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Wednesday, January 17, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/17 - Discoveries

Lost and Rediscovered Literary Works by Famous Authors, from an article at mentalfloss.com by Claire Cock-Starkey, edited by yours truly:
Temperature by F. Scott Fitzgerald: 8000-word short story, written in 1939, features a hard-drinking writer who has a heart problem. Just a year after he wrote it Fitzgerald died of a heart attack. Found among his collection at Princeton, his alma mater, it was published in The Strand, a British literary magazine that has been around since the late 1800's.
What Pet Shall I Get? by Dr. Seuss: Discovered by his widow in 2013, published by Random House in 2015. It is believed to have been written between 1958 and 1962. It features the same brother-and-sister characters found in the 1960 bestseller One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
The Field of Honor by Edith Wharton: Nine-page short story found among the author's archive at Yale. It centers on WWI and is critical of the women who only superficially helped with the war effort.
Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Thing by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Written under A Gentleman of Oxford when the author was a freshman in 1810/11, it was not attributed to him until 50 years after his death. Believed lost forever, a copy was found amidst a private collection and offered for auction. 172-lines, 20-pages, the pamphlet is critical of the Napoleonic wars. It was purchased by the Bodleian Library in Oxford, adding to its world-famous collection of Shelley works and papers, the twelfth millionth book it acquired. It is available online for all to read.
The Early Stories of Truman Capote: Found among the author's papers at the New York Public Library, they were written before he reached the age of 20. While four had been published in The Green Witch literary magazine, the rest were new to the public. Penguin released them in 2015.

Will the fact that Donald Trump has received a clean bill of health physically and mentally stop the all out assault on the President by the mainstream media? Yeah, right. He's 71 and his BP is 122/74 - without medication! Great genes.

From Yahoo's Odd News: The American Meteor Society suggests a space rock penetrated deep into the Earth's atmosphere before breaking apart. The U.S. Geological Service says it registered as a 2.0 magnitude earthquake in Michigan. Residents reported their homes shaking. Here's a pic:


The floating book shop was snowed-out today. Fortunately, none of the white stuff stuck to the ground in Brooklyn. Back in business manana.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/16 - Voices, One Stilled, Another Probing

The music world suffers the death of many young performers. The passing of Dolores O'Riordan, 46, of the Cranberries is particularly shocking. She seemed to have recovered from back problems and had returned to live gigs. In 1994 she and her mates took planet Earth by storm with a powerful anthem on the Irish "Troubles." Zombie was a worldwide #1, fueled by O'Riordan's passionate vocal. I heard it on the radio just yesterday and, as always, sang along to "It's in your head, your head..." Here's a clip of the band's performance of the anthem on SNL. Thank you, Madam. RIP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeahBLM0QaQ


I received an email from Amazon this morning encouraging me to offer one of my books in a free Kindle giveaway at Goodreads. I hadn't logged into the site in ages, so long ago that my 2009 email address was my moniker. I just changed it to my current one and hit the link for verification. Of course, no email has followed - at least not yet. Just as in the formatting of my ninth book - why should it be easy?

While the mainstream media focuses on getting President Trump, it ignores a scandal that may be, in the words of a former secret service agent: "Watergate on steroids." Sara Carter has been investigating the Clinton Foundation's purchase of the fake Russian dossier on Trump for more than a year. That dossier was used by the Obama administration as justification for spying on Trump. I have no idea where this will lead. I suspect the swamp will close ranks to keep a lid on the specifics, as the public's opinion of politicians is at an all-time low. When I hear what may have gone down, I shake my head. It's the stuff of fiction. I have to check my partisanship, my desire to see all the accused pay the price for the alleged treachery, and President Trump vindicated. If the parties were reversed, the mainstream media would be all over the story demanding answers. Here's a picture of Carter, who seems one of the few genuine reporters left in this country:


Given the cold and forecast for precipitation, I wasn't expecting to operate the floating book shop today. Fortunately, the snow/rain held off and there was no wind, which enabled me to put in a couple of hours at my regular nook, despite the lack of sunshine. My thanks to the 30-something couple who purchased vinyl compilations by the Everly Brothers, Paul Anka and Andy Williams, and to the gentleman who bought a book in Russian.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Monday, January 15, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/15 - In the Shadows

