Back to the Manuscript and a Few Book Recommendations

The fourth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series is history as Make Room for Family was published on Feb. 1 by Wings ePress.

Now I'm working on the first rewrite of the fifth book. As noted in previous posts, I wrote the first draft during National Novel Writing Month in November. I let it sit for more than a month, then I opened it back on and reread the manuscript, only taking a few notes to keep everything straight. The purpose was to see if the story flowed or was a trainwreck. It nearly went off the rails a few times but overall, I liked what I created.

Now I'm rewriting the manuscript. I believe it's only going to take about four or five weeks to have it ready to forward on to Jeanne, my skillful editor at Wings. 

Furthermore, I have a publishing date for the book: Nov. 1, 2021. So I have the responsibility of getting the manuscript to her by the end of March.

For those who know my background in the media, having a deadline or due date is a plus. I spent nearly 18 years with a national news service, five years with newspapers, and eight years as editor of a regional magazine. 

I thrive on deadlines. When I don't have a deadline, I tend to diddle. Deadlines keep me focused.

In the meantime, I'm also marketing and promoting Make Room for Family. I've had several book reviews including feedback and ratings on Amazon. I've mailed several hundred postcards to bookstores, libraries, and friends (send me an email and I'll mail one to you).  I've also taken out ads on Facebook and soon on Amazon and possibly Google. 

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While you're here a few book recommendations from my recent reads:

Check out Chris Helvey's The White Jamaican, a clever and witty noir featuring detective Frank Quick. Helvey paints great scenes with his colorful prose and creates lively characters with down-and-dirty dialogue. 

Colston Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2017, offers a gritty and graphic story about the plight of Blacks during the slavery era in U.S. history. The story follows the trials and tribulations of Cora as she pursues freedom in a cruel world. It's not an easy read but it may change your perspective about slavery. 

Andrew G. McCabe's The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump is a fascinating read into the inner workings of the giant law-enforcement agency. While Trump is no longer in office, the book explains how the FBI takes on terrorism, the dedicated personnel who investigate crimes, and the threats to democracy we face today. 

Now it's back to the grindstone for rewriting and reading.

Until the next time . . . 

Officially Part of the Herd

 After several false starts, I finally received my COVID-19 vaccination today. Icy and snowy conditions prevented me from three previous appointments at the Franklin County Health Department. 

Today the sun was shining on me, literally and figuratively.

Wearing vaccination badge

As of Feb. 22, I'm one of 44 million Americans who have received at least the first shot; 19 million have been injected with two shots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

It's a relief to be vaccinated although I still have to wait another 28 days for my second shot. I know of people who have had the disease and a few who did not survive. 

So far, more than 500,000 Americans, including more than 4,600 in my native Kentucky, have lost their lives from the effects of the novel coronavirus. That's more than the total of those U.S. citizens who died in World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. Those are staggering numbers to comprehend.

It's a shame that the ineptitude of our government the past year didn't do more to educate our citizens about the disease and the simple ways to prevent the spread. It has been estimated the 40 percent of those lives (200k) could have been prevented if proper and prudent action had been taken. 

I haven't felt any side effects from the vaccine. I understand that those in my age group may suffer fewer problems because of a declining immune response. I'm guessing that is good. The only thing I noticed was my daily nap where I slept 90 minutes rather than my usual 45. 

Check out this article from AARP if you have questions and concerns about the vaccine. If we're going to lick this 21st century scourge, we need to work together and that includes getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and maintaining a safe social distancing until we'out of the woods with the herd immunity. 

I'm proud to be part of the herd.

Until the next time . . .

Putting a Freeze Hold on Vaccination

I had been looking forward to today since this past Sunday. That's when I scheduled my COVID-19 vaccination at the Franklin County Health Department. 

Then the freezing rain came yesterday, leaving a glistening and icy cover throughout much of Kentucky and surrounding states. I had the bright idea earlier that morning of backing my car out of the garage before things got too bad and leaving it at the top of the driveway so I could pull out on the salt-treated street and be on my merry way to the health department.

But I was too late, When I backed out my car, it kept going backward—off the driveway to the backyard. I wasn't too concerned because I thought I would be able to get traction on the grass and drive up the side of the driveway. Needless to say, the grass and ground were freezing and slick. Even having my wife push the car from the rear didn't help (just kidding, she was behind the wheel while I pushed.)

Fortunately, I was able to reschedule my appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping temps will rise to the mid-30s today and melt some of the stuff. It's probably wishful thinking since the forecast calls for a high of 30 and mostly cloudy. As I write this, it's 25 and overcast. The forecast for Friday is a high of 35 and partly sunny. 

Ever since the vaccines were announced back in November, I've been waiting for my time to face the needle. Every time I got a little sniffle, tiny cough, or some minor aches and pains, I was somewhat concerned that I could have symptoms and be the next coronavirus victim. I have friends and relatives who contracted the virus; if it happened to them, it could happen to me. 

I read this morning that about one in three Americans aren't sure they will be vaccinated. I'm telling you now that I'm in the two of three Americans category who will get the shot. I don't want to be a spreader of the potentially deadly disease that has claimed nearly 475,000 lives in the past year.

Until the next time . . .