This may be my last post until Monday, depending on whether I can access wireless Internet  while I’m traveling. I’ll be at the Denton, Texas Barnes and Noble Friday, the Arlington and Fort Worth Barnes and Nobles Saturday. Sunday I’ll spend with my parents. I’ll stop at book stores and libraries on my way there Friday and back on Monday. Wish me luck.  I’ll spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night with my parents in Kemp, Oklahoma.

I had a great day with my grandson Mason today at the Monroe Zoo. I’ll miss him so much, but I know I’ll still see him often in Ocean Springs, MS. after they move.  Lots to do yet tonight, so I’ll sign off now.

Today, I’m doing the grandfather thing and keeping my grandson.  He and I are going to the zoo. It will be my last day to be with him for a while, as he and my daughter and son-in-law are moving to Ocean Springs, MS. next weekend. So, I put my many projects on hold to spend this day with him.  He’ll be with me from 8:00 am – about 2:00 pm when my daughter will pick up when she’s through with work for the day.  I’ll miss them terribly. They already have jobs (there are few really good jobs in the Monroe area for some reason) and a house.  The only good thing about their leaving is that I’ll have a place to stay when I work Mobile and Biloxi and other nearby cities when I do signings.

I rose at 5:00 a.m. today, did a couple of writing exercises, and finished reading a short story in the New Orleans Noir collection.   This afternoon after Mason Alexander Shelby has left me, I’ll make phone calls and set up some more appointments for signings and programs. I must also contact those I work with at Pelican. They are so overworked (and I know they have MANY books to worry about and I only two) and I hope to set up as many appointments as I can without interfering with their assigned work.

I had a good day yesterday: I went to Minden to research the historical play I’m writing, set up a signing at the Bossier City Books- -A-Million for Saturday, Sept. 22, and I also set up programs for two of the Bienville Parish libraries on Tuesday, Sept. 4.  If I can set up a couple of appointments every day, then I’ll have a very full year.

If you’re interested in a no-nonsense book that will help you improve your health, here’s one you need to read. It will soon be available from Booklocker Publishers, http://booklocker.com/

Maintaining Your Health and Vitality: A Health Guide
for Seniors and Their Families
By
John T. Fodor, Ed.D.

Fodor’s book provides a wide-range of well-documented health information and practices with easy to follow health guidelines designed to help you to maintain your health and vitality and improve the quality of your life. Each chapter includes reliable references and additional sources of health information and services.

I’ve also tried to include a pic here of Tom and me. We are in a Scots-Irish band.

It looks like I’m back to my early morning writing and writing work schedule. I was most fruitful when I did that, and I’m going to try to hold to it. I rose at 4:00 a.m. and was at KTVE, Channel 10 by 5:30 for my TV interview with Angela Cruz.  Betty Neatherly, the librarian of the Ouachita Valley Library was also with me. She is hosting the Book Talks for the library. The interview went very well. The library is located at 581 McMillan Road, West Monroe, LA 71294 and their phone is (318) 327-1471.  The program is schedule to begin at 6:00.

Last night, I finished editing Angelic Upstarts, a novel by Eric Chapman. In genre, it is a Utopian novel, with a unique African-American focus. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. Chapman is a skilled writer, and he provides sharp insights into both Black and White American culture, asking and addressing many of the questions related to race that many are afraid to ask.  In the tradition of the Dystopian and Utopian novelists, he  looks into the future and asks  relevant “What if . . .” questions.  I think his novel has the potential  of stirring thought and  motivating individuals, especially African-American readers.  Chapman’s novel is a philosophical, rich in historical allusions, and generally a  heady read. At 600 plus pages, it is not one for the faint of heart, but if you like to think, this uniquely structured novel will open your mind.

The life of a writer is full of little ironies and juxtapositions. We must be magnets that draw those coincidental events and experiences. Anyway, I was editing a new writer’s manuscript, and listening to Zipless by Vanessa Daou, when I heard this song, which I recognized as a poem of Erica Jong.  Here it is. Appropriately, it is called, “Sunday Afternoons.” Though written from a female point of view, I still can identify with some of the lines.
Sunday Afternoons

I sit at home
at my desk alone
as I used to do
on many sunday afternoons
when you came back to me,
your arms ached for me,
and your arms would close me in
though they smelled of other women.

I think of you
on Sunday afternoons.

Your sweet head would bow,
like a child somehow,
down to me –
and your hair and your eyes were wild.

We would embrace on the floor-
You see my back´s still sore.
You knew how easily I bruised,
It´s a soreness I would never lose.

I think of you
on Sunday afternoons.

My signing at the Monroe, Louisiana Books-A-Million was a success. I signed and sold all but three of the books the store had ordered.  The managers were very pleased and I’ve already been invited back for another signing when Stories of the Confederate South comes out in October.  This collection of short fiction did well with Booklocker, and I’m hoping it will do even better with Pelican and that publisher’s larger distribution network.  The collection of short historical fiction will also be a natural to sell alongside my children’s book, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House.

I was delighted to see   that you can already pre-order Stories of the Confederate South on Amazon.com.

Tomorrow, I’ll have to be up early to be on Channel 10’s (KTVE) morning show with Angela Cruz to tell viewers about the program at the library that evening.   Today, I’m deeply buried in editing work.

