(Apologies for going off-topic, but sometimes this blog is the easiest place to publicly post things like this. I did sign a book at the party, so there is some relevance…) By popular demand, here is the playlist as heard at our Les Zygomates elopement party shindig on the east coast. Enjoy! Wildflowers – Tom…
Evolution of Local Boy Covers
I mentioned in the commentary for Chapter 15 that the short set of covers Local Boy first plays for the narrator underwent a number of iterations. Thought it would be fun to explore those old versions here. In the very first draft (circa 2003), the songs were: I’ll Follow the Sun We Can Work It…
Local Author Done Good
From my hometown paper, The Easton Journal:
Paperback Writer
Timely Persuasion is now available at Paperback Junction at 669 Washington Street in Easton, MA. Paperback Junction is probably the first book store I ever frequented as a child. Bought all of my summer reading books there every year, hung out in the used book corner while my Mom ran errands at adjacent stores, religiously…
Buddha Blessed?
Some astute readers have pointed out that the narrator’s journey has an uncanny similarity to the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism. To learn more about this concept, visit Wikipedia or read The Way to End Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi. For an analysis of how this fits into the story of Timely Persuasion, read on. 1….
Commentary: Prologue (Reprise)
There’s a little epilogue to my tale of sadness. Originally I used the typical Prologue/Epilogue pairing. Later I changed them both to Prologue to emphasize that they were sort of the same chapter as told before and after the events of the book. I didn’t really like losing the song titles as chapter titles theme…
Earthquake
LA had an earthquake today. In a case of life imitating art, I was sitting at my desk when I felt the chair move. It wasn’t just the chair. Everything was shaking. A coffee mug rattled on the desk. Books toppled like dominoes on a shelf above me, knocking a baseball onto the floor. A…
Commentary 26: Across 26 Winters
And we’ve almost come to the end. Generally speaking, 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. Let’s see how I did… So,…
Commentary 25: 25 Minutes To Go
One last blink to set things right, and our hero finally learns enough to know what has to be done. I sort of knew from the beginning that the story would more or less start and end at the bowling alley, and that comes to fruition here. Other tidbits: My wife’s favorite excerpt is the…
Commentary 24: 24 Hour Party People
We get a little time travel heavy at the start of this chapter as far as “rules” go, but later move into some hands-on fun as Local Boy revisits his origins with an eye on trying to undo them. Other tidbits: I admit the cliffhanger in the previous chapter was a bit of a tease…