8 January 2016

Hi Everyone:

Gee, I got the year right. Usually, it takes about a month before I can automatically get that part of the date correct on the first try. Does this mean that I am not slipping into dementia? I  hope so. Anyway, let me not forget to wish you all a Very Happy New Year!

Some people make all kinds of resolution. I suppose that some of them are even kept. I've had no luck with either side of that equation, so this year I resolved not to repeat any of last year's resolutions. However, that is not to say that I won't persist in trying to locate a good Literary Agent for my adult novel, The Unvarnished Truth and for my young adult trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam. In addition, I fully intend to finish the family saga that at the present time is bedeviling me, it's working title is: Where There's a Will--There's a Relative.termined to find a Literary Agent for  my novel, The Unvarnished Truth &

tures of Silent Sam.  And somehow,lan to finish my newest family saga, Where There's a
I've written a little over half of this latest novel, and I must say that it's  getting harder and harder to write. Up until last month, I was writing it from the seat of my pants (In my case, that may be where the brain is located) by that I mean, that as the author, I know where I want the story to go and I kind of lose myself inside my characters and let them dictate the story. Unfortunately, somewhere between Thanksgiving and the December Holidays, that ceased to work. I have resorted to doing what I did when I first began to write. I mentally concentrate on the next scene or the next chapter and once I get an idea about where it should go, I write a brief outline. That has gotten me through the last four-chapters. How much further it will take me, I haven't a clue. The only thing I can tell you is that since the wealthy main character is in the process of revising his will, I think it is time for the greedy relatives to begin to surface. Ah, I can hardly wait to figure out just how their greed will manifest. If you have any ideas, please send them to me at: jjtrux@att.net/

You might like to check out my website. As of this date, it has received over six thousand-hits, so I know a lot of people are checking it out. You'll find it at: joshswritingroom.com  You can bet that once I send this out, my next task will be to place a different story in the Current Post section of the website. I shall try to post my friend, Frank Lohan's story, Not My Dog. Being a dog lover, it's one of my favorites. Read it! It just might become a favorite with you too.

By the way, my publisher has recently changed names. Henceforth, my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me will be published by Indigo Sea Press, LLC. From now on, if you go to a book store to purchase my book, (and I hope you will, it's a good read & it makes a terrific gift) the store can order it under a new ISBN number: 978-1-63066-420-6
        Josh

Friday, 4 December 2015

Hi Everyone:

Here we are at last; it is the final month of the current year, and for most it is a busy time indeed. If you are a football fan, like me, it is the time of year when we get to watch the best of the season's play. It's time for college playoffs and pro-football's final contests leading up to February's Super- Bowl. I'd mention that winter begins on the 22nd but here in South Florida I think it came and went last week.

But of course it is much, more; on Sunday Dec. 6th Hanukkah begins. My Catholic spouse has already placed our menorah on a table in the living-room and for eight nights I'll light another candle and recite the Hebrew blessing as we honor this festival of lights that recalls how 2,000-years ago, the family Maccabee led our people against a Syrian tyrant king (sound familiar?) who had conquered the holy-land and forbade the practice of Judaism.

Before the day arrives when all eight candles are finally lit, my wife will have our tree fully decorated and empty stockings strategically placed to remind us of the gifts to come when Christmas day arrives on the twenty-fifth. Our son, Casey, still sort of believes in the jolly old fellow who delivers all the goodies, and yes, we celebrate both holidays at our house. You can enjoy my favorite holiday short story in the Current Post section of my website at: http://joshtruxton.blogspot.com

We don't however celebrate Kwanzaa, which starts the day after Christmas and runs until New Years Day. We probably would if Danielle and Casey had their way. I guess by now, it's occurred to you that we are big on celebrating happy occasions. Kwanzaa is a wonderful celebration of African-American cultural values and traditions.

I had hoped to participate in The Author's Showcase scheduled for January 10th at the Delray Beach Public Library, but unfortunately I was given the wrong deadline for submission of my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me, so while I'll probably attend, I won't be able to speak until 2017. That, of course, won't prevent you from purchasing my novel, which makes a great gift, at your local book store. It helps if you give them this ISBN number: 978-1-63066-062-8. If you'd prefer an e-book you can upload it at: www.amazon.com or for Nook users at: http://www.barnesandnoble.com

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your loyalty in following my blog and to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays.
         Josh

30 October 2015

Hi Everyone:

Supposen the witches began to witch and you couldn't tell which witch was which. Well, supposen?

