Prostate Book Prospers

Hot Prostate Book Finds a Friend

A metaphorical friend, to be sure, but a powerful one by any standard. What in the name of hickory do I mean? It all involves mysterious Amazon algorithms.

Honor by Association

Note the screen shot. My book is displayed as often being purchased with Dr. Patrick Walsh's definitive tome on prostate cancer. (Which I drew upon in my work. Walsh's book also happens to be co-authored by award-winning science writer—and most excellent supporter of my writing—Janet Farrar Worthington. ) Then, I'm linked yet again to the Walsh text in the "Also Bought" section. Wondrous additional promotion. It never hurts to pal around with #1.

Also (see above) I'm #6 in my softcover book category.

But What Have We Here?

Nothing less than my softcover and ebook occupying adjacent spots in the top 30 of all-encompassing category prostate health. (Such excellent positioning for an indie author.) Enough. My arm aches from patting me on the back.

Hallow Mass and Stalinfest 2019

quote ideas

No posts, nothing, a ringing silence, then a plug for Hallow Mass. Fancy a bit of seasonal scares and a boot in the butt to political correctness, give this horror-comedy tale a try.

Most of you may go away now as I intend to delve into things Stalinist.

My friend Dutch, author and raconteur, is moving after 35 years in Hollywood. I shared his dwelling for six of those years and remember the time as darn interesting. A ferocious reader, Dutch encouraged me to rummage through his book collection, an assortment mighty by any standard. Given our mutual love of history, I selected several books on a cheery little topic called Stalinism.

As an appetizer, I re-read Darkness at Noon. Arthur Koestler's fictional depiction of an old Red caught up in the meat-grinder of the Moscow Show Trials teased the palate, preparing me for the historically nourishing:

The Great Terror: A Reassessment by Robert Conquest. Reviewer Larry Slawson says:

"[Conquest's} reliance on such a wide variety of sources, in turn makes [the] book feel both informative and very scholarly in its overall approach. Conquest also possesses a superior writing style that showcases itself time and again throughout each chapter. The end result is a historical work that reads more like a novel with its narrative-driven style."

 I met Robert Conquest at the LA Times Festival of Books back in 2003. He mentioned a certain pride in deducing the terror's casualty figures. Considering the book was first released in 1968, I give the man mad respect. Back then, nothing emerged from the Soviet Union save weapons and propaganda, and several tank brigades for the disobedient Czechs. Amazed was I  by Conquest's accuracy as subsequent history would prove. (Sounded a bit like Yoda, did I.)

A break may be needed after "Terror." A stroll, a bit of fiction, I think.

Back to the table after my walk and right into a second Robert Conquest book, Harvest of Sorrow. From a review at Barnes and Noble we learn that those harvested were peasants of the Soviet Union in 1932 - 33. Stalin caused:

"a "terror-famine," inflicted by the State on the collectivized peasants of the Ukraine and certain other areas by setting impossibly high grain quotas, removing every other source of food, and preventing help from outside—even from other areas of the Soviet Union—from reaching the starving populace. The death toll resulting from the actions described in this book was an estimated 14.5 million—more than teetotal number of deaths for all countries in World War I."

Quite the under reported slaughter, though the New York Times reporter Walter Duranty wrote that everything was just fine and, besides, who couldn't stand to lose a few pounds? That's why I was glad to discover a few years back that Anne Applebaum had written Red Famine: Stalin's War on the Ukraine. Her book will constitute Stalinfest dessert as I look forward to encountering such new information as might have emerged since Conquest's 1986 book.

Anyone left reading? I thought not.

Thank You, People of The Netherlands!

gamblerspost.com

For reasons known only in Holland, I received almost 1,500 hits from the Dutch over the last several days. Ah, but why? What website or publication sparked this North Sea surge? Good or bad? Positive or lurid? (I enjoyed the acting of the late Rutger Hauer, but was modest in my praise.) If anyone in Holland is late to the party and writes English, please leave a message explaining the interest.

Working on Book 2 of my Hallow Mass trilogy. Since August 8, I have written 32,519 words coming out to 109 pages. Keep in mind that Truman Capote's novella Breakfast at Tiffany's rolled in at 108 pages. (That's the 1993 Vintage Books edition.) Comparisons? We both follow female protagonists and my current efforts are one page longer. That's about it.

