10/11 Oakland, Ca.,

Be About Presents was perhaps the most fun of the readings so far. I was picked up in the airport, left my heart in SF, one of my favorite cities, (stayed only 20 minutes), and brought the rest of me over the bridge to Oakland.


The reading was hosted by Alexandra Naughton, who created an event for me at an exact date and time I needed. Without getting into much that I could blog and blog about for pages, if you google her, there were reasons I wanted to change venues. I cannot thank her enough for the ability to schedule and run events in short notice. The WM Wolfman's bookstore is flexible enough, and is super cool, so that Alexandra can make something happen anytime she wants.

I got .to see some old friends, Paige and another of my nephews, Jordan tonight. That was pretty cool. I also met SB Stokes, a poet, who is pretty bad ass.

Christine Hyung-Oak Lee and Julie Grengo

Also, old friend, Julie Gengo, picked me up at the airport and drove me around. Christine Hyung Oak-Lee, pictured right, read with me and she too has an incredible survivor story which you can read here. It's a must. After I read it, I friended her on Facebook, asked her to join me in Oakland and in all of fifteen minutes, it all happened.

I enjoyed her reading, as I did the others from some promising young writers from the Oakland area, Paul Murafus and Carmella Veronica.


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Saturday's Guardian Angel: Julie Gengo, who as stated above did it all. I also got to meet her friend Lee, a Cape Codder---who I guessed was not from the California area and was correct.

Strange But True Oakland Story: Driving Jordan back to Berkeley, took about 17 hours or at least it felt like it. Hey, Oakland, ever think of timing your lights? Drive a block, stop. Drive a block, stop. Julie said that when the crime was bad it made the alleged criminals easier to stop. Oh. Now I get it.

10/10-Portland, Oregon/ It's too late to turn back, here we go.

The Jade was a cool venue, which is very open to literary folks.  I was able to meet Dena Rash Guzman and Parker Tettleton who've I've known on-line or have been published in journals with for years and years and years. Also it was a pleasure to meet Sam Snoek-Brown, Yuvi Zalkow, and Julia Clare Tillinghast. 

Dena Rash Guzman

The readings were phenomenal, as were they, as people...GOOD PEOPLE, as they say. Portland was an enjoyable city--reminded my a lot of Austin, Texas, in fact, they even stole their slogan.

Me, Dena, Sam, Julia, Yuri and Parker

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 Friday's Guardian Angels: Danny Gicker (a University of Delaware buddy) and Kerri (lucky to remember the first name, so last name not incluced). Had a great time with Danny and Kerri was super nice. She asked tons of questions, which is a great way to be nice. Went to a street vendor for Mexican and for dinner, a New Orleans tapa place, called Tapalaya! Blessed to have some old and new friends.

Strange But True Portland Stories: The only down side was that the kitchen area in the back was noisy. Kitchen work is hard work and communication is key, but the chefs seemed to be yelling about opening the mayonnaise or lighting pilot lights or other such shit. So notes (old school text messages) were passed.

10/9 Seattle, The Interrobang Appointments of Bill Sloan

Interrobang?! (Derek Kavan, Britney Barber, Phoebe Richards, Becky Bartlein* and Dave Clapper) is an improv troupe who performed in tandem writers at AWP last year. Dave Clapper from Smokelong Quarterly asked me to read from The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan, for my tour, and they would do their thing. I don't know what to think about the actual reading or event. I think it was great, but I was shuffling through the book looking for sections that I missed a lot of what was happening on stage-- there were a ton of laughs. What?? Yeah, I was lost too.

The set up was that Interrobang started and set up their stage characters. The were given a genre prompt of Science Fiction, so when it came time for me to read, their story evolved along with me. I read six, less than five minute segments (many from the TV segment from the book, which I'd never read out loud before) and they Interrobang?! total of eight times.

Phoebe, Britney and Derek

Becky

Dave

Timothy Gager

Stay tuned there will be video! I can't wait to see it. Sold a few books too!

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Strange but true story Seattle story:  Britney Barber walked in on my in the bathroom, then, embarrassed, burst into a song. I quickly had to do my own improv. I love theater!


 Thursday's Guardian Angel: DeeLynne Troy, an old-school newspaper woman, whom I've know at Scrawl, the Writers Asylum since 2004, who drove an hour to Seattle, hung out at the show and will drive a few more hours to get me to Portland. She was extremely gracious and I enjoyed her company so much, that I wasn't allowed the chance to feel bad.

