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.