Yet, out of my 32k worth of repetition and word bilge, there skulks a story about teaching, power, and the price of blind arrogance, all adorned in a dark urban fantasy hoodie. When will this tale see print? Right now, I'm thinking next March. First in line is my long short story on transgenic beasts and corruption as a young baseball player hopes to slide to safety in the face of an environmental experiment gone haywire.

"Eat Out" will be my first work published using Draft 2 Digital, a software program that formats your ebooks, then places same in markets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple Books. Similar to Smashwords, but the formatting process is reputed to be friendlier.

Should sales be brisk, I'll certainly include an edition in Dutch.

iamexpat.ni

Prostate Surgery Softcover Picking Up Steam

Durable Softcover Climbs the Rankings.

Up it goes, wedged in with dreary texts on machines lopping open men and removing certain organs soiled by cancer. My autobiography. Currently No. 7 and certain to rise higher. Of this, I am certain. And, yes, it is still available in glossy ebook format. Who knew cancer could be so profitable? I'd settle for a number of dry days, but those are the wishes of yesterday. Still, modest literary note is delightful and I'm going to continue saying as much.

huffington post

Vancouver Vacation and Washington Sunshine

Behold, the 32nd longest cable suspension bridge in the world!

Flying to Vancouver, then driving down to Washington, we passed over the Alex Fraser Bridge. A fine bridge with adequate lane space and no gaps in the roadway. All I ask for in a bridge. Despite the rain, and crappy airlines, we enjoyed ourselves and the favorable exchange rates currently available in Canada.

In Washington, we were fortunate to experience a sunny day. I went out for a short run—my first in the state since 2008—and observed the fabled Mt. Rainer.

In between the pole and some trees. Not much, I know. 

Better, more photogenic, views arose later but my camera was not available. Great to see the cousins and relax after a hectic time in Vancouver. Before leaving, my weight was down to 245 from a high of 271 in March. But I fear vacation eating has edged the scale back up. Then I'll start again, by heavens. 

9/11 Recalled 2019

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

They Took My Prostate Approaches in Softcover

Two posts in one month. How loquacious I've become! Set aside your Kindle. The softcover version draws nearer.

JP Mac Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Running

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My tale of murderous witchcraft in a Hollywood apartment building has been selected by Soteira Press. "Mark of the Bruja" will appear in an upcoming anthology of stories themed around horror in California. Keep an eye out for publication updates. A lot of water under the old author bridge since I last published a short story. Nonetheless, no better promotion for a writer.

"Prostate" inches toward publication as a softcover. The PDF should be finished by tomorrow and, hopefully, the back cover and spine by Tuesday. Possibly a dummy copy will be in our hands by week's end.

On the running front, my knee has been tender since early July. I've still been going out 3x a week, but taking it easy. Yesterday, I put in 3 miles, but failed to arise early and suffered from the late summer heat. Slow on the running front, but speeding across the literary veldt like a cheetah on the keyboard.

Griffith Park Luau 5k: Thoughts, Insights, Ruminations

Back with yet one more huge 5k medal.

I loath 5ks that allow strollers and dogs. Especially when the women pushing the strollers are faster than I. Also, it's not a grand idea to run 3.1 miles along Griffith Park bridal trails on a Saturday morning, which is a peak usage period. People training for marathons and sundry other races bolt through the pack and around the runners with dogs stopping to talk to non-runners with dogs. For the second 5k in a row, I felt a slight lactic acid buildup at the start, followed by fatigue, and the desire to quit and walk the race. Fortunately, such thoughts, if unentertained, turn listless and meander off.

On the upside, this was home ground. I often train on these very trails during the week when no one is about. On mile three, I was passed by a woman pushing a stroller and talking on the phone. This was too much. But I knew something she didn't. The final .1 mile featured very loose soil. Tricky for runners, especially those pushing wheeled conveyances. I passed her in the home stretch. But she found a patch of solid ground and came on strong. I gave it the gas and almost reinjured my knee, but extended myself enough to keep from being picked off at the finish line.

Thanks to this woman and child, I achieved my modest running goal for the race. (Sub 36 minutes, if you must know.)

Oh, Chi

Back in May, I noted different features of Chi Running. Today, I did quite well staying with cadence and leaning forward. But I lacked a speed burst. When stroller woman kicked, I fell out of chi running form and tried to race old school. This resulted in a tortured hybrid style that inflicted a sharp knee pain—the signal that I'm doing something wrong. This week I'll mark out 200 meters or so and practice sudden accelerations. In case I encounter more strollers.

