The Writer's Life 12/8 - Omen

The first highest level college football playoffs are set. Four schools are included: Florida St., Oregon, Ohio St. and Alabama. Two worthy teams are being screwed: Baylor and TCU, each having only one loss. Had the system been set for a more reasonable eight team playoff, Mississippi St. and Michigan St. might have been included and no one would have been screwed, although I’m sure there would have been complaints from coaches and fans of good teams on the outside looking in. This season’s result will be as unsatisfying as the two-team, one game format has been since it was instituted in 2003. The other three divisions of college football all have an extensive playoff format. Its ridiculous that the highest level does not.

I've proofed 294 pages, of 439, of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star, and found 23 errors. The latest was the use of "form" instead of "from." I've made slight changes in word usage and made many small additions, less than a page worth so far. When I'm done I'll transfer it to an adobe file and see how it looks. I'm not sure if I'll have to create a title page or if Create Space will do it. I know they provide tools for cover art. I'll explore the full process when the file is ready. I don't want to say when that will be, although things are looking pretty good right now. The most daunting aspect is the fear of not finding obvious errors that will make the book seem amateurish.

Upon returning from Stop n Shop this morning, I moved my car, hoping to get a parking spot close to the nook where I set up the floating book shop. Only one opened up in the half hour I waited -- and it was the best one, right at the corner. I wondered if it was a good omen, then laughed at myself, thinking it was just as likely to lead to a fool's errand. I left the apartment at eleven. When I opened the trunk there was such a blast of cold wind that I almost bailed. Since the forecast for the next two days is glum, and since I had eight books and five DVDs in Russian, I decided to give it a shot. In such weather I'd alternate between standing outside and sitting in the car. Conditions were so harsh today that I left the Hyundai only if someone lingered at the display. Miraculously, I had great luck. Natalya and Benedict bought two novels in their native tongue. A young woman purchased T.C. Boyle's East is East and Jill McCorkle's Final Vinyl Days. Then another bought The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas, a beautifully illustrated children's book several people, to my surprise, had passed on. And then I spotted someone who looked familiar, bundled up against the cold. To my delight, it was Lev, one of my best customers. He bought up all the DVDs and three thrillers in Russian. Of the four remaining books in Russian, two are classics by Tolstoy: Anna Karenina and War and Peace, which I suppose most Russians already own. I guess it was a good omen. Or maybe it was just one of those sessions where the madness pays off. Thanks, folks. 

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/