Happy, Thankful and Grateful w/ Dee Troy

10/7-10/8 Off Days, Simi Valley, LA, Westwood

After a few days off in Simi Valley and LA, where such momentous events occurred such as:
visiting with my sister Martha and her husband Andy, pool swimming, dog petting, IN and OUT Burger, and authentic Mexican at Talpas with my nephew Matt (where an ox ate my brain) I'm now off for four readings, for four days, in four different cities.

10/6 San Diego

After leaving Boston at 6 AM, I landed in San Diego, where I

a) forgot that I checked a bag, realizing this while on a shuttle toward Alamo.
b) exited shuttle, went back to retrieve bag, and walked back to shuttle area and somehow managed to misplace my glasses between a and b.
c) all points bulletin released to all Alamo shuttle drivers. Result: no glasses
d) back to terminal where I found my glasses on a luggage cart in the baggage area.

T=45 minutes, 2 miles

I stayed with Heather Fowler, (Guardian Angel of San Diego)  who I read with and we talked about books for awhile. She was a gracious hostess as we swam in a pool with her kids, then had Mexican Food. First, though, I landed in Target, where I:

a) bought a pair of swim trunks that were too small. Pictures not available, thank God, but I borrowed some San Diego Charger trunks. (see butt selfie). Now, it's morning, and everyone's gone. I dangerously have the run of the KEURIG.

San Diego Super Chargers

As far as the reading went, we had a really nice time. SD Writers Ink supplied the cookies, I read then, Heather Fowler read from her new book, Elegantly Naked in my Sexy Mental Illness,  The book absolutely kills, and Heather is a good reader, so that was a real treat. Bonnie Zobell's work, blew me away. She is very talented as a writer--it was very good stuff. She completed a book tour much grander than mine--her book is amazing too. Maggie May Ethridge closed up the night with a reading from her novel in progress. It struck a chord in my bird phobic heart, as she set the scene of an injured crow's attempt to be saved and how it ended up attacking it's rescuers. Yes!

Here's living proof of the wonderful and talented San Diego crew:

Timothy Gager, Bonnie ZoBell, Heather Fowler and Maggie May Ethridge

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Strange but true San Diego story: It took twenty miles before someone scratched and added white paint to my rental car. Do I call Alamo or not? "Honest Tim" did and Alamo said, "No, problem." When does that ever happen?

If it's not the greatest, it was the most difficult....which lead to a life second to none.

 Here's the interview  HERE by author, journalist and TV commentator Ognian Georgiev.

When I first decided to or hadn't yet decided to quit drinking, I used to the hate mottoes but mostly because I hated myself. I was a good time until I came crashing down which was often.  In the acknowledgments on page three of The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan, I wrote,

For my family, my children Gabe and Caroline, and all others involved in the process. Thanks to the good people that attend Dire, The Davis to Porter Group and the fine folks at Scrawl. Special thanks to Teisha Twomey who never lets me get down on my writing, as I tend to do that. Very personal acknowledgments to Rene Schwiesow, Rusty Barnes, Christopher Reilley, Sue Miller and Ned Vizzini. Additional thanks to television, my babysitter as a child, and to Phil McGraw.

 I also offer gratitude to a fellowship which saved my life and made The Promises come true, and to a HP, which I understand

Thanks and gratitude -- along with an inside joke about Dr Phil, but more importantly without the last sentence here, none of this, the book, the tour, would be possible. In the past I've been pretty open about my drinking in an essay published in The Somerville Times and maybe in a drunk-a-log found in my blog. Drugs and alcohol itself in my fiction a few million times. HERE"S JUST ONE None of this even begins to tell of the shame and regret I had in my life.

Today in the interview, I talk about sobriety as being the biggest accomplishment in my life and also about writing and my process.

Going Wherever Time and Writing Takes Me

Today on the masspoetry.org site, I have an essay up  where I discuss writing in different disciplines, why I do/did so, and what it does for my writing, in genereal. This is a happy, one-puppy post.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post about my novel to announce . "You Buy Too Much Kale" selected by Flash Frontier

I'm in Flash Frontier (second story from top after you hit the link) with a  these folks  Louise

Miller, Kyle Hemmings, Howie Good, Jane Swan, Matthew Robinson, James Claffey, Eileen Merriman, Sonja Moor, Nod Ghosh, Peter Adams, Hobie Anthony, Patrick Pink, Jodie van der Wetering, Steve Charters, Doug Dautel, Elizabeth Morton, Lulu A. Tika, Annette Edwards, Elysia Rose Jenson, Mark Crimmins, Martin Porter, Emma Shi, Stephen V Ramey, Heather  McQuillen, and Chella Courington.

