

2010-12-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

I'm not much for looking back & can't recall ever making New Year's resolutions, so I won't start now, but........

Going through files & docs, I noticed that the RECKLESS draft was pretty much done in 2009 & here it is only 3 hours from 2011 & it's still "not out" (waiting for the final cover art). Guess that's partly due to working out of town. Also, in my defense, I did chop out a big portion of the book to use as a launching point for the next book, a story that I really like, resulting in a major rewrite of the ending for RE. (Hint: The ending for RECKLESS is, hmmmm, better not say anything yet.)

So did I miss out on any opportunities? Maybe. Does it matter? Dunno. Can't do anything about it now. I'm a little late to the ebook party, but that'll change within the next week or two.

I allowed myself 10 minutes to think about 2010 - beyond 10 minutes, it's all a blur anyway. This time last year I was working out of the company's office in Jacksonville, griping every day about being stuck inside behind a desk, putting numbers together. We had bid a job for Amtrak that the 'Powers That Be' almost bailed out on 'cause they decided the job was too complicated. In the meantime, we were looking at a really lean year for moneymaking projects so the railroad project was muy importante. Poof! January arrived. We were awarded the Amtrak job that was too complicated to take on & the 'Powers That Be' designated me as 'The Guy' to do the job, which meant a 16 month gig out of town. Funny, nowadays, working out of the office doesn't seem like such a bad option. (I haven't seen my office for 50 weeks. Wonder what it looks like.)

For the most part, the blog's been on a yearlong hiatus, with the odd post thrown in from time to time - an artificial sign of life. Writing was hit or miss. Impossible at the hotel, slightly better at the condo, much improved at the little house that we rented. Promotion? ZERO. I couldn't do any book signings, cancelled plans for a couple of book festivals, & couldn't attend the FWA Writers Conference or the RPLA Awards Banquet. Perfect batting average on marketing overall.

Wonder what'll happen in 2011. I want to get the 3rd book out. I'd like to do some promotion. Blogging regularly again would be kinda cool. Finding a coupla beta readers might be a plus & losing 15 pounds couldn't be a bad thing. Well, I'm still not makin' any resolutions - 'cept to finish this project n' go home, to my real house.

I wonder if I just need a compass. GPS? A set direction? A game plan? Map? Would these require makin' resolutions? Hope not.

How 'bout you? Any goals or resolutions rattlin' around in your cranium that you'll try to ignore?

Happy 2011.

Blog "Stuff"

2010-12-26T21:16:00.001-05:00

First of all, hope everyone had a very nice Christmas. I haven't been online much these past few weeks.

We're working through the cover art again for RECKLESS, trying to get it just right. Being pig-headed, as usual. While that's going on, I'm polishing & fine-tuning the final MS while working on the follow up Jack Rackham Adventure. I should be working to create "buzz" before RECKLESS is let loose, you know, blogging & such, but (a) I'm way too focused on the final product & (b) I'm terrible about elbowing my way around to even mention my books, especially on someone else's site. Personally, I tend to avoid blogs totally dedicated to the promotion of an author's work. Blogs, IMHO, should be give & take. It's fine to incorporate promotion into the mix, but getting to "know" folks, including their opinions, is entertaining & often educational. (The fact that the "I" word has been used 7 times in this post is uncomfortable enough.)

So how do y'all do it (mix blog posts & promo) without becoming a self-centered bore? How do you attract followers with whom to share ideas? (There are 30 followers on JaxPop, only 5 on the newer Jack Rackham Adventures blog). I (#8) dunno, maybe it's best to just stick with storytellin', but I'd (#9) sure like to get some opinions.

DEAD WITNESS

2010-12-05T00:58:00.002-05:00

I recently finished reading a novel, DEAD WITNESS, written by my blogging friend Joylene Butler. Now I'm not one to write reviews, & I won't rave about a book if I don't honestly find it rave-worthy, but this is a really terrific story, one very much worth reading.

Valerie McCormick witnesses the murder of 2 FBI agents. She tries to do the right thing, reporting what she's seen, but the authorities botch the opportunity to capture the killer. Since only her testimony can put away the murderous drug lord, she becomes his target. The order is out, make her the DEAD WITNESS, whatever the cost. The FBI & RCMP join forces to protect Valerie, but the cartel has infiltrated all levels of law enforcement. To protect her 3 daughters, she will make choices and sacrifices that go beyond extreme, even for a loving & protective mother.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, because there are several well-done plot twists & surprises. The tension ramps up consistently throughout & the pacing is great. The characters work well, very believable - Joylene gets the reader to "lock in". I particularly liked the protagonist, Valerie, who transforms from the desperate, sometimes despondent - easily led victim, to the still conflicted, but take charge protector, willing to take any risk or pay any price to save her family.

So there you have it - my 2 cents. If you like suspense, I recommend DEAD WITNESS very highly, giving it 2 thumbs up & a well-deserved standing ovation. Great job Joylene - it was entertaining & captivating, (&, gee, I don't think I've ever used the word captivating in a sentence before).

BTW - Don't forget to check out the new joint - http://jackrackhamadventures.blogspot.com/ I've been busy trying to get that one off the ground.

Short, Sick & Inspired?

2010-12-02T17:05:00.002-05:00

In an effort to remain pointless.......

Ever write from a prompt? I've done it a few times for fun. In one case, I was given a miniscule time limit (hour or 2?) & 4 words to incorporate into a very short story. The words provided were: Ingredients, mole, windowpane, & ..... sorry, the 4th excapes me. I'm gonna post it below.

So what to do for the topic. Hmmm.... I'm from suburban Philadelphia, truly an inspiring kind of place, for characters especially. It's the home of cheese steaks, throwing snowballs at Santa, cops shooting cats to get them down from trees, & South Philly mobsters with Italian names. Okay, I made that part up about the cops & cats, but, once upon a time 30 years or so ago, the Mayor ordered the police to bomb a house from a helicopter & the fire wiped out most of a neighborhood. Ah, the memories.

Anyway, I jumped back to my roots & the 'good old days' for this very short (BUT NOT YA) story.

And cut me some slack - I needed a break from the kid stuff......

A HANDFUL OF INGREDIENTS

The bespectacled little man with the bow tie and bad comb over crossed Callowhill Street and walked toward the converted row home with the battered sign announcing, Ciarlante’s Meats – Best Steak Sandwiches In South Philly. This was his first visit to the City of Brotherly Love and he was anxious to sample the famous specialty that the locals had so enthusiastically recommended. His saliva glands kicked into high gear with anticipation.

A bell jingled overhead as he entered the shop. Behind the meat case stood a fiftyish looking man with a prominent mole staring out from the bridge of his nose, resembling a misplaced third eye. He was thick through the middle and wore a soiled white apron, the name Carmine stitched across the pocket of his grimy shirt. Another man, sitting at a small table along the wall below a no-smoking sign, puffed away on a Lucky Strike. The ashtray overflowed with stale butts and two crumpled packets kept company with one that was newly opened. The little man timidly approached the greasy counter. ‘Three eyes’ stood silent, waiting to take his order.

“Hello. I’ve heard how t-tasty Philadelphia steak sandwiches are and decided t-to t-try one,” he stammered.

“Yeah. So?”

“Uh. Could I get one?”

“One what?”

“A steak sandwich.”

"Fried onions?”

“Uh… if that’s an ingredient that you recommend, certainly.”

“Ingredient?”

“Uh, yes, you know, like a condiment, used to enhance flavor.”

“I know what ingredient means. Do I look like some ignorant dipshit?”

Shocked by the surly reply, the man inched backwards. “No no, not at all. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to sound …..”

“Ah, don’t worry ‘boudit. I’m just in a shitty friggin’ mood. So you want dat steak witt?”

“Witt?”

“Yeah. Witt.”

“Uh, witt? I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that term.”

Carmine shook his head and looked over to the man at the table. “Lou, tell ‘im what’s witt.”

Lou never looked up from his racing form. “Cheese. D’ya want friggin’ cheese witt da steak?”

The man felt sweat beading up across his upper lip. “S.. sure. Cheese. I’d like Swiss cheese please. Yes, Swiss, that would be fine.”

“I knew you was an asshole the minute you walked in da place. We don’t do no Swiss. You get a steak witt American or wittout.” Carmine nodded to the chain smoker, and pointed toward the horrified customer with his thumb. “We need to do somethin’ about dis shithead.”

Shaking, the stranger moved toward the door but found his path blocked by the hulking Lou who shoved him roughly toward the register. Eyes squinting against cigarette smoke; Lou pulled the shade over the cracked window pane and twisted the door lock before flipping the closed sign to face the street.

“Bring the son of a bitch back here so’s I can show ‘im what ingredients go in a cheese steak,” barked Carmine as he moved toward a stainless steel meat slicer.

“You can’t be serious. I…. I didn’t do anything,” pleaded the terrified out-of-towner.

Lou grabbed him around the shoulders with one arm, locked onto his neck with the other, and shoved him behind the counter. Carmine clamped his hand over the man’s puny wrist, and yanked him toward the machine, holding the hand inches from the slicer while he reached for the toggle switch.

“You can’t do this! I’m begging you guys. I’ll give you whatever you want. I won’t call the cops. I swear. I’ll leave and never come back,” he wailed, struggling against the crushing grip of the two thugs.

“I toldja. I’m in a shitty mood today. I gotta do somethin’ to get myself in a better frame of mind. Ain’t nothin’ personal. What’s your name again?” asked Carmine.

“I never said.”

“Well, tell me now shit-for-brains.”

“Chuck. My name’s Chuck. I swear. I’ll leave town right now and keep my mouth shut.”

“Okay Chuck. Hey Louie, maybe we oughtta let ‘im go. I’m feelin’ much better now.”

“Aw c’mon, Carmine, I wanna watch dis guy bleed,” said Lou.

Carmine sighed. “Sorry Chuck. Lou’s been bored lately. I don’t like when he’s bored. Now pay attention ‘cause dis is how we get the first of our four ingreeeeedients.”

Chuck’s screams were stifled by Lou’s forearm as the toggle was flipped. Carmine grinned as he shoved the hand against the spinning blade, working the mechanism in a rhythmic back and forth motion. Paper-thin pieces of the hand filtered through the machine, dropping neatly onto a sheet of bloody wrapping paper. For Chuck, the pain and sight of four-fingered lunchmeat proved unbearable and, as his bladder emptied, he lost consciousness.

“Let’s fry it up n’ make ‘im eat it,” said Lou. “And don’t forget da cheese.”

“Nah. See if he’s carryin’ any cash, then dump his wimpy ass behind the Island Avenue scrap yard. Tell ‘im he keeps his mouth shut, or he’s dead,” Carmine ordered.

Lou knelt beside the maimed customer, extracted a billfold and stared at the man’s ID. “Dis ain’t good Carmine. Da son of a bitch works for the IRS.”

The butcher ripped the blood-soaked apron from around his neck and threw it across the counter. “Holy shit!” He leaned against the refrigerated meat case, staring at the floor, thinking of a solution.

The minutes passed and Carmine scratched absently at the repulsive mole. After collecting his thoughts, he looked up and smiled. “Drag him into da back room, Lou. We're gonna run a special tomorrow … on ground Chuck.”

Mmmmmmmmm..........

Intro To My New Blog

2010-11-28T00:08:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all. Just lettin' everyone know that I've started another blog Jack Rackham Adventures which will be geared more toward writing, promotion, reviews & storytellin' in general.

JaxPop will stay up & running & remain utterly pointless.

Publishing Options? Clear As Mud

2010-11-21T23:40:00.003-05:00

Skip this post 'cause it's gonna be about (yawn) publishing, a topic that I tend to avoid.

I'm taking the entire week off, sort of, & managed to squeeze in a couple of hours at a writers group meeting yesterday where the focus was on publishing trends & options. There were 6 panelists, each given about 10 minutes to describe their particular experience / areas of expertise.

Cooperative Publishing - I didn't quite understand the concept of a "co-investment" - the presenter was enthusiastic enough, but it sure sounded like the author would need to part with some big bucks. To be fair, 10 minutes doesn't provide much time for explaining things in detail, but I was surprised that the phrase "breaking even financally" was repeated so often. The website offered no worthwhile info.

Traditional Publishing (small press) - The speaker regaled us with how he was signed by a small royalty paying traditional publisher .... & then explained that his publisher recently changed direction, to focus on eco-topics for their catalog. So now that (talented) author is out in the cold?

E Publishing - Pubit, Smashwords, Kindle, iBooks. The new next best thing. It can be done for free on B&N's Pubit. Wow! Wonder what kind of "stuff" will show up on e-readers now? Free! Great! Right? ("You can upload everything yourself - but it may lack certain formatting qualities.") Huh?

Print On Demand - The author/speaker used a POD company that I KNOW is outrageously expensive.

Self Publishing by way of setting up an LLC & entering agreements with Ingram & Lightning Source. Okay, but it's either a POD or someone's got a huge garage stocked with books. This author/publisher also works with other authors, a handful of titles per year.

Sidebar - One suggestion was made & repeated - Use scattershot email marketing blitzes to publicize books. Fellas, THAT'S CALLED SPAM! Totally disagreed with that bit of advice. Sorry, had to vent. I don't open email from unknowns. Ever.

Hmmmm........

Cooperative Method? Well, I broke even within the first 30 days of getting my 1st book on the street, & that was without much promotion. (As usual - I was out of town, Chicago, when BAD LATITUDE came out.) I should point out that I have niche market which helps.

Traditional / Small Press? Assuming the query is great & the work is accepted (big assumptions - but play along here) .... It takes so looooong. You have to sign over rights, have no control over cover art, advances are low, if offered at all. What happens when a small press changes course or closes up shop? And then there's the royalty thing. If the author is doing 80 to 90% of the work, why settle for a 7 or 10% cut? Forget the 'validaton' argument - that's never been in play for me. Is there really a distribution advantage? A marketing budget? Shelf life? Shelf space? I dunno.

E-Pub scares me. Yeah, I know, there are some authors raking in the dough, but is the quality going to suffer so badly as to scare readers off? All I know is, read excerpts before hitting the "buy" button. I have a Kindle & an iPad & only buy 1 e-book for every 10 (maybe 15) excerpts that I read. The big news at the gathering was 'start to finish - you can have your book on Nook within 48 hours'. From a reader's standpoint - is this really a good thing? As a writer, I'm no Steinbeck or Twain, but I TRY to get it right. The 'gatekeeper' debate may have some merit, based on some e-samples that I've gagged over. Currently, Amazon & others offer the 70% "royalty" - will that be the case next year or 5 years from now? Is it going to drop to say, 10% once e-devices are better established? Am I going to put my stuff on e-readers? That's a definitive maybe - Still on that fence.

POD? I like that, as an author, you don't have to buy a bazillion books. The practice of shipping & returning books always seemed stupid to me as a business model so that bit of idiocy is eliminated via the POD method. The downside? The selling price is annoyingly high. Cost is based on page count. If, like me, you have retailers selling your books, the product has to be heavily discounted (from the author's share of course) since you're adding a 4th "profit margin" (following POD company, printer, & author - hey, have I missed anyone?). Creative control, & retaining all rights - huge plus. Now there are several POD companies out there & the range in prices & services offered is mind boggling. Generally speaking, I'd stay away from the ones with tiered packages & upcharges. Most use the same printer/distributor anyway.

