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Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/28 - Civic Duty

I'd guess most people dread jury duty. It interrupts the comfortable routine of life most of us establish, and there is the possibility of landing on a case that drags on for months. For New Yorkers who don't use mass transit, the summons entails another negative. Driving in downtown Brooklyn is no picnic, finding a parking spot on the street is nearly impossible, and using a lot runs about $20. My thanks to Steve K, the poet laureate of Sheepshead Bay, who alerted me to the half price subway fare to which seniors are entitled. It's something that wouldn't have come to mind. I slipped my driver's license and three bucks into the slot of the token booth, ambivalent, happy to save the money but hating having become old enough to qualify. Once on the elevated platform, I noted the pretty young women and began eating my heart out. The express was packed, so I waited for the local, got a seat, and opened the newspaper. Fortunately, there were no delays. At DeKalb Avenue there were so many commuters waiting for the R train that I decided to walk from there. It took me a while to get my bearings. I'd been assigned to a Supreme Court building different from the one at which I'd served last time. I sat in the large assembly room, reading. The lady at the podium asked anyone who'd served in the past six years to come forward. I rose, thinking it was too good to be true, and that turned out to be the case. Another woman checked my name against the records and said I'd served seven years ago. Not so - I sat on a marijuana case that involved the post office, possibly less than two years ago. I was asked for the proof of service letter. I'd sent it to the city of New York system when called within weeks of that last service. Since I'd served at another building and the records are kept separately, I was snookered. "That's not fair," I said, walking away. Of course, one must expect such nonsense when dealing with government. Usually I love irony, as any writer does - I was experiencing an injustice in a hall of justice. Then again, it's not the first time that's happened, and the circumstances were inconsequential, especially given what some folks have suffered in the system. I finished the paper and then attacked the Saturday crossword, which I'd saved knowing its difficulty would fill time. Meanwhile, the sun was shining and I was lamenting not being able to run the floating book shop. Two groups were called in the morning. I was halfway home. The rest of us were sent to lunch. I took a stroll around the area, hoping to run into a Dunkin Donuts, which has been advertising one dollar egg, bacon and cheese turnovers. I bought two. They were tasty. Of course, they charge two bucks for a bottle of Poland Spring. Afterward, as the lady was calling out the names of the next group of selectees, I sat there, fingers crossed. I was not one of the victims. I figured one more group would be called and looked around at the remainder of dutiful citizens and wondered what the odds were of again being bypassed. Not good, I thought. I noted that several people were reading actual books. Most of the others were using various electronic devices. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I was too wound up. Just after 4PM the lady emerged from the back room with a stack of papers in hand. Were they what I hoped they were? Yes! We were dismissed with a proof of service form and told we wouldn't be called for eight years. I resisted the urge to shout: "Make a few copies." I got to the Jay Street station just ahead of rush hour and was home at 5:02 - and I don't have to go back! Several spring chores remain: dentist, eye exam, car inspection, license renewal, and annual physical. Now that jury duty is out of the way, I can begin honing my next novel, which I plan to self-publish in January.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, February 27, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/27 - Ubiquitous

I was very saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Bill Paxton, 61, who died of complications from surgery. He had a great gift for naturalism on screen. Although IMDb lists only 93 credits under his name, he seemed ubiquitous from the mid 80's on, appearing in movies and on TV. I first noticed his talent in Near Dark (1987). He was at ease doing blockbusters such as Twister (1996) and Titanic (1997), as well as in pictures with minuscule budgets. My favorites of his performances are from the under-rated A Simple Plan (1998) and the gritty One False Move (1992). He did not restrict himself to acting. He has seven credits as producer, and he wrote four shorts, directed three of them as well as two full length features, Frailty (2001) and The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005). He appeared in music videos by Pat Benatar (Shadows of the Night {1984}) and New Order (Touched by the Hand of God {1989}), and was a member of the new wave group Martini Ranch, which made one of my favorite videos - How Can The Labouring Man Find Time For Self Culture? Well done, sir. Here's a quote attributed to him: "Anyone who's worked very hard on a craft or an art to get a certain precision in terms of execution and performance wants to get past all that stuff that holds you up - your ego, all the doubts." And here's a link to the aforementioned video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnxOY4soITM


Get into a discussion of what makes New York pizza superior to all others, and the unique composition of its water will surely be cited. The Famous Famiglia franchise is set to open a pizza parlor in Accra, the capital of Ghana, Africa. The shop expects to use 100 gallons of water imported from New York to make 1000 pies per week. In addition, all pies will be made with the chain’s in-house sauces, cheese, flour and olive oil. Yeast and most toppings will be from local sources. A fleet of Harley-Davidsons will be used for delivery. Famous Famiglia has 16 shops in NYC and more than 100 across the USA and overseas. It exports water to Mexico, Canada, China and Ecuador. Pizza Hut and KFC have opened shops in Accra in the past two years, and Burger King is coming soon. I love America.

