Snowflakes in a Blizzard features Grand Slams in their "Replay" series.

 ...which is much better than "Where are they now?"

Here is their link, but it looks and reads  like this

First TuesdayAugust 11    Snowflakes in a Blizzard Replay, 

This feature has a two-fold purpose: 1. To allow those recently added to our followers list to discover books they might have missed and 2. To make sure previously featured authors and their work aren’t forgotten. If you’d like to learn more about any of the books revisited here, simply click on the “Authors” page, then on that author’s name.

“GRAND SLAMS,” BY TIMOTHY GAGER

Writes one reviewer: “The first thing one notices in Timothy Gager’s Grand Slam: A Coming of Eggs Story is the Holden Caulfield-like anti-hero protagonist Woody. There is an ensemble of characters in the novel who make up the staff and management at a chain diner, Grand Slams, and Gager deftly weaves their backstories and inner lives into the fast-paced narrative. (Mignon Ariel King).

And another: “Having worked in a restaurant very similar to Grand Slams, I love how Mr. Gager captures the lives of those poor, struggling souls, floundering along in a nothing job yet trying to find some meaning. Mr. Gager gives us characters we come to care about, and he brings them to life with sparkling dialogue that is at once witty, engaging, and even poignant. You will laugh, enjoy, and become absorbed in this story about every day people and the stories that bond them.”

Throughout the novel, the almost-adults keep the momentum going in the midst of the socially odd and borderline tragic, invested adults. How will this trio grow up while surrounded by infantile, base, or simply lost adults? The reader is invested by the third chapter in finding out.

The making of a novel trailer. A little success, a little failure and a little humor

          I heard book trailers are important. Here's what I came up with for my novel, Grand Slams: a coming of eggs story.

          Total cost $0. Total budget $0 Time 2:42 or less than the time it'll take to read this blog post.

          The original idea was to go to my old stomping grounds Denny's in Lexington. Instead it was a Margueritas now. So where to find a Denny's...

Denny's Leominster, Ma

          How about Leominster, Ma.?  Perfect. It was even attached to a Motel 6, the same way Grand Slams was attached to a Super 8. Not a huge find, most of them are like that. So I have some ideas about questions to ask, using some of the over the top activities I wrote about. I went into the Motel 6 to ask the desk person if they ever traded meals for rooms--a barter used by Joe Keating to score overnight parties with waitress. Besides not getting an answer, she ran away. Motel 6 charges for wifi anyway.

Gosh, golly and jeepers.



          Then I went next door and ran into the typical Denny's tool bag--their manager, a Keating, Tribuno and Dye-haired Bob in training. This guy represents the people who work jobs they hate and take them way to seriously. There is no sense of humor, which, in a way holds the company line. Even their twitter account has a sense of humor. All I got out of him on film, was him stating his discomfort. I had a whole slew of questions too. He got really paranoid when I asked to film out back in the dishroom, which was denied and then especially paranoid when I asked if he would do it.

          I decide a coffee at the counter. I filmed some wide shots, but then the very important manager told me he would ask me to leave if I kept taking pictures because "customers were complaining". Actually, there were no customers in sight, so basically, it was him exerting the little power he had, because he cold. I told him I wouldn't film anymore. I was done anyway

          Back to coffee, checking my e-mail and doing phone things. Then boy manager stands about ten feet from me and asks what I'm doing. I say, "what I'm doing, at this point, is being harassed, while I'm trying to drink my coffee" Ah, apparently making friends is tough in the film industry, if you doubt that, ask a right winger about Michael Moore.

          So, failing on my goals, I on to Lexington and Margueritas. Look at that make over---looks like a Denny's with clay roof tiles. At Margueritas,  I planned to film various sections of the restaurant formerly known as Denny's and talk about what happened in each within Grand Slams. I was able to riffle off a few questions to the hostesses (SUCCESS) who had a large repertoire of answers, most of them, the word know, "no". To give them credit, they had no idea what I was doing. I asked for the manager, to get a tour of the dishroom and was rejected rather coolly by her. What a surprise. When I asked if she could do the filming and have control of all the content, there suddenly were two muscle tools in the hostess area. Strong looking dudes, unlike my protagonist, Woody Geyser I, like Woody Geyser have seen my share of hair trigger bouncers, so I took the visual prompt and decided to leave. I was going to buy chips too. Damn.

          Anyway, I saved the footage I had and made this grand slamming trailer. It has no mention of any book characters,situations, or conflicts, which would have been an actual hook. It does have some cheesy music and story plaques to follow along with the film--a bit of humor and please excuse the poor sound quality.

          Oh, by the way. Below  is a real trailer to compare with mine. Not much difference, right?It's cinematic, in case you missed that part in the tittle.

           Happy Grand Slamming.