Self Publishing - as a company? I can't even imagine the time investment required - not with my life. Branching out to handle other authors? No way. Might work if the day job thing wasn't a factor.

So what did I take away from all of this? Well, the bulk of the work, regardless of publishing method, still falls on the author. Five examples offered on "the way to do it" &, in all cases, it's still the author's responsibility (beyond just the writing) to create an online presence, market the books, attend conferences & workshops, network like crazy, (oh yeah, & hire an independent editor in most of these scenarios).

Clear as mud, but at least there are options. Guess that's a good thing. RECKLESS ENDEAVOR is being polished up & soon I'm gonna hafta decide which direction to take.

Suggestions?

Our Brush With The Law

2010-11-07T18:21:00.002-05:00

It's tough when you're workin' out of town tryin' to keep track of "stuff" while splittin' time between 2 places. There's passwords, codes, PIN numbers, & account access - all multiplied by 2.

So we get 'home' after some running around here in Ft Lauderdale. Walk in the house & I punch in the alarm code to shut the system down. Problem was, I either used the alarm code from our house in St Augustine or the electronic combination lock number from the front door. Hurried up & plugged in the right code number, but it was too late, the alarm screeched - a short burst, then stopped.

Deb retrieved her phone from her camera bag, waiting for the security company to call (which is what they're suppposed to do) so she could give them the code & 'super secret word' (which I don't even know - Deb set the thing up) so they'll clear the system. No call. (This is supposed to come within a minute or two.)

Okay, no big deal. Figured the blip was probably missed & all is well. Go about our business.

10 minutes later, there's someone pounding on the door. Deb says "It's the cops!"

I laugh - "Yeah, right."

Answered the door. It IS the cops. 2 of 'em! And they're huge! One's on the front porch, the other is standing at an angle next to the walkway, hand on holster. Our escape is blocked!

I invite them in. Calm, cool, collected. Cop #2 looks itchy. Eyes dartin' around.

Big Cop #1 - "We got an alarm."

Me - "I hit the wrong code number when we came in. Thought I'd corrected it."

Big Cop #1 - "Can I see some ID?"

Me - "Sure. I'll get my wallet."

Big Cop #2 to Deb - "Do you live here?"

Deb - "No."

Cop #2 - "Uh, say that again." Hand goes to the butt of his gun.

Deb - "We live in St Augustine."

Me - (interrupting) "We're just renting this house. She means that our real home is in St Augustine."

Now we both have to show ID & I proceed with providing a more detailed 'explanation' as to why we do but don't live here. (A Desi & Lucy moment.)

Big Cop #1 to Big Cop #2 after matching our IDs - "They're okay. To me he says - "You should call the alarm company - get them to clear it." Very serious. No smiles. All business. Good cops.

Me - "Sure." (Yeah right - I don't even know the name of the security company!)

Deb invites the cops for dinner.

They politely decline the invitation & leave. (The neighbors have now abandoned their hiding spots behind the shades. Probably sayin' 'Lookit them new people - stirrin' up trouble in our neighborhood. )

Deb tries calling the alarm company - GETS AN ANSWERING MACHINE after pressing 37 numbers!

Me - "Figures. It'll probaby cost $50 for a false alarm charge 'cause no one's working the weekend."

Deb - "From now on, I'll take care of the codes."

Me - "From now on, I ain't settin' the damn alarm."

So now I can't get this song outta my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iISyPz5XRyI

Close Call

2010-10-26T22:41:00.006-04:00

It was a close call. Almost made it to my first ever writers conference.

As usual, my plans were wiped out by job-related stuff that pretty much shot my weekend to you know where. So I missed out on the experience & the opportunity to see what kind of shenanigans take place at these writerly shindigs. Oh well. Networking? Self-promotion? Speakin' up in a workshop??? YIKES!!!

Can you tell I'm stallin'?

Well, I got some good news, but it'll sound kinda braggy. How 'bout a picture of my granddaughter Isabel holdin' up some loser's book instead? She's only smilin' 'cause she can't read the dang thing.

Yeah, she's cute. Gets 'er looks from Deb. Has me wrapped around her finger. Also like Deb. (Still stallin'.)

Anyway - The Florida Writers Association (FWA) held their conference without me. The good news (almost done stalling), BAD LATITUDE A Jack Rackham Adventure managed to make the cut as a finalist for the Royal Palm Literary Award for Published Young Adult fiction. The winning entry, SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS was submitted by Debbie Reed Fischer (also won book of the year - Sheesh!) It looks like a pretty cool YA read. (Congratulations Debbie, but I'll be workin' harder than ever on this writin' thing so I can catch up.)

Well, it wasn't a total loss. I received an email with stuff about the entries and categories & saw the brief little blurb about my book included. It looked like this:

Bad Lattitude—A Jack Rackham Adventure by David Ebright.
Fifteen-year-old surfers discover an ancient and dangerous secret,
one that will force them to choose between fortune and friendship
and change their lives forever.

By the way - BAD LATITUDE took the 2nd place award.

The New Hideout

2010-10-04T21:29:00.005-04:00

Haven't had much to say lately but since I haven't posted in a month thought I'd better write something before y'all thought I died. At my age - well, don't want people to be askin' - "Did JaxPop up n' die?" So here's what I've been up to .... & there's even some writing related nonsense included:

I did something really weird Saturday night - a ton of writing. Okay, I usually write on Saturdays but this time, I did it in long-hand. Other than adding my signature to whatever paper is shoved under my nose, I rarely use a pen. Well, I didn't exactly use a pen either - I used black, red, blue & green Flairs - & almost filled a composition notebook. (The old fashioned black & white things that you can't remove pages from without destroying the entire book.) The best part? I wasn't working on RECKLESS - it's a new screwball adventure & I'm really likin' it. Of course, since I rarely write with a pen, I can't read anything that I've written, but there's got to be a forensics expert out there that can decipher it all. I hope. RECKLESS is being edited, & I rewrote the ending. Now I'm gonna try to be cool & work on polishing it while sitting in a Starbucks going into caffeine overload while Deb gets her hair done at the obscenely high priced hair salon & try to avoid run-on sentences like this one (breathe) - so I bought an iPad, with a separate keyboard, which is really great but can't figure out how to work it beyond FaceBook & Google. And maps. Which I don't need because I have GPS. But I was thinkin' I'll look like a scholarly geek for once & after I'm famous they'll have the chair bronzed in my honor.

During my drive to work, which currently takes between 4 & 5 hours one way (twice a week), depending on the number of stops made at Starbucks along the way, I was thinkin' about why my brain went postal the other night with all those words n' crisp witty dialogue & generally crazy plotlines. I'm easily entertained - it probably really sucks. And it finally hit me. Mickey is finally happy. The MUSE (that's Mickey) is loose because we found a new place to hang out where I can pretend to be Hemingway (see post about Hemingway's house in Key West last November) & he (Mickey) can pretend to be good at what he does.

We're bouncing between home (St Auggie) & the land of Oz - otherwise known as Miami, stuck in a nice, spacious condo in a really b-o-r-i-n-g suburb (that has a Starbucks but fewer drive-by shootings). Fortunately, we did a 7 month lease on the condo in the boring town, at great company expense (thanks guys), & (trumpets in background) our sentence, I mean our lease is fullfilled in a coupla weeks. So I did what any malcontent would do - found another place to write, er, I mean live. Part time. A tiny, 2BR cottage in Ft Lauderdale, near things to do, like THE BEACH. So now Mickey's happy & has promised to jump into this writing gig with some sorely needed enthusiasm &, better yet, Deb's happy 'cause she'll be out of jail. I'm gonna go buy a bunch of dead animal heads to put on the wall (like Ernie did), grow my beard out& dye it white, hide the shotgun (don't want to take the Hemingway thing too far) & write.

Here are a few pics of the new temporary place (with the funky ceilings). It ain't home, but it'll work & the bananas are free.

And a PS - Deb created her very own blog where she's gonna post her pictures of flowers, nature, seascapes & animals with big teeth. She thinks she'll get more followers than me. We'll see, her page can be found at http://belznan.blogspot.com/

St Augustine Fauxtography, so check it out but don't follow.

Sitting On The E-Book Fence

2010-09-04T21:58:00.000-04:00

So many authors are putting their work on readers & blogging about the positive sales results. The company that I use for my books, BookLocker (they're fantastic), doesn't work with Kindle (they recently sued Amazon & won) or Smashwords, but they are aligned with Apple's iBooks.

Now the successes are the result of hard work - networking, blog tours, & guest posts, and a whole lotta good writing. Scott Nicholson is in the middle of a 90 day tour (& he's givin' away a Kindle or 2 or 3). He's the author of DRUMMER BOY (which I'm reading now - It's very good), THE RED CHURCH & a half dozen others.

Mike Jastrzebski author of KEY LIME BLUES & STORM KILLER just posted about his experience. Mike's got it tough, living on a boat in the tropics. He blogs with some other cool folks at Write On The Water.

Then there's the current Big Dog Daddy of Kindle sales - Joe Konrath. Might have heard of his Jack Daniels series, & A NEWBIES GUIDE TO PUBLISHING. Joe flashes the stats, but does so in an effort to encourage. He's hosting Scott Nicholson today.

Back to what to do. I don't have the time to invest creating an online presence & have no writerly expertise to share. I write YA, rather than Thrillers, Mysteries or Horror, so there's no great audience pull there. And besides, how many kids will be buying e-readers?

Guess I'll resume polishing RECKLESS ENDEAVOR & return to my perch on that fence.

My Wife Knows Everything My Wife Doesn't Know

2010-08-25T18:34:00.001-04:00

Watch the entire video....... this was not staged.

Jack Rackham & The Black Raven Mutiny

2010-07-19T22:12:00.007-04:00

(Photo from brochure - the rest are Deb's)

Aye 'tis no secret to ye landlubbers followin' this blog that me grandson Jack is the descendant o' that notorious scallywag Calico Jack Rackham. Alas, we celebrated the good fortune of 'is seventh birthday makin' due course through the Matanzas beyon' the Castillo de San Marcos amongst a hearty band of thieves and cutthroats aboard the galleon known as The Black Raven. 'Twas a seagoin'

adventure worth every dubloon in me pocket, make no doubt o' that.

As man o' the hour young Jack's first duty was to hoist the colors, assisted by that rogue William Mayhem

Alas, underway were we on the high seas when Captain Scary Larry donned 'is swimmies n' snorkel an' threatened to abandon ship.

All were in mortal danger with such o' madman at the helm so Jack an' Mayhem conspired and rallied the crew to mutiny an' save the ship from certain peril.

Aye, as the battle raged Jack took the wheel and guided the seventy-two foot ship through the murky swells.

The grateful crew, Mayhem, Kathy McCarthy & Magpie Maggie elected Jack as their new captain and lowered the treasure stowed upon yonder yardarm.

Singing "Here's to ourselves, and hold yer luff, plenty o' prizes an' plenty o' duff" they presented the gifts.

The voyage and the pillaging ended an' Captain Jack made haste to the tavern for a wee dram o' rum..... (Okay, no rum, it was a pineapple and coconut concoction. Just play along here.)

And told stories of pirates and treasure to 'is old matey JaxPop......

Hi 5

2010-07-15T22:41:00.000-04:00

Ignore the picture stolen from the internet (& that man behind the curtain) - this is not really my hand. First clue would be the long sleeve. South Florida is one hot, steamy place. Blech! Didn't miss it.

Drowning after a week's vacation & playing catch up on everything. While "off" they had tons of rain in Miami (see last post) so job progress went down the drain, so to speak, which makes me even more nuts.

Planned to post some pics from last week - but they're not downloaded to this computer &, since Deb stayed in St Augustine (*sniff*) this week with all 1800 photos will have wait 'til SHE returns to the dreaded condo in Ft Lauderdale. Deb hates it here. Have managed some editing & resumed work on cover art for RECKLESS, so I'm stoked about that.

Bought a Kindle a few weeks ago. Was iffy about it, but I got a good deal. Turns out to be a pretty cool toy. It's (too) easy to buy books & it's comfortable to use - even at red lights. First book I read on the thing was NO MERCY by John Gilstrap. He's an author that blogs on "The Kill Zone" (link on my page) & he's really good. Here's the deal - No Mercy was a freebie offered when his new book HOSTAGE ZERO was launched last week. I suppose lots of folks took the free book & moved on with their lives but I figured, I'll give the guy a shot & buy the new release. Hard to go wrong on a 2 for 1 deal. Well, he's got a new fan & I gotta quit clickin' "buy" buttons.

So whaddya think about ebooks? Good for authors? Bad for publishers? Here today - gone tomorrow?

Wonder if they'll ever make a waterproof Kindle. I'd buy that.

The Railroaded Writer

2010-06-29T20:48:00.003-04:00

Deb says I need to post more frequently. She's right, but spare time comes at a premium & stress levels are off the chart. My day job (as you will see below) tends to keep me buried, & mentally exhausted. Being away from home doesn't do much to help the creative flow either. Writing is sporadic at best. Mickey Muse stayed home in St. Augustine for this latest excursion, far away from the South Florida sauna. We're living in a condo in Ft Lauderdale - working in Miami. Here are some pictures of what's got me bogged down - a ridiculously paced $30M railroad construction project that has to be finished in about six months, before liquidated damages (fancy words for fine) of $7000 per day kick in. No pressure. A walk in the park.

As a 16 year-old I remember telling my teacher that geometry was a useless subject. It was the first of many assumptions that turned out to be wrong. Above is a sampling of track geometry. (Click on it & do the math for me.) Track work ain't my favorite. Can you guess what happens to a train if the track layout is wrong? Again, no pressure.

A typical boring day.....

Working in the middle of an active train yard - forming foundation walls - very close to live tracks.

I get to deal with the best of 2 hardcore worlds Railroaders mixed with Construction Workers, all trying to out badass each other.

Pumping concrete beneath the water inside coffer dams

Sometimes we use divers, like this poor shlub. (Should be me, hiding from the Amtrak Reps.)

These guys get to go into the pit (there are 4) after we've pumped 500,000 gallons of ground water - per day. The equipment is being lowered with a crane. It's not a hovercraft with a bucket.

And while all of the concrete & pit work progresses - we're 'flying' steel.

So writing & blogging have taken a back seat for a while. Cut me some slack! I've been railroaded!

Eye Was Just Thinkin'...

2010-05-25T20:42:00.001-04:00

Eye get annoyed reading some blogs or listening to someone speak when every sentence starts with the word eye. (Disclaimer: This excludes my favorites - you know who you are!) Eye mean, there are times, when sharing something about your personal life, when it is absolutely necessary to use THAT word. No problem as long as the topic isn't ALWAYS focused on self. It's also okay if you're discussing an opinion & in reply say "eye agree" or "eye disagree". The worst IMHO is the self appointed expert who pompously beats everyone over the head with "eye recommend" - over & over (unless it's an informational / teaching / mentoring blog). Maybe pose the recommendation(s) as a question - "Have you ever tried ____?" Hellooooooo engage the reader / listener. One-sided dialogue sucks!

How 'bout that person determined to make an impression with - eye bought, eye own, eye have, eye like, eye am so popular eye can't get enough of myself. Eye get so many wonderful emails from my throng of fans. Eye get so many checks in the mail. Eye had such a tough day with the Bentley being in the shop & the maid calling in sick. (Hint: This is what's known as bragging. It's boring - not impressive, enlightening or entertaining.) Want to mention a cool review or terrific news - GREAT - but don't take it to nauseating lengths. Just kinda makes everyone's EYES glaze over anyway.