Hallow Mass Volume II Outline  

Sloppy, scattered, but underway. I need to set solid deadlines if I hope to publish by Christmas of this fine year. I reread the original and was pleasantly surprised it didn't offend me with as many errors and poor writing as I'd feared. But onwards to December. 

Running and Prostate

Maximum Performance

A lonely ebook seeking softcover company. 

Both are doing well, thank you. Ran 4.4 miles today in new Brooks trainers. (Maybe not so new. I've had them 11 years, ever since injuring my knee.) Reading old 2008 posts, I was quite an optimist. Even with a known tendency to push myself and get injured, I always recovered eventually. The idea that my marathon days were a memory only registered very slowly.

And finished those days may be. But I'm game for one more go. After all, this time I have a book to write. Speaking of which, another marathon possibility might be my old target of the California International Marathon.

On the subject of books, I advance at a glacial pace in formatting my prostate ebook for softcover. Niggling details of a fraction here added to a fraction there. Such exacting trivia. I'm considering adding artwork, but if it looks like too much effort, I'll put it off for another edition. 

A Marathon for Me?

What's happened since July 4? Steady progress and early morning runs to beat the heat as I continue my plan of running a monthly 5k. In addition to augmenting a considerable technical tee-shirt collection, the races keep me focused and motivated to pick up the pace a bit on my 3x a week training runs. Coming up in August: the Luau 5k in Griffith Park.

Was a Marathon Mentioned in the Post Head?

 

Yes, good catch. I have set a goal: to RUN a marathon. Not soon. Not in 2019. Possibly in 2020, or so. But that distance will be target as I intend to chronicle my running comeback with a book detailing the decade of injuries, operations and dashed hopes that upended my dream of completing the Boston Marathon. The attempt to once more cover 26.2 miles—locally—will be the scaffolding upon which I construct a tale of defeat and . . .? Time, effort and a bit of luck will write the ending.

Who Are the Fine Contenders? 

Van Garner suggested I shoot for the all-downhill Ventura Marathon. A solid choice. Another selection might be the Surfers Point Marathon, a flat ocean-front course. In fact, my wife shall be joining me this November for a 5k along a portion of said marathon. Courses fast and flat or all downhill lack terrain variety and can stress your leg muscles through repitition. But I wont' be breaking any records. To finish an upcoming marathon, is to wear victory laurels—from a writing standpoint.

Hopefully, I don't end up like Pheidippides.

Santa Clarita 5k 2019

Back home and safe in time for the earth to move beneath my feet.

(Wow. Hot little earthquake just rocked the house as I sat down to write this. On it shook. But everyone is okay and the Internet didn't cut out.)

Back up in the foothills once again for a 5k. Super running weather: overcast with temperature in the mid-60s. I've run this race in 2007 and 2010. As you may note from the picture to your left, Santa Clarita has succumbed to the giant 5k medal bug.

No goodie bag, but a nice technical shirt.

I slept poorly last night, hated getting up early, and almost walked the whole thing, but I stuck it out for a 36:57 finish. That's seven minutes off from my January 5k.

Like '10, there are no more mile markers. Many people now run with phones in hand, listening to apps like Runtastic. Not me. I focused on my goal: finishing before anyone with portable oxygen.

Glad I went and did what I did. Happy July 4th! The grand experiment continues!

UPDATE:

My official finishing time and pace.

Tourist Promo for Portland, Oregon

Raise My Ranking During Hot Smashwords Sale

open culture.com

Raise it! Raise it high in the rankings, I say. For here is a reading bonanza awaiting you in the sultry month of July. I'll let ebook seller Smashwords explain more about their 11th Annual Summer/Winter Sale:

Are There Discounts of Some Kind?

"For the month of July only, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will provide readers deep discounts on ebooks. Discount include 25%-off, 50%-off, 75&-off and FREE. 

Explain More in Your Curious Way

At one minute past midnight Pacific time on July 1, the special Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale catalog goes live on the Smashwords home page. Readers can browse the catalog and search by coupon code levels [Indicating discount amount] and categories. After 11:59pm Pacific time on July 31, the catalog disappears. 

And Then?

The coupon codes are exclusive to Smashwords and will not affect prices at other retailers. There’s no need to remember coupon codes. Readers will receive the discount automatically by adding [a} book to their cart.”

Might I Suggest?

