Hi Everyone:

Recently, I celebrated another in a long line of, what were thankfully unbroken, birthdays. I had a marvelous day and I want to thank all of you who sent me your good wishes. They were much appreciated.

Casey and my wife sent me one of those cards that list a lot of events that were going on during the year of your birth along with interesting statistics. I remember President Roosevelt's first term but my conscious recollections do not go back to 1930 when Herbert Hoover resided in the White House.
It's funny, but unless they are later elevated to office of President, we seldom recall who was elected Vice President. In Hoover's case, that was Charles Curtis.

In these times of racial discord, it may be good to remember Curtis. I looked him up. He served in the House and in the Senate before serving two terms as Vice President. And here's the kicker--he was part Indian. His mother was half-Indian. His early youth was spent with the Kaw Indian tribe. Even then we were a diversified nation. Back in 1930 we had only about one-third of our current population.

Things were a lot different back then, the Federal Government spent only 3.3 Billion and, the great depression was fully underway. Jobs disappeared and Hoover appointed a Commission for unemployment-relief. Prices of just about everything fell. You could send a first class letter by affixing a two-cent stamp.

Times were tough but they weren't all bad, Astronomers discovered Pluto. All Quiet on the Western Front won the Academy Award and the Hays office established its code of decency. 1930 was also the year that Gallant Fox won the Derby and Vannevar Bush built his differential analyzer, the first analog computer. (See what you can learn when you celebrate a birthday.)

Now, we have low unemployment and prices keep going up and up and . . .  Why you might even have to pay as much as $30 bucks for a good book, but on the other hand, with almost any electronic reading device you can go to> www.amazon.com to find one or more of my published novels for a fraction of that. Here are the novels currently available:

                                                          Alex, Peanut Butter and Me.
                                                          Palm Beach Style.
                                                          The Eindhoven Strategy.
                                                          Path to a Pardon.

Hi Everyone:

We have finally come to the end of 2016 and I know that for some it couldn't come fast enough. For me it has been a year of anguish, especially because of the divisiveness of an election gone awry.

Personally, I fervently hope that the new administration will be a lot better than I expect, or to put it another way, not nearly as bad as I  anticipate.

To all of you, I wish the very best. May 2017 prove to be a year of peace and may you enjoy good health, happiness and prosperity.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
     Josh

Hi Everyone:

Just in case you haven't already read this, I am posting once again my very own Halloween short-short story.
It is entitled, TRICK OR TREAT, and while it is fictitious, it is based around actual incidents in the distant past.

                       TRICK OR TREAT

                                        (For Carolyn)

By

        Joshua J. Truxton

 (561) 736-8044   jjtrux@att.net

           

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.

26 Sep 2016

Hi Everyone:
     As some of you may know, I love baseball. It's not that I have ever been considered a great ballplayer, or even a very good one. When I was a kid, my father, who liked baseball, never took me to a professional baseball game, even though we lived in Cleveland and on Sundays he frequently listened to the Indians' games on radio. He never played catch with me. In fact, if it hadn't been for our next door neighbor, Allan Jacobs, I doubt that I would ever have learned how to catch a ball. The point is, I did learn and in my younger days I was either the captain of our team or one of the first kids chosen in a pick-up game because I could hit the long ball. I played into my teens and then somehow the game got away from me. It probably happened around the time I discovered girls. Many years passed before I took up the game again. By then, I was too old to play anything but Senior Softball, which I played until my body told me it was time to give it up. Since then, I've become a Miami Marlins fan. I  watch the games on TV and cheer for the team, even when they have a loosing season.
     Yesterday, they lost big. Their brightest star and one of the top pitchers in all of baseball, Jose Fernandez, was killed in a boating accident. What caused it, who was piloting the boat, what went wrong we may never know, but at age 24 this terrific young man with a charismatic smile who was headed for greatness lost his life.
     I saw him once at a spring training game. He looked vibrant and larger than life. Seeing him reminded me of the time I saw John Kennedy up close and personal. He had that same vibrant look. For both of them, all I can do is wonder, What might have been? Too soon gone!
     I know that I'll continue to watch America's pastime. I'll keep rooting for the Marlins to win. I know they'll soon draft or trade for a new starting pitcher and the game will go on. But oh Jose, what might have been.
      Josh

Hi Everyone:
     In honor of our national holiday, Independence Day, I am once again posting a short story that I wrote. It is presented here for your amusement. 