Business was slow today at the floating book shop, but it was still fun. My thanks to Vitaly, who bought John Sandford's Easy Prey, to Luis, who donated four paperback thrillers, and to Gene, who helped carry the crates to the car. When I mentioned that I will probably be on jury duty starting tomorrow, he said that he met his wife while doing it in the early 80's. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?" led to a long, happy union... Three passersby advised me to say I'm a racist in order to get dismissed... The highlight of the session occurred when a van pulled to the curb and the driver waved me toward him. I assumed he was going to offer to sell or donate books, or ask for directions. He addressed me in Russian. When I said I didn't speak the language, he said: "You want Viagra?" I laughed, declined, thanked him and walked away. It's now after five, which means I can make the call to learn if I will be doing JD. I'll wait an hour, as the line will probably be busy.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Sunday, February 26, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/26 - Conflicts

In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, Kyle Smith writes: "What progressives need to defeat Trump is outreach, but all they have is outrage." He cites a “general strike” called for March 8th, the "Day without a Woman." In a manifesto published in The Guardian on Feb. 6th, those behind the movement are calling for a “new wave of militant feminist struggle.” The document was co-authored by Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a convicted terrorist. A Palestinian, she was convicted in Israel in 1970 for her part in two terrorist bombings, one of which killed two students shopping for groceries. She spent ten years in prison. She then managed to become a US citizen in 2004 by lying about her past. She was subsequently convicted, in 2014, of immigration fraud for the falsehoods. She has won the right to a new trial, set for this spring, by claiming she was suffering PTSD at the time she applied. Another co-author is the infamous Angela Davis, Stalinist professor and longtime supporter of the Black Panthers. She was acquitted in a 1972 trial after three guns she bought were used in a courtroom shootout that killed a judge. She celebrated by moving to Cuba. A third co-author, Tithi Bhattacharya, praised Maoism in an essay for the International Socialist Review, and says: “Maoists are back in the news and by all accounts they are fighting against all the right people.”

In a fun article, also in the Post, Robert Rorke highlights the Hollywood lore that has inspired a new miniseries, Feud: Bette and Joan, starring Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis. It focuses on the tension prevalent during the filming of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Davis had a knack for using a subtle, sly touch when twisting the knife. She had a Coca-Cola machine installed in her dressing room, since Crawford had been married to Pepsi CEO Alfred Steele. While filming, Davis spontaneously kicked her co-star in the head during a fight scene. Crawford got her revenge: Knowing Davis had a bad back, she wore a lead-lined weight-lifter’s belt under her costume for a scene in which Davis had to drag her across the floor. Love it! Although Lange and Sarandon are great actresses, I cannot picture them in the parts. I hope they fare better than Faye Dunaway did in Mommie Dearest (1981). If the show receives good reviews, I'll add it to my Netflix list once it becomes available on DVD.

"Rory McIlroy defends decision to play golf with President Trump." That's a headline from Yahoo Sports. I have no clue about McIlroy's politics. He may not even favor much of Trump's agenda, and yet he's expected to toe the radical leftist approach on all things Trump. What a crock.

The temperature dropped considerably but it was still a beautiful day. My thanks to the gentleman who purchased the compilation CD of 70's hits, and to the woman who bought Second Generation by Howard Fast, Jewel by Bret Lott, and Adieu, Volodya by Simone Signoret and Stanley Hochman, a novel released posthumously after the legendary screen actress' death in 1985 at 64. The hardcover version I sold is listed at Amazon from a penny to $55. I gave it up for two bucks.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, February 25, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/25 - Words & Pictures.

Clint Eastwood delivered another solid effort in Sully (2016), which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix. Is there an American adult who doesn't know the basics of the January 15th, 2009 Miracle on the Hudson? The recreation, as expected in the age of CGI, is terrific. Even the fact that it is known everyone on board the jet survived does not rob it of suspense and wonder. The story has two other elements that elevate it: the post traumatic effects on the hero, and the investigation of the event. I did not recall the latter. Sully was at first accused, at least according to the screenplay, of having been rash. Simulations showed the plane could have made it to either LaGuardia or Teterboro, New Jersey. Hollywood vets Mike O'Malley, Anna Gunn and Jamey Sheridan play the inquisitors. Since it is known that Sully is considered a hero, much of the drama is stripped from that aspect, but it remains interesting. There's not a false note in the entire narrative, although I don't know if any license was taken by the filmmakers. The entire cast is first rate. Tom Hanks adds another superb performance to his incredible canon. Laura Linney plays his wife, Aaron Eckhart his co-pilot, Chris Bauer the airline exec who helps Sully win the case. My only quibble is the use of Katie Couric. I hate when a newsperson is given a role in a film. I would have preferred a clip similar to the fused one of the crew's appearance on David Letterman's show (Dave plus the actors in their roles). I don't know if any other actual reporters were used, as I've given up on watching news programs and recognized no one playing the part. The movie is based on the book Sully: My Search for What Really Matters by Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III and Jeffrey Zaslow. The screenplay was adapted adroitly by Todd Komarnicki. The flick was hugely successful at the box office, taking in $125 million in the USA alone on a budget of $60 million. It runs only 96 minutes, another plus. 118,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.5 of ten, which seems dead on. Not a great film, but superior to most.