But don’t just add any book. Starting tomorrow through July, might I implore you to add one of mine? Yes, a plug, a pitch, a request, but, then, to do less would be to betray this very blog page as well as Smashwords noble summer sale.

I won’t do that. So stock up on your summer reading starting tomorrow. And read well this month. I’ll say no more on the subject. 

unsplash.com

Running, Writing, Vital Jake Plug

In Motion

Running consistently the last few months. My weight slowly trends down. With a 5k race approaching in three weeks, I'd like to work in some speed—a relative term when you're fat and slow.

No Story Like a Short Story

I'm hurrying along to finish another tale with a June 30 deadline.

T.L. Schreffler

Cohesion Press craves stories combining military and horror with an emphasis on last stands. I just so happened to have an unsubmitted story from last year that can be arranged to meet said criteria. Plus, I'm employing a new proof reader, which has forced me to advance my deadline. But we're talking upscale problems. 

"Prostate" eBook Selling Well

Very consistent sales, with a few purchases in the UK, Canada, and Australia. I welcome my English-speaking brothers in prostate cancer—and assorted side effects. I'm told this is Men's Health Month, a period dedicated to heightening the "awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys."

Back to Golf

In keeping with the spirit of the month, author Janet Farrar Worthington has been kind enough to excerpt part of my post-op cancer story on her VitalJake blog. Janet is a tireless booster of men's health in general and prostate cancer in particular. She's been a proponent of my book and I'm grateful for her promotion. 

With all the above in mind, I'm announcing the softcover version of They Took My Prostate: Cancer-Loss-Hope will be available August 9. I'll put up a pre-order page on Amazon for those who'd like to gift a guy facing this particular challenge. 

And a pleasant Sunday to all. 

Help For Indie Authors

Peace and Wellness to You

jpmacauthor.com is now LIVE!

Denver Post

Yes, This Was My First Rodeo

I'd thrown my saddle over the concession stand was kicking popcorn everywhere, convinced I was riding a web-building bronc. But for all my hacks and woes, the website is finally up and visible under its proper—may I add 'noble?'—name: jpmacauthor.com

Oh, sweet, merciful heavens. I came so near to quitting, scrubbing everything, sitting in sullen self-pity for weeks on end, cursing the unfairness of life and novice web-building.

 Word Press Lessons Learned

And not just Word Press, but Bluehost, Elementor and Namecheap. Essentially, I build my website backwards. First, here is a construction plan that seems proper in hindsight:

Obtain domain name. (Namecheap)

Choose hosting service. (Bluehost)

Select software (Word Press)

Add drag-n-drop page builder plugin (Elementor)

Namecheap assigns you Domain Name Servers. They must be changed and pointed to your hosting service. I didn't know this because I fell out of contact with Namecheap when I changed my hacked email before assigning a new email to Namecheap. 

Pinterest

(As a side note, there is a reason Robert Mueller found no Russian collusion. That is because he did not investigate Namecheap. In order to enter my control panel and change the DNS over to Bluehost, I had to spend over an hour in web chats and on the phone with Russians. Alexander and Olga were nice. Marisha had a world-weary attitude and sketchy English.)

The Short Version

Once your domain name is pointed at Bluehost—or whoever you use—then pick a template, change the settings in Word Press, toss up a site maintenance page, and build your website at leisure. When you're ready to go live, take down maintenance and present the world with your calling card.

I've lived this for two months and still have a yard-long list of tasks to finish. But I'm a wiser web-builder than I was on April 1. More importantly, I kept writing throughout, thereby saving myself from total, no-shower, eat-at-your-desk obsession. 

More soon on this web-building business. It might be nice to have some new books to add. There's a thought. 

Thoughts on Paying It Forward

Take a few moments and contemplate giving away from what you have. Not a lot of moments. Just some.

Quora Questions We Could Live Without

Long Term Troubles Loom for Kids and Cell Phones

Disconnected: How To Reconnect Our Digitally Distracted Kids by Thomas Kersting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A short and sweet book, almost a long pamphlet, detailing the dangers kids face from extensive time on the Web. (Adults, too.) And while Nicholas Carr covered this topic a decade ago, there is new research showing a spike in the amount of time youngsters spend interacting online. As Carr pointed out in The Shallows, excessive screen time erodes focus, increases anxiety, and leads to social retardation. Ten years later, the situation is much worse. But there is hope.

Fascinating read, particularly if you have kids.