Since I've been concentrating intently on the publication of my ninth book, Present and Past, I've needed light reading diversion on those days I've waited for a proof copy to arrive or for the file to be approved by Create Space. I found a perfect fit in Twilight Zone Revisited adapted by Walter B. Gibson, a large hardcover edition with illustrations by Earl E. Mayan. First published in 1964, it contains 13 stories. I recognized five. The teleplay of each of those was written by Rod Serling. I doubt he wrote any of the stories in the collection. Many are long, almost all are over-written. The only entry that rises above average is Beyond the Rim, which was titled 100 Yards above the Rim when it appeared on the series, and starred Cliff Robertson, whose character leaves his wagon train to search for water, and walks into the 20th century. I was curious about Gibson, so I googled his name. He has quite a history. According to Wiki, he was born in 1897, and graduated from Colgate in 1920. At first he worked as a reporter and creator of crossword puzzles in his native Philadelphia. After submitting pieces for Detective Story Magazine, he was asked by its publishers, in 1931, to produce the first print adventure of The Shadow, who at that stage was merely a voice, the mysterious narrator of radio crime dramas. He fleshed out the character and invented the alter ego, Lamont Cranston. It became a sensation. At least 283 of the 336 novels in the series are attributed to Gibson. He also worked on the comic strip, movie and parlor game offshoots. He was a writing machine, churning out 15,000,000 words on The Shadow alone - in some years 24 books! And he wrote others as well, children's adventure fiction, non-fiction on magic, psychic phenomena, true crime, rope knots, hypnotism and games. When did he sleep? He was the ghost writer for Houdini, Harry Blackstone and other magicians, and performed tricks himself. He did one Batman comic, DC #500. He is also a character in several works of fiction. Here's a picture of this amazing man, followed by the cover of one of the magazines:



I submitted an updated file of Present and Past and received approval from Create Space this morning. I downloaded a copy of the interior reviewer and have gone through 75 pages. I have a feeling I will be approving it for publication - finally.

My thanks to the young woman who purchased The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, to the young man who overpaid for a Webster's Dictionary in only fair condition, and to the middle age woman who asked for something on meditation and bought Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc


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Sunday, January 14, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/14 - Never Give Up the Dream

Here's another example of why no one should ever give up on a dream, culled from an article in today's NY Post, edited by yours truly: "A year ago Bill Hudson, 70, was singing doo-wop with a group of seniors at the 34th Street Herald Square station. Now the Bronx resident is fronting the 12-piece John the Martyr, performing in hip clubs like Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory and gearing up for his first record. He sang with bar bands in his youth, but put aside his ambitions when he got married and started a family. In 2010 he joined the a cappella group Spank, performing on cruises and as part of the MTA’s Music Under New York subway-platform program, which is how young JTM songwriter Kyle Ridley met him. At first Hudson wasn’t sure his soul stylings would meld with the band’s blend of rock, New Orleans jazz, traditional Japanese music and funk. He now loves playing with the 20- and 30-somethings in the group." Here's Hudson:


Michael Goodwin included info from the NY Times in his op-ed piece in the Post: "Your
government at work. ...the IRS paid private companies $20 million to collect $6.7 million from tax scofflaws." This is one of the reasons I support a flat tax and a dramatic curtailing of that
woe-begotten department. I hope its detractors never give up the dream of putting it out to pasture.

Jacksonville has shocked the Steelers in Pittsburgh, despite the return of WR Antonio Brown, out several weeks due to a calf injury. Do things always seem to fall New England's way, or am I just imagining it? Then again, recall that the Tom Coughlin led Giants beat the Patriots twice when it counted most. He is now GM of the Jaguars. Dream on, Patriot-haters.

