And on to matters that pale in comparison to the above. Two New Jersey men took a taxi to and from a home they robbed, then stiffed the driver on the fare, leading the guy to report the morons to police. It happened in Bruce Springsteen territory - Asbury Park. "Badlands. you gotta live it every day..."
Here's fodder for a macabre short story: Teams in central Europe recently competed in The Grave Digging Championship. It was held in the Slovakian city of Trencin to promote the funeral industry and bring levity to a serious profession. No modern tools were allowed, only shovels and picks. I, for one, laughed out loud upon reading about it.
I've completed another add and wash of the novel I plan to self-publish in January. I'll be surprised if it's delayed. I will do another wash beginning December 1st. If it looks good, I will order a proof copy and hope to root out the last of the buggers that hide in plain sight. The file has grown to 199 pages, minus five or so for title, acknowledgments, dedication and author bio. My only concern is that the narrative seems to race through the characters' lives, especially in the last 40 pages. But I don't want to pad it for the sake of padding. I could add more on the historical front, go into more detail on Vietnam, Watergate and such, but my gut tells me it isn't necessary. Anyone who grew up during the period 1969- '76 will get it. I attempted a neutral tone on events. This may be the rationale of a writer of limited ability, but I like to leave room for readers to speculate. For instance, on the most simplistic level, I'll say "tree" and let the reader's imagination define it. One of the great things about the digital age is that a writer doesn't have to worry about letting anyone down but himself. It will be print on demand. No publisher will lose money printing a stack of books. The Kindle version will be a buck. Create Space/Amazon will make money when I purchase copies to sell at the floating book shop. Right now I have $444 in Amazon gift certificates to use. And I'm in line for a couple of other payouts at survey sites. Everybody on the business end wins a small sum, and hopefully those who buy the book will feel they have won too. Here's the initial draft of the book's acknowledgments, which I doubt will change:
I had the privilege of attending Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. I was there from September 1967 to June 1975. I thank the citizens of the town and the staff of the University for having put up with me. I hope readers affiliated with the area and school won’t be too disappointed that I shortened the names to Kazoo and Western. I did this for two reasons. Time has a way of altering memory, especially in terms of geography, and the places and names cited may not be accurate in terms of the actual Kalamazoo. Also, having never been a part of the WMU faculty, I made up the insider stuff. The other reason is literary license, which is essential to storytelling. Finally, I am not a veteran. Most Americans would rather forget the Vietnam War, but it is wrong not to honor the men who fought it, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you doesn’t say enough.
My thanks to the kind folks who bought books on this crisp, beautiful day. Ira purchased two more celebrity bios, this time on Julie Andrews and Joan Rivers. He was carrying a large plastic bag filled with boxes of trinkets he has collected. He opened one that contained plastic horses. They were really cool. He is running out of space in his apartment, so he is transferring stuff to his mom's house... I may have lost a customer. Shelley expressed her disappointment about the election. We were civil, despite our disagreement. As she was leaving, she said she hated VP-elect Mike Pence even more than she did the Donald because of the former's stance on abortion. I made the mistake of not keeping my mouth shut, of saying that I thought the procedure was justified only in cases where the life of the mother was in danger. Oh, well, c'est la vie.
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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