Yesterday Shawn Stefani, 35, a PGA pro, did something at the Honda Classic that will surely go viral. He hit his drive into the water on the sixth hole. The spot where it came to rest was shallow. Rather than take a one-stroke penalty drop,  he stripped down to his underwear, played it where it lay, and made solid contact. He eventually managed to get within ten feet of par but, alas, missed his putt. He failed to make the cut by two strokes. Here's a pic:



Decades, channel 112 on Cablevision in NYC, is running Rowan and Martin's Laugh In Monday-Friday at nine PM. I check in when another show I'm watching is in commercial. Curious about its cast, I researched it at IMDb and was surprised to learn the show ran six seasons. I would have guessed three. I was interested particularly in a female member of the ensemble I did not recognize. Lisa Farringer, a New Yorker, appeared in 60 episodes and worked steadily through 1975, amassing eleven more credits. Her last came in 1978 in The Six Million Dollar Man. She then disappeared - literally. Here is the spooky picture the site has of her:



My thanks to the two kind folks who bought books today on Bay Parkway, and to the gentleman who bought the never opened An American in Paris Broadway soundtrack CD, and to whomever downloaded Five Cents to Kindle. I wonder if that sale is the result of the profile of me that went up this week on the website of my alma mater, WMU.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, February 24, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/24 - Celebration of Life

There is a blurb in today's NY Post about a woman's unusual, long obituary, which she wrote herself. It appeared in The Columbus Dispatch. Here are highlights, tweaked ever so slightly by yours truly:

Jean E. Oddi... I was born. I lived. I died. I hate to admit it, but evidently I died. I guess, after all these years, God finally figured out where to put me. I should have known the end was near after I had to be in room # 20 in the emergency room. I hate even numbers. I'm leaving behind a hell of a lot of stuff Casey and Melissa will have to get rid of. So, if you're looking for random crap, you should wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch with them. But this is not the time to talk about what I may or may not have bought from the JC Penney Outlet or TJ Maxx, this is about me. I was born on September 7, 1925 in blah, blah, blah, the daughter of a wonderful and beautiful woman and an SOB man. I lived most of my life in Columbus, Ohio but had a few stints in West Virginia, New York, Nevada, and California. My husband, Guy Oddi, died before me and I will be missed by my favorite daughter, Casey; my adorable and favorite granddaughter, Melissa Eden... and her conservative husband, Michael and by those two amazing grand babies, Griffin and Nicholas, I am very proud of. I will miss my special friendship with Mary, we had so much fun over the years. I will miss my friends at Cherrington Place and hosting party central on Friday nights. I'll miss everyone at Trillium, especially those I played cards with. Thank you, everyone, for all you did for me. To Shirley, hell, what can I say? We saw it all, did it all and had a ball! Thank you for putting up with all my shit. You are my oldest friend and I loved every minute we had together. I will always remember when my mom and I tormented Casey's suitors, crazy, fun times at Buckeye Lake, on Strawberry and Geers, gardening, modeling, being crafty and shopping, any time I spent dancing with the baby, listening to good music, playing blackjack and the crazy game, playing any card game with Guy, Shirley and Joe. I loved the smell of lavender, drinking hot coffee, teaching my granddaughter dirty songs, telling jokes and stories from the bad old days, cooking and eating, hosting huge holiday meals, baking pizzelles, cookies and cakes, including one that takes 4 days! I had hilarious and memorable adventures to Florida, Washington DC, Vegas, Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Australia, Europe, the Panama Canal and sorry Casey, Canada. Oh, dammit, I really wanted to go to Asia. I'm proud to have been the president of my own corporation, #1 AH, and to have received my doctorate in Bitchology, please see my card. I enjoyed showing dogs and remember Missy, Princess, Ms. Tweetie and my sweet Caroline. I sure hope there is CNN wherever I'm going so I can check on my stocks. I'll be cheering on Ohio State with Rod and I pass to Melissa my "witchy witchy cat's ass" powers. Use them wisely. I was a crazy teenager, a loving wife, a hard worker, a loyal friend and a hands on grandmother. My late husband called me Black Cat and Gabby. As a descendant of British royalty, it's no surprise I've also been called The Queen and Queenie, but my favorite title is Majean. Please remember this: never let the facts get in the way of a good story, the middle finger is sign language; when someone gives, take; when someone takes, scream, and take care of yourself - don't get old. Oh, and don't tell anyone what kind of day to have. A short service by Rev. Copeland will be held at The Trillium on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 11:00 am. The after party open house will be at Melissa and Michael's home from 3-5 pm Saturday. If you are sick, don't bother to come. I might be dead, but I still don't want your germs. Over the years, I supported many different charities so, in lieu of flowers, because they don't smell anymore anyway, donate to Olentangy Patriots Little League, Ohio Health Hospice or Living Faith Apostolic Church. My family and I would like to thank the caring staff, nurses and doctors at Riverside Hospital, Mid Ohio Cardiology, Dublin Family Care, especially Jim Barr, and Ohio Health Hospice. I would like to thank my darling daughter Casey, who I adore, who cared for me, shuttled me around to my doctor's appointments, managed my pills, cleaned up after me and apologized in my wake for far too many years. I wasn't always nice, but I did, and always will, love you. Watch out for the bluebirds. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Don't cry because I'm gone, instead have a drink and be happy you knew me. Maybe you can cry a little bit, because, after all, I died. Now, and forever, I am happy and playing cards, with Jameson but not until 9 p.m. Cheers!