While I was setting up the floating book shop today I didn't think I was going to last very long in the cold, despite the sunshine and diminished wind. Then I realized the breeze coming through Chase's drive-thru, so I moved over a bit and stood with my back to the bank's side wall. That did the trick. My thanks to the gentleman who gave me two bucks. I usually don't like to accept charity, but I wanted to make sure the drive to Park Slope and standing in the cold wasn't completely worthless. My thanks also to the guy who purchased one of the books in Tom Clancy's Net Force series. I thought that would be it until one of my recent admirers showed up walking his dog, saying: "There's the bard of Bensonhurst." He read Killing about a year ago and bought Five Cents a couple of months ago. He said "it really captured the era" ('70's). I was touched. His praise was greater than last time. Perhaps having read a second novel of mine proved to him the other was no fluke. He dubbed my work "significant." This time he chose A Hitch in Twilight, which I always tell customers is "just for fun." He added it to a bag of books he'd just purchased at Barnes and Noble, then stepped into the bar next door. As I was just about to break down the display, a young dad came along, his adorable one-year-old daughter strapped to his chest, and bought a Roy Orbison collection on vinyl. If I ever complain about bad luck, slap me.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Saturday, January 13, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/13 - Arrivals & Departures

Correction: In yesterday's blog I cited Arkansas senator the late J. William Fulbright as Hillary and Bill Clinton's mentor. It is true of the latter, but HRC's mentor was, of course, the former Grand Dragon of the KKK, the late West Virginia senator Robert Byrd.

I've been lucky renting obscure sci-fi movies from Netflix lately. Last night I watched Alien Arrival (2016), produced and shot in Australia. It begins as a prison drama, evolves briefly to a tale of revolution, then becomes one of survival. For awhile it seemed to be going the way of the Alien series. Fortunately, it brought a fresh spin to that tired angle. There were several aspects of the story I didn't get, but I enjoyed the main one. The cinematography is fantastic, but the special effects are not up to the standards of contemporary cinema. The beast especially seemed to be from the pre-CGI era. I was completely unfamiliar with the cast, which is usually good, as there are no pre-conceived notions about the actors. Dan Mor, an Israeli, and Aleisha Rose, an Aussie, star. It was written and directed by Jesse O'Brien, his first big screen effort after three shorts. 1400+ users at IMDb have rated Alien Arrival, forging to a consensus of 4.5 on a scale of ten, way too low in my opinion. Six is more like it. It runs only 95 minutes. Those squeamish about violence, and those who need a fast pace and constant action should pass. I would not call it cerebral. It's quirky, although virtually without humor, and a little different. Here's a still:


RIP legendary sports announcer Keith Jackson, 89. He covered the AFL and NFL, the NBA, MLB, the Olympics and worked on ABC's Wide World of Sports. He did the first broadcast of Monday Night Football. But his most memorable work came calling NCAA football. He was always a pleasant listen. I particularly enjoyed his take on passes completed downfield: "Got im!" Well done, sir. Thank you.

Almost three weeks after Christmas and an unusual amount of packages are still being delivered to my building. I hope it means the first quarter will see continued vigorous economic growth.

This morning I submitted the updated file of Present and Past to Create Space. Once that is approved, I will scan the online reviewer, then decide whether to approve publication or order a third proof copy.

It was a gorgeous afternoon, as long as one was out of the wind. My thanks to the young man who purchased a sci-fi compilation, and to the elderly woman who bought a short story collection by the fairer gender.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Friday, January 12, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/12 - The 500 Club & Sins

Last night Movies!, 113 on Cablevision in NYC, ran Laura (1944), which I've seen several times. I'll watch anything that stars Gene Tierney, one of old Hollywood's great beauties. It co-stars Dana Andrews, one of Tinseltown's all-time most under-rated actors, Vincent Price, Clifton Webb, and Dame Judith Anderson. In researching the cast at IMDb, I came across another member of the 500 club, actors who surpass that total in screen appearances at that awesome website. James Flavin has 509 credits under his name, which does not include multiple appearances on TV Shows such as The Roaring Twenties (33), Burns and Allen (9), Mr. Ed (8) and others. In the unofficial derby he trails Stanley Blystone, who made at least 546 appearances, and Irving Bacon, who made 545. There are probably others in the exclusive club. Every once in awhile their totals are added to, although they are long dead. I imagine there are rabid fans out there who keep a lot closer track of this than I. Here are pictures of  Blystone, Bacon, Flavin and Tierney:





President Trump has put his foot in his mouth again, labeling a list of countries read aloud at a private meeting as "shitholes." Other presidents, of both parties, have been offensive off the record. Trump should have realized he has enemies waiting to out such a gaffe. He has been plagued by leaks since day one. I expect liberals will now schedule their vacation plans for the 13 countries mentioned. Syria is particularly lovely this time of year.

