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I was included in the lineup on the most recent program of āLāĆ©trangerā on Radio Panik 105.4 FM. I thought this show wasnāt bad, I dug a lot of the music and readings. The show goes dark. Iām 3rd or 4th in the lineup with a piece of the new novel or whatever it is, the same place the above writing āSmirk Timeā came from.
https://www.radiopanik.org/emissions/l-etranger/show-465-mvp-rv-showgirl-thirds/
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My novel The Tattletales, as Iāve been trumpeting elsewhere, is now available from Amazon. Itās a big decision. Iām in the process of ordering authorās copies that I need to figure out what to do with. Iāll send out complimentary copies to those who helped with the books via blurbs or editing or artwork. And a few other people. I might try to sell some on twitter but I want to think about having a book release party in the place where I live. I donāt know yet. My promotional strategy is pretty fly by the seat of your pants. Hereās the link. Sometimes it comes up in searches on Amazon, sometimes it doesnāt. Itās on my author page and up on goodreads too, mercifully.
Chapter One of The Tattletales was published at Close to the Bone magazine in 2021. Here it is for those who want to sample the book before thinking about shelling out $13 plus shipping to buy it:
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/brothel-raiders/amp/
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I didnāt go to Chicago for the Expat event and I think it was an okay decision although also I will rue the day. I ALSO am not holding my breath for photos or reports about the festival. If Last Estate was still in effect and I could have gotten it together to go I would have tried to cover it like a news event. Alas it was not to be, cherie.
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I read and did a mini review of Kristin Garthās novel from last year, The Meadow. I really liked the content but thought the form could have used a little polishing, nothing big, just different formatting. I hope sheās not hurt or pissed because I really like her writing a lot, but at times I feel she deserves better frames for her paintings. Hereās the review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5667772565
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Finally, the reading life continues as Iām closing in on finishing Light In August by Faulkner. If I can organize the time Iād like to figure out a way to do a mass rereading of his work now that Iām an older man and an older reader (I read a ton of his books going through a phase in my 20s). Iām also stuck in Troll by Dave Fitzgerald. I need to summon up some strength to dive back into that book when it is a struggle to care about such an unpleasant immature character. I get that itās supposed to be a portrait of a very real archetype from our times. I just donāt know how much I want to hang out with him or how much Iām fascinated by his ways. Maybe new things happen later. The prose style is the best thing about it and there are glimmers of a moral ethos in that aspect of the book, where you canāt find it in the character. But then again I spend much of life in snob castle, so who the fuck am I. Iāll get back to you about Troll. I like Dave and I told him I would read the book and write something and I donāt want to abandon it. Iām all over the place with reading and writing.
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The smirk story is a bit disjointed but a good read. At the end I wasn't too sure which woman he was talking about...
So many great lines, like this one: "Getting paid vs getting prayed."