JACK'S BLOG
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Short StoryI never liked school, not from the first day to the last. Like Louis L'Amour, I found that it got in the way of my education. Sadly, I wasn't as wise as L'Amour. He left. I didn't. Well, to be honest, I did leave, twice, the very first day. L'Amour waited until he was a bit older and able to escape those who would take him back.
I have told and retold the tale to my friends and family too often. They don't need to hear it again. So, I decided to share it with you...
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Oh Dark Thirty“The science is settled” sounds more like a pronouncement from a cleric than anything a scientist would ever say, doesn't it? It's the kind of thing tyrants say to quiet dissension and impose their will upon their subjects. Well, that is in fact what is happening in the global climate change debate. The only thing to be settled is who will control the people and how will they control them. Pseudo-scientists like Al Gore are using the threat of global catastrophe by severe weather to scare the minions into submission. Indeed, if the former Vice President should ever decide to pursue another career, I believe he would make a remarkable actor. He already has an Academy Award for his work in science, the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth. I could well imagine him among the cast of Monty Python's Flying Circus... Good ReadI'm not lucky all of the time. You could say that I'm lucky to just break even on every chance I've ever taken. (If you met my first and second wives you'd understand just how true that statement is) However, I did get lucky, really lucky just once while writing my first novel... When I wrote my first novel, Rebels on the Mountain, I crafted a hero to fit the role of a soldier/spy observing Fidel Castro and his revolution in Cuba. It seemed obvious that my man would have been too young to have fought in World War II and thus learned his craft in the Korean War. As the story evolved, it became essential that he have friends in France and be fluent in their language (you'll have to read the story to understand why). Thus, I had him fight in a desperate battle alongside French soldiers. A quick check of the history showed me that there were French forces among the UN command there and thus I felt I had factual backing. My lack of in depth research came back to bite me when I decided to write a prequel to Rebels, The Accidental Spy, a story set in the Korean War. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the amazing story of Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Monclar and his French Battalion, and the battle of Chipyong-ni. As luck would have it, I had accidentally placed my hero in the midst of one of the most significant battles of that war fighting alongside a unit that won a Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in that action.
AmericaHillary Clinton already has a campaign war chest reportedly exceeding $2.5 Billion. Her opponents in both parties are attempting to match it. Despite the obscenity of campaign spending for elected office in America, there doesn't appear to be any political will to rein it in. Why? Could it be that the prize is simply too great to scrimp on spending to achieve it?
What if instead of treating the illness - campaign spending - we focused on reducing the value of elected office? Lights Out is a short story, a dream of mine, in which campaign contributors learn that the return on investment for campaign contributions is suddenly diminished. Would campaign finance reform be a mute topic? WritingIn case you're wondering why this website exists, I'm trying to sell my books. Sadly, I have to say that because its purpose is not reflected in its results. Also unsuccessful are my efforts to sell books via social media - Twitter, Facebook, and the like. Even sadder, I don't have the financial wherewithal to advertise in more traditional venues. Some authors have written for specific genres in hopes of finding an audience. If they can't find one that works for them, they create it. Boomer Literature was such.
Claude Forthomme championed and nurtured Boomer Literature after publishing a couple of works. Both were well-written but, like mine, remarkably poor sellers. Her advocacy caught my attention early on, but I failed to get it. What is Boomer Literature I wondered: Books for old farts or books by old farts or, maybe, both? I fear that I still don't get it. I'm not sure how well Claude's scheme has worked for her. We haven't discussed sales in some time. However, I think I'm ready to take the plunge. I've come up with two concepts that seem as though they might be sure-fire best sellers. First, there's Cooking at Room Temperature. The idea was suggested by my predilection to forget to turn on the burner under pots and pans when I cook meals. The second is Jack's After Cooking Cookbook which will feature suggestions for dishes to prepare on the stove top or in the oven after failing to remember to turn them off using the scraps leftover from the earlier meal (and thus allay your spouse's fears that you are a candidate for the Alzheimer's academy). The true genius of this series of books lies in the fact that I can expect old farts like me to repurchase many times inasmuch as they will have forgotten they already have copies on subsequent visits to the book store. At least, that's the plan... |
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