Spring Fever

Here we are...FINALLY...at the beginning of spring. My favorite time of year. I haven't been too busy writing lately because not only have I been a bit discouraged about the prospects of me being a first time author in todays publishing industry, but there's something about winter that makes me want to crawl into the side of a large hill and disappear for a couple of months. Maybe I hate February so much because the weather is too cold, or there's a gene in my DNA sequence that makes me want to hybernate like a bear, or maybe it's because the only thing on Sportscenter is endless replays of really tall guys slam dunking a basketball. (I'm fairly convinced it's reason #3) Personally, I don't believe there's a whole lot of talent involved in a slam dunk because if a guy can hang Christmas lights on the outside of his house without using a ladder, he should be able to put the ball through the hoop without much difficulty. I think if the NBA wants to put on a good show with the slam dunk contest every year, they should make the basket 30 feet high and let the players use whatever means necessary to get up there. That way, in a few years, the slam dunk contest would become a hybrid between basketball and X-Games motorcycle jumping. Now that would be entertaining. Anyway, even though we may have another cold snap or two headed our way before we get into serious outdoor weather, it's time for me to get moving and stick my head out of the cave. I have a new direction for Ruby's Prayer I'm excited about pursuing, and I hope have the book on the market within the next few weeks. Yep, springtime is here and it's my favorite time of the year. I can make a tee time a week in advance without having to worry about the weather changing, major league baseball is right around the corner, and the slam dunk contest is now over 11 months away. Ahhh yes!

New Year's Resolutions

Well, here I am sitting at my desk trying to figure out what kind of New Year's resolutions I should chain myself to this year, and so far I have come up with these five gems.
1) Find a reputable publisher that will put Ruby's Prayer on the New York Times best seller list.
2) Finish my second novel.
3) Start my third before fall sets in.
4) Buy a nice, quiet little villa somewhere at the tip of the Baja Penninsula, AND
5) See to it that my daughter gets into college so she can eventually get smart enough to marry the next great neurosurgeon who graduates from Rice University.
Whew! Talk about lofty goals! Just looking at them makes me tired. Which brings the question, are resolutions made this time of year really resolutions, or are they just simple wish lists made up by dreamers? Who knows, maybe they're both. I don't see why the first three items on my list can't come true because I've been aiming at them for the last year and a half, but I believe the last two are a little more out of my reach. As far as the villa in Cabo San Lucos goes, unless I win the lottery, that awesome view overlooking The Sea of Cortez will have to wait until the kids get out of college and I'm about 7 and a half years shy of that. And with resolution #5, well, we've got a long way to go on that one too because right now I'm just hoping she finally learns to keep her room clean. But what the hell, if I wasn't a dreamer, I never would have started writing in the first place.

Those Damn Clouds Are In Front Of My Daughter And The Eclipse.

For the last two or three weeks I have been looking forward to the total lunar eclipse scheduled to take place tonight. Unfortunately, all those clouds in the sky tonight did too. AND to make matters worse, my 18 year old daughter thinks I'm a loser because she can't look up and see the red moon she's read so much about on that scientific encyclopedia called Facebook. But, she has her own set of problems. Not only does she have no idea what a lunar eclipse IS, but she just came down the stairs and asked me where the moon WAS. I told her it was up in the sky, and since the only thing she really knows anything about is hair products, she took that as a reasonable answer. Then she punched me in the arm after realizing I was seriously making fun of her. Such is my life. I guess for now, we will sit here at the kitchen counter and make fun of one another until we either get too tired, or the clouds clear. But I hope the clouds clear, because then, not only can I show her the moon is indeed up in the sky, but maybe we'll even have a chance to pull out the telescope and give the red moon a good look. Later, after a few good laughs, I'll tuck her into bed and give her a kiss on the cheek. She's still my princess you know.