According to my calendar, tomorrow is Halloween, and this year it is on a Saturday, which means that the school aged kids in our neighborhood will not be in school, so maybe they will be out in force. We never know from year to year how many will show up at our door to receive a treat. My kind-hearted wife usually buys several bags of candy (that she hides from me) until the holiday arrives. This year is different, instead of candy (dog gone it!) she bought forty bottles of fruit-punch with straws. (She didn't bother to hide it from me) I guess I'll have to go trick or treating tomorrow night.

Here is a short story that I wrote some time ago:

TRICK OR TREAT

(For Carolyn)

By

        Joshua J. Truxton

 (561) 736-8044   jjtrux@att.net

509 Words

           

My daddy is a smart man. He makes all kinds of things. He made my toy box, and my bed; he even made the home we live in.  Our house is made of big logs. It’s near an airbase in Alaska.  It’s beautiful in the summer. The days are warm and the sun is still up when I go to sleep, but in the winter the sun comes up half way between breakfast and lunch, and it’s dark again by the time we have dinner.

In winter, the snow piles up so high that neither Mommy or I can see over it, and it’s so cold that Daddy runs an electric cord from our house to a heater he puts over the motor of our truck to keep it from freezing. Mommy says he’s a genius—a mad genius—whatever that is.

            Late last spring, I found a little puppy out in the woods behind our house. She had lots of soft brown fur. Mommy said I could keep her if nobody claimed her. Mommy wanted to name her Georgia, but Daddy named her George.

            I don’t think Daddy liked George. Every time she peed on the floor, he picked her up by the back of her neck, which Daddy said didn’t hurt, and threw her out the door.

            I don’t think George liked Daddy either ‘cause once after he threw her out, I saw her pee on the mat in front of our door. When she finished, she shook herself and ran away.  I never saw her again.

Like I said, it gets cold in Alaska and the morning after George left, Daddy put on his heavy jacket, stepped out the door, and slipped on the icy mat. He hurt his back.

            There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood. Most of them are older than me. Daddy says they’re a bunch of troublemakers, always up to nasty tricks, especially at Halloween. This year, he said that when they holler, “Trick or treat,” he’s going to give them a trick they’ll never forget. I watched as he fastened some long wires to the inside knob on our front door, and then attached the other end to a little machine he has that looks like my pencil sharpener. Daddy said that when he turns the handle real fast they’ll get a shocking trick. Just to be sure, he went outside to shovel some snow on the mat that Mommy had just swept clean.

            When he went outside, I remembered Daddy saying, “It’s so easy, a child can do it,” so I went over to the table where he had that pencil sharpener and gave it a couple of real fast turns—it was easy. You should have heard Daddy yell! I don’t know what all the words meant; they must have been bad ones because Mommy rushed in and put her hands over my ears.

            We gave out popcorn balls and lollypops on Halloween.

19 Aug 2015

Hi Everyone:
     Sometimes, a writer's life just gets tedious. Composing a new novel is challenging enough all by itself, but when you combine that with efforts to polish and revise another that you've recently completed and at the same time continue the struggle to find a literary agent who is excited about seeking a publisher for what you consider to be one of the best things you've ever written--WELL--as  you can tell, it is beyond frustrating. If I wasn't so stubborn, I'd take up stamp collecting or if my aged body would just co-operate, go back to playing senior softball. 
    I think I must be getting closer to landing a literary agent because my rejections are getting smaller. The last one I received came by mail (in a stamped pre-addressed envelope that I provided).
The paper was a non-standard size,  only 4+3/4" by 6"  The fact that my name was typed in using a font that didn't match the thirty-three-word rejection didn't provide an ounce of comfort, but I must say they came up with a somewhat unique excuse. This one claimed too many authors & too much work. I must admit, today, most literary agents require that you query them by e-mail and if they bother to communicate at all it is also by e-mail. I guess this one hurt because I had to send the query with sample pages by mail along with the stamped return mail envelope. Ah well, onward and upward.
     I hope you will check out my website: joshswritingroom.com I just posted another great short story written by my close friend, Frank Lohan. You'll find it on the tab marked "Current Posts".  On Sept 9th, I'm planning to post the opening chapters of my novel, The Unvarnished Truth. Don't miss it.
           Josh