     If you haven't read it before, I think you will enjoy it. In any event, don't forget to hang out the flag on July 4th.
          Josh

ONE TOO MANY FIFTHS ON THE FOURTH

By         

Josh Truxton

            Summer arrived early at Pelican Cove. In most years, the humidity remained low and the temperature hovered in the low eighties until the middle of May. That’s when the last of the snow-birds packed and left Florida’s beaches to the locals. This year, the man upstairs played his little joke on everybody. The southern half of the State had been under a severe drought warning for two years; this year, before April finished its first week, temperature gauges in Pelican Cove hit ninety degrees before noon; the few clumps of grass that dared poke through their sandy base looked brown, battered, and brittle. By the end of May, temperatures and tempers hovered in the high damns.

            Howard Ditz and his wife Betty migrated to Pelican Cove to escape Detroit’s bitter winters; now Betty regretted their decision. Today, as she lifted cereal bowls from the kitchen cabinet she mused; I wish I could convince Howie to sell this place. We could rent a nice apartment up north during the summer and come to Florida when the first snow falls. If only he weren’t so stubborn. He’ll never admit we made a mistake buying this place. For two cents I’d burn it down, then we’d have to move. Betty filled the bowls and placed them on the breakfast table, and looked up to see him bare-footing it down the hallway from their bedroom. She frowned at the sight of him, wearing yesterday’s brown shorts with the coffee stain next to the zipper, and without a shirt to cover his hairy chest and beer belly. “Howie, I wish you’d put a shirt on when you come to the table. What’ll the neighbors think?”

            “What neighbors? The only one left is Buddy Batch and I’ll bet ten to one, he ain’t wearing one neither. He don’t want anyone to miss seeing his Semper Fi. Tattoo. That jerk got tattooed and then tried to enlist—they rejected him.”  He lifted his right leg and swung it over the chair-back, then planted his backside on the seat. “Hey Babe, where’s the paper?”

            Betty poured some milk into a pitcher and brought it to the table. “I don’t know; it’s usually here by now. I checked the front yard and the shrubs. If it doesn’t come by the time we finish eating I’ll call.”

            They ate in silence, watching Headline News on the small kitchen TV. When they finished, Howard poured a second mug of coffee to take along, and leaving Betty to clear the table, strolled outside. With hardly a glance at the flat ocean waters, he crossed the driveway separating his place from the one next door. He banged a fist against the frame of Buddy’s screen door. “Hey, Batch! Are you up yet?” 

            From somewhere in the dark interior a voice called, “Yeah, come on in!”

            Barefooted, Howard entered and walked on sticky linoleum through the cramped living-room toward the light at the back of the house. Unlike the neat kitchen Betty kept, Batch’s kitchen always carried the aroma of rancid grease and rotten eggs. The big man sat at his kitchen table, a lit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, reading the morning paper. He wore tight shorts but nothing to hide the globe, anchor, and eagle tattooed on his chest. “I see you brought your own coffee, take a load off!” he said, pointing at a chair.  He held up a bottle of Wild Turkey, “Want me to sweeten it?”

            Howard extended his coffee mug and watched as Buddy topped it before bringing the bottle to his own lips and downing three big swallows. Putting the bottle on the table he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, patted it against the paper and said; “Do you know what our stupid assed city council did?”

            “No. We didn’t get a paper. The old lady is calling to give them hell.”

            Batch grinned. “Sure you did. It’s right here. I got it about an hour ago.”

            Howard shrugged, “Oh, so you’re a paper thief! I’ll bite; what did the counsel do?”

            “Hell! They canceled the Fourth of July, that’s what the dumb bastards did, on account of the drought. Here we got a whole ocean where it’s safe and they’re afraid of starting a fire. They say not having the fireworks will help balance their budget.”

            “Crap! That’s a damn shame!” Howie declared, reaching for the Wild Turkey. I been looking forward to that. Hell every kid in town is sure to be disappointed. Balance the budget my ass. That’s what they done when they fired all them useless cops and firemen!” He tilted the bottle and drank. When he finished he banged the bottle down. “We ain’t gonna let the bastards get away with that! We’ll get our own rockets.”

            Buddy reached for the bottle. “What do you mean—we?”

            “Hell, Batch, if you don’t go along with this, you ain’t got a hair on your ass.”

            Buddy shrugged and raised the bottle. “Okay, count me in.” He took another swig. “It’s a good thing me and Heather split. I got a feeling there’s gonna be hell to pay over this.”

            Howard grabbed the bottle and drained it, “Semper Fi, Buddy.”