Eye also despise when folks jump into a discussion on a specific blog / chat / conversation topic & try hijacking it to shamelessly promote themselves & their work, without at least a disguised attempt at providing topic-related input. Eye think that's rude. It's okay to say "eye tried it this way" or "eye had some success with _____ " or "eye had something similar happen to me" if it pertains to the subject .... but then ... zip it.

Eye don't know. Eye guess eye have little tolerance for the self absorbed.

"See" y'all. Eye gotta go now.

I Got Nothin'

2010-04-26T21:04:00.000-04:00

I'm in the middle of a very intense out of town project for a huge railroad client & my writing life currently resembles a train wreck. Seriously - I got nothin'.... & it's frustrating as ______ . Can't even edit.

RECKLESS hasn't been touched since February, though we're going through cover art drafts (now up to version number 6). The blog has been nearly abandoned. A few straggling comments here & there on FaceBook is about all I've managed. Another oddity - I usually read a couple of books per week, but I've been slogging through the same book for about a month. Finally reached the Epilogue today.

Well, no sense wasting time whining. Hopefully, my brain will re-engage soon. Maybe this post will be the first step in igniting the spark, the light at the end of the tunnel. Hmmmm.... On 2nd thought, that light's probably another train headed my way.

The Storyteller (An Old Re-Run)

2010-02-28T00:11:00.004-05:00

This is a slightly modified version of an old post. If you read this one already - you can click to another blog.

My youngest son was born a few weeks before my grandfather passed away. My grandson Jack was born a few weeks before my dad died. Strange how history repeats. I hope my grandson waits a loooonnnnggg time to have kids. So here I am - JaxPop posting something about 'Dave's Pop'. (Dave would be me. What... you thought JaxPop was my real name???)

The picture at the top of this post truly represents the beginning of my love for stories. It's an old watercolor from 1898 in a battered frame. Yeah, I was just a wee lad when this was painted. This picture hangs in a large closet in the master bedroom sitting room - where many of my books are shelved. As much as I love this old painting, it ain't makin' it to the hallowed walls to mix with Debs 'tropicasual' decor. It was given to me in 1980, just after 'Pop' was buried.

When I was a kid, I stayed at my grandparent's house at least one weekend every month & this picture hung in his room (next to a cut out Santa that I 'colored' when I was about 3 - Sentimental old codger he was).

'Pop' was from a large family - 15 kids altogether & I think he was number 10 out of the brood. School wasn't a big priority in those days so, at the tender age of 9, he went to work, in the coal mines, to help pay the bills &, I guess, to make it easier for great grandpa & grandma to continue adding to the population of the Pennsylvania Dutch community. The point is, even without the education, he was a magnificent storyteller.

It became a game. Whenever I visited, I would ask what the big guy was saying to the little chubby guy. Pop had the most twinkly blue eyes & he always started his tales with a squint. (Why do I remember that?) I was never disappointed. His stories would go on for nearly an hour, & I never budged an inch. He loved it when I would hit him with questions 'cause he could keep elaborating. In the end, I suppose, I've decided that the tall guy in the picture was & would forever be 'the boss'.

When my boys were young, I made up stories to tell them. They're all grown now and, since my grandkids live so far away, there was only one way to continue the tradition, I started writing. A key chapter in BAD LATITUDE incorporates my grandfather as a character, making him the one ultimately responsible for acquiring a certain diary & map, both integral components in my tall tale based here in St Augustine. Thanks Pop - for teaching me to tell such whoppers.

Above is a rare photo of my grandfather, without his engineer's hat. Notice the belt worn with suspenders & the missing thumb on the right hand. When I asked him how he lost that thumb he would only say it was 'cause he was just too damn slow. Not shown is his left hand - also missing a finger. Must've been REALLY slow.

Hopefully my stories will always do my Pop proud.

Just A Peek

2010-02-19T23:49:00.003-05:00

Spent this week in Miami - only 52 to go. The place is one giant tropical traffic jam. Gonna miss the haunted seaside town of St Augustine. The plan is to go home on weekends - 600 miles round trip. What's so bad about 30,000+ miles of driving?

We're trying to find a suitable place to live down there, but our definition of suitable seems to be creating some problems. Givin' up lotsa space, our beach & the quiet of our hometown. We ain't sardines & we'll never sacrifice fresh & clean. (Deb is freakin' out too!)

These are pictures of some of the things we'll be leavin' behind .....

The City Gates. See the ramparts in the background below that tie into the old fort? There's even a moat!

The Castillo de San Marcos - built from coquina. It's where Jack meets Talia in BAD LATITUDE.

This is Treasury Street. One of the shorter ghost stories in BAD LATITUDE is told from here.

St George Street. Lots of art galleries & shops. My book can be found in the 'finer' stores. Hah!

Matanzas Bay - (Translated means slaughter). The view from downtown through the inlet into the ocean. Calico Jack Rackham's ship appears in these waters in the middle of the night

Crescent Beach - Where Nan & Pop Rackham live. Oddly enough, it's where me n' Deb live too! See how crazy crowded the beach is? Nothing like Miami. Can't even drive on the beach down there. Sheesh.

This aerial view was NOT taken by Deb. If I can figure out a way to fly from Miami to the (tiny) St Augustine airport without spending a fortune, maybe she can get this shot in the future. Where we live is to the far right - just out of view - in the area where the intercoastal & ocean almost converge. Pop's massive boat dock is on the intercoastal. Nan calls it 'The Rackham Navy Base' now that they've added an 82 foot schooner, named RECKLESS ENDEAVOR to the collection. Rattlesnake Island is also just out of the picture - again to the right (south).

There's a coupla chapters in RECKLESS where this OLD JAIL provides the scene. It's a bummer when you're dead & still can't get outta the clink. A primary character for this part of the adventure is based on a friend from Indianapolis. She & her husband are real ghost hunters. Alas, poor Mary is a ghost (in the book).

The Bridge of Lions, taken from our boat. This bridge was taken apart piece by piece & refurbished to its original condition - including the polished marble lions & is being reassembled. A temporary draw-bridge was built before it was dismantled. The work will be finished this year & the temporary multi-million dollar bridge will be removed. I used this bridge as a focal point in a couple of chapters in both books.

Ah... The lighthouse. One shot from our boat Laffin' Gaff, & the one below from the grounds at dusk. The place is seriously haunted, just ask Jack & Kai. I spent hours editing at a table in the shadow of this place. It's also the backdrop for a couple of chapters in BAD LATITUDE.

This was also the location for my 1st book signing. Sold a few books as I recall.

Deb set this up. I was pretty well rattled at the start. Won't be any signings in 2010.

No more fishin' 'til next year. I'm lousy at it anyway, just like 'Pop'. The fish laugh at me.

So there's a peek into what kinda stuff goes into my tall tales, as well as a look at what I'll be leaving behind for the better part of a year (sniff!). Fortunately, inspiration is everywhere. RECKLESS is being tweaked (not sure when it'll come out now - under the circumstances) & the 3rd (& maybe last) book is underway. A portion of (untitled) takes place in The Everglades, 40 minutes from our temporary "home". Deb has graciously agreed to explore & take pictures from an airboat. She'll do whatever it takes to help Jack Rackham & 'Pop'. Did I mention that sometimes I pull up Deb's pictures on the computer screen & stare at them while creating a scene? Hopefully there will be plenty to pull up from our adventures in south Florida. The book thing, with us anyway, really is a collaborative effort. I mean, the poor girl has to read & listen to my drivel - even in draft stage. I feel bad 'bout that.

Today's Writing Tip Nonsense

2010-02-06T23:46:00.009-05:00

When faced with an 'Oh Crap' moment, a hopeless case of writer's block, or rejections, whaddya do?
There's always a way out. Ya gotta be decisive! We can screw things up with no help! Be positive.

Take the plunge. Write something that everyone will hate, just because you know you can.

What could happen?

Overwhelmed with adverbs & similes? Go relax at the beach. Clear your head.

Uh oh.... not a good picture choice I guess.

Take a deep breath (once the wave passes) & get your bearings... or do what I do.

Think about pirates.

Prologues n' Pirates

2010-02-04T00:50:00.003-05:00

The other day I swapped prologue drafts with Joylene Butler & we each made comments back & forth. Really cool. Hers is awesome by the way. Some writers & readers dislike them, think they're "info dumps". What do you think?

What if you want to explain how something came to be without interrupting the tone & pace of the main story with an early or midpoint narrative? For BAD LATITUDE I wanted to explain how a certain stash of gold & gemstones came to be hidden in an abandoned burial ground on Rattlesnake Island (a real place 2 miles from my home) so I went back to the 1696 shipwreck of The Reformation, used a real person (Solomon Cresson) & created a "story" mixing fact, fiction, action & a wee bit of tension. Provide the info without being dry - that was the goal anyway.

Prologue - BAD LATITUDE
(1st paragraph - click book pic to read the whole thing from the excerpt)

24 September 1696

There was no escaping the hurricane’s fury. Disaster struck when the center mast snapped, toppling with a thunderous crash as the doomed ship listed hard to port, exposing its massive keel. The hull’s planking splintered inward from the pounding of the raging seas, flooding the cargo holds, forcing the crew and passengers to scramble from the shelter below into the teeth of the violent storm. Solomon Cresson, a stout member of the crew, was the last to climb the twisting ladder to the deck above. With the Captain of the ship missing and presumed lost, Cresson took charge. He shouted above the gale, ordering all aboard to stay with the ship for as long as there was a structure to grasp. The listing vessel was aground in the shallows, beam to sea, being smashed by fierce waves and buffeted by driving winds as the passengers clung to the fallen rigging, struggling for survival against the rushing flood, and collapsing timbers.

Now for RECKLESS ENDEAVOR my main character Jack, the descendant of the pirate Calico Jack Rackham, will be, shall we say, spending quality time with his dead anscestor. To set the tone, I wanted to put the reader on the gallows with the old scalawag in November of 1720 but also needed to provide some relevant info to be used later, without interrupting the flow of the story with a 'flashback'. Since the prologue replaces chapter one as "the first impression" the goal is to draw the reader in & make them want more. I guess there's a risk. In my opinion, the prologue needs to impact the story, can't be a cheap down payment followed by a droning bait & switch. So here's the opening paragraph of the prologue for RECKLESS.

1720 Gallows Point – Port Royal, Jamaica

A thick rope made of hemp and flax was cinched tightly around his neck, biting into the skin while a thinner cord bound the gnarled hands painfully behind his back. Calico Jack Rackham, condemned to suffer a pirate’s death, stood weak-kneed on a wooden platform in the blistering heat facing the sea, his weight temporarily supported atop a trap door. Soon the flap would fall away and he would plummet into the open void beneath the gallows. He prayed that his neck would snap with the plunge, rather than strangle in agony while blood vessels and capillaries burst and hemorrhaged.

So what do you think about prologues? What purpose should they serve? Should they be avoided?

Just wonderin'........

Prolific Blogger Award!

2010-01-30T19:10:00.000-05:00

My good friends Authors Joylene Butler Author of the book DEAD WITNESS) & Katherine Neff Perry (Author if the book ALMOST HOME) both nominated me for this awesome award. Pretty cool stuff & the blog where this originated is worth visiting as well. BTW - Thanks Joy & Katt.

Here are the official award rules

1. Pass this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Here goes:
Carol Garvin awesome writer & thought-provoking blogger, Pat Bertram Author of DAUGHTER AM I, Keith Pyeatt Author of STRUCK, Laura Best Author of BITTER SWEET, Nancy Cohen Author of SILVER SERENADE, Jenna ( & her group of future writing stars) at Quill & Ink, and finally Jennifer Hubbard Author THE SECRET YEAR.

2. Link to the blog from which you received the award

3. Link back to this Prolific Blogger post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.

4. Add your name to the LINK.

Now go check out these great sites (& books) & follow the links to several others worth following.

NEXT STOP.......

2010-01-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Here we go ...... condo shoppin'.

Inside what's left of my brain, Willie Nelson keeps singin' "On The Road Again".

Next stop ..... Miami. This gig's gonna be a long one. (Picture off the web.)

So now what? RECKLESS ENDEAVOR is almost about ready to roll out the door, the 3rd book is well underway & I'm he middle of goin' through website options & ideas (a year after BAD LATITUDE - but who knew that sucker was gonna sell). What a dilemma.

How the heck am I gonna launch & promote a new book while outta town?

Maybe I should sit tight n' write while we're away. Postpone everything? Suggestions anyone???

Do have a cool idea for a story set in The Everglades but Deb says no way she's chasin' gators & pythons in an air boat. Sounded like fun to me. No worries, she'll change her mind 'cause she likes shootin' gators - with cameras that is. Gets up real close n' personal like this..... (Picture NOT off the web. Way to go Babe - I'm right behind ya!)

It's Nothin' Personal

2010-01-10T23:38:00.004-05:00

Was thinkin' 'bout how much we depend on email & online interaction these days - then my mind wandered off, as usual, to related tangents, like daily tasks & it turned into a stinkin' post. My bad but here goes:

It's so easy to fire off an email instead of making a phone call. I do it all the time. I'll usually email someone in an adjoining office rather than have to have a face to face conversation. Saves time. It's more efficient & less annoying. OUCH!

We stay in touch using FaceBook. Snap a photo & instantly add the picture to our sites or profile pages. Blog about what's on our minds. We send e-cards, or text messages from iPhones. Order a book for a Kindle or Reader & begin reading the latest thriller in 60 seconds. We network, mentor, advise, critique, whine, offer opinions & put whatever else we feel like online. No boundaries or time lag.

This year we spent Christmas with our grandkids & 2 sons - using a Webcam & microphone. They live 1000 miles north of here. Didn't have a choice. (Job interference.) It was funny/sad when 4 year old Isabel tried to hug us through the screen. Little kids are great & she's a real cutie. Shopping online? - Yeah, we do that too & can even include a card with a message at no extra cost.

Breaking news becomes old news in a matter of hours & the old news is forgotten with a mouse click. Newspapers can't compete in this age of instant information updates & most are circling the proverbial drain. Book publishers are scrambling to survive. The inefficiencies of their century-old business model is killing their bottom line & the upstarts, using new technology, are devouring market share. Magazines? They're all going broke. Catalogs or phone books? Get real.

Which leads to: Would there be so many writers (or wannabes) if everything was 1st handwritten or banged out on a manual typewriter? No copy & paste? No delete? Edit? Formatting? Scrolling? I sure as heck wouldn't be here. (Admission: I still have to look at the keys & use only 3 fingers to type.)

People without access to, or the expertise in using the technology are lost - & will fall further behind. My mother will never learn how to do her banking online. She's never even used an ATM. Of course, she also argued with me about the power windows feature in her car. Didn't want them. Too fancy. Sometimes I can't believe I grew up with indoor plumbing.

Last week's post drew 3 comments from Canada, & 1 each from New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, & Colorado. (Other blogs with major league traffic would make that stat look sick.) Blink - there we all were, a few keystrokes, & we're hangin' out. Common interests & topics discussed. Encouragement offered, laughs shared, comments about family swapped - kinda like old friends. (But we've never met & probably never will). Isn't that kinda strange? Maybe it's even a little creepy. Are the folks on the screen good people - the real deal? How can anyone really know? Am I the real deal or just a screwball online personality created to hide who or what I am or might be. Creepy huh?

