Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The Long Road from Perdition - Almost Set to PRINT

Days like today is always a proud day for an author.  The manuscript you've been laboring over, staying up until all hours of the night rewriting, thinking about, wondering about it's success...is finally done.

Having said that, the easy part is over.  What?  The easy part?  Hell yes.  Now the marketing, promotion and social networking must be in full throttle.  What I've been doing with this blog was only a warm up.  So, now that the novel will soon be out, you'll be hearing alot more from me.

I dare say, I think this is the only novel ever to take place in the GT (Golden Triangle of SE Texas).  You know, Groves, Port Arthur, Beaumont and the like.  It's about time, really.  I've always felt this area deserved some notariety for something other than the rich musical heritage.

I worked hard on this novel.  Now it's YOUR turn to tell me if you like it.  Here's a short synopsis on the back book cover:


Young Nicholas witnesses a horrifying scene leaving him emotionally broken only to discover, “The scars you can't see are the hardest to heal.

Nicholas Fontenot is a precocious yet sensitive teenager who lives in an abusive home with his family. After witnessing a horrifying scene, his world is torn apart and leaves him emotionally broken. As the only witness of a grizzly crime, he is shuffled through the Foster Care system until he escapes his life of misery and abuse. Through his journey, Nicholas meets a kindred spirit in Charley, a drag queen and owner of an off the beaten path gay bar in New Orleans.  A host of colorful characters within this bar become Nicholas’ extended family.   Yet, his troubled past continues to haunt him until he is forced to leave the only happy home he has ever known .   His struggles give new meaning and insight to the thought; “The scars you can't see are the hardest to heal.” His journey is a long one, but his travels to find peace is even longer. It is through his journey that he discovers "The Long Road from Perdition." 


Well?

Thursday, December 15, 2011

So, What was it like growing up in Groves? (The City on the Grow)

I can tell you that I'm old enough that my generation grew up very different than the Gen Y'ers of today.  I know it's hard to believe Virginia; but there weren't computers in every home.  The only phones around were landlines.  No cell phones, smart phones, Droids, texting are anything else.

It was a much quieter time in Groves back in the early 60's and 70's.  Sometimes I think that's why more people in small towns branched out and moved to larger cities.  While technology wasn't exactly exploding back then, there was nightlife, clubs, restaurants and a host of other places and circumstances where you could pick your poison.

Meanwhile, kids rode their bikes or walked as a means of transportation.  There were basketball or football games in the park or someone's yard.  Once you left home in the mornings, your time was your own until reporting back to dinner at the end of the day.  If your Mom wanted to call you home, she simply stepped outside and yodeled your name which almost broke the sound barrier. There was more freedom without the technology.

It wasn't unusual to see kids reading a book on the front porch or just talking to friends that stopped by to say hello after riding their bikes to Jefferson City and back.

Today, I go to restaurants and notice people waiting in line, texting, phoning, Facebooking, Twittering and glancing at their watches impatiently.  It amazes me that their children are completely mesmerized by video games and can text without even looking at the number pad on their phones.  Why are we so fixated with technology all of the time?  I can tell you this; Swamp Witch, Sarah Jane Road and other tall tales would never be discovered if everyone had their nose buried in their Ipads, cells or other media device 100% of the time.

It was a slower time, back then.  But, it was also a better time too.