View all my reviews

Scott Captures Pacific Brutality

Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila by James M. Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With its emphasis on atrocities, the book examines the butchery committed by Japanese troops against the Filipino population of Manila during the fighting there in February 1945. Brutal as the SS in Poland, the deliberate murder and rape of civilians is augmented by the haphazard rain of artillery fire employed by the attacking Americans. Survival in certain neighborhoods was problematic and whole families up to several generations were annihilated.

Decisions by commanding generals MacArthur and Yamashita are examined, with the book closing on War Crimes trials held in Manila only months after the war ended, with Japanese mines still being detonated by the unwary.

Well-written and fast-moving, Scott explores a little-known aspect of the fighting in the Pacific; an atrocity worth recalling the next time someone cries, 'Hiroshima.'

View all my reviews

Word Press Website and Elementor

 Part of my big plans from the other day may now be revealed: I'm almost finished building a Word Press website. Since I know nothing about tech beyond point-and-click, this task has been a vexing, interminable ordeal. I've already been hacked and had something unpleasant placed into my code, though this could be two separate intrusions.

(Most of my best bitching is on my Facebook author page. Scroll down past time-wasting videos.) Within a few days, I'll alert you to the launch of my bare bones site, no blog or email honey trap to build a big list, no shiny affiliate links. Just BUY THESE BOOKS!!

Upsell Jungle

That's Word Press "free" software for you. One upsell after the other. Since I have no idea whether I need this or that plugin, I fritter away hours checking everything out. I'll be grateful just to launch the freaking site and be shed of it for a time.

Website Ingredients

Here are the fixings:

Namecheap for my domain name--jpmacauthor.com (I'm still on a proxy site, finishing up the last touches.(

Bluehost for hosting. I tried HostGator and spent over an hour on the phone attempting one hack after another to get the thing installed. Finally, I learned that Safari isn't compatible with HostGator. That might've been helpful to know in advance.

Also, Safari is not 100% compatible with Bluehost. To access my control panel, I have to switch browsers to Firefox. Charming.

Word Press which you can sign-up for from Bluehost.

Elementor, a drag-'n-drop page builder. Upsell masters.

Submitting Short Stories Like It's 2009

If you want a cure for writer's block, build a website. You'll be so grateful to return to a discipline in which you have knowledge and experience and are not perpetually confounded with one step forward, eight steps sideways, and one hop in the air.

I've sent a short story off to Harbinger Press for an upcoming anthology and fired off a second tale today to a new fantasy/speculative fiction site.

Finally, I feel good about something.

More soon on my big running plans.

(Image: Power Addicts)

Top 5 Odd Videos

Something new from Cornerstone Media via Lumen 5 and Pexels.

They aren't full-videos. Simply the titles of videos I believe are odd. Times change quickly, and I could be proved wrong. 

Big Plans, I Tell Ya

Zafar

Coming soon. Big writing plans. Big running plans. Big website plans. Big. Stinking big. 

Big Top Payback

A clown, an affront, a response, all in under 30 seconds. 

Conrad Not Pleased with Nostromo

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Upon completion of Nostromo, Joseph Conrad told a friend, "Personally, I am not satisfied. It is something—but not the thing I tried for."

Conrad's "something"contains numerous characters, great and small, set in a violence-racked, fictitious South American country. As Costaguana's resources are tapped by American and European investors, resentment, greed, and betrayal roil the nation and spawn yet another revolution. Wealth is sought, gained, lost and hidden, always with a price.

Conrad jumps about in the time line, changing points-of-view, foreshadowing, advancing the story, then later filling in details. For substantial periods, I was left guessing as to which details really mattered and which character backstories would pay off. However, the last fifty pages raced along, indicating that, perhaps, other narrative sections might've been equally condensed.

As a note, I would avoid the Brent Hayes Edwards edition, since the introduction seems designed for people returning for their third helping of Nostromo and is a nest of spoilers.

Uneven, but fascinating book.


View all my reviews

Notes on Running Form

This man zips along on an uncrowded  track courtesy of Men's Journal. 

Mild sunny weather as I shambled along for three miles, running the last one. Clearly, my training issues go beyond weight. I need to strengthen my core. This is a running truism, but far more important with Chi Running, where your core strength determines distance and speed.

A Contrast of Running Forms

Note the man in the image above. See how his leg is thrust before him. He will impact ankle-knee-hip each time he lands and toes back for the next step. This is how I ran for many years. This is why I wore a hole in the cartridge of my left knee.

