Summer’s End

Bye, bye, summer, you’re gone so fast,

But while you lasted, we had a blast.

 

No more time to sit on ass,

Time’s run out to siphon gas.

 

Empty the pool, it’s gross and murky,

And there’s nothing left we haven’t dried to make jerky.

 

Drain the bathtub of homemade gin,

And bid farewell to circus kin.

 

Bye, bye, summer,

Bye, bye.

 

It’s been a long and lovely summer here in Sacramento, but it’s ending tomorrow.  Yes, on Monday I go back to the acid mines of academia to start teaching again (which I’m really looking forward to).

I haven’t blogged in ahile but this has been a productive writing summer.  I hammered American Caliphate into some kind of shape, and am now working with my editor on a marketing plan, which is, of course, 90% of the business.  We have a possibility of a December release date, but a few more stars still have to come into line for that to transpire.

I’ve also been working hard on Henry 3 – hammering Grave Indulgence into shape.  It’s almost there.  I have a few chapters that still need punching, but I’m working away.

My plan is then to shift focus a bit and work on a different project, a series set in the Gaeltacht regions of Ireland.  It’s going to be slow-going, as I have lots of classes to teach this Fall, as well as a new book to market (hopefully), but I think I can probably draft it out by the end of January.

 

Wish me luck.  I’ll be blogging more frequently!

my new part-time business

I’ve been weighing some new business opportunities to generate some much-needed money, now that we’re living in Florence, while also paying the mortgage back in Sacramento.  I think I’ve chanced upon a winning idea; there have to be a lot of people in Nigeria, and I’m planning on sending the following e-mail to most of them:

Ibako Ndigabe

Lagos, Nigeria

Dear Mr. Ndigabe,

My name is Abraham Lincoln VIII.  I am the mayor of Franklin, America, and I am in contacting you to discuss a most important financial venture that will be of great assistance to me, and great fortune to you.

My father whose name was Abraham Lincoln VII was in possession of several banking accounts here in Philadelphia before dying, and has since been unable to recover the funds therein.  My father has informed me personally of your great and honest character and instructed me to enlist your help in retrieving these moneys and treasury notes that were collected by our great ancestor, Abraham Lincoln I, who was the founder of our great country.

It is my desire to  transfer these funds out of the United States to Nigeria, where I dream of opening an orphanage for teenage mothers, but as a public official, I am barred from opening accounts overseas.  If you will agree to help me, I will sign a document that guarantees you 25% of all of the funds in our accounts, an estimated $112 trillion U.S. dollars, and I will also share with you the profits of the orphanage for a period of three years.

In anticipation of your eager acceptance of this offer, and in recognition of the fortune that will soon be yours, please contact me at your earliest convenience, and provide your bank account number and password, your government identification number, and your mother’s maiden name.

It is with great pleasure that I look forward to receiving this information promptly, so that I will not find it necessary to contact a different person in Nigeria with whom to conduct this most important business.

Sincerely,

Abraham Lincoln VIII

Franklin, America

Media releases and contest entries

It’s been a busy week here in Sacramento.  I got my twenty author’s copies of Mediterranean Grave and I’ve spent the last few days bundling them up to send off to reviewers (I hope) and contests.  I’ve also sent out dozens of media releases and postcards in hopes of getting some traction.  I was interviewed for the Sacramento Bee – they’ll be doing a writeup of me and the book in a couple of weeks.  I just finished writing a letter to the New York Review of Books.  Their website says that they get tons of books and review only a few, but I figured I would give it the long shot.  You never know.

We’re leaving for Florence on Friday so we’ve also been packing and getting ready.  I’m hoping this move will inspire me to great writings!

New Year News

Greetings to all my friends in blog world!  Actually, I don’t think anyone reads this, but on the off chance that someone is paying attention, 2011 is off to a fantastic start!  My novel Mediterranean Grave is already listed on Amazon.com (though they’re using the old version of the cover for some reason) and it should be printed and available in 2-3 weeks I’m told.  Now I have to work on getting some reviews and some publicity.  I also just sold a short story to a journal that shall remain nameless until the actual paperwork is complete, but it’s due out in April.  So now I have to get cracking on actually WRITING something instead of just talking about writing, not that I don’t like talking about writing.  We’re also getting ready to head for Florence, Italy, where I will be teaching for the Spring 2011 semester.  I’m hoping that results in some major inspiration.