RIP, Madam Ball of Fire.

My thanks to Dr. Barry Spunt, author of Heroin and Music in NYC, who grossly overpaid for a special edition Life magazine devoted to Dick Clark. He will be submitting his second book for publication very soon. Thanks also to the woman who bought the book of Titanic-themed postcards, and to Janet, who bought a Christmas book on a February day that seemed more like the end of May. The highlight of the session was a visit from one of my faves. Mira, a 30-something mom of a five-year-old boy, is about a year from graduating St. Joseph's College with a degree in English Lit. She was fortunate in that the school accepted 60 of the credits she'd amassed in the Ukraine. She wishes to work in a library rather in a classroom. She was carrying a copy of The Great Gatsby and mentioned that she she is halfway through Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, which has brought her to tears several times. She loves Hemingway, and I told her that For Whom the Bell Tolls had a great influence on me in that it seemed like a clinic in how to extend a theme throughout a novel. I resisted the temptation of mentioning Five Cents, in which the character does his Master's Explication on For Whom... She has enough to read.  
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/23 - Honored

About a month ago I was contacted by a woman who works at my alma mater, Western Michigan University. She was interested in my literary efforts and submitted questions in a series of emails. It led to the following profile, which is now up on WMU's website. My thanks to Catherine VanDerMas. I am honored, madam.

“Five Cents,” Vic Fortezza’s (B.S.’71, Physical Education) newest novel, is now available. Set in a town named Kazoo, “Five Cents” takes place in the early 70s and revolves around a returning Vietnam Vet, a love story, the changes American was undergoing, and joy brought by the senses.

Fortezza, who has now released eight books, six of them novels, says while his themes are universal to all writers his greatest source of inspiration comes from real life; things he’s personally experienced or read about in the news.

He’s explored why someone might go off ‘the deep end’ (“Close to the Edge”), the act of killing (“Killing”), working on the commodities trading floor (“Exchanges”), and the sordid history of a fictional rock band (“Rising Star”). Additionally, “A Hitch in the Twilight” is a short story collection influenced by The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock, something Fortezza says is “sheer fun.” He’s also released “Billionths of a Lifetime,” which contains two screenplays.

As a student at WMU, Fortezza studied physical education and played football during his first year.

“I was a huge sports fan and at the time I thought coaching would be my life,” Fortezza said. That was not the case. After coaching football for several years at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo and then at his own high school in Brooklyn, Fortezza decided he wanted experience outside of school buildings. He began tending bar and eventually landed at the Commodity Exchange in lower Manhattan. All the while, Fortezza was writing.

“It was the perfect place for a writer,” Fortezza said, “teeming with life and filled with a variety of human beings.”

Fortezza, who lives in Brooklyn, left the Commodity Exchange in 2007 and continues to write. He’s currently working on a new manuscript, his ninth book, and has plans for two additional.

“This is the best time to be a writer,” Fortezza said. “The internet affords opportunity to everyone, not just an elite few.” He suggests new writers start out by blogging for practice. “If you have articles or stories you're uncertain about, post an excerpt and ask for feedback.”

Fortezza also points out that aspiring writers can publish their works for free on various websites if they can’t seem to attract the attention of publishers.

“Keep your expectations modest,” Fortezza explains. “There are at least 13 million titles available at Amazon. That's a lot of competition. I sell my books on the street because web sales are few and far between.”

In one of those odd turns life takes, last evening I got a phone call from an old WMU friend, whom I hadn't spoken to, other than at Facebook, in many years. He chuckled when I told him I used his name in Five Cents. I read the excerpt to him. Here it is:

His next entry would be about the night the girls turned the tables on the guys, flocking to the grounds of Harvey Hall and shouting toward the windows: “We want jocks!” Pump and Binky, roommates, suggested mooning them, and Tom eagerly joined in. While Keith Volk, varsity starting right guard, academic All-American, manned the switch, the three of them stood on Binky's bed, dropped their drawers and turned their butts to the window. “Now!” said Pump, and Keith hit the switch. Screams followed. The three pranksters fell about, laughing.

Keith had no recollection of it. A few minutes after the incident I re-approached the window and caught sight of Sharon Duffy, a cheerleader, as pretty as any girl on campus, whose face was known to probably every male in the school's population of 20,000+. I sensed she knew I was one of the three stooges. I wish I'd included that part in the novel. It came to me just now. Once again it proves no book is ever finished. 99% completion is as high as a writer can expect. I would be surprised if Miss Duffy has not had a fulfilling life. Not only was she gorgeous, she seemed highly intelligent. In the vernacular of the times, it would have been said: "She really has her s--- together." That vulgarity doesn't do her justice. She embodied the girl every male dreams of marrying. I wonder if she wed the guy she was dating, a pitcher on the school's baseball team, Marty something. He would have been crazy not to have married her.