I’m trying to keep up on my self-imposed reading pace and finish one book a week. I’m a little behind schedule.  New books on my shelf include New Orleans Noir (a collection of short fiction in that noir series), Room to Write (writing exercises) and Write Away (a novelist’s approach to writing fiction).

School is beginning soon, and while family and friends are gearing up for another year of fighting the powers of ignorance and darkness, I’m preparing for what looks like the busiest fall of my life. My book tour is taking shape and my calendar is filling up rapidly. Though I’ll be traveling a good bit, there are two important parts of my day I want to keep up with: reading and my own personal writing. I’m getting a good bit of editing work, and those jobs always have deadlines, so there’s some pressure there to finish them up.  I also must devote my self to promoting and marketing my books. An ideal day (a day without crucial life-chores, etc.) would be constructed like this:

1. Reading (at least one chapter of current book)

2. Writing (at least one poem, one scene of a play, one chapter of a novel, or one creative nonfiction piece)

3. Promotion of books (I do five things every day to promote them in some way)

This Saturday, August 4, I have a signing at the Books-A-Million in Monroe, Monday, August 6th a presentation at the Ouachita Library in W. Monroe. The next weekend I go to the Ft. Worth area for some Barnes and Nobles. I started to list the cities in the South that I’ve targeted, and then I realized that every major city is on the list. I’m determined to get the book out to bigger markets where there is more money and more people. Here’s a Latin quotation that is my inspiration today:

Fortes fortuna adiuvat – Fortune favors the brave.  (I’ve read that this now famous proverb is a line from Terence, a 2nd century BC Roman playwright.)

Sometimes, I wonder what on earth I’m doing  in the writing business. Perhaps I’m a little (or a lot) crazy. I’ve chosen a difficult life. But then, we crazies belong with the arts, and I’m learning as I go. Imagery describing the madness associated with the arts and artist is a frequently used one. For example, I read that Kafka said, “To want to write and not write is to invite madness.” I read Techniques of Fiction Writing: Measure and Madness by Leon Surmelian and was fascinated by the manner he tied in the work of the Muses (and the incumbent madness it brought the author) with the need of structure and method in writing. This book is out of print, so I’m glad I have my copy. I think I found it at a library sale in Texas.

One quotation of Henry James has always helped me. I was reminded of it when I read an article recently by Jeffrey Eugenides, author of Middlesex and The Virgin Suicides.  He uses Henry James’ quotation in his short article about writing. James said:

“We work in the dark–we do what we can–we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.”

I’ve once again memorized this quotation. So, as I grope in the darkness, looking for the handle of the doors that will lead me to successfully write and market my books, I’ll just do what I can with what I’ve got. As long as I write every day and keep my passion, I’ll remain a committed writer–and also, likely a mad one.

I returned from Mobile about9:45 pm last night. It was a short night as I had to prepare and pack for Saturday. I arose early, went to Farmerville and marched with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The crowds who came for the parade loved us. After our mile march, I set up to sell books and did sell some at the SCV booth. I also was interviewed live by K-104 about my new book on the radio. I met some really cool people too.

I made many good contacts this week in Mobile. Sold a good many books and must have booked scores of engagements next year (some of them in Mobile) to tell the story of Jim Limber. I learned much about Mobile. I’m sure many adventures await me there this next year. I’ll have more posts about some of the people I met there.

Tonight I’m in a Super 8 motel in Mobile, Alabama. Thankfully they have wireless that works. I left Monroe around 10 am, stopped at six different libraries promoting my book and arranging for future signings. I did get some sales out of it, but in some of the libraries the decision makers or directors weren’t there. I had hoped to visit ten, but after 5:00 pm there’s no need of stopping in usually. I’m tired, with more work to do tonight before I go to sleep. I’d also like to read some, and of course I need to write–work on a short story or my novel.

Tomorrow begins the National Convention of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I’m expecting tons of sales and many future speaking/presentation appointments. If I can keep my expenses to a minimum–and I can–I expect to come out ahead. I’m flipping through one of the Mobile Bay tourist books in my hotel room. It says that Mobile Bay is the culinary capital of the Gulf Coast. There’s many homes and museums that look interesting. However, I know I’ll be working too hard to get to any. I guess I can come back and play another time. Tomorrow night and Thursday, I’ll be in the Radison Admiral Semmes Hotel downtown. According to their advertisement, this landmark hotel has 170 luxurious rooms and suites designed with Queen Anne and Chippendale-style furnishings. It’s within walking distance of the Battlefield Hotel where my vendor’s booth will be. Though it’s a little fancy for a struggling author like myself, I got a good price because of the conference, so the rooms cost only a little more than my Super 8 hotel tonight. I’m sure I’ll have another post describing my trip and Mobile as the Radison Admiral has wireless Internet also.

As I drove here, I finished listening to the twelve audio CD’s of Stephen King’s The Cell. I found it a haunting and engaging read. (I do count listening to a book as a read. Often, I pick up on things I would not have if I had just read it with my eyes). It made me think about the whole cell phone phenomenon. I recall watching a group of a dozen or so female students walking across the university one afternoon. All were talking on cell phones.  The Cell did remind me somewhat of the Stand and of McCarthy’s The Road. Tonight, after I do some meaningful work, (I have much editing business to attend to) I’ll read myself to sleep with a short story collection called, New Orleans Noir.