The theme was falling and the guest editor was Christopher Allen. The choices were  selected blind, but Christopher used to edit Metazen, and they published me no less than five times. This is a telling fact for Mr. Allen, as it shows an editor knows what he likes, is consistent and is not just picking names he knows.  Seeing the names of some of the other contributors it tells me that Mr. Allen and Michelle Elvy even when reading blind submissions, still managed to pick a well versed group. Well done!

As for the story itself, what I was getting at in  You Buy Too Much Kale was that good people often will leave good people that have problems. I hear about it all the time. I've also found that it's never too late, there is hope. Always remember that every person's journey is different and if you are willing, your life can be changed forever. 

I'ts 24-7

D R Jones, The Descent of a Decent Man

An Interview, Scott Fynboe on Saftacast and I talk about TV, Music, and of course, publishing and writing

Sundress Academy for the Arts - Sundress Publications does some really cool stuff. They are involved in film, publishing and artist retreats to name a few. They also produce a show that interviews writers:  Saftacast, hosted by Scott Fynboe According to Scott, "we discuss a myriad of topics in seemingly short time. The Carpenters, child stars, old TV, classic rock, The Who, self-publishing, self-promotion, the dawn of e-books – just a slew of interesting stuff.".  
                                                                        HERE.

 

 Today I was on their podcast. In order to participate, I had to borrow someone's phone that could download Skype, and suspiciously walk around a Somerville, Ma., neighborhood so I could intercept someone's WIFI.  After a few days of phone calls arranging that, it was on!

  The interview itself speaks of Dentistry, Old Classic TV, Child Stars, The Carpenters, Music, Places I've lived, First Celebrity Crush, Publishing and all sorts of things. For a preview, read the captions that go with the pictures below.  Please give it a listen, HERE it's kind of cool. 

 

"I prefer doing to the dentist vs. doctor because I have good teeth"

"Keith Moon was staged, just like Townsend"

 

"The jury is still out on Selena Gomez"

From the movie, Superstar with Barbie and Ken dolls

"My first celebrity crush was Kristy McNicol" find out why.

 

"Rainy Days and Mondays was kind of like, FML"

"She was out of my league"

"All of the Muppets have severe psychological problems except for Kermit"

"My first book was only an e-book"

Cambridge, Ma, 9/2/14": Tour Blog-- Book Launch, Porter Square Books,

9/2/2014
Porter Square Books
25 White Street
Cambridge, Ma

The bookstore was packed with people from all aspects of my life. There were friends, writers, co-workers, people that help me in my recovery and also my parents. They had to slide a shelf of books to add a few more rows of seats, which reminded me of The Bat Cave. (see video, which raises questions of why no one randomly noticed the statue with a hinge on it and do the poles really need the names DICK and BRUCE on them, as if it matters which poles they go down.)

                             

Grateful to those who came out

Back to the reading: A lot of books were sold and overall it's what a launch should be.I even made food, eggplant parmigiana and a very sloppy lasagna.

Pre-cooking, pre-sloppy

There was even some props from the book, some bags of turkey sandwiches, juice boxes and pulpy apples (Bill Sloan's daily lunch) and some cheese cubes.

IN THE CORNER near the cheese cubes...

Helping me celebrate were Robin Stratton (publisher and writer) and Christopher Reilley (cover designer and poet) who did a wonderful job reading from their works. My reading went well, but half-way through I noticed that the sections I read from were a bit dark/less funny. I also messed up by not having Chris, Robin and Rene Schweisow, who with Rusty Barnes and Teisha Twomey did some selfless work to improve the novel.

The evening ended with a quick Q and A where I answered a lot of serious questions about Psychology and football. You know you are making waves in the writing world when another writer's book (Steve Almond, Against Football: One Fan's Reluctant Manisfesto) is asked about during your Q and A.

Then there's that really cool and semi-awkward moment when your artist/writer mom asks a question.



Once again, the evening was a smash and I am extremely grateful. I really would like to thank each and everyone in attendance, so I hope you're all reading this. Next stop in a month in sunny San Diego, where the reality check will be in, as out of town readings generally can be attended sparsely--still, I'm thrilled at the prospect of traveling.

Some of the large crowd, 9/2/14

Randy and Daniel.

Mike (who people thought was on the book's cover)  and Holly

Which character from "The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan" are you most like?

Make sure you use the scroll bar on the right of the quiz box to see all the answers!

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