All seven sales today were books in Russian. My thanks to the two ladies who bought them. For the first time in 2017, I had a visit from Ol' Smoky. He's living in Flatbush at an former asylum undergoing renovation, waiting to be set up in an apartment. If spring is early, I wouldn't be surprised if he bailed. He hates living under rules and regulations, and in proximity to people who are a constant bother. He seems a magnet for them.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/22 - Sanctuary

Although I disagree with almost all liberal policy, I know much of it is drawn with noble intentions. Most of the time it simply involves the transfer of billions, some of which does good, but a lot of which is payoffs to cronies, or lost to the staggering fraud government programs attract. That's annoying, sometimes infuriating, but damaging only to an economy. Then there are those actions that defy reason, that raise questions about sanity, that may lead to physical harm or death. Today's NY Post has two articles that highlight this. Here's the gist, edited by yours truly: Ronald Fiddler, a Brit fighting for al Qaeda, was seized by American forces in Afghanistan and taken to Guantanamo in 2002. There, he claimed he was tortured. Home Secretary David Blunkett lobbied for his release, claiming Fiddler had been abused while detained. The British government eventually paid him a million-pound settlement. Yesterday he carried out a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq... Estivan Rafael Marques Velasquez, an admitted member of the notorious MS-13 gang, was released from Rikers Island on Feb. 16 after serving time for disorderly conduct. ICE officials had requested last May that he be turned over to them when he was done serving his sentence. No one at ICE was alerted to his release, as NYC is a sanctuary city. Fortunately, agents were able to track him down the same day in Queens. He has been processed and is now in detention pending removal. As I've said many times, I have no problem with illegals being here - I have a problem with them being granted government services. Sanctuary should not be granted to members of violent gangs. That way madness lies.

Also in the Post, in a blurb, reworded by yt: An 18-year-old college student received two packages from home, one filled with food, the other with trash. Baffled by the second, he contacted his mom, who told him it was the trash he was supposed to have taken out during a recent visit. Amused, he posted this pic on Twitter:


My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books today.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc

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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/21 - Present & Past

Here's an excerpt from my next novel, ninth book, which I hope to self-publish next January. Present and Past is the story of lifelong friends, a bartender and low-level gangster, whose personalities are very different, told from the point of view of the former. They evenutally embark on a cross-country automobile trek. The main theme is how the present and past often merge. In this scene, Freddie is working a popular Brooklyn pub on an off night:

  Time dragged, as few customers entered. His lethargy returned. He concentrated on a quiz program. There was a television set above each end of the bar, hooked to a satellite dish. He ignored the glare Dominick aimed at him.
  He mumbled answers aloud.
  "Is there anything you don't know?" said Timmy.
  "Yeah - how to land even a bit part in a movie."
  "Here comes your better half."
  Freddie walked to the opposite end. An attractive blond approached, removing her coat, revealing an apron underneath.
  "Hi, handsome."
  He smiled. "Hey, Deb. Early as usual. I didn't know you were working tonight."
  He took her coat and hung it in a closet beyond the end of the bar.
  "Looks like I won't have much to do. Maybe I'll get sent home early."
   "You look great, as usual." He sniffed. "And smell great."
   She looked concerned. "It's not too much, is it?"
   Freddie chuckled. "Of course not."
   "How'd the audition go?"
   He shrugged. "I feel like quitting."
   She waved skeptically. "I'm sure you'll change your mind tomorrow, but to tell you the truth, after all these years maybe you should think about givin' it up. Maybe it's time you settled down."
   He stared at her. She looked away, pained.
   "I hope I haven't deceived you," he said softly.
   "You haven't," she replied, avoiding eye contact, obviously miffed at herself. "You’re too much of a gentleman. I really don't understand you. You're the nicest guy I've ever met, and you're not married. You're one of the few bartenders I know who's not an alcoholic or a womanizer or a thief, or all three."
   "You wouldn't've said that if you'd known me a few years ago, at least not in regard to women."
   "But you grew out of it, not like most bartenders. It's a known fact that bartenders are the biggest cheats goin’, next to cops. "
   "That rumor has never been substantiated."
   The quip fell flat.
  "I could tell you stories about cops you wouldn't believe. And don't start makin' jokes to avoid the issue. I hate that."
   "So I have misled you?"
   She slapped at the bar in frustration. "No! I just don't want you to start to.”
   "I'm not ready to settle down, Deb."
   "When're you gonna be? You're thirty-six. I don't; care how young you look - the calendar doesn't lie."
   He hung his head. "Don't remind me."
   "As if I have to. You bring it up all the time. You're so vain about it. It's the only thing I don't like about you."
   "What can I say? You're right. It gives me the creeps to think I'll be in my sixties when my kids are in their twenties, if I ever have any, that is."
   "Then why don't you do somethin' about it?"
   "Because I'm not ready to give up acting."
   "I don't wanna hurt your feelings. You know how I feel about you. But after twelve years of tryin’ I'm thinkin' maybe you don't have what it takes."
    Stung, his eyes glazed. Still, he had to repress anger, as he knew the advice was sound, although self serving, and it merely reinforced his conviction that he should not wed. No wife should be expected to cope with a husband's failure at so distant a goal. He did not see himself giving up soon, as he'd invested so much time and energy in the struggle. He likened himself to someone who refused to relinquish shares in a plummeting stock.
   "I admire you for having the pits to say that. It's good to get an objective opinion once in a while because I feel I might not be looking at the situation realistically. But I do believe I have talent. I hope to prove you wrong." He straightened up. "Besides, tending bar's the only other type of work I enjoy, and bartenders have no business getting married."
   "Unless they're like you."
   "I'd love to play shortstop for the Mets, but I'm not good enough, and too old besides."
   She smirked. Lost in thought, he failed to notice.
   "God, I never thought I'd be too old to do something - not good enough, maybe, but never too old.  I'm older than eighty percent of the guys in the majors. I guess I really am gonna die someday."
   "I hope you never have any real problems, Freddie, I really do. I doubt you'd be able to handle them." She walked away.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought books today. All were in Russian. It was a session dominated by medical news: Barb on knee replacement, Shelley on her once narrow esophagus, Mikhail on the hospitalization of his wife, and Ed on the death of a friend. Rest in peace, A.W..
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
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza



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Monday, February 20, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/20 - Both Sides Now

My cable package does not include Fox News, so I never get the opportunity to check in there. Along with breitbart.com, it seems to be the only place willing to defend President Trump, who has caught flack from the mainstream media for his "last night in Sweden" comment. He was referring to a Tucker Carlson report that aired on the channel liberals love to hate. Part of it was devoted to police investigator Peter Springare, who in a Facebook post that went viral, described the events of a five-day period: five rapes, three assaults, a pair of extortions, blackmail, an attempted murder, violence against police and a robbery. All but one of the suspects was from a Muslim-majority country – Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Turkey. Springare was briefly investigated for possible hate crime incitement based on the post. Last month the police chief for the southern city of Malmo issued a plea for help curtailing a plague of attempted murders, beatings and rapes. About 32% of that city's occupants are migrants, although it is not clear what role they play in the crime wave. Malmo had 52 hand grenade attacks in 2016. Nationwide, the terror threat level is at “elevated” and police believe at least 300 Swedish nationals have traveled to Syria and Iraq for jihadi training. On Feb. 11, a Swede and a Dane were arrested in Turkey, suspected of plotting to carry out attacks in Europe. Tofik Saleh, a 38-year-old Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin, had been training with ISIS since 2014. On the same day Springare posted his screed, a Swedish court turned over evidence to Belgium – seized in Malmo – in connection with the 2016 Brussels terror attacks. Sweden has taken in 650,000 asylum-seekers during the past 15 years, including 163,000 in 2015. Of those, 35,000 were unaccompanied children, or at least claimed to be. The children, mostly males from Afghanistan and Somalia, are identified only as minors by the age on the application. The only time one is rejected is when it’s “obviously” untrue, though there’s no clear definition of “obviously.” Of course, many may not be up to mischief but are simply trying to avoid deportation. Carlson warned this mass influx of migrants, many of whom are uneducated and jobless, has begun to alter the face and crime rates of countries such as Sweden. I've never been to Malmo, and I don't know anyone who lives there, so I have no idea if conditions are exaggerated, but the views of all sides should be heard - both sides now, as Joni Mitchell wrote. I hate arguing politics, but I just couldn't let this one go. I copied most of the above from the Fox News website, and edited it heavily.

Sign of the times: According to a brief piece in today's NY Post, a marijuana shop in Parachute, Colorado will have a drive through window when it opens in March. It shouldn't surprise anyone.

It was another gorgeous, late-spring-like day. My thanks to the mom who bought five young adult books for her two sons. The oldest, a seventh-grader, is reading at college level. I recommended three I'd seen on a list dedicated to  Black History Month: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. They came early in the session and were the only buyers. She gave me double what I asked, bless her heart. The oddest aspect of the day was the failure of the books in Russian to attract any interest.
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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Sunday, February 19, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/19 - Injuries

With nothing out of the ordinary in the news, I went list-trolling and found an interesting one at looper.com. When visitors to the floating book shop begin probing my motivation, I occasionally have to resist uttering the pretentious "One must suffer for one's art." Here are actors who have actually suffered for theirs, incurring work-related injuries that have had a lingering effect on their lives: Playing Mark Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon, Jared Leto gained so much weight so fast he suffered gout... In Philadelphia (1993) and Cast Away (2000), Tom Hanks lost a lot of weight. He believes losing and gaining the weight back, and possibly being "genetically inclined," may have been contributed to his Type 2 diabetes... In Syriana (2000), George Clooney cracked his head open and severely injured his spine. Doctors were at first unable to pinpoint the source of his ensuing difficulties, then noticed fluid leaking from his spine. The problem was more serious than anyone had thought. He had to to take strong pain medication and has never been the same... Jackie Chan once told Parade: "The most serious injury I had was during the shooting of Armour of God II (1991). It was actually just a simple stunt, jumping from a slope. But I was seriously injured and had a surgery to my brain. I still have a metal plate in my head and can feel the indentation from the impact... In The Expendables 3 (2004), Sylvester Stallone suffered his worst on-set fall, permanently injuring his back. A metal rod was inserted... When Arnold Schwarzenegger let off a round of gunfire in an elevator during the filming of Terminator 2 (1991), it caused Linda Hamilton permanent partial hearing loss... In Die Hard (1988), Bruce Willis, after firing a round, suffered "two-thirds partial hearing loss" in his left ear... Of the injury she incurred during the shooting of Thor: The Dark World (2013), Jaimie Alexander says: "I herniated a disk in my thoracic spine, dislocated my left shoulder, tore my right rhomboid, and chipped eleven vertebrae."... Michelle Yeoh was injured during Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), completely tearing an anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee... Tom Cruise hurt his foot in a most unusual way while making Jack Reacher (2012). He had to kick a guy in the groin in take after take. He says: "After about 50 times in, my foot was swelling… I kept having to loosen my shoe."... In Salt (2010), Angelina Jolie scarred her face while
diving through an opening door firing a gun… In Spectre (2015), Daniel Craig severely injured his knee. He put off surgery that would have halted production for six months, working through the pain.
He has since had a few surgeries to repair the knee... Those folks earned their big bucks. It's a reminder of how lucky I've been in terms of injury - knock wood.