           

            The next afternoon the two men climbed into Howie’s Ram 1500 and headed south to find what they needed. A saw-buck shy of two-hundred dollars later, they returned with a treasure trove of star-burst rockets, Roman candles, and half-a-dozen strings of fire-crackers, plus two bottles of Wild Turkey.

            “Howie, what’s your old lady gonna say about this?”

            “What Betty don’t know won’t hurt her none.”

            Buddy opened a new bottle of Wild Turkey “Yeah, how you gonna keep her from finding out?”

            “I’ve been thinking about that, and I figure the best thing to do is send her up to Detroit to visit her sister. She don’t give a rat’s ass for this heat anyway. Since your main squeeze snatched the Chevy, we can stash this stuff in your garage.”

            Everything went according to plan. Betty went north and the two men drank there merry way toward the big day. They finished their second bottle at midnight on July 3^rd, and then unsteadily meandered into Buddy’s garage.

“Why don’t we load all this stuff in your Ram and drive down to the beach?”

            “No dice, someone might hear; besides, I ain’t gonna chance getting stuck in the damn soft sand.”

            Buddy slung two strings of fire-crackers over each shoulder. As he stooped to pick up the rest, his Marlboro touched the wick; with the first pop his eyes widened, he threw up both arms sending the strings back into the garage where they set off the Roman candles; they fired hitting the star-bursts.

            Howie hollered, “You idiot!” Where’s the garden hose?”

            “In the garage, asshole!”

            “Stupid moron!”

Rockets flew in six different directions, lighting up the garage and progressing from there. Buddy screamed, “You dumb jerk! Get a fire extinguisher!” The two men half ran and half staggered toward the beach.

            “Dummy!”

            “Screw-up!”

            “Damn fool marine-reject!”

            “Jack-ass!”

            “Blockhead!”

            The next morning’s paper lamented the loss of two beachfront cottages due to the night’s mischief. To safe-guard the community, a pair of drunks were now detained.

           

           

Hi Everyone:


I'm almost a week behind in writing. Last Wednesday, I promised myself that I would write this the next day. But we all know how that goes. Promises, promises. At least the road to hell is paved.

Tomorrow is flag day. I don't know about you, but I look forward to it. We own about 10 flags, some large, some not so large and a bunch of small ones and I love displaying them in the myriad of flower pots around the front of our house. We have one flag, however, that has never been put out for our neighbors to enjoy. It is quite large and silky and is made to pull down like a giant window-shade. We bought it a couple of years ago. I've never been able to figure out how to install it because of the construction of the roof's overhang. My wife, Danielle, who is far more mechanically oriented than I, says that she has figured that out and, after years of prodding, she has finally put it on her lengthy list of things to do. It doesn't look like she's going to activate that item however, until July. If I'm lucky she'll have it ready to unveil by the fourth of July. Don't ask what year.

According to my trusty callendar, Father's Day arrives on Sunday, June 19th. (It's time for a commercial.) If you are looking for a great gift for your father, here is a suggestion, one that will give him hours of enjoyment; give him a copy of my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter and Me.
It just so happens that I have a few copies available and while they are priced at $12.95 retail, you can purchase one at the discounted price of just $10.00--while they last. I'll handle the shipping cost myself.  If you don't give gifts for Father's Day, buy one for yourself. Summer starts on June 20th and the story is a great one to take on a picnic or to the beach.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. Speaking of books, my close friend, Frank Lohan, has become a regular reading machine. While his tastes are eclectic, lately he has gotten into suspense novels. When he is finished with them, he hands them to me, so I have novels by
Michael Connelly, Clive Cunssler, John Grisham and James Patterson sitting on my shelf along with An Introduction to Short Fiction. And if that isn't enough to keep me reading once I finish working on my current novel, last Saturday, Evelyn Horowitz, a member of The Writer's Studio gave me an interesting book to read. It's entitled: "How to Read and Why" by Harold Bloom. Maybe I'd better start by reading it. It may help me decide if I should read any of the others on my shelf.

            Josh

27 May 2016

Hi Everyone:

Armed Forces Day passed a week ago and Memorial Day is just ahead. It's enough to make one nostalgic for time spent in the military. No disrespect meant to those who served their country for 20 or 30 years, but I don't often feel nostalgia for my paltry two years, especially the part spent in Korea. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, which means that my wife (who also served) and I will put out a number of flags to mark the holiday. My good friend, Frank Lohan, usually goes to the local cemetery. I went with him once, it was okay. I suppose I'd feel different if I belonged to one of the veteran's organizations, but I've never been much of a joiner. About the only organization that I joined of my own free will was The Boy Scouts and that was about three quarter's of a century ago. ( I don't attend any of their function either.)