July 10, 2015

Hi Everyone:

A month ago, I published the first three chapters of my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me on my website: www.joshswritingroom.com  I am pleased to relate that 513 readers had the chance to check it out. I look forward to learning from my publisher how many sales were generated by that exposure.

If you didn't get a chance to read it during that period, you should still be able to find it among the archives. You can also find it online at these addresses:
                                                
                                                        www,barnesandnoble.com
                                                               www.amazon.com

 You can purchase the print version via on-demand printing through Second Wind Publishing or any book store. It helps the store locate it if you provide the ISBN Number: 978-1-63066-062-8.

In the meantime, I have replaced the free chapters in the current post section of my website with a brand new short, short story, Le Grenouille` that I think you will find amusing. I hope you will soon visit my website at: joshswritingroom.com

While much of my energy is devoted to the marketing of this novel, I still find time to work on a brand new story. I have now completed the first twenty-five chapters of  Where There's a Will . . . There's a Relative.  like Alex, Peanut Butter and Me it is a family saga. In addition to the new story, I am also reviewing and revising The Unvarnished Truth. Within the next few weeks, I shall post the opening chapters for your reading pleasure and for your comments. I am seeking a Literary Agent to represent it, an essential step if it is to be seen by a major publishing house, one of my cherished goals.

May 13, 2015

Hi Everyone:

     Now that my novel, Alex--Peanut Butter--And Me, is available at bookstores and online, it seems that I must turn more of my attention to marking than ever before.

     For those of you who prefer reading a novel on an electronic device:
        You can download the novel at: www.barnesandnoble.com or at: www.amazon.com/

     For  those of you who prefer the feel of the book:
         Your local book store can provide a print on demand copy. They may ask you for its ISBN  
          number, 978-1-63066-062-8. You can also obtain a copy from the publisher at a discounted
          price at: www.secondwindpublishing.com

     If you would like to know more about the story and the author you can read an interesting interview by going to this link: https://patbertram.wordpress.com/?s=josh+truxton  You can also read sample chapters at my website: www.joshswritingroom.com and click on Current Post. I sure hope you will check it out; I think you'll find that the story will bring a tear to your eye, put a smile on your lips, and warm your heart.

    Enjoy the read,
             Josh

17 April 2015

Re: Josh’s Book Brigade

Hi Everyone:

I am pleased and excited to tell you that my publisher, Second Wind Publishing, LLC, has just advised that my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me is now available in print form. As you may know, while three of my novels, Path to a Pardon, The Eindhoven Strategy, and Palm Beach Style are available in electronic form, this is a first for me.

Now, the hard work of marketing begins. It is extremely important that the book enjoy early success. The publication of future novels is, to some extent, hostage to the sales record and especially the early sales record of this novel.

While the novel is available to virtually all book stores, not all will opt to stock it on their shelves unless there is demand for it. People seldom buy what they can’t see and hold. That’s why I am hoping you will lend a hand, by joining Josh’s Book Brigade.

I’m asking that you contact one or more bookstores in your area. You can do this in person or even by phone. Simply ask if they have a copy of Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me by Josh Truxton in stock. If the answer is ‘no’, indicate that you would like to see a copy of the book and ask if they can order it (perhaps they ought to have several copies). Say that you have the ISBN Number available. It is: 978-1-63066-062-8.  You are not obligated to buy the book although it is a good read, and priced at an affordable $12.95 it makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys an uplifting family story.

I hope I can count on you to assist in getting the novel into lots of bookstores. Perhaps you could also forward this to some of your good friends.

          Josh

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                           ALEX, PEANUT BUTTER, AND ME

                                         By Josh Truxton                              

                             ISBN Number: 978-1-63066-062-8        

                     Published by: Second Wind Publishing, LLC