There was no suffering for one's art at the floating book shop today, as the temperature approached the record high of sixty-something. My thanks to the young man who bought A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh, who was one of the leading British literary figures of the 20th century. I was familiar only with Brideshead Revisited, which was adapted into a highly regarded mini-series by the BBC. He wrote seventeen others, many short stories, literary criticism, and travel books. He was also a journalist, and saw action in WWII. He died in 1966 at 62.  
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
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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Saturday, February 18, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/18 - Not an Animal

RIP William James "Jim" Myers, 79, better known by his pro wrestling moniker George "The Animal" Steele. His real life persona was the antithesis of the one he adopted for the wacky stage that is pro wrestling. Myers earned a B.S. from Michigan State and a Master's from Central Michigan, then became a teacher and wrestling and football coach at his alma mater, Madison High School in Madison Heights, a suburb of Detroit. He is a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame. He started Madison's wrestling program in 1966 and won the state championship in 1969. In his 16 years at the helm, his team compiled 188 wins, 41 losses and two ties. I searched doggedly for his record as head football coach. If my math is right, MHS went 56-46 in his 12 years. Well done, sir. (Facts fromWiki, michigan-football.com & Steele's website) Here's my favorite Animal moment. It runs a minute and a half: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOEDaL1AKCY

Here's his high school graduation pic:



I'm not a big fan of drug movies. My attitude towards narcotics harvesting, distribution and sale taps into my sense of futility. The demand will always be there, and there will always be those willing to take risks to meet it and get rich. All the measures authorities do to stop it hardly put a dent in trafficking, at least that's the way it seems. I have no idea how to combat it. I have largely stayed away from them. Last night I watched The Infiltrator (2016), courtesy of Netflix. It's the story of one of the largest busts in history. Robert Mazur and two others went undercover to nail many of the kingpins in cahoots with Pablo Escobar. Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger and John Leguizamo are outstanding as the clandestine agents. I hadn't seen anything from Leguizamo in a long time. He dominates the first third of the film as a brash warrior, in contrast to Cranston's character, who is careful, business-like. Of course, the main danger of such work is being found out. Another is befriending the people one is taking down. This film does a great job of showing that aspect, without overdoing it. When the big move comes, it is obvious the three feel like rats. One aspect of the narrative seems off. Unlike in Donnie Brasco (1997), Mazur's family seems highly exposed. It makes one wonder why a married man or woman would be allowed to do such work. I don't know how closely the flick adheres to real life, so I'll leave it at that. The supporting cast is first rate. Veterans Amy Ryan and Benjamin Bratt, respectively, are on opposite sides of the law. Olympia Dukakis is wonderful as a ballsy rich aunt who helps the sting along. Made on a budget of $28 million, it recouped only half that at the box office in the USA. I suspect it turned a slight profit after overseas receipts and DVD sales and rentals. 37,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.1 of ten. I can't argue with that. Those who prefer fast-moving, slam-bang fare should probably pass. Although there is violence, it is not overdone. It runs just over two hours, and well worth the time.

The floating book shop had its first good day in a while. My thanks to the kind folks who made purchases, especially Sue, who bought Five Cents. She now owns seven of my eight books, having passed only on my high football saga, Adjustments.
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
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza

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Friday, February 17, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/17 - Reversals

I was just listening to the Sean Hannity radio show. His guests were lawyers Joseph diGenova and Jay Sekulow. The topic was the leaks that brought down NSA director Mike Flynn. They claim there is a conspiracy, through damaging leaks, among members of the CIA to bring down President Trump. They say the list of suspects has been narrowed to 20. Also, they cited a measure President Obama enacted, through Attorney General Loretta Lynch, made 17 days before the end of his term. I didn't quite understand that part of it, but the implication was clear, its purpose to undermine Trump. Several members of the press have touted the Flynn controversy as the biggest scandal since Iran-Contra. Is a complete reversal underway? If the accusations those two men made are true, even the mainstream media would have to cover the story. I'm skeptical and believe there has to be more to Obama's ploy, something far less sinister. I was in almost complete disagreement with the prior administration's policies, but I never thought Obama stupid. Would he have done something egregious hoping he wouldn't be caught? It seems far-fetched.