Here is an illustration comparing "normal" running with Chi Running. Because one propels oneself by leaning forward, the body is aligned and the feet land under or behind the runner.

Chi Running diagram from Running Moments. 

For several years, I was so thrilled to run again using Chi techniques, that  I was content with my 3x a week sessions at between 3 and 5 miles. For that, I didn't need a solid core. But if I'd like to tackle distance one more time, I'll need to invest in crunching, planking and others exercises I avoid in general.

Chi Running does not comes naturally to me. It's like trying to breath through your ears. But I'd rather run with difficulty, than not at all. And I've got a built-in warning system. If I slip into running the old way, my knee sends me a pain text.

Returning home today, quiet and serene, I heard a woman on our street erupt into several minutes of coarse profanity, cursing out another driver. I served four years in the Marines and this woman was no newbie. And using two languages, mind you.

Could other issues have been in play? That is a matter for religion or psychology. Were I younger, I would've videoed everything and uploaded it to Instagram. But no. In any case, I remained serene.

Creating the Imperfect Cat Video

Brief and informative video on creating other videos less informative. 

Hallow Mass and Lumen5

Hallow Mass

Whipped together in an hour or so with Lumen5. 

A Most Happy Easter!

Ocean Lakes Campground

Some poor old guy keeled over in Mass this morning. Fortunately, my church is predominately Filipino. Thus, from the congregation, about 35 nurses rushed forward to help. The Fire Department arrived quickly and carted the old guy out. No word on his condition, but my second favorite place to die, other than home in my sleep, would be church.

Met with a host of old Team in Training chums at the Rose Bowl yesterday to celebrate Virginia Garner's 20th anniversary on the drug Gleevac. Facing death from cancer in 1999, she took a chance on an experimental drug. A generation later, Virginia lives to help raise money to fight leukemia, lymphoma, and assorted other Grim Reaper blood cancers. Her amazing story, and that of husband Van, is chronicled in their book: Journey to the Finish Line: Surviving Cancer Together.

I mentioned to the group (SGV marathon team) that I felt one more marathon resting within me. This was because I had a great running book idea that needed the happy ending of a marathon. (Finishing time of no consequence.) Ideas sprang forth including the LA Marathon and one I'd never heard of: the Ventura Marathon, said to be a net downhill and a big Boston Marathon qualifier.

Ventura is in October, but I doubt I'd be ready by then. I'll need to decide soon since marathons tend to fill quickly these days. (Except LA, where they were offering discounts in February.)

Exciting to even contemplate. More soon on this momentous decision.

Hacked!

Ugh. Monstrous. Infected. Unclean. An email account and Twitter soiled. Writing on hold as I unclog the mess. Wearying.

Chi Running Once More

Social Control

After ten months of letting my right leg heal, sloth, eating, excuses, and overall fatigue, I'm back on the road. I can shuffle along, running one mile out of three. Truthfully, I walk faster than I run at this stage, but it's good to be mobile thrice a week. (I weigh an embarrassing amount.)

Writing a number of short stories as if it were 2009/2010. Three completed with beta reads, two more outlined, and writing the fourth. I'll send them out to publications as I unscrew my disordered marketing. Amazing. Nobody can find anything I write because I position my work so poorly.

This is changing now.

Screams From My Father Lots of Fun

Screams From My Father by Paul Gleeson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Funny noirsh tales make up this collection from back-in-the-day. A most rapid read, running the gamut from ironic to hilarious.


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Scrivener Hacks for Macs

MyYouTube playlist for Mac users. Very basic novice stuff, for I, too, am a Scrivener neophyte. Hope it helps in ways grand and petite.

Pasadena Half-Marathon and 5k 2019

5k runners awaiting the gun. To the lower right are TNTvets Virginia Garner, David Hall, and the top of Esther's head. 

On good authority, Conquer Endurance Group held a half-marathon along with a 5k this crisp Sunday morning. My place was in the 5k, shivering with everyone else. As many know from my 13 + years of blogging, the Rose Bowl is my home turf, scene of much training, and now hosting an actual 3.1 mile event, finishing on the 50-yard line of the venerable stadium.

Early morning at the venerable stadium.

Back in October, I challenged myself to run this race as a motivation to lose weight. In that, I failed.  Backtracking briefly, last June, at this very same Rose Bowl, I injured my leg climbing over a construction fence. That threw off my training, led to weight gain, and the reduction of exercise to walking along thinking of better days.