I'm almost done. Stay with me here. I'll make a point. Sort of.

When's the last time you used a pen to write a letter? Wrote a check? Bought a newspaper? Who carries a wad of cash these days? I haven't even seen my accountant in person since 2002!

For all of the conveniences that the internet & gadgets offer, it seems we're heading toward a very impersonal future. I suppose we'll just hafta blog about the good old days when we were able to make eye contact with people & see who was real & who was really creepy.

Botox & Fried Baloney

2010-01-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

It's the 2nd day of the new year & most resolutions have already tanked. Didja make any?

I've never understood the idea behind resolving to change or improve on a certain date. Why January 1st? Really, any time of year is appropriate. I quit smoking every single day! Boy do I feel better.

Every year people say they're gonna lose weight & get healthier. It's impossible, 'specially the way the evil advertisers draw unsuspecting victims into various eating establishments. Who, for instance, could resist this?

Makes ya kinda wanna flip your car up onto 2 wheels tryin' to turn into the place. Wonder what a chicken liver does. D'ya think they really put sand on the baloney? Be a bit gritty I would think. Ruffage? Hmmm...

Since there's no chance of me keeping any resolution, I've decided to cheat. This year, I'm not going to age. Yup! Y'all heard right. Bought me a 55 gallon drum of 'Just For Men' hair coloring, a roll of industrial strength sandpaper & 3 cases of Botox. The Botox will come in handy with my bad back. 20 or 30 injections is all it'll take before I'll be able to pull my socks up by simply raising my eyebrows.

On a less serious note: The Haunted City Writer has been very busy ... uh... writing. Haven't been blogging much but hopefully that'll change soon. Lots of stuff coming up.

Hemingway's Favorite CatHouse

2009-11-16T21:05:00.015-05:00

Let's see a show of hands .... Has everyone read Hemingway? He's famous for a half dozen or so works plus short stories. Do you think THE OLD MAN & THE SEA was worthy of the Pulitzer Prize (1953) or the Nobel Prize (1954)? I count 'Papa' among my favorites, one notch below Steinbeck, so when I had the chance to visit his former home in Key West yesterday ... let's just say I was probably more stoked than I shoulda been. Thanks to Deb's pics, you can take a short tour.

Here's Ernie's house. For all of its 'charm', & the hype that this was THE HOUSE, Hemingway didn't produce his best known work here. In fact, he was not a happy camper & was in the middle of a combative marital situation. The lame 'tour guide' (sloppy, I dress better when weeding the mulch beds) was less than enthusiastic & droned on about the marriage issue like a National Enquirer reporter. I abandoned the guide & went about my business apart from the group. Something smelled. I assumed it was the guide.

Hemingway had a separate writing annex. This is something all writers need. A separate building on one's property devoted entirely to writing, preferably overlooking a pool surrounded by lush tropical gardens. The dead animal heads mounted on the wall? Wouldn't work for me - 'specially with their eyes staring accusingly at my desk.

I have a tough time believing that the typwriter in this picture is "THE" machine. Lame Tour Guide was doing his best to sell that bull... I mean bill of goods but get real. Hemingway lived in the Midwest, Paris, Canada, Spain, Cuba, yadda yadda yadda. There are probably at least 3 or 4 'museums' that have his original typewriter. On another note - That chair looks about as comfortable as an Iron Maiden. Maybe that explains his terse style. Mr. H was probably crampin' up & had to walk around every few minutes.

Had to include some pictures of Papa's bookcases. Naturally these are touted as being from his original collection. I suppose some of them could be, though there's no climate control so I wonder what the humidity does to these declared treasures. If you read about E.H. (beyond Wikipedia) you'll learn that the Cuban government actually confiscated his home in Cuba, including most of his personal belongings, several manuscripts, & a large "collection" of trophies and treasures. This occurred after his days in Key West, but before his final move to Idaho.

Guess I should attempt to sound writerly for a few sentences. (Clears throat) I prefer writing that's to the point as opposed to 'round about. Maybe that's why I like Hemingway. Most consider him a 'minimalist' - an easy conclusion to reach when taking into account his first employer's demands regarding the required (newspaper) writing style: "Use short sentences. Use short 1st paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative." Or maybe his style really was dictated by that comfy lookin' chair. Like short sentences? Read The Old Man & The Sea.

Now here's where my tour came off the tracks. I was diggin' most of the 'Whoa! The MAN lived here' until I walked into the master bedroom. Cat on the bed. Wanna freak me out? Let me see an animal of any kind on furniture - 'specially a bed. SKEEVED OUT! (My cat has NEVER been on the bed. EVER.) And that's when I figured out why the song THAT SMELL by Lynerd Skynerd kept blaring through my brain. Betcha I'm the first to incorporate Skynerd with Hemingway in the same paragraph of a blog post.

Seems Hemingway had a thing for cats. Six toed felines. There are currently 44 of 'em on the premises, & they have the run of the place, which, for me, explained that pungent smell of a giant litter box. Cheap box fans are strategically placed in all the rooms, adding to the visual charm, because, as Mr. Apparent Woman Hater Tour Guide explained, witchy wife #2 (or was it 3?) replaced all of the ceiling fans with chandeliers & therefore, the house was always hot, much to Papa's annoyance & discomfort. All of these cats are supposedly descendants of the original Hemingway pets, but I didn't count their toes to verify that claim. Ivestigative reporting ain't my thing. Above is a pic of one of the outside "cat" houses. Shshsh ... it's supposed to look like the main house. It confuses the cats.

The kitty graveyard. This kinda takes pet devotion to a whole new level. As a construction guy, all I could think of was - How many yards of concrete has been poured over the course of 60+ years for this oddball burial ground? Think about it. "X" number of cats reproducing & kickin' the bucket over the course of 7 decades. Wonder if Stephen King was inspired by this when he wrote Pet Sematary? Notice the names & dates of the recently departed?

So overall, the visit to Hemingway's home was underwhelming while the smell of cat pee was, let me look up the antonym for that ... ah.... here it is .... ugh!!! Would I visit again? Maybe. If I had a respirator.

The Keys, in general, won't make the top 10 list of my favorite places visited, but, I picked up some cool stuff that might come in handy - some day. I'm thinkin' my next post will be about UGLY CHICKS. Key West is overrun with 'em.

Uh... What did you think I meant???

Procrastinate? Me?

2009-11-11T22:09:00.073-05:00

I NEED A WEBSITE!

Deb took this pic of a potential web consultant last weekend in Islamorada.

(Nice set o' legs!!!)

I gotta get off my butt & get it done..... dreading it... Can't procrastinate .... uh... much longer.....

Shoulda set it up before BAD LATITUDE came out .......definitely before RECKLESS ENDEAVOR hits the street.

(Yeah - That's me in the pic - reference leg comment above.)

Lots to do & bein' out of town ain't helpin'.....

Gotta stop day dreamin' & get this "stuff" done.....

Maybe I should stop hangin' out (Islamorada again)

Dunno if I wanna.

Home to St Augustine Friday night & then a quick trip to Key West Sunday....

Huh??? What???

Ya say I'd better get my priorities in order.?

(*sigh*) Okay, I'll try. Promise.

Where was I...... right.

Maybe run home to St Augustine Friday night & visit Key West Sunday.

Thanks for the pep talk y'all. Seriously, hafta get busy on that website..... right after .....

Motivated To Do It Again

2009-11-02T22:37:00.020-05:00

Deb took this picture the day BAD LATITUDE was delivered. This was the first batch.

Funny I didn't think twice about reader reaction, even after these babies showed up. Never thought much about promotion or having to "talk the book up", or "create buzz" either. There were absolutely no goals or expectations with BL but that seems to have changed. With one under my belt & RECKLESS almost ready to go, reader acceptance somehow seems more important. Is that a good or bad thing?

Here's a copy & paste from FaceBook. I thought it was pretty cool.

Amy ________ October 26 at 7:58pm

Trav started the book!! He stopped reading Harry Potter to start it and turns off the TV in his room, tells us to "keep quiet" so he can "be in the book" as he's reading. So cute. We're going to send it down after he's done and he's already started writing you a letter with questions. :) I also wanted to add that he never reads at home. He reads at school b/c he has to. So thank you for writing such an excellent story that captivates my kid more than the Disney channel ;) In a follow up comment Amy mentioned that Travis (after checking out pics on my FB pages) was surprised that my boat really is named Laffin' Gaff - same as Pop's boat in the book. Hah! Wish I had about half of "Pop's" money.

The kid in the picture is Travis (aka Trav). I've never met him, but I've known his mom since she was about sixteen. [She's a fan of author Harlan Coben, so she's got great taste in writers.] Time flies & I'm old. I asked permission to use her comment & the picture for my blog. (Amy bought the book on Amazon, so this isn't a polite response to receiving a gift. Had to add that clunky tidbit for the sake of credibility.) The bottom line, I think, is when something like this 'writing stuff' works out, &, for me it has (so far), & you get positive feedback from readers, you feel obligated to raise the bar. Expectations. Instant pressure. Now it matters. There are lots of ways to have a positive influence - getting kids to read is one of 'em. So maybe this writing gig is worthwhile after all. Maybe it's really more about the audience. Maybe this is why we write.

Now we'll have to see how the latest Rackham Adventure turns out as the kids travel the high seas aboard the 82 foot schooner RECKLESS ENDEAVOR - with old Calico Jack along for the ride. Not a big deal, 'cept the old pirate has been dead since 1720.

Thanks Travis & Amy ....

& GO PHILLIES!!!!

That's What Hooks A Reader Author Pat Bertram

2009-10-26T23:31:00.021-04:00

How cool is this! Pat Bertram is visiting The Haunted City Writer here in St Augustine Florida as part of her worldwide blog tour promoting her new release DAUGHTER AM I
Welcome aboard Pat!

Murdered grandparents? Octogenarian (former) mobsters? GOLD? Good Stuff! Read the excerpt & give it a test ride. Today Pat is going to post about what hooks a reader. Now pay attention. Don't slouch.

See y'all at the bottom of the page.

The age of writing long descriptive passages (or even short ones) at the beginning of a novel is long past. Today people want to be drawn immediately into the story without wading through unnecessary verbiage. An editor might look at the first five pages before tossing aside your manuscript, but potential customers will give you a mere twenty seconds to draw them in. Once you have caught their attention, they might read a little further, and perhaps they will even buy the book. They certainly will not wade through the first five, ten, fifty pages until they get to “the good part.”

That “good part” must be right up front, especially if you’re a first-time writer. That’s all you have going for you — the ability to get off to a fast start and capture the reader’s attention. Your name certainly won’t do it; no one knows who you are yet. Your credentials might help, but only to establish your credibility after a potential reader has been hooked. And they will never be hooked by your ability to turn a clever phrase.

So what will hook the reader? A character. Always a character. No one reads a book for a description of the weather, a place, or an issue. They don’t even want a description of the character. They want to meet him, to see life through his eyes, to bond with him. They want to know what he wants, what his driving force is. And they want to know who or what he’s in conflict with.

Without conflict, there is no story, but without a character for the reader to care about, there is no story either. Character and conflict are inextricably combined, and together they create the tension necessary to sustain a story. I know you think it’s okay to let the tension rise slowly, which it is, but the tension level at the beginning must be high enough to let the reader know something is going on.

A practiced writer knows how to adjust the tension by temporarily letting up on the main conflict and interjecting intermediate conflicts, or even adding inner conflicts to shadow the outer ones, but all conflicts must be somebody’s conflict. For example, you might be concerned about war, but seeing a specific soldier dealing with his experiences makes you care, maybe even makes you cry. And you will want to know what becomes of him.

That’s what hooks a reader.

Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado and a lifelong resident. When the traditional publishers stopped publishing her favorite type of book — character and story driven novels that can’t easily be slotted into a genre — she decided to write her own. Daughter Am I is Bertram’s third novel to be published by Second Wind Publishing, LLC. Also available are More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire.

Geez.... Now that's what I call a blog post.

Have a snappy, grab ya by the throat opening for a work in progress? Somethin' that's gonna make folks want to read more? Do you have a comment on this topic that you'd want to share to kick off some lively debate? Maybe some brave souls would include some ideas or examples in the reply section & we can all make fun of ya. Nah, wouldn't do that. Post a comment that's gonna make me want to give somethin' away this week. I do that sometimes - 'cause I'm JaxPop.

Thanks for stopping by. Now go buy Pat's book! Buy all of 'em!

After The Writing Comes The Work

2009-10-25T09:45:00.003-04:00

Colorado-based author Pat Bertram has just released a new
book called DAUGHTER AM I & will be a guest on my humble blog this week (27th).

So far I've read a substantial portion of this, her 3rd book, and it's really good. Really good. Not just sayin' that either so go buy it. Hurry up. Stop reading this post & go get it!

I've been following Pat's promo effort. Wow. This is the first time I've gotten up close & personal enough to pay attention to what goes into a book launch. Geez - it involves almost as much work as writing the book (the fun part).

I was in Chicago when my 1st book came out & sick for about 5 weeks soon after gettng home. It was out there for 3 months - no promotion. No chance of creating buzz that way. Even now, I rarely mention BAD LATITUDE. My book signings have been arranged by Deb &, as shy as she is, that's pretty incredible.

So I've been thinking (that's always dangerous) - How far do I want to go with this writing stuff? Book number 2, RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, is nearing the finish line, & a third is in the works. Promotion? Blog tours? Interviews? Getting Reviews? How the heck do I go about setting all of that up? Can I even fit this & the writing in with life, travel & my day job? (Anyone following this blog knows how crazy my life / schedule is.) Guess I'd better decide soon so I can get busy. Make that busier.

Good Luck Pat - I think you've written a hit. BTW - Check out her blog. It's very entertaining & informative. Lots of great stuff over there.

Wingin' One (post) From The Road

2009-10-18T22:36:00.004-04:00

We're outta town again - Delray Beach, for about a month this time. Nice place - plenty to do.
Here's Deb's view from our temporay "home".

I get to see it too - typically a little earlier each day .....

Got her camera goin' as usual......

Think we're gonna build an aviary at home. Deb's a big butterfly fan ......

.... and lover of strange flowers & plants - The ones that attract creatures like these......

.... noisy lil' finches....

..... tiny Hummingbirds.......

.... and Lorikeets, like the one I'm holding above. Birds are my favorite - butterflies are still just bugs ...

Okay... one more bird ..... an action photo of a thumb-sized Hummingbird....

So Deb's photography stuff is thriving while my writing is .... not. Drove 520 miles round trip (in part) to get one of my desk chairs (but not my big screen computer - sniff...) trying to get comfortable. No luck. Guess Mickey Muse wasn't up for this trip. The way the writin's goin' - this blog may become a pictorial, with a new host, I mean hostess. Guess I'll go hang out ..... here (& wait for Mickey).

Hall Monitors

2009-10-08T22:39:00.000-04:00

Remember Archie & Edith singing "Those Were The Days"? Me too, but nostalgia ain't my thing.

Paging through my high school yearbook the other day made me think about how fast this life flies by. Actually, that's a total lie, I never thought any such thing - it was more like - 'geez, look at that mop of hair!'

