Good morning my brother. I thought of you this morning as I was heading into work. I was listening to Mike and Mike on the radio, ya know just keeping up with the world of sports. I only heard a short stint but it was a good one, one of your favorites.
Instead of getting a listen to news of your Yankees and the big drug scandals, I was treated to Frank Caliendo. I know he was always one of your favorites. He is so talented. I remember how we would talk about hearing him, though I don't think we ever had the chance to listen to him together. Not like the times we would listen to George Carlin records, or Bill Cosby. Funny!
Caliendo has some new voices he's working on. Some of them were sportscasters, though none were quite as polished or immediately recognizable as his famous John Madden, although his impression of Mel Kiper Jr. was nearly spot-on. He did a small bit of Madden at the end. Remarkable. He threw in some Jim Rome as well. He said Rome never quite appreciated his bit but Charles Barkley loved his skewer of him.
In the end, he let loose a new one I hadn't heard; he did a remarkable Morgan Freeman as he plugged his latest show at the Borgata in New Jersey. I think you would have been impressed with that one. He nailed it.
Talk to you later...
Ramblings of a 60 Year Old Man - My thoughts on just about anything, in no particular order; Robert Thomas - author.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
A new cover
One of the things you learn as an author is ... nothing you ever do or write is perfect.
If you ever go back and re-read what you wrote years ago, you might actually choke on the words. "Wow, I really wrote that?' You might shudder or you might think, 'wow, that was really good. I rocked it!' Times don't really change the writing much. More often than not it's the other things that get influenced as times change and readers adapt to popular culture.
My novel White Staff took a cue from the title of Star Wars. The graphic was developed to resemble that original movie. That was then, this is now. To give the readers of fantasy a more genre-specific style of cover, a friend of mine came up with a new design.
And here it is ...
I think it better reflects the nature and character of the story. I hope you agree. I think she rocked it!
If you ever go back and re-read what you wrote years ago, you might actually choke on the words. "Wow, I really wrote that?' You might shudder or you might think, 'wow, that was really good. I rocked it!' Times don't really change the writing much. More often than not it's the other things that get influenced as times change and readers adapt to popular culture.
My novel White Staff took a cue from the title of Star Wars. The graphic was developed to resemble that original movie. That was then, this is now. To give the readers of fantasy a more genre-specific style of cover, a friend of mine came up with a new design.
And here it is ...
I think it better reflects the nature and character of the story. I hope you agree. I think she rocked it!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
End of the Road
Sometimes being a writer lends itself to unique opportunities. I have been fortunate recently to take advantage of one such opportunity.
I am a contributing editor to a newly published anthology. It is a collection of 33 short stories from various authors who write across a wide range of genres. All the stories have a theme of 'end of the road', hence the name of the book. It is currently published through smashwords.com and will soon be distributed to various outlets such as the iTunes store, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and others. At a slightly later date, it will also be available though Amazon. This is a free ebook.
I think you will find the writing excellent and the stories unique and compelling. I hope everyone gets a chance to pick it up. Check out my offering: A Touch of Cold.
I am a contributing editor to a newly published anthology. It is a collection of 33 short stories from various authors who write across a wide range of genres. All the stories have a theme of 'end of the road', hence the name of the book. It is currently published through smashwords.com and will soon be distributed to various outlets such as the iTunes store, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and others. At a slightly later date, it will also be available though Amazon. This is a free ebook.
I think you will find the writing excellent and the stories unique and compelling. I hope everyone gets a chance to pick it up. Check out my offering: A Touch of Cold.
Did I mention it was free? Yeah, it's free!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Rod -n-roll
It is a beautiful weekend in the capital city and there is a real treat for car lovers this weekend. The Good Guys are in Columbus!
For those who aren't familiar, https://www.good-guys.com/ is an association of automobile enthusiasts that show, swap and sell vintage cars and street rods. I have always loved street rods. Some of my favorite movies from years ago have great scenes of these slick machines running up and down the streets of SoCal. I remember Hollywood Knights, American Graffiti and others. Some day I'd love to own a classic rod. (Sigh, that's a really big wish).