Here are choice doings by leftist icons, culled from a 2015 article by Renne Nal: FDR appointed prominent Ku Klux Klan member Hugo Black to the Supreme Court. His Executive Order 9066, “authorized the internment of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and resident aliens from Japan." Olympic hero Jesse Owens said: "Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me." Woodrow Wilson said: "Segregation is not a humiliation but a benefit, and ought to be so regarded by you gentlemen." Bill Clinton was among “three state officials the NAACP sued in 1989 under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965″ for suppressing the black vote. During his twelve-year tenure as governor of Arkansas, Clinton never approved a state civil-rights law. However, he did issue birthday proclamations honoring Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. His mentor, and Hillary's, was Sen. J. William Fulbright, who “was one of 99 congressional Democrats to sign the Southern Manifesto, which declared that the Southern states had a right to keep their populations segregated by race.” It was signed by 101 members of the U.S. Congress, including 19 senators and 82 members of the House of Representatives. 99 were Democrats.” LBJ claimed his efforts would secure the vote of the “n-----s” for “200 years.” As someone said long ago: "Let he among you who is without sin cast the first stone."

Let the rain wash the snow and salt away - and clean the old Hyundai.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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Thursday, January 11, 2018

The Writer's Life 1/11 - Politics, True Love & More

According to an article in today's NY Post, NYC's limousine Marxist mayor is following California's lead in trying to shakedown oil companies for damages incurred by storms caused by climate change. Why doesn't he try to run his town without the use of any fossil fuels - for just a few minutes? I'm sure his constituents would love what would ensue.

I was very disappointed to read that President Trump may support the restoration of earmarks to expedite the passage of bills. I hope he changes his mind. Congress already squanders billions on useless items such as the infamous Bridge to Nowhere.

From Yahoo's Odd News comes a great Awwww moment. A Minnesota aviation student took his girlfriend on a flight and flew over the following, which he written in the snow:


Also in the true love category - an Arizona couple being chased by police crashed their SUV in the desert, got out and embraced before being arrested. The 35-year-old male was charged with suspicion of criminal damage, unlawful flight and other offenses. Here's a pic:


The second episode of season eleven of The X-Files was far superior to the first, but still well short of the heights to which it soared in its best years. This morning a radio piece on entertainment said Gillian Anderson will not return if there is a season twelve. If the first two episodes of 2018 are any indication, the show must not go on.

I've finally found a solution to a bedeviling formatting problem regarding my ninth book, Present and Past. It dawned on me to ask Google. Sure enough, others have been baffled as to why the right margin does not remain consistent. In some instances, sentences were only 20 or so characters long. I eliminated much of the problem by using a template from DiggyPod. That took a lot of air out of the book, reducing it from 321 pages to 256. Still, the issue persisted in places. Someone named CyberTaz at microsoft.com addressed it. It will be a tedious process. I've done 112 pages so far. The count should drop a little more. I should probably order a third proof copy, which will delay publication, although I may risk using the Create Space online checker, approving the book if things look good, then ordering only three copies from Amazon, and ordering more if everything is okay with those. I hope I remember all the procedures when it's time to get serious about next year's book.

I was back at my usual nook today. I got a lot of hugs, kisses, handshakes and best wishes for a happy new year. My thanks to the young man who purchased Leon Uris' Exodus, to the other who bought Ziglar on Selling by Zig Ziglar, to the old-timer who selected a book in Russian, and to the gentleman who chose Mario Puzo's Fools Die. 
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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