Now it's my blog so I get to brag! Here goes: I graduated in the top 10 of my HS class. Positively sure of it, 'cause there were only 13 of us, so the odds were stacked heavily in my favor. Here's the class photo, see if you can find me. (Hint: Row 2 third from left)

Okay. That wasn't really my class but below is a picture of me at 16 in all my polyester glory. No big deal but this is the the last photo ever taken of me without a beard. My school had a very strict dress code. See that hair? They wouldn't let me graduate 'til it was cut. Couldn't touch the eyebrows, ears or collar. No jeans. No sneakers. No stubble. I started growing my beard the day after graduation. I was 17.

My English teacher gave me a "D" 1st marking period junior year, even though I never scored anything lower than a "B". Thought my mother was gonna kill me. At the parent/teacher meeting, Miss Schwartzenbach explained, in her most condescending tone, that, while my results were worthy of a higher grade, "the effort wasn't." After that, instead of absorbing the info as it was doled out, which was my standard approach, I became more engaged in the process & English Lit, of all things, became my favorite subject, well, maybe it held 2nd place, a smidgeon lower than Phys Ed. At the end of the year, the grade was changed. It seems Miss S & Mrs E were in "cahoots."

There were no silver spoons in our household. The public school in my hometown had an awful reputation & my mom decided, when I was 7, that private school was a must. My dad didn't share her enthusiasm. To pay the tuition, she struck a deal. In exchange for working as the school janitor for zero pay, my tuition was waived & my education from then on came complete with my own personal hall monitor. On the plus side, I received a very good education. I can tell ya, I never got away with nothin'. Cut class? Yeah right. Study Halls? No way. Full load. Mom explained what she thought the word 'homework' meant, whereas she believed that study hall was a wasted 'social hour'. Okay, but geez, I played 3 sports, always had practice or games, had a job working most nights & weekends. Well, it didn't kill me, but gettin' whacked in the head with a broom wasn't much fun. No worries, Mom's only 4'10", no permanent damage &, by my senior year I'd learned to duck. Swooshing sounds still get my attention.

I've since learned how to tie a Windsor knot.

Back to the school stuff & realtime bragging about someone that deserves it. My niece Valerie is in Washington DC this week as part of The National Young Leaders Conference & she's one of the youngest invitees, maybe even the youngest. Her grades make mine look pathetic. Can't say too much 'cause she gets embarrassed, wouldn't even let the newspaper interview her or use her name. The NYLC sends updates on the conference to teachers & guidance counselors involved with the participants. Uncle Dave, that's me, gets these updates, since Val included me, listing me as her "College & Career Counselor". Now that is cool.

When I was writing BAD LATITUDE, Val would read sample chapters & give me feedback. I made her one of my primary characters in both BAD LATITUDE & RECKLESS ENDEAVOR. One of these days, I'll be reading her work & then.... I guess I'll get nostalgic.

Here's a copy of part of today's email update about Val's day in DC. She's running around the halls of Congress meeting Senators & such. Congrats Val! Proud of ya kid!

Dear Mr. Ebright,

Today's NYLC schedule afforded Valerie a special opportunity to interact with the lawmakers and staffers who determine our nation's legislative agenda on Capitol Hill! The day began with a welcome address delivered from the floor of the House of Representatives. Valerie and her fellow scholars sat in the actual chairs used by House members! After the House floor, Valerie proceeded to her congressional appointments. These meetings with representatives, senators or staffers gave Valerie a chance to challenge our nation's elected leaders with tough questions and get a firsthand view of life and work on Capitol Hill.

In the evening, Valerie switched her focus from legislative matters to judicial topics, engaging in the "Testing the Constitution" simulation. After reviewing yesterday's discussion of the role of the Supreme Court, a history of some of its most famous decisions and an introduction to legal reasoning and debate, Valerie jumped right into the simulation. With her fellow scholars members playing the roles of justices and attorneys for the petitioner and respondent, Valerie debated whether the constitution and case law favored a car passenger's Fourth Amendment right to privacy or a police officer's need for safety during a traffic stop. The details of this simulation were taken from the real-life case of Arizona v. Johnson.

The Porpoise Driven Blog

2009-09-28T16:12:00.004-04:00

Been pondering the purpose behind this whole Blogging thing.

It's hurtin' my brain.

Great post today on Copyblogger by Laura Roeder - I'll insert part of it here along with my own notes:

Lesson #1 - Find your blog's core purpose.

I've been searching - no answers yet.

Here’s a question that never seems to go away: what is a blog?

Feel free to answer this one for me.

Is it a public journal? An online magazine? An extended way to connect with friends and family?

Good questions to which I offer all no answers

And the answer is . . . a blog is whatever your audience needs it to be.

Oh great! I don't know that I have an audience that needs anything from me!!! That's the problem!

Whatever your topic, you need to get crystal clear on why people are there.

Yay!!! Here we go again, back to square one. This is annoying.

Is it to read the hilarious details of your personal life?

My personal life stays pretty personal (though it's often hilarious).

Watch detailed how-to videos on watercolor painting?

I don't know how to add videos to the blog. Did place 1st for a watercolor that I did - in 10th grade!

Hear your latest celebrity rant?

Puhleeze - I avoid anything celebrity - I don't want to hear their self-important rants.

It doesn’t matter what it is, only that you know it ............

This is lookin' more like a circle. Toldja - I don't know nuttin'!

I'm not the next Mark Twain, so me offering writing tips would be ( ____ ) fill in blank.

Don't know all there is to know about publishing or book sales - no help there.

A daily/weekly infomercial on BAD LATITUDE or RECKLESS ENDEAVOR - THAT would be a drag.

So really - What's the _______________??? (hint below)

I've met some seriously awesome (& helpful) folks (now friends) through blogging, learned quite a bit, even sold some books, but I can visit & comment without actually posting (& needlessly torturing readers).

So.... when you stop by to visit JaxPop - Whaddya expectin' to find? What would y'all want to hear or (hah!) learn about? What would make it a worthwhile stop as a reader - besides Debs pictures?
(BTW - Today's pics are from the Internet.)

I dunno - so I'm throwin' these questions out there for feedback. Any ideas, complaints, suggestions???

Hmmmmm????

.... and the award goes to....

2009-09-17T21:53:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, like right now, life gets totally outta control crazy. Not bad stuff - just too much to do, not enough time to do it. Trying to cram 32 hours into 24 with limited sleep. Having to make budget numbers work on a logistically impossible project, get ready for another out of town assignment (without knowing when I'll have to leave) all while keeping pace with Micky Muse, 'cause I'm havin' so much fun writing RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, the sequel to BAD LATITUDE.

Normally I'm pretty skilled at staying upbeat, or maybe I should say looking upbeat. Other than one week in Atlanta, I've been more or less trapped in the office, feeling rather confined, for most of the last three months. {Hint: I normally visit the office only once a month, every other if I can get away with it.} Tuesday I was in a kind of bummed out mood. Not grouchy, just kinda ... okay, grouchy. As I sat with my office door closed, wondering if an overdose of subcontractor stupidity could be fatal, I got an email from my friend, author Joylene Butler, saying she thought my blog deserved The Kreativ Blogger Award. Whoa! Really? I looked around to make sure Kanye West wasn't nearby to interrupt my acceptance click, then clicked onto Joylene's blog & BANG - there it was. Me myself & I - suddenly keeping company with Joylene Butler, Pat Bertram & Katherine Neff Perry. Know what? I wasn't grouchy after that. Instead I was totally humble, grateful & .... wondering what the heck was Joy thinkin' 'bout with this!!! I mean, really, Joy -You, Pat & Katt can flat out write. It's like I'm puttin' on my high school basketball uniform (keep dreamin' Dave) & runnin' onto the court with the Boston Celtics. Anyway - I'm flattered - though I think it's Deb's pics that draw the big crowds, all holding their lighters over their heads chanting 'Freebird'.

So now it's my turn to pass the baton to a couple of way cool writing blogs, though I have no idea how to properly include links within a post without writing them out. Someday I'll learn. Maybe?

Rebecca Ramsey is the author of FRENCH BY HEART. It's the true story of the Ramsey clan, southerners to the core (with their barefoot savages), & their adventures living in France. It's a great read, very funny. I've wondered how the French language sounds mixed with a thick South Carolina accent. Becky's blog, Wonders Never Cease is one of the first blogs I followed regularly - & still do. It's very KREATIV & worth a visit (Caution: Habit Forming) as well as The KREATIV BLOGGER AWARD. (Aaagh... Becky's mongrel - Tanner the slobber dog just swiped the solid gold trophy & swallowed it. Oh well.) Congrats. Visit Becky at http://rebeccasramsey.blogspot.com/ watch Andy Griffith 'cause her hometown reminds me of Mayberry.

Next is Cheryl Pickett @ http://www.publishinganswers.blogspot.com/ She has a new book out called PUBLISHING POSSIBILITIES & has been running a series on her blog lately about publicity, marketing, & distribution. Cheryl has been a big help to me (& other writers). In fact, she gave me some great info that helped me avoid a HAYOOGE mistake. Thanks to her, I ended up working with some really great folks from Maine & my 1st book turned out exactly the way I envisioned (& is selling well, thank you very much). Her advice is always honest, practical & down to earth. Gotta go visit her blog & website. Thanks Cheryl!

So there you have it. Thanks again Joylene (author of DEAD WITNESS check it out ASAP & visit her all the way up in British Columbia at http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/ where the weather is much cooler but, geez, she lives on a lake surrounded by bears & eagles.... )

PS - I probably won't post anything else 'til I return from Delray Beach - short trip early next week.

"Oh By The Way"

2009-08-25T18:02:00.009-04:00

Deb cringes anytime I start a conversation with "Oh By The Way" - Dunno why.

I have a project coming up in South Florida soon. Late this past Friday afternoon I decided to make a quick trip on Monday to check things out in person. Too many questions. Too much design guesswork & I needed answers. Unfortunately, I didn't think much about work once I left the office. Late Saturday, as my mind drifted into "idea mode", I hit Deb with "Oh By The Way", I gotta go check somethin' out. Wanna go with me on a quick road trip? C'mon let's pack a bag & get goin'." (I came up with 300 reasons why this was a totally brilliant idea. I keep a Rolodex of these things handy & Deb, after all these years, already knows I'm an impulsive, but good-natured, nutcase.)

Took about an hour to get everything ready to roll. No big deal. Really. (Hint: I don't do the packing.) I did collect the mail.

We jumped onto I-95, set the cruise control, shut off the cell phone & chatted our way south. Everything was going along swimmingly - 'til the A/C blitzed out.

Me - "Oh well, no big deal. Can't get it fixed on the weekend anyway so we'll hafta put the windows down."
Deb - "What about my hair?"
Me - "Put a hat on. I got a new Nike hat in the back seat."
Deb - "I'm not wearin' a stupid baseball hat."
Me - "Gonna be awfully hot. Already 92 degrees. Hey - is that sweat on your upper lip?" (Quickly pointed to the thingy that shows outside temp, direction & (gulp) gas mileage, while handing her the dark blue hat. The sweat comment clearly didn't have the desired effect.)
Deb - (Somewhat disgustedly) "This doesn't even match." (Duh. Pastels just ain't me.)
Me - (sigh) "Gonna be awfully hot. Up to 93 now. Still have 2 hours to go." I reach for the window button.
Deb - (Grumbling) "Okay okay, but don't put the windows down 'til I fix my hair & get this stupid hat on."
Me - "Fix your hair? Uh.... Never mind. Just tell me when. I can drip for a little while longer."

It only took 5 minutes for Deb to find the whatchamacallit for tying her hair back, fishing the "pony tail" through the hat & getting it placed just right. No big deal. Nothin' a coupla quarts of Gatorade couldn't fix, though the thought of an IV did cross my mind.

Finally, we cruised into Boca Raton to find our hotel.

We pulled into a small park along the intracoastal waterway so Deb could take some pictures. While she snapped away, I opened the hood & pretended to be looking for the A/C problem. (Like I could EVEN figure that out.) 10 minutes later, we were on the road again..... & the A/C was miraculously working.
Deb - "You fixed the air conditioning!"
Me - "Yep!"
Deb - "But how?"
Me - "Oh, I don't wanna go explainin' all that technical stuff - it's all kinda complicated. You know, all those hoses n' wires n' stuff." (I won't seem so heroic after Deb reads this, but, it was really cool being THE MAN.)

BTW - Nice back yards huh???

On the way home we cruised A1A. I blogged about A1A a few months back (go look it up!). If we stay on that road, it'll take us home, though we'd have to cross lots of bridges & causeways. The speed limits also tend to be annoying - no match for my driving style. This is Palm Beach. Big houses. Big money. Puny waves.

Wonder why they call it Palm Beach? Could it be the trees? Hope the bug guts don't show up in this picture. Tough doin' that windshield photography stuff while drivin', drinkin' Starbucks coffee, & talkin' on the phone. (Just kiddin' - Deb takes the pics for this blog.)

The highlight of our latest 'road trip' was a visit to Sebastian Inlet. The last time I visited this place I was 12 years old & I spent a whole week of my young life fishing & shrimping with my dad. That trip ranks as one of my top 10 childhood memories. [It was an emotional kind of visit - my dad passed away 6 years ago almost to the day of this trip.] But forget the nostalgic meanderings of an old guy - This place is awesome. Deb just about overloaded the memory card. Good thing she always carries more than one camera.

Now anyone that reads my stuff knows that the kids in my book(s) are surfers. Like these kids.

Ever see such a crowded beach?

Can't wait 'til my grandson Jack does this stuff. (Uh, my real-life grandson.)

He could get started now. Like this little guy. I could teach 'im in about 2 hours.

This lil' squirt went all the way out into the big surf with the older kids. Couldn't catch him riding - the light was fading.

When the scenery turned ugly - we headed for home. I don't know what these are, but they're ugly. Don't these birds make ya feel like eatin' a Vlasic Pickle?

The Georgia Drive

2009-08-01T19:08:00.010-04:00

I spent last week in Atlanta - drove up Sunday & back Friday night. My first sign of trouble was at the rental car counter. I'd reserved a full size vehicle. They gave me a Hyundai Sonata. "Uh... where's the rest of it?" says me. "That's all we've got!" Grudgingly I drove off in the Sonata. Thirty miles later I called the rental company thinking maybe I could dump it for something better once I reached Atlanta.

Me: "I need to swap cars in Atlanta - this one's not working out for me."

Rental dude: "What's the problem?"

Me: Uh... It shimmies between 92 & 94 mph."

Rental dude: "I suggest you slow down then. Have a nice day sir." Click

Okay - So it's me n' the Hyundai. I'd manage for a week.

Crossed into Georgia via I 75 & everything changed. A whole new Interstate kind of world. The first oddity - 3 separate pick-up trucks, all towing large wagons overflowing with watermelons, broken down on the shoulder. Maybe that doesn't sound particularly odd, but these were separate breakdowns - spread a mile or two apart.

Next surprise - Georgia must have a law that no portion of the Interstate can be left without orange barrels, concrete barricades & at least one piece of rusted construction equipment (with weeds growin' through 'em!) for any stretch longer than seven miles. Naturally the speed limit drops to TURTLE RACE. State Troopers are only too happy to double the fine - 'cause it's a construction zone dontchyaknow.

Finally - THE SIGNS. Billboards every thirty yards. Like reading one of those old-time flip comics that made the characters appear to be moving. It was easy enough to read 'em all, I was in a construction zone most of the time for cryin' out loud.

I'll admit, many of the signs, were confusing & Mapquest was no help. I should have anticipated this when Mapquest kept leaving off parts of the directions with purple question marks.

Seriously - would you figure this out in your own?

How 'bout this one?

