25 March 2015

Hi Everyone:

     I wish I could write that I have great news. Heck I wish that I could write that I have good news. The truth is, I hardly have any news at all.
    On my last blog, I said that I was having a love affair with my latest creation, my thirteenth novel,  currently titled, Where There's a Will--There's a Relative. I believe I gave credit for my inspiration to a quote from Mavis Gallant: "Writing is Like a Love Affair: The Beginning is the Best Part."
    I'm still very much in love, I just finished chapter 17. However, I must be past the beginning, because I'm slowing down. I'm approaching the middle of my story where it gets harder and harder to get a clear view of the path ahead. Some wise sole once dubbed it, the muddle of the story. I have a fairly good idea of how the novel ends. I just have to find my way from where I am, through the next twenty chapters, to what I hope will be a fantastic finish.
     In the meantime, I am still waiting for my publisher to send me the initial supply of copies that I ordered of my just released seventh novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me. About two weeks ago, he said that it would take about three weeks before the printer could ship them, so I guess I'm a week or two away from nail-biting time.
     I did go to his website and I found that when I clicked on my name under his listing of authors it did take me to a section with a brief biography and a picture of my novel in soft cover. It displayed an initial price of $12.95 that was ruled out and replaced by one at $10.95. [He accepts MasterCard, PayPal and Visa], so I'm guessing that the book can be purchased on-line directly from  www.secondwindpublishing.com (or click on this link.) Click the "Authors" tab, the names are  alphabetized by first names. Click on Joshua Truxton and the website should do the rest.

  By the way, if you are following this blog, you are among the first to be invited to purchase the novel. I guess you could say this is my formal, informal announcement.

March 4, 2015

Hi Everyone:

     About two weeks ago, while I was between revising the third volume of my trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam, and sending out queries to Literary Agents for representation on my novel, The Unvarnished Truth, and urging my publisher to expedite the release of "Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me"; I came across this terrific quote from the author, Mavis Gallant:
      
                      "Writing is like a love affair:  The beginning is the best part."

     I jotted it down on a Post-It and now it sits firmly attached to my computer screen. The more I thought about it, the truer it sounded. It became clear to me that it was trumpeting a message that was far too clear and poignant to ignore, so I dusted off my trusty keyboard and immersed myself in a brand new project. You might well ask if it is a romance or at least a love story. Either, would be only too poetic, but alas, no such luck. It's a family saga in which the main character, age seventy, is beginning to experience cognitive issues and recognizes, that for all his wealth, he must face end of life decisions. The working title for this, my 13th manuscript. is [Are you ready for this? May I hear a drumroll, please.]
                                      "Where There is a Will . . . . There's a Relative"
     Now don't go rushing out to Barnes & Noble or to Amazon.com to get a copy. I'm a long, long way from publication. In fact, if you have been following my blog you know what a struggle I've been having to find a Literary Agent in the hope of getting some major publishing house to consider one of my manuscripts.
     So far, all I have is a working title and the first eleven chapters. And I'm here to tell you that Mavis Gallant is right, writing is like a love affair. I've never felt more alive than I've been while putting together these initial chapters. Will the beginning turn out to be the best part of the affair? I guess I won't know the answer to that until I reach the end of my quest. But like a love affair, I can feel myself being seduced by the promise of the main characters. Will their allure pull me deep into the plot? I have no idea, but I find myself pushing other literary concerns aside to concentrate on this, my great new love.
     As they used to say on the radio soaps, Stay tuned for further developments.
                   Josh