That got me to thinkin'. If we jumped fifty years into the future, what cars do we have today that would be seen in that same vein? Likely not too many. Many look just like each other now-a-days. Some might consider something like the HHR or the PT Cruiser. Newer models like the older plates that came back; Mustang and Camero or the Challenger. I think few of the jelly-bean shaped cars would draw much attention.
I think of course the very expensive cars like Porsches and Lamborghinis would draw the attentions of crowds 50 years from now, but I don't think very many everyday cars would have the cache that some of the older ones do now.
Well, here's hoping I'm around to find out. Wouldn't it be cool to climb back into your favorite car from 2013 in 2050? I think that would be awesome. Incidentally, the first car I ever owned is now 42 years old; 1971 Torino. It was candy-apple red with a black vinyl top. Sweet!
For those who aren't familiar, https://www.good-guys.com/ is an association of automobile enthusiasts that show, swap and sell vintage cars and street rods. I have always loved street rods. Some of my favorite movies from years ago have great scenes of these slick machines running up and down the streets of SoCal. I remember Hollywood Knights, American Graffiti and others. Some day I'd love to own a classic rod. (Sigh, that's a really big wish).
That got me to thinkin'. If we jumped fifty years into the future, what cars do we have today that would be seen in that same vein? Likely not too many. Many look just like each other now-a-days. Some might consider something like the HHR or the PT Cruiser. Newer models like the older plates that came back; Mustang and Camero or the Challenger. I think few of the jelly-bean shaped cars would draw much attention.
I think of course the very expensive cars like Porsches and Lamborghinis would draw the attentions of crowds 50 years from now, but I don't think very many everyday cars would have the cache that some of the older ones do now.
Well, here's hoping I'm around to find out. Wouldn't it be cool to climb back into your favorite car from 2013 in 2050? I think that would be awesome. Incidentally, the first car I ever owned is now 42 years old; 1971 Torino. It was candy-apple red with a black vinyl top. Sweet!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
It's alive... 7/12/13
At last, Sands Of Nevertime, the first book in my new fantasy series, The Last Elf Prophecy is live. It is currently available through Amazon.com. For those who use other ereaders such as Kobo or Nook or iPad, it is coming to your stores as well. Others can download it through Smashwords.com.
I would like to thank those who read this blog for their support and putting up with my announcements of the upcoming release. Of course, being an author, one must get as much publicity as possible. This was just one way to do it and I thank you for your patience.
I hope everyone who has a chance to pick up a copy enjoys the story and the writing. As this book launches I begin working on the second of the series where new adventures abound.
I would like to thank those who read this blog for their support and putting up with my announcements of the upcoming release. Of course, being an author, one must get as much publicity as possible. This was just one way to do it and I thank you for your patience.
I hope everyone who has a chance to pick up a copy enjoys the story and the writing. As this book launches I begin working on the second of the series where new adventures abound.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Coming...
One of the exciting times for a writer, or anyone who is striving to develop a career as an author, is the pending release of a new work, be it an article for a publication, a short story, or a new novel. You look forward to its release. You get a little nervous. You comb the pages for the smallest of errors. You have other authors or artists look at the cover; does it put forward the sense of story that you hope? Does it fit the genre you write in? You have an edit, by either yourself (if you trust yourself that much) or someone else who is qualified to find all the mistakes you make when you are writing your 'great American novel'.
Believe me, no matter how long you have been doing this, there are always mistakes. You just hope to fix all the glaring ones. No book will ever be perfect, be it story or perfect punctuation. Where you would place a comma, I wouldn't (a battle I am currently having with Baby Sis). Once you have ironed out all the issues you are ready to pull the trigger.
So....coming in seven days...
Believe me, no matter how long you have been doing this, there are always mistakes. You just hope to fix all the glaring ones. No book will ever be perfect, be it story or perfect punctuation. Where you would place a comma, I wouldn't (a battle I am currently having with Baby Sis). Once you have ironed out all the issues you are ready to pull the trigger.
So....coming in seven days...
Then, you sit back and hope your efforts have been worth it, and that anyone who picks it up, enjoys what they read. I sincerely do hope you enjoy what you read.
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