Stripped Bare and Baseball

If anyone out there stumbles upon this web site looking for pictures of beautiful girls playing baseball in all sorts of provocative poses without a shred of clothing on, I appologize for the disappointment you must be feeling right about now. Sorry about that. Wrong site. I suppose I should let it be known though, I didn't choose the title to attract all the pervs out there in the world today. I just thought 'Stripped Bare: The Chronicles of a First Time Author in Today's Publishing Industry' was the perfect name of this blog site for one, simple reason. For me, as an author, being stripped bare means sitting in front of the keyboard with no one else at home, no distractions or noises in the house, and all my attention focused on finding the one perfect word or phrase that can make a reader feel, see or smell a certain part of the story I happen to be telling. It also describes how I feel about trying to hitch my wagon to the publishing industry. I knew it wasn't going to be easy the moment I decided to get my book in print, but sometimes I feel a little naked out there trying to land my first big break.
Trying to get to get picked up by a publisher or an agent in the midst of the current publishing industry upheaval is like betting The Houston Astros will one day win The World Series. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? Hell no. The only two sure bets I know of nowadays are, 1) publishing companies will only fall all over themselves when they are trying to sign someone who is publishing their memoirs, and 2) there is a team out of New York that I do not care to mention by name who is guaranteed to win The World Series every four years. In the mean time, new novelists like me who are trying to earn a position in the literary game must be forced to stand outside the stadium and try to get noticed by juming up and down and waving our completed manuscripts in the air like sports crazed groupies trying to get an autograph. Yes, I know it's not fair, and unless you are a fan of pin stripes, about to publish the details of your last four years in office, or just concerned about moving on to another blog site because you're still looking for the aformentioned pictures, you know it can be tough trying to handle the rejection that comes with this craft called writing. I suppose it's what the game is all about though. And thank God I still have my keyboard, because right now, it is cold outside, the kids aren't home and there isn't a single noise or distraction in the house. And one more thing, the Astros have a few good players coming up, and their pitching isn't too bad either. Who knows? It won't be easy, but for some reason I believe 2011 will be a good year for being stripped bare and baseball.

How did I wind up trying to get published? And where the hell is my agent?

How did I wind up trying to get published? That's a good question. One I wouldn't have dreamed of asking myself until recently. It all started a couple of years ago when my wife and I were discussing the last of I don't know how many bad movies in a row, when I told her about this story that was bouncing around in my head. Next thing you know, after a lot of hard work the completed manuscript of Ruby's Prayer is on my desk and I'm telling myself it won't be long before it will be in the bookstores. But here we are a few months later, and the manuscript is still on my desk becauase it hasn't been picked up by a major publisher. Looking back, I guess it wasn't such a good idea to send out the first few query letters with the title, 'Whose ass do I have to kiss to get my book read?' Oh well, live and learn.
I put the finishing touches on the novel right about the time I convinced myself an agent would swoop down from out of the clouds, give me his best sales pitch on why I should sign with him instead of all the other loser agencies, nervously wring his hands until I finally signed my name to the dotted line, then quickly grab the contract before the ink was dry and take off out the door screaming with glee as he dialed his New York boss on his cell phone to give him the anxiously awaited news.
I wonder what happened to that guy? Where the hell is he? I would have never guessed he wouldn't have shown up by now. Maybe his flight was canceled, or his car won't start, or he joined the Peace Corp, or his boat is REALLY slow, or (insert bullshit excuse here). Anyway, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I finally do cross paths with the right agent because everyone who has read Ruby's Prayer believes it is a great story, but if anyone knows who or where that man or woman is, I would greatly appreciate it if you would direct them to this website, particulaly the contact link. I promise I won't give him or her any grief for not showing up until now.

This short documentary is narrated by Ron Keyser and features Tilly's Tap, the long forgotten railroad line featured in Ruby's Prayer.

This short documentary is narrated by Ron Keyser and features Peckerwood Cemetery; the Texas State Prison cemetery in Huntsville, Texas featured in Ruby's Prayer.