Walking Crawl

I’m a terrible…bloggist? blogman? blogger? It goes back to my early education. I’m still a goose quill and parchment guy. It took years for me to get a blog and then only because I threw myself at a Poohby foot begging. Wanna know how bad I am? Go to my Amazon Author Page. It turns out I have more than one. Who knew? So I’m now forced to try to straighten it all out. Why not call for the Poohby, you ask? People tend to run screaming into the night.

I’ve made progress recovering from my exploded knee. I‘m actually walking (teetering) now. This means I should pull myself up (by my fingernails) and address my electronic communications issues. I really need to straighten out Amazon because I now know why people say they have trouble finding my books. They can’t find me. But the noted Mexican-American professor is probably getting lot of hits that have him asking “Jeff Who?”

So, I’m about to crawl.

Pandemic hit when I published A-ROVING NO MORE. Well, I had all that time, so I finished TO WAKE THE SLEEPER and it was sitting there, so I published it, assuming the quarantine would end and readers would rush to buy my books. If they could find them. (That pesky Author Page thing.) All unknowing, I went on to WHERE ARE THE SNOWS? Well, the pandemic was still around, but I wasn’t having decided tearing my patellar tendon would be fun. (Twice.) Having time on m hands, (I’ve said that before, haven’t I?) Pandemic is hopefully easing though PutPut-Put is raising the temperature. What to do?

Since I’ve developed this habit? addiction? failing? of publishing books, I now have A SLOW TREK on the teeter board. Jump? (Publish.) Or crawl back on the board and sneak down the ladder. You’ll soon find out. Meantime, I’ve made a discovery (belated.) The books aren’t about Jeff at all. It’s Bryna’s story.

I should have discovered that in SHREDS AND PATCHES when her letters home made up about 40% of the book. Surely, by WHERE ARE THE SNOWS? where 40% of the book is her sessions with the doctor. This gave her ideas. It also gave the other characters ideas. So in A SLOW TREK, everyone is clamoring to give there version of things. In fact, Bryna has to fight to get her version in. There were a lot of voices in my head (Doctor, I hear voices…) Jeff is about to learn his Bobby Burns, “O, wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels s others see us!”

Jeff is about to learn some truths.

Oh, back to Bryna. Since she’s discovering who she is and that she has a voice, I fear she is going to want to tell more and more of the story. Jeff may be about to become a super in his own books. Stay tuned.

kneed two know

I’m sure everyone is sick to death with my whining about my knee surgery, so l won’t. It’s been a long haul but I’ve had good care from my doctor and my family. I have much to be grateful for. Bt by gum and golly I am ready to heal. I’ve gone from bed to wheelchair to walker to cane and since the knee occasionally gives out on me I don’t think I’m going to lose the cane anytime soon. Helas.

On the other hand, I’ve had nothing but free time so I went back over all my books, fixing infelicities, print errors, and just plain old bad writing. I’ve also found things that were not, or insufficiently, explained. I had good writing teachers but when it comes down to it, you have to be your own harshest editor. I was told that you’re not a writer until you can cut a passage you absolutely love (a work of sheerest genius) because it doesn’t work there, in that time, in that spot. Another thing I had to face is that I’m a good deal less clever, witty, and prescient than one (me) might think and my sense of humor can be pain in someone’s royal fundament. So that has to go, too.

It’s been absolute hell. I’ve loved it.

Possibly under the good vibrations emanating from all that humiliation I was able to finish a book I began (I kid you not) in 1991. That’s 30, three zero, thirty years. It went from as short as 80,000 words to over 600,000 words and I was never happy with it. I have good forebearing friends and relatives who will happily (teeth gritted and cursing under their breath) read a work in progress and give an honest (sometimes too honest) opinion. These folks are pearls beyond price.

Being only arrogant, but not completely arrogant, I took their suggestion, opinions, editorial advice to heart. Sometimes. LOOKING FOR TENNESSEE WILLIAMS is dedicated to those folks who were good loving friends, though none of them speak to me any longer. Well, one is deceased so I cut him some slack. I finally got the book into a shape I was not embarrassed to publish. And, yes, I’ve rewritten it as well during the great Knee Hiatus.)

On that… right when the pandemic began, I published the sixth Jeff Chaussier and since the thing dragged on and on I wrote and published another. Sorry to say, there are three other Jeff’s in the pipeline though number ten is not yet finished. Because the knee got better and though I can’t drive I’ve hired two family members as Uber drivers and can get out a little. Largely, to see doctors about my knee.

My knee. That’s what I was supposed to write about.

Too late now. I’m tired.

HARDY

Everyone likes hardback books. They’re permanent, durable and very handy to prop up an uneven table or chair. So far I’ve put Jeff Chaussier out in e-book, paperback, and audible. But you have longed for something SOLID to wrap your hand around. Fear not. By Christmas 2021, Jeff will be available in hardback as well. So, don’t discard that wobbly furniture. With eight books out, you can prop up all four legs. You might want to read the book, too. That would mean rotating the books around the legs, but my readers are intelligent. You’ll figure it out.

2021 Louisiana Book Festival

No Louisiana Book Festival again this year, but do not weep. They are doing it virtually. Each weekend a new series of author talks will play on their website. AND they have a virtual catalogue with a nice full page ad for LOOKING FOR TENNESSEE WILLIAMS which, by the way, you can buy on this page. Neat looking catalogue. They did a good job. You missed the first weekend but November 6-8 and 13-15 there will be a whole new slate of presentations.

You can also go to their YouTube channel HERE

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.