Skimming the archives, I normally start these commentary posts with some fun facts about my state of mind leading into a particular chapter. Today I’m stumped. This one just is what it is. Never let the truth get in the way of some good tidbits… Some Good Tibits: Check out Local Boy Done Gone
Category: Behind the Scenes
LBDG Commentary 2: If Only No One Won
Easily my favorite chapter title. Could’ve also been the subtitle of the book (and is now the subtitle of this blog…). Chapter 1 closed with Local Boy running off to write “If Only” even though the first book told us this was supposed to be when he wrote “Won One.” The chapter merges both titles…
LBDG Commentary 1: October 1969
Kicking off my traditional series of author’s commentary posts for Local Boy Done Gone with—wait for it—Chapter 1! Before we go there, a quick origin story: There was always an idea for a sequel to Timely Persuasion, but I never thought I’d actually write it. Years later came a completely different concept of a companion…
New Novel: Local Boy Done Gone
Four leap years ago today I started this blog the same day my first novel Timely Persuasion was released. Now that 2/29 has come around again, I’m proud to announce a sequel to Timely Persuasion titled Local Boy Done Gone. Picking up in 1969 at the point where folk rock superstar Local Boy goes back…
Remixing Heartman & Songstress
L Extreme plays out in album order as a track-by-track adaptation of A Love Extreme, but ironically following the song sequence generated a non-sequential narrative that loops back on itself in a series of flashbacks. Keeping score at home? Excluding framing devices, re-arranging the chapters into chronological story would be along the lines of: 21, 3, 8,…
Benji Hughes, Agatha Christie, Anne Rice, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, David Foster Wallace, Kurt Vonnegut…and me!
One goal I had for L Extreme was to capture the genre crossing styles Benji Hughes uses on A Love Extreme the album through the various song/chapters. Recently I remembered this old I Write Like text analysis website and wondered how well I did at mixing things up. Let’s see… In 15 chapters, I write like Agatha…
LX Commentary #26: Baby, It’s Your Life!
Endings are tough. You need to tie up as many dangling threads as possible, leave the reader satisfied that reading the book was worthwhile, and try to go out on a memorable high note without it feeling abrupt or forced. That’s something I wrote a dozen years ago in the commentary post for the final…
LX Commentary #25: Lyegue
One final instrumental to segue us into the finale! Like Coyotes, in the first draft this was a Benji-centric dream. Realizing that chapter needed to focus on L opened the door for C’s starring turn here. Way back in Tight Tee Shirt, C conveniently said “I had a dream last night too. A dream about…
LX Commentary #24: Love On A Budget
Defeating the villain was (seemingly) the point of the previous chapter, but we still have 3 songs left. What’s next? It’s about to get weird… Just like the song says: “Love on a budget doesn’t make much sense anymore.” A simple line, I embraced the second half of that lyric here—but that’s not how it…
LX Commentary #23: So Much Better
After reading the slapsticky, Monkees / SNL sketch inspired first draft, my longtime first reader / editorial voice of reason Jon Mack commented on sections that were “witty banter for the sake of witty banter.” It was fair criticism that got me thinking if there was a way to have witty banter with a purpose….