Enough self-pity. I woke up and thought of reasons not to participate, but went anyway. Stuck in traffic for 25 minutes, I didn't panic, recalling worse jams at the Surf City Half-Marathon. There, I was stuck in my car for over an hour, needed a bathroom desperately, and missed the starting gun. Rushing across the start line, I failed to adequately warm up and wound up injured.

Sunrise over the arroyo. 

Today, I walked like I trained, only pushed it a little, and didn't really run until the finish line was in sight so as not to be picked off by a short round woman who was really tearing it up.

Ending inside the Rose Bowl was quite cool. There were ample bananas and bagels, Gator-Ade and bottled water. Very sweet bling and a decent technical shirt contributed to the morning's success.

In my age group, there were only twelve men. I finished at #6. Not bad at all, given my erratic training.

I should sign up for a spring 5k, just to keep in the game. Be a little more consistent with my preparation. But no injuries today made it an event worth getting out of bed for on a Sunday morning, other than an earthquake.

Me and my big fat medal.

Your Marketing Plan is a Road Map to Building and Sustaining Your Freelance Writing Business

Plan to fail when you fail to plan. So said either Ben Franklin or Winston Churchill, probably both. Nevertheless, here are a few ways to ditch the 'fail' part:

Your Marketing Plan is a Road Map to Building and Sustaining Your Freelance Writing Business

I Reject You

mollyfletcher

Each year I vow to tidy up all the paper surrounding me. Each time, I make some progress then stop because tomorrow remains the superior day to sort paperwork. Anyway, I found a bag filled with story rejections from 1985 to 1988. Those years encompass my undergraduate days and shortly thereafter. Incredible. A pecking order of refusal existed back then.

1. Form rejection.

2. Form rejection signed by the editor.

3. Form rejection signed by the editor with a personal note.

Titles included Grue Magazine, The Horror show, and FACET, A Creative Writing Magazine. My submission sampler displayed progress from 1 rejections to 3, but never a sale. The amount of paperwork involved was daunting with multiple envelopes and postcards. (I should do a video on all that.) One time, a single rejection lead to two. 

Today, sites such as Duotrope list publishers, markets, and all manner of writerly statistics. Below are my short story submissions from 2009 to 2016. So many markets have gone the way of Grue Magazine, but more open all the time. A few keystrokes launches a tale, instead of envelopes within envelopes. But stories shall be told, and writers write, and editors reject—and sometimes accept. So it goes.

Should you cringe at rejection's bitter sting, speaker and author Molly Fletcher notes the upside.

A Fine Blessed New Year

Coming soon to a calendar near you!

Drink for you and bed for me,

Forgoing delights of the spree,

For when I've drunk and 

Shunned my bed,

The new year starts,

With a painful head.

A droll poem, yes, but fresh chances await us all. Happy New Year!

Rape Gangs Flourish When Authorities Hide

Broken and Betrayed: The true story of the Rotherham abuse scandal by the woman who fought to expose it by Jayne Senior
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grooming often works in the following manner: a young man, a lure, befriends an 11 to 16 year old girl. Winning her trust, he then introduces her to an "older friend," usually a guy in his mid-20s. This older friend plies the young girl with gifts, car rides, compliments, attention, drugs, alcohol. He becomes her "older boyfriend." Eventually, he introduces her to sex. Next, the boyfriend manipulates the young girl into having sex with one of his friends. Eventually, the girl finds herself gang-raped, passed around, trafficked, kidnapped, beaten, degraded. She is threatened with physical violence should she refuse to play along. Her family may also be threatened.

Grooming was the fate of 1,400 girls in Rotherham, UK, between 1997 and 2013. Author Jayne Senior worked for a local program designed to identify girls at-risk for sexual exploitation. She witnessed the mass grooming of mostly working-class white girls by British Pakistani Muslim men. Police and social worker indifference and denial contributed to a rape crisis that has been called "industrial scale."

The story of Senior's fight to protect the girls, alert a willfully obtuse police and social worker bureaucracy, bring perpetrators to justice, all while suffering loss in her own family, is a story both hopeful and galling. Senior's battle shows the difference one committed person can make. However, the grooming toll of white English victims (along with Sikh and Hindu girls) continues at the hands of mostly Pakistani perpetrators. Since Rotherham, similar rape gangs have been discovered in Newcastle, Oxford, Telford, Rochdale, Darby. A situation most appalling.

A fast, somber read.

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