How's your confidence holdin' up with this one?

Local kids & their families must have it tough....

Here's why they hafta run....

At least they post warnings for outta towners like me....

There's no shortage of informational signs tellin' evryone about places to eat n' sleep - lots of extended stay kinda stuff....

This sign makes my top TEN!!!

Seriously - The people in Georgia couldn't have been friendlier & the Sonata only shimmied in Florida (Hah!). For my friend Ronnie in Georgia (As Larry The Cable Guy would say) RONNIE - I apologize for this post & bless them starvin' lil' fellers in New Guinea. Amen.

Redneck Kangaroo

2009-07-25T15:16:00.010-04:00

There's a gas station / convenience store down the road that I call the Redneck Kangaroo. (Kangaroo being the local version of Quik Marts, 7-11, or in my old hometown area - WAWA. WAWA has great coffee BTW.) So I run in there this afternoon to get a bag of ice for the cooler & end up 3rd in line, watchin' this big-bellied, shirtless, barefoot REDNECK, decked out in cut-off denim bib overalls, buying Skoal & Cigs - 'bout $9 worth - using all pennies. He kept losin' count while I dripped ten pounds of ice all over the tile floor. I don't wanna sound like I'm judgin' anyone - but dude, next time, roll the pennies first! (Wearin' a shirt would be a plus).

Now y'all got ta preeshiate Reneck inginnewitty ...

They's all loyal fans of Dale Jr...... (he's won maybe one race in the last 4 years)

... but they was all fans of his daddy - good ole number 3.... may he RIP.

They look after their youngins, even when they hafta run out for beer ....

..... so's they can git beeg 'nuff ta git some schoolin'....

The nice ones always fire a warnin' shot...

Some of 'em are finally enjoyin' the luxuries we take for granted...like hot tubs.

Computers?? Well, that's still a lil' problem, but Bill Gates is workin' on that...

Ah, now I ain't complainin' none - Rednecks is good folks n' iff'n ya jus' nod n' say 'Go Gators' to one of 'em, heck, you've gone n' done made yahself a friend for lahffe....

Okay - Had to add the following in the Jeff Foxworthy tradition

'You Might Be A Redneck IF'

1. You let your 14-year-old daughter smoke at the dinner table in front of her kids.
2. The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on how much gas is in it.
3. You’ve been married three times and still have the same in-laws.
4. You think a woman who is “out of your league” bowls on a different night.
5. You wonder how service stations keep their restrooms so clean.
6. Someone in your family died right after saying, “Hey, guys, watch this.”
7. You think Dom Perignon is a Mafia leader.
8. Your wife’s hairdo was once ruined by a ceiling fan.
9. Your junior prom offered day care.
10. You think the last words of the “Star-Spangled Banner” are “Gentlemen, start your engines.”
11. The Halloween pumpkin on your porch has more teeth than your spouse.
12. You have to go outside to get something from the fridge.

The Real Jack Rackham

2009-07-10T23:41:00.006-04:00

Lots of writers crank out deep thoughts about inspiration on their blogs. I'll jump in with my two cents .... sort of, in a pictorial rather than highfallutin' literary kind of way. I live in a haunted seaside town in Florida. My grandson Jack has cornered the market on cool for a kid his age. His Pop (me) has a pretty wild imagination & likes storytellin'. Mix those things together & you get Jack Rackham & a bunch of crazy adventures that turn into books. Simple enough for ya?

The first thing the kid's got goin' for him is he's not afraid of the surf, or much of anything actually. He's like his Dad & Uncle Chris.

The 2nd thing - he's just freakin' cool....

The Jack in Bad Latitude is 15 years old (16 in Reckless) but in real life just turned 6 on Wednesday. We got to celebrate.

The birthday cake is decorated to look like the deck of a pirate ship. Hmmmm...

I just put these 2 pics in cuz he liked the "little lobsters" at the seafood store. He chomped them down like a real Looweezianna Rajun' Cajun.

Now I like my share of creepy stuff. I'm tryin' to train the kids early, so, naturally, we have rather odd toys around the house. That's Isabel. She's a cutie.

Reckless has a coupla chapters in the haunted Old Jail so I took Jack on a bit of a scouting mission (so he knows how to escape in Chapter 6). The best part was the thunder & lightning. All of the other "guests" hightailed it. Chickens. We were diggin' it. Created a nice atmosphere.

This is my favorite picture. (Deb's idea)

The Cane Update

2009-07-05T23:20:00.008-04:00

This is my version of a follow-up post.

Mike & the kids flew in Friday night - I managed (just barely) to drive to the airport. No hugs or kisses from Pop 'til we made it home - I crawled to the passenger seat, & thankfully, Mike drove from the airport to the house so I could get some relief. On Saturday I was able to move, for the most part, without the cane but we stayed close to home (& close to the ice packs). Pop (that would be me) managed to sneak away to buy a new grill. The timing sounds stupid, I know, but I hate putting them together & since Mike was here.....(See I ain't that stupid after all) Oh yeah, Pop also bought Jack a bike for the beach & Isabel became the proud owner of a 3 wheeler. See, Jackman knows me too well. He brought his helmet, but not his bike. Know what I'm sayin'? THAT is pure optimism.

As evening approached Mike & Deb ran out to buy fireworks. I'm not a fan. My mother scarred me for life telling me the same story year after year about Nicky Zubco blowin' off three fingers playin' with the firecrackers. Anyway, they get back & set up these rocket-things. Me, mental images of the Zubco kid suddenly refreshed, I'm fretting about where these suckers are gonna land & will my homeowner's insurance cover acts of undeclared war on my neighbors. Zip - First one lands in the neighbor's tree (I think). So I get the bright idea that I will stand at the end of my driveway & play lookout. (We have a very long driveway.) A little history - I gave up golf because of my bad back & my inability to see where that little white ball landed after my swing. Now these rockets are goin' off & I ain't seein' nothin' - just following the sound of the thuds as they drop around me.

Today we made it to the beach - Jack & Bel rode their bikes & had a blast - so I thought I'd post a few pics.

Jack conned me outta my favorite neckware. Ahhhh - looks better on him anyway.

Isabel was practicing her letters & inventing new words.

Belly is the Dorito princess. She always tells me "Nanny says I can have a special treat."

Jack was having a bad hair day. I'd like to have bad hair day.... just one more.

I tried to fix 'im up when we got home.....

He & Nanny thought it was funny .....

I printed this picture out for Jack - Told 'im it was his cousin.....

48 Hours To Shed The Cane

2009-07-01T20:46:00.006-04:00

Our grandkids Jack & Isabel are flying in with oldest son Michael for a 5 day visit beginning this Friday. They're all pumped up, as are we.

Here's the problem - I can't walk, sit, drive, stand or lie down without major cuss-word bad pain. My back is waaaaayyy out of wack (2 herniated discs - a 15 year problem). It just went out on Saturday & kept getting worse. I finally had to leave work yesterday - something I never do. (Driving was so painful, I was trying to figure out ways to avoid using the brake pedal. Fat chance of that on an 80-mile one-way commute.) Heck, all I was doing was reviewing drawings. Brought the stuff home & made an attempt at working from home today. Couldn't accomplish much in 15 minute intervals & gave up after a couple of hours. So for the first time in a few years I'm using my cane (my old friend) to get to & fro.

(I'm typing this standing at the kitchen bar - can't tolerate sitting at all. Everything compresses. Needless to say, I'm also not writing & was on a really good roll for the past few weeks.)

Now I'm chokin' down high-powered painkillers like the ones a real-life celebrity physician would prescribe. I'm packed in ice like a freakin' salmon. Dr. Butcher (my real doc) would have a heart attack if he knew what I was up to with my 'home' treatment. Hey - gotta do what I gotta do. This old beach tiger has 48 hours to either feel better or somehow fake feeling great. Hope the kids don't ask me to body board with 'em. Wish me luck -

INSOMNIA

2009-06-22T19:47:00.004-04:00

Sleep. What I wouldn't give for 6 uninterrupted hours of the stuff. Ain't happenin'.

I have to take a pill to knock me out. 1st hour - no problem, lights out. After that (seems like 60 minutes to the second!) it's all tossin', turnin', pillow fluffin', thinkin' about "stuff" - & taking lots of these

Exhaustion finally takes over & I sleep uninterrupted - for half an hour before the alarm goes off. I wake up with these -

I've tried everything - bought a ridiculously expensive mattress, purchased every variation of pillow imaginable, avoided caffeine after noon. Nuttin'! My ritual is always the same - I put my bottle of Rolaids on the end table, next to my iced tea (I use a bottle with a lid so I can't knock it over in the dark), turn the ceiling fan on, turn another fan (for noise) on high, take my knock out pill, read for 15 minutes, (I don't watch TV), & then crash...... for my hour-long ration of rest.

So I get home today, kiss Deb Hiya & ask "How was your day?"

Deb - "Fine - been doing laundry." Doesn't look as thrilled as usual to see me.

Deb - "What the HELL did you get all over the sheet & blanket last night?"

Sidebar - Deb has a thing for WHITE. She get's personalized Christmas cards from the folks at Clorox. When she buys new shirts (blouses?) they're usually white - she had 47 of 'em at last count. Typical shopping conversation would go like this:
Deb - "Look, I bought a couple new tops. Aren't they cute?"
Me - "They're white - right?"
Deb - "Yep"
Me - "Yeah - real cute."

So I'm tryin' to figure out what she's talkin' about when it hits me. My acid reflux had kicked into high gear. I was groggy - so I grabbed what I thought was the bottle of Rolaids, screwed the top off & tried to shake a few out. Instead, I grabbed the bottle of iced tea, & dumped it, in a shaking motion no less, all over my side of the bed (top sheet & blanket - white of course). A cold & rude awakening.

My routine is about to change - Deb says I'd better learn to like bottled water.

Characters

2009-06-07T15:38:00.004-04:00
I'm gonna get in trouble for this post.

Lots of writing blogs stress the importance of developing your characters - making them real. Personally I prefer mine (when reading or writing) to be good guys. Tough, Smart, Independent, Adventurous, Funny, Loyal, Good Hearted & Down to Earth.

'Creating' my characters has been a blast, but I might have had an advantage. I got to watch a coupla 'characters' grow up so I used these chuckleheads as inspiration for my story's 'good guys'.

These are my boys a looooonggg time ago. The older of the two is Mike (now 32) & the kid in the chair (probably being tormented) is Chris (now 28). I'm proud to say they've always been best friends. Other than the time Chris (then 2) hit Mike in the head with a doorstop (a stupid looking needlepoint covered brick) they always got along. Hey, it was dark, Mike was in bed & never saw it comin'. I suspect Michael got even..... eventually.

They've always hung out together. If one was in trouble, the other jumped in to help out (or hide the evidence?). I don't think they ever threw each other "under the bus" - despite the bus-colored yellow pants & suspenders in this picture. (They're gonna hate seein' this pic!!!)

Both were very coordinated (NOT a reference to the yellow britches), good at sports, especially baseball. Good hand-eye coordination, made them terrific hitters, but both were ridiculously slow runners. I was faster than they were & I'm probably STILL faster today - even with a bad back.... usin' a cane... wearin' flip flops..... n' givin' 'em a head start. A BIG head start.

Like me, they're in the construction management business. They can read drawings & manage the process of putting things together to end up with a very nice finished product.... unless they're working on LEGOs. LEGOs must be so much more complicated than office buildings.

Today they're all grown up. Whaddya mean you couldn't tell from that last photo?

Memorial Day 2009

2009-05-23T21:57:00.007-04:00

South of The Bridge of Lions in St Augustine is a pristine National Guard Barracks next to a 175-year-old military cemetery. We spent the morning visiting & taking pictures, expecting to have the place all to ourselves. Thankfully, we were joined by several 'visitors' soon after our arrival.

Monday is Memorial Day & there will be the usual poorly-attended services of remembrance held across the nation. Unfortunately, many Americans will regard the day as nothing more than a day off from work. The traditional family get togethers will take place, but lots of folks will never pause to give a 2nd thought to those who served & sacrificed or those currently serving & sacrificing.

The signs describe these pyramids. More than 1400 soldiers are buried beneath them.

This fellow was an amazing patriot. WW1 was absolutely brutal - He returned for WW2!!

Here's a marker (below) for a soldier from The Spanish American War - a war against Spain, approved by Congress at 3AM on April 19th 1898, & formally declared 6 days later in response to the sinking of the US Warship 'Maine'. To avoid war, President McKinley actually tried to buy the island of Cuba from Spain. Can you imagine the quality of life that the Cuban people could have enjoyed had this offer been accepted 111 years ago?

Maybe this soldier charged up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt (Roosevelt was almost 40 years old at the time - with 6 kids at home! 3 years later, TR became the 26th president of the USA.)

Here's a picture that helps to reinforce my hope for America's future. These kids are members of The Explorers Club - part of the P.A.L. program run by the St John's County Sheriff's Department. They placed flags on every grave. I listened as the Deputy in charge explained the need for quiet decorum, reminding them that "this cemetery is a place of honor". He instructed the kids on how the small flags were to be placed, emphasizing that they could not be allowed to touch the ground. I would guess that the group ranged in age from 10 to 16 & they went about the work quietly, respectfully & efficiently. They were being taught to give something back & they carried out the task as if it was a privilege, not a chore & not a joke. It was one of those choke-back moments for me.

Is Monday going to be just an extra day off? A day for a backyard cookout? Is there enough time in this weekend's busy schedule to honor those that put it all on the line - both past & present? Freedom has always come at a great cost. Acknowledge the sacrifice - take time to say THANKS.

Ghosts N' Guests

2009-05-19T22:35:00.005-04:00
This has been a wacked out week. We have some friends in town (Sean & Mary from Indy). They have a condo nearby. Naturally I'm swamped with work & some not-so-great things that need taken care of this week & it has rained for a solid 2 days with 2 to go. Mary mentioned a new book that she bought from another St Augustine author (Randy Cribbs). It's about ghosts & The Old Jail (I haven't read it yet). Well now my writing has stalled 'cause I recently completed a few chapters in Reckless about the haunted Old Jail. Guess a re-write is on the way. It's a shame 'cause it wasn't bad stuff. All that studyin' & research wasted! We even had pictures.... like this one.

So it's no secret that I like ghost stories n' pirates n' the beach. Stop yawning - it's impolite. I mentioned Sean & Mary (from Indy - where they race cars), but left out the fact that they're part-time ghost hunters (http://tpioindiana.blogspot.com) & go by the name Paranormal 911. They've got all the gear & had previously provided me with the research material about ghost chasin' equipment for my now-ruined Old Jail couldabeenamasterpiece chapters. They were at our house Saturday night & we all thought it would be cool to set up the recorder, EVP thing & rods n' stuff. Yikes, some freaky stuff started happenin' right away. The rods pointed & crossed when Mary was askin' questions & then.... IT .... wanted to "talk" to Deb.

I wasn't 'scairt'. I think I've run into ghosts before. Maybe. Here's a picture of one from the lighthouse taken by me. That's not the moon in the upper left either - the I see dead people experts call that an orb. (This was taken the same night that the moon in the trees photo was taken - see blog header pic). Can you see the shape near the bottom? It's not doctored at all. Really.