I must say that as I have looked back over the years at my military service, I have come to the conclusion that it was one of the most meaningful things that I have ever done. I feel that somehow my being there made a difference. A lot of ex-military owe their education to the GI Bill. The military also offered basic courses for some whose education was lacking. I recall using my military service to obtain financing for a home. Most important of all, both my wife and I now obtain virtually all our medical care at the VA hospital. That alone has been worth every day either of us served our nation.

Many of you are aware that I no longer maintain my website. I hope to utilize this blog more frequently than I have in the past and I sure hope that you will check it out frequently. It is here that I will share with you my thoughts on writing and anything else that I deem worthy of sharing.

I have been at odds with my publisher for some months. However I did manage to obtain a small supply of my published novel, ALEX, PEANUT BUTTER AND ME. It's overarching theme is that sometimes the most insignificant act inflicts the gravest wound. It is a story of today's turbulent world. The posted retail price is $12.95 but while they last, I will part with my supply at the discounted price of just $10.00. It's a story you'll enjoy. It also makes a great gift and yes, I will sign each copy.

Hi Everyone:

Have you missed me? I've certainly missed you. I can't recall how many times I told myself that it was time to write something on my blog to let you know how things were progressing for this writer, but somehow, things often intrude to force me to put my efforts to some other purpose. Sometimes, it is the need to get out one or more queries to Literary Agents to replace those nasty rejection letters that virtually all writers receive, that is unless your name is John Gresham or Stephen King. Then there is the need I feel to write another chapter in my current project, a novel whose working title is: Where there's a Will . . .There's a Relative. Sometimes, it's some chore on my wife's Honey-do list, although to be honest, that's pretty rare because, for the most part, she is one of those rare people who would rather do it herself. No, it is more likely to be our dog, Cookie. She comes into my office and shoves her muzzle into my thigh to let me know that it is time for me to take her out. At any rate, it has been a while since I added to this blog, but I'm here now and ready to write.

Daylight Savings arrived yesterday and today the last of our many timepieces got changed. The only one that I changed is the one on my wrist. Like I said, Danielle would rather do it herself. This morning the alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. because it's Monday, one of the three days each week that our son goes (at 8:00 am) to, what he calls, work at the Habilitation Center. Shortly after 7:00 a.m. Cookie and I were out the door for her long walk and I must say that it was barely light enough for me to see without the aid of a flashlight. All this is leading up to observe that with more daylight hours, there should be more time for me to be productive or few excuses for not writing. That, of course, assumes that I can get my brain to kick in and begin to chart my way through the next twist in the plot of my novel. It is a family saga, so there are plenty of threads that need to be woven in and out of the main storyline.

This is especially daunting now, because I am writing this story pretty much as it comes to me. For those novels where I start by developing a detailed outline, keeping all the threads moving is less of a problem. I'll let you in on a little secret; sometimes, when I am having trouble deciding where I want the plot to go, I revert to writing a brief outline, (one of my teachers used to say that writing causes thinking). Outlining is really just a mental exercise of thinking ahead as to where the many characters in the story are going. I think I read somewhere that when Mario Puzo was writing The Godfather he kept a big piece of paper tacked to his wall and diagrammed the various mob-families to keep track of what happened to all the various members. Some authors use 3 X 5 cards to keep track of each character and to write down their physical characteristics, interests and quirks. Right now, I'm using notebook paper to keep that kind of data straight (I keep everything pertaining to the novel in a notebook so nothing gets lost, but I'm thinking about switching to cards for my next book. I've even thought about switching to the card system for this novel, but I'm 40 chapters into it, which means I probably will finish it in another 20 or so chapters. I think it's a little late to change systems. What do you think?

That brings me to the realization that it is time to get busy on the next chapter. I need to get at it while I still have a firm grasp on who the characters are, what it will contain, and just how it will move my story forward.

