Literary Titan Interview with Author JP Mac

 

assignment point

What's the next step when life crumbles on all fronts but one?

And then the last front falls with the rest.

A brief interview with Literary Titan explores my reaction to extreme misfortune as chronicled in How to Run a Marathon in 13 Years.

Recently visited Tennessee and am growing more comfortable spelling the state name in various posts. More on the trip soon,

9/11 Recalled 2022

K called from Florida, "Planes crashed into the World Trade Center and one of the towers just fell." Unemployed in Los Angeles and half asleep at 7:30 AM, I shuffled downstairs to the TV, past Joy as she prepared for work. At first, all I saw was a dirty cloud obscuring southern Manhattan. Then a stunned announcer said the second tower had just collapsed. Joy joined me, work forgotten as we learned of the attack.

Other friends phoned throughout the day. Paul Rugg speculated about the pilots of the doomed aircraft, certain they weren't Americans forced to crash. TJ, a Vietnam vet, was incensed at the footage of jubilant Palestinians with their candy and AK-47s. He wished he could gift them with a nice buttering of napalm. In a grim mood, I agreed.

Watching TV and power-chewing Nicorette, I mostly felt numb — except when the subject was jumpers. Then I felt horror. Go to work, sip coffee, joke with your pals, then decide whether you'll suffocate, burn alive, or leap a quarter mile to certain death. Questions of etiquette arise: jump solo or hold hands with a co-worker? Perhaps several of you link arms and form a chain, finding courage in numbers. Or do you clutch a table cloth and step into the air, desperately hoping it slows your fall?



The journey takes ten seconds.


Air velocity rips away your shoes.


You explode on impact.


I will always be haunted by the jumpers of 9/11.


Oceans of paper were blasted from the towers, filling the New York sky like the Devil's ticker tape. Invoices and wedding invitations floated down to gray sidewalks.

My friend Cathy, who worked in D.C., reported chaos as the government sent everyone home at once following the Pentagon attack. One jammed intersection turned scary as a man leaped out of an SUV brandishing a pistol and attempting to direct traffic.

Being murdered is not a heroic act, though it can be. Flight 93 passengers fought back and died, saving many more in their sacrifice. North Tower Port Authority employees rescued over 70 people before perishing.


There were many heroes that day.

My sister Mary Pat and I had dinner at a coffee shop. She was passing through town, leaving a job in Mountain View, CA to return to Phoenix. Depressed by the day's events, our meal was not jolly.

Later, Joy tried to give blood, but the hospital was overwhelmed with donations and refused.

Vulnerability, grief, dismay, anger.

Such a beautiful morning with a sky so blue.

(Photos from: Little Green Footballs.)

Repost: Sept. 11, 2008

Update: Strange to reread this. TJ died in 2009 and K passed away just over a year ago. My wife, Joy, and I are doing well, as is Paul Rugg who now rides the train. 

Repost: Sept. 11, 2013

Update: I had cancer surgery last year, but recovered. My wife is doing well and my sister battles her own health woes. I have not heard from my friend Cathy in a few years.  Paul Rugg continues riding the train in addition to being a voice over machine.

Repost: Sept. 11, 2015

Update: Paul Rugg's daughter was not quite two years old on 9/11/01. Now she is a freshmen in college. I have retired from TV animation writing, though, as stated elsewhere, I find retirement to be indistinguishable from unemployment. (Save for a small annuity.) And very soon, I shall ride the train to see my sister. (Explanatory post t/k.)

Repost: Sept. 11, 2017

Update: Ten years have passed since I composed this post, 17 years since the incident. Alas, the greatest hit to our nation continues to be a colossal security apparatus that can't seem to function without monitoring everyone's communications, then lying about it. I'd rather not comment on airport theater. Still, my wife remains gainfully employed and I'm racing to complete a dystopian thriller by Christmas. Amidst the great events, the little things carry us forward.

Repost: Sept. 11, 2018

Update: About to publish a softcover version of my prostate book. Meanwhile the Afghanistan Forever War continues. I refuse to believe that for almost 20 years, there's been no better way of fighting the Taliban than sending billions to Pakistan to provide hiding places for them while they infiltrate Afghan government forces and assassinate our advisors. The Byzantine Empire lasted over a thousand years battling multiple enemies on different fronts, employing a combination of diplomacy military prowess, and strategic alliances. With the entrenched, consequence-proof dimwits we have infesting Washington D.C., we'll probably end up surrendering to the Taliban.

