Friday, March 28, 2014

Pure Slush publishes "Systematic Knowledge" under the theme of "travel"-also, what is my favorite colors?

Systematic Knowledge is a story which actually is an excerpt out of The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan. It's nice that it stood on it's own and it's nicer that Matt Potter included it in the TRAVEL THEMED ISSUE of Pure Slush. 

Also Matt asks the writers questions about their favorite colors. It's an interesting interview. Read it HERE ON THEIR SITE.

Systematic Knowledge is the second flash excerpt to be published. In May 2011, Red Fez published Bipolar. To read it click this link .





Other fiction in this issue of Pure Slush are as follows:

Derailed  by  Lois Patton  (n/f)
Chance or Fate  by  Gloria Garfunkel  (n/f) 
Jimbo  by  Paul Beckman 



Thursday, March 27, 2014

"Sometimes your therapist is crazier than you are" Great News: My novel to be published!





"The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan" will be published by Big Table Books, late sumer, or in the fall of 2014  at the earliest. More details as they come in. 

UPDATE: (9/2014) To purchase click HERE





Sunday, March 23, 2014

My March Madness: the contest for YOUR copy of The Shutting Door--




Since Goodreads isn't going to cooperate in how I want to give away a book, I've decided to take the 64 people that got me to 1000 likes and put them into a tournament bracket. How it'll work.

_____________________________________________
Round One : Computer random number generator (64 to 32)
Round Two: Coin Flips (32 to 16)
Round Three: C-Lo Dice (16 to 8)
Round Four: Open face 5 card Poker, Twos and Threes Wild (8 to 4)
Round Five: Video Horse Race (4 to 2)
Finals: The Shutting Door, shut door gravity extravaganza.  WINNER!


Tuesday's Bracket--East VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS

 Joseph Grant vs. Barbara Ann Branca
Nate Towervs. JoeAnn Hart
Susan Mahan vs. Bracken Hamlet,
 Pasitos Jason Wells George vs.Caren Lissner, 
Sarah Hilary vs. Cindy Beley,
 Mark Lahti vs. Catherine Noble
Tim Suermondtvs vs. Stephen Ramsey, and
 Len Kuntz vs. Jenna Hollenstein


THE YOUTUBE BELOW ARE THE VIDEO RESULTS FOR TUESDAY'S MATCHUPS






 




Wednesday's Bracket (the F-ed up Bracket)
 VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS


 Norman Waksler vs.Michael Michael Fisher
Patrick Simonelli vs. George Milonopoulos Jr.
Priscilla Tennant Herrington vs. Jan Ziemecki,
 Bracken Hamlet vs. Dennis Must,
 JoeAnn Hart vs. Steve Brocone
Sandra Storey vs. Andrew Turman,
 Priscilla Tennant Harrington vs. Debbie Best,
 Krista Clement vs. Marie O'Reilly

THE YOUTUBE BELOW FOR WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS








 



Thursday's Bracket (the awesome name bracket) 
 VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS

Annie Hopson vs. Melanie Vance Ryan,  
Chris Grams vs. D Foy D. Foy
Dibyendu Chakraboty vs. Armey Dean,  
Carl Holmes vs. Dana D. Ruff,
 Lillian-Yvonne Bertram vs. One Way Run,  
Saptarshi Mallick vs. George Wells, 
Aaron Dietz vs. Pam Floyd Hauck 
 Kia Alice Groom vs. Susan Christensen








Friday's West Bracket "The Wildcard Bracket" 

 VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS

 Kent Harrington vs. James Coyne,
 Anna Hewitt vs. Robert Vaughan,  
Beverly A. Jackson vs. Gay Degani
Katy Kraazy Ray vs. Thomas Griffin Bartovics
Robert Countie vs. Susan Tepper
John McGinley vs. Meg Tuite,
Serge Gagne vs. Tracy Miller Geary
 Kevin Daley vs. Lee Zehender --






Saturdays's East Bracket --for the Sweet 16
 VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS

Joseph Grant vs. Nate Tower
Bracken Hamlet vs. Caren Lissner,
 Sarah Hilary vs.Mark Lahti
 and Stephen Ramsey vs. Jenna Hollenstein



Also later on Saturday in the F-ed Up Bracket

VIDEO BELOW FOR RESULTS

 Norman Waksler vs.Patrick Simonelli
Jan Ziemecki vs. Dennis Must,
 JoeAnn Hart vs. Sandra Storey
 and Debbie Best vs. Krista Clemen





