Getting Excited

Yes, I may have had the kind of day perfectly encapsulated by a gross soap booger, but then I got in my car and I drove home and the Butcher made me laugh. And I cried a little, because it was such a relief to come to a place untouched by the stupidity of my [...]

Must Read

Metro Pulse on Campfield. I love the bracketed fact-checking best. I said, long ago, that if he could tone down the crazy and make his fear and hatred of women less viscerally apparent, he’d be unstoppable. And here he goes with the transformation.

A Fitting Metaphor for My Day

I was in the bathroom, washing my hands, when I squooshed down on the soap dispenser, as you do, and out came some soap and, at the tail end of it, so way up in there, came what I can only describe as a giant booger. I have been trying, with my whole imagination, to [...]

Yeah, I walk the Cat and the Dog Some Mornings

We were walking back across the AT&T yard when I saw the orange cat all pissed off waiting for us. Like, “Christ, people, I have been looking everywhere for you.” Then he walked us home. I think he was a German Shepherd in a former life. You can’t really tell it in this picture, but [...]

What If Everybody Hates It?!

One of the Goodreads contest winners did not think the book was that great.  Like kind of medium bad–the stories too short, some of them pointless. Ugh. What if it does suck? What if folks don’t get what I’m up to because I don’t do it well? I may not be cut out for this [...]

Not “Seduction” nor “Sex Stunt”

This is quite possibly the most bizarre story I’ve heard all day. James O’Keefe, of ACORN pimp fame, was going to lure a CNN reporter onto a boat stocked with handcuffs, dildos, and lube and attempt to “seduce” her, whether or not she wanted it, and keep her on the boat as long as possible. [...]

The New Kitty is Learning Too Much from the Orange Cat

I think I told you about the time I accidentally bit the orange cat, right? I was innocently watching TV and eating some popcorn chicken when all of a sudden, I had a mouth full of cat, because he was going for the chicken in my hand at the same time I was putting my [...]

Oh, Tennessee Dems

It’s crap like this that makes you understand why they’re going to loose. You can’t just make a set of rules that makes your buddy into the only person qualified for a sweet job and not have people kind of grossed out at you. Honestly, I am perplexed as to whether they just thought this [...]

If I am Reading the Wall Street Journal, Does that Make Me Old?

Anyway, two interesting book stories are in the Wall Street Journal. One is about the “stigma” of publishing paperback only and the other is grouching about royalty rates with ebooks. I’m actually stunned that major houses pay 15% of list price on a hardcover and giving out $50,000 or $100,000 advances. Shoot, it’s really a [...]

A Few Things Worth Thinking About

1. I’m getting really excited for y’all to see this year’s ghost stories. Yes, those of you who bought the book and read it will have already seen them, but you can still come here and talk about which ones you like and which ones you hate and why. 2. I’ve scheduled my five for [...]

Another Thing that is Different

I already knew this about books at Amazon.com, but I didn’t really realize it about authors. Books at bookstores, especially big chain bookstores, end up on tables or facing out or on endcaps because someone has paid to put them there. Books at Amazon are ordered by algorithm. Any book can appear just as important [...]

Being a Minister’s Kid

When I was at the AMA meeting, we ended up, beforehand, briefly talking about what it’s like to be a minister’s kid. I tell people it’s a lot like being a military brat, because that’s the easiest answer, but the truth is that it’s not. Military kids are good friends to make if you’re a [...]

Then Let’s Tax the Per Diems Like Extra Income

Seriously, even if you’re too cowardly to vote on what you think you should be paid and are instead basically proudly embezzling from the state so that you can pay yourself what you think you deserve, taxpayers, voters, and other state employees who’ve not had a raise in years be damned, if you’re going to [...]

When I Start to Think You Have Skeletons in Your Closet, So to Speak

It’s not the discomfort with gay people or even the preaching against gayness. I hate that, but I get it. It’s when you reach for the “cutsey” insults–”in the interest of promoting sanctimonious notions of “tolerance” and “diversity,” we dress up our military like Poochie poodle in a pink sweater.” I’ve been thinking a lot [...]

Burning Down the House

One begins to wonder if a goal of the McWherter campaign isn’t to demoralize liberals so much that they stop voting. Or maybe to bait some prominent lefties into supporting Haslam, so that they can pounce and be all “See! He’s really the liberal!” But have they not considered that a. There are no prominent [...]

Bells Bend and McCissack Park

Frozen

Y’all read me, so you know how I am, how easy for me it is to just get frozen with fear and not be able to do the things I need to do, or even remember what those things are. It’s good to get to an age where you know this about yourself, because I [...]

Family Bibles

I need to bring these home and put them on my shelf.

My First Review!

Rachel did an off-topic book review of A City of Ghosts over at Women’s Health News. And it is awesome. I know, self-published, right? I think many of us have preconceived notions about what self-publishing is and who does it and the quality of self-published material. Betsy has proven us all wrong. That’s not really [...]

Tilt-Shift Van Gogh

Um, yes, well, the subject says it all: Tilt-Shift Van Gogh.

Some Book Dates to Mark!

People, I have actual events! Holy cow. And this may not be all of them. But they are exciting, nevertheless, and I hope you will come to one or both or some other one that may shake out here in the next little bit. Book Launch Party October 20th, 6:30, Ri’chard’s out in Whites Creek [...]

Happy

It’s weird in a way I had to laugh about in the way into work. I know how to get through adversity. I know the panic before hand, the complete ridiculousness, the crying, and the putting one foot in front of the other until it is far enough behind you. But going through an incredibly [...]

Someone Always Knows

One cool thing about living in Nashville is that you get to meet really talented folks who have really broad backgrounds. I have, for instance, met a number of people who have worked for a long time in the music industry here in town, both in the secular music industry, which is huge, and the [...]

True Mud

Dr. J. had this up over at Facebook and I love it. I’m just sad they couldn’t somehow work a “BEeeeEEELLLLlllll” into it.

The Book Lump

As I’ve said, I feel good about my marketing efforts to people I know. I told y’all about it. I told Facebook about it. I told Twitter about it. If you know me and don’t know about the book, you just aren’t paying attention. As you remember, my sales goal is 333 copies. To date, [...]