Back to Mary & Sean (Did I mention they're from Indy - which is near Indiana. Lots of corn out in those parts, but not much sand. Kinda sad when you think of it that way.) They took some audio of the events in my not-previously haunted home & there were 2 words on that audio that sent a chill up my spine. "DUCT TAPE". Makes me sweat just writin' about it. Ya see, I have at least 2 dozen rolls of duct tape in the garage - neatly stacked in a cabinet above a table saw. It's my stash. No one can touch it... but IT knows it's out there... & probably wants some..... maybe wants to tape my wrists & ankles together & levitate me to the lake & dump me in with the gators .... or maybe he has something that needs to be repaired. I don't think they have a Home Depot or Lowes "On The Other Side" ....

Cruisin' Highway A1A

2009-05-08T21:23:00.006-04:00
I had a late afternoon appointment in Ponte Vedra today so I took the scenic route home - namely Highway A1A. It's a great ride & there's lots to see - the ocean on one side, the intracoastal waterway on the other, fabulous gated mansions, &, by my count anyway, 4 strategically placed Starbucks (between Jax Beach & St Augustine). I think they (Starbucks) did a local bladder capacity study to pinpoint these locations. If you're ever on the east coast of Florida & see this sign - jump on this road.

Here's a map. Don't wanna lose anyone on this post.

If you're going south toward our house - look left.....

Here's an aerial photo that I borrowed. If you read BAD LATITUDE, you can see lots of the places I described (sort of) in this photo - like the Matanzas Bay, the inlet, the old town, Vilano, Anastasia Island, etc....

The ocean, in most areas, is pretty close to the intracoastal - Pop & Nan live on
A1A, but on the intracoastal side facing the road & dunes, not on the ocean. I get so many emails about 'The Rackham Estate' - I'm thinkin' about listing the 10 most popular questions or comments in a future blog post. I'm sure the house is near the top of the list. I'm not posting the address.

The TPC Championship is underway this week, in Ponte Vedra at Sawgrass (also on A1A) Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson & all of the big name PGA golf pros are playing. This is the clubhouse - not too shabby. This is the course with the famous 17th "island" green.

Here's one of my favorite local spots - South Beach Grill. Just returned from SBG about an hour ago in fact. It's on the ocean - on A1A. Me n' Deb always sit outside, chillin' out & watchin' the waves. I highly recommend the Mahi. I would mention the Key Lime Pie but sometimes Deb reads my blog & I don't wanna stir up any diet talk.

Given the choice between living on the ocean side or the intracoastal side of A1A - most would choose the ocean, because of the view & easier beach access (though we are allowed to drive & park on our beaches - which makes it easy). The Rackham's live on the intracoastal side - 'cause they have some really cool boats, a huge boathouse & they really like this view from the backyard..... Follow the clues, Chapter One page 6 is a start.

So... maybe it's not on the ocean, but, for the Treasure Huntin' Rackham clan... it'll do .....

Reckless Endeavor

2009-05-03T16:25:00.005-04:00
Me n' Deb spent the morning hangin' out on the back porch drinking coffee & yacking about all kinds of STUFF - like adding more rose bushes & flowers, the good old days at our beach house in Delaware, baseball & all of the kids that I coached, & the new tattoo that I've decided to get (gonna be awesome - I'll post pics when it's done). Eventually, the topic of Reckless Endeavor came up, so... I started where good stories start.... at the beginning... & rambled for an hour.

Deb liked the story, laughing a lot & saying 'no way' at all the right spots. She especially liked a new character that has a major role, though the name of said character may change. I still have a few more chapters to go (then re-writes & edits) but I thought I'd blog about it via pictures & drop a few hints along the way...

Jack Rackham is 16. If he hadn't taken that shortcut near Treasury Street, he never would have ended up in jail..... of course, the homeless girl never woulda been rescued either ....

Natuarally there are supernatural elements in this story, just like in Bad Latitude, & they're not limited to the prison surroundings either ....

.... Much of the story takes place here in St Augustine, like here at The Old Jail... a real place in The Ancient Haunted City .....

.... Pop's new boat.... Reckless Endeavor... is an 82 foot schooner with a few high tech surprises... a few million bucks very well spent... treasure hunters always need reliable transportation.... & it's big enough for Bad Latitude to hitch a ride...

Reckless doesn't lack any of the Rackham-preferred luxuries...it's not quite on par with the gated Rackham Estate, but it'll do....

..... and it has all the latest gadgets...

.... you need high tech gizmos to cross through the Bermuda Triangle.....

.... and being the descendants of this guy... Calico Jack Rackham.... there had to be a reunion....

.... 'cause Pop always flies the Rackham flag...

...... just like Old Calico Jack flew in the old days....including last summer in the middle of the night when chasing Jack through the Matanzas Bay...

Jack & Kai are on another mission... they'll have to keep their heads & their bearings.....

.... so they can get here.... & hopefully .... make it home.... in one piece.

Dimwits At Work

2009-04-27T10:00:00.006-04:00

We have our share of morons in the construction industry. I have reputation for being intolerant of stupidity & I'm never ever bashful or reserved when I have to get in someone's face to keep idiocy to a minimum. (I can be loud & scary.) These guys in the picture above are rushing around trying to clean up at the end of the day. They've just set a bunch of steel bollards in concrete, all buried at least 3 feet in the ground. Hurry up & "Git 'R Done". Wonder when they finally realized that their van was trapped? If this happened on a Friday, you can bet they left everything behind to deal with on Monday, on the boss's dime. So much for planning.

Morons can be found just about anywhere. Here's a group photo of one bunch.

I rarely get political on my blog, so you may want to stop reading this post right now. Today I get to vent. Being the capitalist that I am, & considering what I paid out in taxes this year, it's my version of the entitlement mentality at work.

The economy is teetering on the brink, so, according to the guys in the picture, the fix is to spend trillions that we don't have. "Hurry up & Git 'R Done before we encounter public awareness!"

Do sensible people take this approach with their personal finances? None that I know of. When times get tough, responsible folks cut wasteful spending & make the sacrifices needed to enable them to take care of their obligations.

Following previous disastrous economic decisions & runaway spending, our politicians are compounding the problems by passing unheard of budgets & bailout schemes, pushing through oppressive legislation which will crush business & ultimately create debt that can't be repaid. This will result in hidden taxation & penalties that most uniformed people aren't expecting (& can't afford), while business failures escalate, government dependency increases, & state's rights & personal freedoms erode. (I'm in favor of protecting the environment but I don't like the squiggly lightbulbs, won't drive a tiny battery-operated car - oh well.) These actions will trap all of us behind the steel bollards, all cemented in the ground, for us, our kids & our grandkids to deal with later, 'on our dime'. What a plan! What's really motivating these careless decisions & votes? It's gonna get ugly, especially when folks wake up & get in 'Washington's face' for this idiocy.

Fountain of Youth

2009-04-18T21:55:00.018-04:00
I was feelin' lots of aches & pains, the affects of aging, so I decided I needed to make a quick trip to the Fountain of Youth down near the middle of St Augustine. Deb grabbed her camera & out the door we headed.

Whew! I'm looking & feeling much better. Stuff really works. Shoulda seen me earlier.

For awhile I thought I was headed to the Indian burial grounds - like this guy. This is a picture from the burial grounds found on the site back in the 1930s.

The Fountain of Youth is a real place. Documents sent to the King of Spain pinpoint the location matching a marker placed in the gound designating its discovery in 1513

This is one of the fountains, but not where you get the 'go go juice' - that's inside, near some weak displays that should have been updated (or eliminated) long ago.

This is a statue of Ponce de Leon - During those days, life expectancy was typically 30 to 35 years. When old Ponce landed in St Augustine, he encountered the Timucua tribe. These people, the men & women, were all about 7 feet tall and lived, on average, for about 80 years, attributing their size & long life to the spring waters. Ponce was the tallest of his crew at 4' 11" and was already a shade past 30 at the time. So the little guy, after he claimed ownership of all lands for the King of Spain, (naming it 'La Florida', which covered most of the USA & part of Canada, up into Labrador) he loaded his ship with barrels of water from the spring that the Timacuans showed him. From that point on he used only the water from the spring for drinking, bathing, & food preparation. He lived to be 61, almost twice as long as most men in those days. He probably woulda lived longer. His death the result of a battle wound, an arrow to the thigh.

The Fountain of Youth is centered in a twenty acre park. Me n' Deb get in for free 'cause we're residents, but it's pretty inexpensive to visit. They have a small display at the spring itself where you get a dose of the magic springwater, then check out a small (& not so modern) planetarium that shows how Ponce & Chris Columbus navigated from there to here. This is followed by a visit to a big lighted spinning globe showing the travel routes for all of the major land discoveries from the late 15th & 16th centuries. Roaming throughout the park grounds are about 2 dozen peacocks. (They actually fly - I never knew that.) Haven't figured out their purpose, other than making guys like me wait around while my wife gets the 'perfect peacock pose'. I don't know how she does this. Looks more like a 'perfect peacock painting' to me.

Botanography

2009-04-10T00:52:00.005-04:00
Hands, Back, Legs, all killin me' (us). I think we need to move to a condo. We downsized the planting beds last year when we had about 4000+ square feet of sod put down - but there's still too much. Yesterday was spent planting Hibiscus, pruning Palm & Oak trees, planting new annuals, etc ... still leaving us at least a few days work for mulching (about 300 bags), & fertilizing the citrus & palm trees. On top of this, we planted new palms on the porches to replace Ficus trees that we lost during a bad frost. (We've even got trees INSIDE the house. Do ya have any idea what a pain that is?) Gettin' too old for this nonsense.

A landscape guy walked up to me in the front yard & asked if I'd be interested in getting a price from him for planting & mulching. (I probably looked exhausted. Crawling on all 4s with a shovel in my hand probably gave that away.)
Naturally, I said, "Nah, Thanks anyway. We always do this stuff ourselves."
"Looks like a lot of work" he said (& he didn't look out in the back yard!). He handed me his card & walk to his truck. (I think I heard the word 'dope' muttered.)
Deb thought I should let him gimme a price to which I replied "I'd never pay someone else to do something that I can do myself!"
To which she replied - "Does this mean you're getting rid of the lawn guys?"
I changed the subject. I ain't doin that stuff.

Here's a picture of some of what we planted. (This pic was taken just before I fell in the garage & cracked my head on the concrete.)

The good thing that comes from all this work? Deb gets to take some great photos. I think she should put her art 'out there' but she's just too shy - so I'm posting some of her pics (check out the Manatees from a post in early March). Guess you could call this post a 'nudge'. I think she's got some talent. Send letters & telegrams to tell 'er to get busy. Maybe she could make a few bucks at it & help finance this ongoing botany exercise.

The Muse Is Loose

2009-04-05T22:16:00.003-04:00

Can't believe I haven't posted on the blog for 2 whole weeks. Well, yes I can. I haven't been able to write anything lately. After a couple of weeks staring at a blank computer screen, the Muse FINALLY returned & I'm back to crankin' away on RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, the sequel to BAD LATITUDE. My Muse, his name is Mickey, smokes cigars. He's not related to that goody-two-shoes rodent in Orlando. Okay - so he's on the young-ish side & he's probably not gonna grow up to be a healthy Muse, but right now - at this very moment - I don't care. I'm finally getting some words down & the story is flowing faster than my two fingers can type. Sometimes I use three - thumb on the space bar should count as a finger.

I don't want to be rude, but I hafta cut this post short. Pop is gettin' very impatient waiting for me to finish describing ....

What? Okay! Okay! Sorry.

He just told me to stop blabbin' & get back to work. I left the poor old guy tuggin' on a stern line & he's a bit winded. I need to finish writing this scene so he can rest up for the next chapter. He's anothe cigar smoker with an attytood.

Sheesh, I tellya if he keeps complainin' like this, I'm gonna bump him off.

My 1st Book Signing

2009-03-22T17:20:00.004-04:00
Yesterday the St Augustine Lighthouse & Museum was the location for my first ever book signing. I was scared to death. Not sure if I was nervous about 'the pitch' or worried that sales would be dismal, like maybe even zero! The lighthouse folks opened the doors fifteen minutes early & the first couple through the doors (they were from Toronto) bought a book! What an icebreaker!!!

Deb has an eye for "stuff" - so she set up the table with lots of cool eye-catching promo gadgets - a small wooden treasure chest filled with faux gold pieces, skeleton parts made of foam & miscellaneous little trinkets. It turned out to be a kid magnet. We are in our element when it comes to kids, maybe 'cause we're kids at heart. No more nerves for JaxPop - lots of joking, laughing & teasing. We had a blast. Sales became unimportant - just let it roll. Here's a pic of Deb's set-up.

I couldn't leave the table so Deb buzzed around taking pics of the festival. The folks from Disney Radio were there. Live bands. Boat building. Plays. Lots of refreshment stands. Pony rides. Tours of the complex. Guided nature walks thru the hammock. Storytellers. Games & a coupla 5K races. It was crazy crowded. I missed all of that. The staff at the lighthouse handed out maps at the door showing the locations of the 'attractions'. Directional signs were posted on the grounds to use with the map to get where you wanted to go. Here's a pic of my favorite sign.

This is probably my favorite place to hang out. 2 Chapters of BAD LATITUDE are set in the haunted lighthouse (Ch 9 - Dead Girls & Ch 10 - Hezekia Pittee). I've done quite a bit of writing & editing in its shadow. Somehow it seemed fitting to do my first book signing in that same shadow.

The lines were pretty constant but the staff kept everything moving.

The gift shop workers kept the book near the cash register, replacing the stack as sales continued. Several times, the cashiers ran out to our table & swiped the books right off our display racks & we would have to run to the car to grab another box. (I didn't want to bring them all in & look cocky. I especially didn't want to have to carry boxes of books out to the car when it was all over.) We were supposed to be there from 11 'til 3 but were asked to hang out a little longer - 'til 5. It was a steady flow all day. In the end, the lighthouse gift shop bought more books to replace their inventory & we returned to the car, smiling like idiots, with .... all empty boxes. Truth be told.... the great day of sales was the result of Deb's slick marketing skills. 2 years of hard work upstaged by strategically placed bones & coins. (Sigh!)

There were plenty of highlights worth mentioning but I'll only include a couple. 1st was meeting a County Commissioner with a great story about his experience as a lowly Private during his time in military intelligence. I'm going to put it in writing for him. It's funny & inspiring. 2nd was a visit from 13-year-old Victoria. She read the book at school about a month ago & said she 'loved it' - then bought her own copy. How cool is that?

The people that manage the lighthouse & museum & their group of hard working volunteers were spectacular. They went out of their way to provide maximum exposure & made us feel really comfortable. Now they want me to do another signing in April for a weekday shindig for school kids. I need more books - & that's a good thing. Whew!!! What a rush!!!

Bullseye On My Back???

2009-03-14T23:22:00.004-04:00
Ever notice how so many TV commercials make men out to be helpless half-wits? I'm starting to think WIMMIN are believin' that stuff.

Deb hates to do the grocery shopping. She's a browser. I'm not. I have it down to a science. Takes me less than an hour to get a $200 order - & get home & put it away.

So I'm at the deli.... Here's THE DELI LADY....