Sunday 3/30, South West Bracket (Awesome Name Bracket) .
.Annie Hopson vs. Chris Grams,
 Armey Dean vs. Dana D. Ruff,
 Lillian-Yvonne Bertram vs. George Wells, 
Pam Floyd Hauck vs. Kia Alice Groom






Sunday 3/30,  West Bracket (Wild Card Bracket)

James Coyne vs. Anna Hewitt,
 Gay Degani vs. Thomas Griffin Bartovics,
 Robert Countie vs. John McGinley 
Serge Gagne vs. Kevin Daley





SWEET 16 GAMES DETERMINED BY C-LO--HERE ARE THE RULES WHICH I BLEW, HENCE THE CONTROVERSY IN THE SOUTH WEST AND THE REPLAY CHALLENGE IN THE WEST



East Bracket(C-LO round) to get into the Elite 8, 

Nate Tower vs. Bracket Hamlet
Sarah Hilary vs. Stephen Ramey




South East Bracket(C-LO round) to get into the Elite 8, 

Patrick Simonetti vs. Jan Ziemecki
 Sandra Storey vs. Kirsta Clement 






South West Bracket(C-LO round) to get into the Elite 8,
 

Annie Hopson vs. Armey Dean
Lillian-Yvonne Bertram vs. Kia Alice Groom




West Bracket(C-LO round) to get into the Elite 8, 

Anna Hewitt vs. Thomas Griffin Bartovics
John McGinley vs Serge Gagne




 

Elite 8 to Final Four Poker Round
(5 Card Open Face, Twos and Threes are Wild)

Nate Tower vs. Stephen V Ramey,
 Jan Ziemecki vs. Krista Clement,
 Annie Hopson vs. Kia Alice Groom 
Thomas Griffin Bartovics vs. John McGinley 




Congratulations to our Final 4
Stephen Ramey, Jan Ziemecki, Kia Alice Groom and Thomas Griffin Bartovics



THE FINALS
Jan Ziemecki vs. Kia Alice Groom







Friday, March 7, 2014

Teisha Twomey and I published a flash piece which answers many questions...

about Zombies!!

 Reading the flash and taking the quiz is a lot shorter than watching "Night of the Living Dead".




So read, "Clarence's First" and take the quiz

1. What does someone like Amelia do all day?

2. What is non-fiction?

3. Technically speaking, can you kill a zombie?

4. What is zombie foreplay?

5. Do zombies have a soul?

6. How can a tutor always help a zombie with his papers?

7. A zombie's parents can blame pale skin and dead eyes on?

8. Do zombies ever have to re-write a paper?



Now put down your pencil and take our lead to be creative with a co-conspirator (us illustrated below), because zombies are into language.








---------------------------------------------------
Proof: Zombies and language, according to the movie, "Pontypool",  "It is in words"

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Nearsighted. Citron Review. The short sighted song shouting tournament

First, here's the poem

The story behind the story. This one came from a poem I had in the trash pile from 2008 which I completely reworked from what I've recently learned about writing poetry. In hindsight, "Myopia" would have been a better title.


The facts about it: Using mnemonic devices to remember the difference between nearsightedness and farsightedness,  take the "near" and "sight" out of nearsighted to indicate you can see better at closer ranges. Eyes, vision, what you see, what you can no longer. Sometimes what you see doesn't include what you don't see. That's the story behind this one.





Far away? Vision?

my vision weakened suddenly
as dust kicking up like thick smoke


My thanks to the editors at The Citron Review for publishing me.

Lastly, watch "the short sighted song shouting tournament"



Also in this issue


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Jennifer FalknerDesert SandsFlash
Helen WickesThe Vagrant Spirit as the Good Humor ManPoetry
P.J. Sambeaux Cheap           CNF
Helen Wickes HarrowPoetry
Devin Galaudet  I Borrowed a KnifeCNF
George Dila  In Which I Defend my Decision to Run Away and Join the CircusFiction
D. Gilson Layover CNF
Tyler Koshakow Matches CNF
Timothy GagerNearsightedness Poetry
Michael Chaney Night VisitorFiction
Tara DealSide Trips in the Interior  CNF
Tina Tocco Sink     Fiction 
Helen Wickes Still-Life on the Road to Los Ojos Poetry
 John Carroll Suicides Fiction
 Peter Witte Intersections Gallery Photography
 Helen Wickes The Vagrant Spirit as the Good Humor Man Poetry