          Josh

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

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

                           ALEX, PEANUT BUTTER, AND ME

                                         By Josh Truxton                              

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

                     Published by: Second Wind Publishing, LLC

 

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

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Hi Everyone:
    
     It's been about six weeks since my last post and I'm still waiting for my publisher to move my novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me, out of the "Coming Soon" list and onto his "Available Now" list. I just sent him a note and I'm hoping he'll respond right away.
     In my previous blog, I mentioned that I had sent the manuscript for The Unvarnished Truth to a literary agent. Story in a nutshell--rejected. Once again I am actively seeking someone who feels passionately about this story. I now have 51 unanswered queries out there (123 sent since April of last year). I feel that the advent of the movie Selma should improve the book's chances.
     In case you are wondering, yes, I am also seeking an agent who likes Young Adult and New Adult stories for my three volume trilogy, Adventure of Silent Sam. There are 26 unanswered queries about those. (Does anyone have a special in with a literary agent?)
     Every time I get a rejection notice I send at least one new query out. I don't take rejections personally, I try to treat this as a process and my response of a new query for each turn down helps to keep it that way.
     In the meantime, beside reading the 3rd volume of Adventure of Silent Sam to my critique group at the rate of a chapter a week, I have started writing a new novel. It's a family saga that I'm really excited about. So far I've completed only eight chapters, so I have a long way to go. I shall keep you posted as to my progress.
     Here is a great quote from author, Mavis Gallant. "Writing is like a love affair: The beginning is the best part."

Hi Everyone:
     In my last blog, I bemoaned the difficulty of enticing a legitimate literary agent to actually read  my manuscript, The Unvarnished Truth. At the time, I had already written to 75 literary agents without any sign of success and  my lament was to find a specific number where one could honestly say to ones self, "That's enough, it's time to put the book on the shelf, or consider the Independent Publishers or self-publication."
     I am a persistent person so I kept on sending out query letters, and lo and behold, after sending an electronic query letter to the 110th agent (with over 45 still unanswered) today I rec'd a request for the entire manuscript. Naturally, I complied. She may decide not to represent it, but for a while, I can at least ecstatically float on a sense of hope.
     My list of potential literary agents still contains 23 likely prospects for this genre. I shall hold these as a reserve, in case I wind up with another rejection, and in the meantime, dedicate myself to finding a Literary Agent for my Young Adult trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam. I must confess that within the last week I also came up with the germ of an idea for my next novel, a great family conflict. I can hardly wait to start putting that on paper.
     In case you are wondering, here is the latest news on my forthcoming novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me. I checked my publisher's website and found a segment dedicated to novels that are close to their publication date. There together with nineteen others, listed under: COMING SOON was the cover for my book. Now all I need to figure out is the definition of the word: SOON.
    Stay tuned for further details,
              Josh

When is it enough?

Hi Everyone:
     When is it enough? When do you know that you've done all that's reasonable? I'm not a quitter, but I would like someone to tell me when to quit trying to get a Literary Agent to read a manuscript. I had a good friend who used to say, "When you're doing the right things and you're not getting the result you want, you've just got to keep on keeping on."

     Now I know that there aren't an infinite number of agents so somewhere there has to be a number, a law, or a standard that says when you've reached this number without a positive result, it's time to move on, either to a new endeavor or a new vocation.

     I know that in order to get one of the major publishing houses to read my novel, it must come through a literary agent. They refuse to accept material directly from the author, so getting an agent is crucial if one hopes to be contracted by the likes of Random House or Simon and Schuster.

     That's not to say that you can't get your novel into print. There are two or three dozen independent publishing houses that will deal directly with the author, which is what I did for my forthcoming novel, Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me. It will be published shortly in both print and digital form by Second Wind Publishers, a N.C. firm. In addition, thanks to the internet, self publishing is a viable alternative. Three of my earlier works are available for nook, fire, and other electronic device readers. However, the Golden Fleece of publishing still belongs to the big five publishing conglomerates.
    
     I am not faulting Literary Agent's. There are just so many books that one person can read or authors they can represent. Many of these hard working people already represent as many active authors as they can handle in the time that's available to them. They are loath to take on a new author unless he or she is famous or infamous and I think it's a little too late in  life to rob a bank or kill someone.

     To attract a good Literary Agent, writers must compose a query letter. It's actually a sales pitch, condensed to a single sheet of paper and it's sent to those agents who indicate a willingness to consider the specific genre of the author's work, along with whatever else the particular agent requires, (sometimes a synopsis, a biography, and anywhere from a single chapter on up.) I'm not new to this process. I've written, what I consider an excellent query letter, which I have revised umpteen times for my 9th manuscript, The Unvarnished Truth.

     Initially, I selected twenty agents. Each time an agent refuses to consider my novel, I eliminate that agent from my list and replace him or her with another prospect, thus keeping twenty irons in the fire at all times. To date, I've sent queries to 75 agents.  WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHEN I'VE DONE ENOUGH?