Me - I'd like 1/2 a pound of Boar's Head Imported Swiss please.
Deli Lady - The Publix Brand is cheaper
Me - Thanks but I'll stick with Boar's Head
Deli Lady - Huffs & puffs & rolls her eyes like I'm an idiot - "It ain't my money"
I order 3 more items - each time she gives me an attitude & a speech about belt tightening & cutting out frills. People are starin' at me.
Deli Lady - There's really no difference between brands. You're just wasting money.
Me - (Now I'm annoyed) Lady ... My wife prefers Boar's Head. I don't even look at lunchmeat so I could care less. It's my money to waste - not yours. Just get the stuff sliced so I can get outta here.
Old guy waiting with his ticket starts to laugh. Deli Lady is fuming.
Me - (One more jab - commenting to the old guy) "Can you imagine that some moron acually married her... on purpose?
Deli Lady slams my lunch meat & cheese on the counter - Old guy laughs out loud.

Coupla hours later I decide to get a haircut. The barber that's never open, isn't open. I go to a joint next to Starbucks, all Wimmin hair cutters. Get in the chair.
Me - Yaknow, I think I want it short. How 'bout a flat top?
Lady - You're dreamin' - hair's too thin for that.
Me - Well aren't you diplomatic. Look at it as your biggest challenge of the day.
Lady - Least ya don't try the comb over thing like Donald Trump.
Me - It's thin - not gone! (True - it's thin, but the thinning hasn't progressed)
Lady - If you say so....
Me - Guess we'll see if you can do miracles so ya get a tip.
(She did a good job - gave her a $5 tip)

My dad taught me to cook.... which means I can't cook. Tonight we weren't in the mood for a big dinner - in or out. Deb decided she wanted chicken. I detest chicken so I said, "I'll make one of those frozen pizzas later."
Deb - I'll make it for you. (She's in another room adding pics to FaceBook)
Me - I can do it. How tough can it be to stick that in the oven? Do what yer doin'
Deb - Okay - Don't burn it.
Me - (sigh!)
So I read the directions, heat the oven to 475, pop it in & return to the book I'm reading.
Deb - Later... from the other room..... Is your pizza done?
Me - Nah... it's got about 5 minutes to go. Meanwhile I'm running to the kitchen knowing it's gotta be burnt. It is. Now I have a dilemma. I ain't admittin' to burnin' the pizza. I can't eat the whole thing & don't like 'em anyway. Frozen pizza with black cheese is even worse. So... I eat the pieces that are the most burnt... to hide the evidence. I choke some of it down, wrap up the rest & throw it out. Maybe Deb will think I was hungry after all & wolfed it down. All is good. I'm in the clear.
Deb - Half an hour later - How was the burnt pizza?
Me - Whaddya mean?
Deb - (Laughing) I smelled it burning, that's why I yelled out to ya.
Me - Wasn't burnt THAT bad.
Deb - Was the cheese black?
Me - Yeah. Guess some of it was. Maybe just a little.
Deb - Yeah....right.... just a little.

.

Lotsa Cops & Redneck Dawgs

2009-03-07T01:09:00.010-05:00
There is a nature preserve behind our property. It's a jungle, thick with palmettos, vines, sticker bushes, twisted live oaks, & loaded with wildlife - deer, wild pigs (with sharp tusks), armadillos, gators, & snakes. Lots of snakes. Lots of poisonous snakes. I've never made an attempt to walk through it. Maybe Bear Gryls would give it a shot for his Man vs Wild show.

Some moron, trying to escape the county Sherriff, plunged into that snake infested mess in the middle of the night. We had a Police chopper sweeping across the tree tops with a huge spot light beaming down. This went on for about an hour when I decided to check things out. I flipped on all of the outside lights - enough to blind fans at Yankee Stadium & started walking around the house. Then I heard the footsteps through the heavy brush - heading my way. 15 to 20 feet behind the hedgerow. I told Deb she should call the County Sherriff cuz the guy they were tracking had almost reached our back yard.

A couple of minutes passed & Deb returned to the back door to announce that police were on the way & the guy at the desk said I should get in the house & put my weapon away. Bummer. I had the old adrenalin rush goin'. I felt like ... like ..... Rambo!

But I probably looked more like this guy.

Deb got into the action - Ran out to the garage & grabbed her customized AK 47.

Our flanks were unprotected so we stationed Nubber (our cat) at a window on the north side. He didn't see much action, but he was ready. He made me proud.

The chopper hovered over the back yard. Real low. Real loud. Sherriff's Deputies arrived. 15 or 20 of 'em. They swarmed all over the place. They looked inside & under the boat & my truck, all around the property & into the edge of the woods. Then.... they set the redneck hounds loose. I'm making an assumption that they were rednecks based on appearance - which I know is very unfair. Couldn't help it.

After an intense search and some serious lawn trampling & boat climbin' by the deppittees .... the dogs & the cops...... lost the bad guy! Maybe snakes or gators got 'im. Maybe a wild pig! An armadillo with an attitude? Dunno. All I know is... bein' Rambo wasn't so much fun after all. It's not easy for a guy my age to puff out his chest & suck in his gut for that long.

MOWGLI VAN GOGH

2009-02-25T20:06:00.005-05:00

This will be hard to believe, but.... I have a friend. His name is Jaime, but I (for the past 15 years) call him Mowgli. (Yaknow - the dude from Jungle Book?) We worked as a team on a few really cool projects. A mall renovation, the first "green" building in southeastern Pennsylvania & a few others. He's a terrific Project Manager. I'm a year or two older & several inches taller, but he has more gray hair (probably from working with a risk-taking stubborn mule like me so often). Sometimes I call him Desi 'cause of his slight accent (assent) & his tendency to screw up American slang with things like "you're trying to pull the sheep over my eyes". My kids are grown. He has one adult daughter that now teaches disadvantaged kids in Philly (she graduated from the University of Miami with lots of honors) & three littluns at home. He moved to South Carolina a few years ago & transferred to North Carolina last spring. So what's the big deal?

We both started (late bloomers) doing something creative in our semi-old age. I began writing a coupla years ago, just before he took on painting. The wave picture is the third painting that he's shown me & frankly, I'm impressed. I'd better get another book done just to keep pace, but his story is still better....

Here's the cool part. Jaime was raised in Peru, which is why I figure he wore banana leaves as a kid & therefore named him Mowgli as a vertically challenged adult. His family was ridiculously wealthy, owned a huge 'estancia' & employed several locals. A military government took control of the country when he was a teenager & confiscated everything. Jaime & his parents had to flee the country with virtually nothing. They ended up in New York living with relatives, where his dad died of a heart attack (at a very young age). Now Mowgli, I mean Jaime, didn't speak any English, just Spanish & German. He taught himself the language (except for proper slang & expressions apparently) by watching the news on TV. After finishing high school he worked his way through college..... & the rest is too long to write about here.

So he emailed me yesterday (& recounted some of his real life story) & I'm gonna paste most of it below, picking up with his reply to my question "how long's this artsy stuff's been goin' on Mogli?". You will note HIS reference to banana leaves.

Since before last year Holidays I decided to try painting to see what I could do. I am truly just an amateur having fun...I am honored that some people seem to like what I do.

All I know is that it is a lot harder "to move forward if you have one eye looking back..."(kinda funny mental picture, eh?) I also, know that your health and spirit are the most important things on this earth...my family once had a very "high standard of living" and it got taken away by the military government,so we had to start over with just a "banana leaf for cover" and learn a new language and a new culture here in the US. If I can do it anyone can...my grandpa used to say "adelante y rabo tieso" literal translation: "forward with a stiff butt"(i.e. more appropriate "grin and bear it").

Life is Good, my brother.

Jaime

The guy just has a great outlook on life. By the way, after transferring to NC .... his projects were all put on hold - so he's been job hunting since November. Hopefully things will turn around soon & maybe we can team up again.

A Blob of A Blog?

2009-02-22T19:28:00.005-05:00

Part of the original movie 'The Blob' starring newbie actor Steve McQueen was filmed in my old hometown of Downingtown (affectionately called D'Town) Pennsylvania. The diner, where the climactic scene was shot, is still there with the sign out front that proclaims "Home Of The Blob". Doesn't make the food sound particularly appetizing to someone unfamiliar with the history of the joint. "Hey - gimme a 'blob' of mashed potatoes willya...." Steve McQueen turned in a pathetic first time performance, but he improved &, eventually, became an icon. Proof, I suppose, that there's hope out there for everyone with the determination & guts to pursue their dreams.

I've been trying to figure out the purpose of blobbing... I mean blogging. There are some blogs that are very instructional. Others provoke debate, sometimes even nasty arguments. Some are just plain entertaining.

So.... I've been thinkin', maybe too much, about the whole thing. Is it worth it to maintain a blog, Facebook, MySpace, etc.? I know I've sold some books through JaxPop & FaceBook & I've made some cool friends, but....maybe I'm just polluting cyberspace with this drivel.

There's nothing instructional on my blog. I'm not qualified as a writing 'coach' or book promotion wizard. I don't get into politics (though I have strong opinions). There's nothing particularly interesting about me as an individual - I'm just an average Joe, I mean, average JaxPop. My posts aren't enlightening, inspiring, entertaining or provacotive.

What direction should I take? Pull the plug & put my energy into something new? Tie it in more with the book & the characters? Keep doing what I've been doing?

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions.... heck..... even questions? Hey y'all - I'm all ears (even though I still can't hear out of 'em.)

Outdoor Antibiotics

2009-02-16T11:27:00.006-05:00
Okay - so it hasn't been a well kept secret that I've been battling some kind of flu & respiratory thing for several weeks. Now Deb has it. We're a great combination these days - She can't talk & I can't hear. I was joking with my ghost-hunter friend Mary from Indianapolis (on Facebook), that Deb starts every sentence now with "HUH?" - just to get it outta the way. So what's the worst part of a month-long misery? Take out of the equation the fact that I am the world's worst patient. Baby I can whine like a toddler. Forget the writing. No way to concentrate. I've tried & just get crankier. Homelife? We take turns - whoever feels better at a given time does what needs to be done. We haven't accomplished anything beyond routine chores or shopping. No appetites.

I think our biggest frustration is just feeling house-bound. I've been going to work, which may be one reason for this condition to be prolonged, so I get a break in some sense. The problem is, we both enjoy the outdoors - any activity outdoors. The beach, downtown St Augustine, the water, the parks, the lighthouse - that's what we do. Deb takes pictures & I get ideas. Her pictures are always better than my ideas.

So, a couple of weeks ago, when I was only slightly miserable, we went to Blue Springs to check out some water logged BEASTIES. It was a good morning. Hope we have some more of these soon before I go loony.

Here's a 'herd' of manatees. There were almost 200 when we were there. They were trying to stay in the warm spring water (72 degrees). Below 60 - for any prolonged amount of time & they die.

Coming up for a breath of fresh air. I forget how to breathe through my nose.

Wonder why these things were also called mermaids???

A hawk blending in with the surroundings

My favorite pic - A great Blue Heron (we have paintings of these birds)

Okay - that's enough. I'm feelin' cranky again.

Rugrat Wisdom

2009-02-02T11:10:00.005-05:00

Our oldest son Michael sent us a video of our granddaughter Isabel "reading" - She's 3 & doesn't actually read. She knows the story well enough that she goes page by page pretending to read the words. The jist of the story was - someone was getting married & she wanted to be the flower girl. Too bad I can't include the video. Bossy lil' thing that she is - Belly announced, as she finished, that "you can clap now" followed 5 seconds later by "Okay - that's enough". End of video.

Here's a bit of rugrat 'wisdom' - Someone sent this to me. I didn't write or collect any of it.

My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.......he asked me how old I was, and I told him, '52.' He was quiet for a moment, and then asked, 'Did you start at 1?'

After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, 'Who was THAT?'

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: 'We used to skate outside on a pond; I had a swing made from a tire that hung from a tree in our front yard; we rode our pony; we picked wild raspberries in the woods.' The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, 'I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!'

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's computer. She told him she was writing a story. 'What's it about?' he asked. 'I don't know,' she replied. 'I can't read.

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying, 'Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!'

When my grandson and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, he whispered, 'It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.'

When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, 'I'm not sure.' 'Look in your underwear, Grandpa,' he advised. 'Mine says I'm four to six.'

Children's Logic: 'Give me a sentence about a public servant,' said a teacher. The small boy wrote: 'The fireman came down the ladder pregnant. 'The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. 'Don't you know what pregnant means?' she asked. 'Sure,' said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child.'

A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.' 'They use him to keep crowds back,' said one child. 'No,' said another. 'He's just for good luck.' A third child brought the argument to a close. 'They use the dogs,' she said firmly, 'to find the fire hydrants'.

The Rackham Estate

2009-01-30T23:41:00.003-05:00
Tomorrow will mark one month since BAD LATITUDE A Jack Rackham Adventure became available. In that short period of time, the book managed to make the top ten in sales at Booklocker, it had a nice upward boost on Amazon, & has gotten some cool reviews (which I'll share later). Nine stores are already stocking it and all of the county libraries want to carry it! The locals love the fact that ALL locations are absolutely real. More importantly, the readers have followed up with some terrific questions & really funny comments. I can't say a whole lot without giving away too much.

Surprisingly, many of the questions & comments have been about the first chapter, & specifically, The Rackham Estate. (You can read the Prologue, 1st, & 2nd chapters as a free excerpt if you click on the link on the left hand side of the blog page - just follow from there). Ronnie, up in Georgia, wants to move in! (See blog comments from the other day.) Someone else asked if parts of the story were autobiographical. The answer to that is - yes. I think anyone that writes fiction probably includes something of their own life or personality or both. You may, by now, have also realized that JaxPop (or maybe I should say Jack's Pop) is a pretty busy guy.

So.... what about the Rackham Estate? Is it real? Totally made up? After much debate & after consulting with Deb, who is still on hold with Comcast while she sorts 5600 pictures that I messed up, here's a quick peek into the Rackham world. I'd share the code, but, you know, then I'd hafta have ya whacked.

Did It Come With A Manual???

2009-01-27T21:03:00.005-05:00
Does it really take an Einstein to set up a computer, build a website, transfer data without quadruplicating it (sorry Deb - you'll be done in a few months) or add links???? I mean, this is tedious stuff, but then... well, maybe I'm a moron. Ask someone how much to build a website & you always get an hourly rate..... but no cap on the expected time. 'Okay dude - here's my wallet, check book & keys to my lock box at the bank." Well, I decided to make it all easier by upgrading our technology. My computer IQ may not be so great ... but I am the master of ingenious solutions when it comes to cost effective problem solving. Who needs this guy???

So the other day, since Deb's laptop has been dying a slow death, we broke down & bought the latest & greatest supercomputer that money can buy. Well, latest & greatest that I could afford. Got this one at a special going out of business GE sale. Granted, it's not really portable & it is slower than some, & it does put out a tremendous amount of heat, & requires a special raised floor.... but the deal we got.... whoa baby! I negotiated my butt off & got an extra 5% off PLUS free delivery to my .... uh... driveway. I didn't even let that guy talk me into the extended warranty. (Guess he thought he had a 'live' one.) The contractors should be ready by Thursday for the moving company to shove it through that big hole in the back wall.

Okay - I realize it's not wireless...duh!!... but you can download pictures in under 10 minutes, maybe even faster if we add another 200 amp service. It also puts out (I'm told) a very soothing train-like sound. I'm not sure why they recommended adding the vibration pad or the steel attic beams, but, hey, I saved big on this sucka. Uh oh... I'd better end this post, Deb's callin' from the other room. She's been on hold with Comcast since Saturday & might need a glass of water ... or somethin.'

Anyway - Eechyer hearts out you blog following masses (both of you). Turn GREEN with envy. We are ready for real cyberstuff, or whatever you call it!

Nuts I forgot to get a printer....