With business at the floating book shop as slow as it gets, I got a much needed shot in the arm yesterday at Facebook. Edward P. Ciesielski, author of In Sheep's Clothing, a crime thriller, responded to a post I made advertising my novel Killing, saying he bought it. Ed is a retired Maryland police officer, who rose to the rank of Sergeant. He investigated the deaths of 400 citizens. He was one of the officers who arrested Arthur H. Bremer immediately after he shot Alabama Governor George C. Wallace and three others at a shopping center on May 15, 1972. We share a publisher, All Things That Matter Press, which published my short story collection A Hitch in Twilight. To return the favor, I downloaded the Kindle version of his book. Thank you, sir. I frequently wonder if posting book info (I do one ad a day at FB & Twitter) is an exercise in futility. It's nice to get positive reinforcement.


 Another plus on the literary front: I received the proof copy of Close to the Edge yesterday. To recap, there was a glitch in it, the print on page 48 one-third the size of the rest of the book, a sentence underlined, an arrow pointing to it. Since the entire text was there, and given all the work I'd put into the process, I let it slide. Of course, it's haunted me periodically ever since. That error has been corrected. With a sense of trepidation, I went through the entire novel looking for the line breaks and lack of paragraph indentation I'd spotted after I transferred the file from its safe haven at Google Docs into the Create Space template. I was sure I would find several. Fortunately, there is only one, on page 105. Here it is:  
She locked the door behind him. The apartment hadn’t changed. It remained antiseptically clean and fragrant, white its dominant color. He wondered if the scheme had been designed expressly to relax the whites who visited. It was as if he were gazing at a snowy landscape through a large picture window.
The air-conditioner was set high, enhancing the effect...
It's a paragraph break. I'm letting it slide rather than going through the entire process again. Because the margins are narrower in the latest update, the novel shrunk from 310 to 233 pages, which reduced the cost of printing it and allowed me to the lower the price at Amazon to ten bucks, the same I charge for all of my books on the street. It's the only one that matches up exactly. And now it's on to next year's book, which I'm reluctant to begin work on because I'm scheduled for jury duty on the 28th. Who knows how much time that will eat up?

My thanks to the middle aged woman who donated about 40 books in Russian, and to the gentleman who bought 14 of them. I used to dread his appearance, as he always asks for half-price. I sense he runs a book shop of his own and wants to earn a profit. The way business has been lately, I was glad to see him. If not for him, it would have been a second straight session of zero sales.
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
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza

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Thursday, February 16, 2017

The Writer's Life 2/16 - Love's Executioner

It's said of works of non-fiction: "it reads like fiction." The reverse is true of Irvin D. Yalom's Love's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy, and that's praise, not criticism. The prose and dialogue are solid, highly accessible to laymen. The stories are riveting. The author grew up in D.C., the child of immigrant grocers and, despite such humble beginnings, went on to an influential career, teaching group psychotherapy and developing "existential psychotherapy." His writing centers on the four "givens" of the human condition: isolation, meaninglessness, mortality and freedom. He discusses how humans respond to these concerns in either a functional or dysfunctional way. The ten pieces in LE are based on his experiences treating patients. I have no idea how much is fact or fiction, but all are plausible. The one that fascinated me most, 26 pages, concerned a successful neurobiologist terrified about the content of three letters he cannot bring himself to open. The common thread throughout the collection is the fear of death, which at first manifests itself subliminally, and which the patients must bring themselves to face consciously. Yalom does not pretend to be omniscient and he is not pedantic. He tells himself: "Remember, you cannot do all the work. Be content to help a patient realize what must be done, then trust his or her own desire for growth and change." He fights to maintain patience, and reveals his own prejudices, which humanizes him. The title piece, the longest at 55 pages, refers to the case of an elderly married woman obsessed with a brief fling she had with a former therapist 30 years her junior. Most of the stories are at least 15 pages. One is only eight. Published in 1989, LE is still being discovered, at last check ranked 423,711 overall at Amazon, where more than 13 million books are listed. 307 users have rated it, forging to a consensus of 4.7 of five, a little higher than I would go. Yalon has had nine works of fiction published, six non. There are two documentaries based on his work. Only one of his novels, When Nietzsche Wept (2007), has been adapted to film. Although it did not receive good reviews, I added it to my list at Netflix. Love's Executioner... is geared to those fascinated by what lies below the surface of humans. I was fortunate to have come across it. Although my bugaboos are unlike those of anyone in the book, I related to the struggles of most of the characters.

Former MLB Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito is flourishing in his new career. His EP, No Secrets, is #15 on the Americana/Folk Album chart, and #39 on the Country Album chart. Kudos.

Here are poll numbers that reflect the political turmoil of the USA: Rasmussen Reports shows that 52% of voters approve of the job Trump is doing, 48% disapprove. The Gallup daily tracking poll finds 40% approve, 55% disapprove. Reuters, in its most recent update, had it 50-47.2%. In my mind, polls will be meaningless until a year or so has passed. (From theepochtimes.com)

No luck selling books on the street today. Back at it tomorrow.
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
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://tinyurl.com/l84h63j
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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