Repost: Sept. 11, 2019

Update: How odd to stand on the threshold of twenty years. Given the riots and chaos of the pandemic, the blithering repose of local government re. small-business-killing lockdowns, the event is passing with barely a mention. If I hadn't spotted a NatGeo special on the Twin Towers, I might've forgotten myself. Interesting health issue, with cataract surgery, an upcoming new crown—for a tooth—and the results of a biopsy for skin cancer. Paul Rugg works on a Henson TV show, and his daughter nears the end of her undergrad studies. My sister continues on with NPR in the unburned portion of the Pacific Northwest. I will publish a book of my short stories by Christmas. Joy's work will soon restore her full pay, slashed during the lockdowns. Since South Dakota never locked down at all, shouldn't their population be deader than the Sioux at Wounded Knee? Not all experts are experts.  

Repost: Sept. 11, 2020

Update: 

What I wrote sarcastically in 2019 came true. A devastating mortifying defeat. 

Repost: Sept. 11, 2021

Update: Paul Rugg's daughter was recently married. Paul and his wife are moving to Virginia to be somewhat near her. I've just finished a book on my thirteen-year journey to run a marathon and am preparing for a trip to Tennessee. Perhaps I'll also depart from the once Golden State, a large garbage can with palm trees.

Repost: Sept. 11, 2022

 

Marathon Book #1

 Mine is on the far left in the number one slot. How to Run a Marathon in 13 Years remains discounted through Sept. 19. After that, the ebook will no longer sell for under a dollar, but bloat up like everything else. 

DISCOUNTED Marathon Book ON SALE

 Well, finally, it's about time!

I'm proud to announce the launch of:

How to Run a Marathon in 13 Years

How Hard Would You Fight For Your Dreams?

Back in November, in the wake of Surfers Point, I began assembling my notes, blog posts, Team in Training material, etc. It's been a long ten months, with many side tracks necessary to learn Aweber or Lumen 5 or Atticus or some other form of software necessary to self-publish. I'm already past this book, thinking of the next one. But I learned from prior publications that the job of really promoting your books begins NOW. In ten days, the price of the ebook jumps to 4.99. Grab it for under a buck today. Meanwhile, I think I'll celebrate in some low-key manner. 

 

Cornerstone Media

Upstream Reviews Weighs in on the Based Fall Book Sale

 

Read their post on the subject of FREE and DISCOUNTED books.

Test

 Why won't certain posts be published?

Update: Blogspot would not publish my post on Upstream Reviews. Now its Okay.

Based Fall Book Sale is Here!

AetherCzar

Shouty Attention Dialogue!!

Several cheap videos later, the sale has arrived.

FREE or DISCOUNTED ebooks await your discerning eye.

Visit AetherCzar and begin your reading frenzy.

 

Cornerstone Media

Fall Book Sale to New Worlds Coming Wednesday!

 

Yes, but not until tomorrow. FREE and DISCOUNTED books abound in many genres. Explore as you will but not now. Oh, no. Tomorrow.

Cornerstone Media

JustKindleBooks Promotes 'Marathon'

 Go to their fine platform as they promote discounted and free ebooks on the great Amazon beginning tomorrow, Sept. 6. Wednesday, Sept. 7.

If Lumen 5 ever delivers a video, I'll post it below. I was hoping for something unusual that combined AI and my imagination. So far, nothing.

Collaboration Between Lumen 5 AI and Writer JP Mac

 

justkindlebooks is featuring my new book on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Wednesday, Sept. 7.

My book is called "How to Run a Marathon in 13 Years." 

An award-winning, nonfiction memoir, 'Marathon' tells the tale of an aging runner. 

This man is hobbled by operations and his own failings, as he attempts to run another marathon. 

There are no vampires, steamy love scenes, or werewolves. 

If you see any next to this book, then it's probably not my book.

Visit justkindlebooks at: https://www.justkindlebooks.com

Eat lots of canned sausage. 

My head is made of iron from old bridges.

Humbug.

UPDATE:

This was a test to see what Lumen 5 AI came up when presented with unusual dialogue. Pretty disappointing. When stumped, the AI chose images with some kind of corporate graphics. A bolder AI has yet to make an appearence. I had to swap out most of its picks to keep the video from being a total snore.

Bargain Booksy Promotes Award-Winning Nonfiction

Bargain Booksy Singles Out "Marathon"

Under a dollar for the next ten days.

How Thoughtful They Are. Find it here.

Cornerstone Media