Rock and Roll Heaven

I finally made it to rock 'n' roll heaven.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

After waiting quite a few years, my wife and I made the pilgrimage to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in an imposing glass pyramid on the banks of Lake Erie. 

The Moody Blues exhibit

I've wanted to visit the Rock Hall for a long time but must confess that I vowed that not to make the trek until my favorite band, The Moody Blues, was inducted. It was long overdue, but it finally happened in 2018. 


While on a trip to New England last fall, listening to a SiriusXM Radio oldies channel, I learned that the exhibits for the 2018 inductees would be removed and replaced by the new members in March. I had planned to drive to Cleveland after hearing the news but decided against it because of inclement weather. So we visited on a sunny, but cold day in late February. 

Elvis is King!

The Rock Hall is definitely worth the visit (and senior rockers get a discount). It can be a daylong activity taking in all the floors—if you've got the energy. We spent about 3.5 hours, and plan to return someday. It's also handicap accessible, and furthermore, it's easy to find the place and there's plenty of parking (I was told Tuesday is the least-crowded day and that's when we made the drive from our old Kentucky home).

The Beatles display

There are six levels to the building, starting with the roots of rock on the ground floor and rock TV on the top. As you take in every floor, you'll see artifacts of rock legends, short films such as the history of American Bandstand and the Power of Rock Experience, where I discovered Prince was an electrifying guitarist, a room of pinball machines (remember Pinball Wizard?), and much more.  

For more information on the exhibits, click here. You can also order tickets on the website and view a calendar of upcoming events to help plan your visit.

As Mick Jagger and Keith Richard wrote in 1974, "I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it, yes, I do..."

Until the next time . . . 

Vlog: What is boomer lit?

My second vlog is about boomer lit. More precisely, what is boomer lit?

The simple definition is that boomer lit deals with people who are classified as baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964. There are more than 75 million of us in the United States. 

My last two novels, Old Ways and New Days and Darkness Beyond the Light, fall under the boomer lit genre, as well as the third, New Horizons, that will be released May 1.

I've always felt my first four novels were boomer lit as well but didn't fit that category because there wasn't that particular label at the time for books.  

A few boomer movies I've enjoyed are The Big Chill, Return of the Secaucus Seven, and The Deer Hunter. 

Many of us grew up reading classic coming-of-age novels such as J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye and S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

To carry that further, boomer lit novels could be called coming-of-old-age novels, that milestone in which people move into the third and final act of life. 

Here's the vlog for your viewing pleasure:

Until the next time . . .  

Introducing My New Vlog and/or Podcast

I'm not sure how effective this will be or how long it will last, but I've started a short vlog or podcast. I'm really not sure what to call the format.

Checking on the Internet, the definition of a vlog is "a blog that features mostly videos rather than text or images."

And a podcast is "a digital audio or video file or recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be downloaded from a website to a media player or computer."

I've thought about doing a vlog for quite a while but put it off because I wanted it to complement what I do here. I am a writer, remember, and this is what I do best (at least I hope so). I also have novel, New Horizons, that will be released on May 1 so I'm trying to maximize the promotion. 

I subscribe to Joanna Penn's blog and have admired her work in marketing and promoting books. And she does a great job with her podcasts. 

Her podcast on growing readership through podcasting, featuring Paul Sating, probably tipped me over the edge into this new adventure. I even purchased his ebook so I guess the podcast worked on me. By the way, I highly recommend subscribing to Joanna's blog/podcasts.

I plan to keep my podcasts short and sweet. In addition to my journey as a writer, I'll also have posts about my travels, music and book recommendations, and other interests. I hope to keep them to 60 seconds but that may prove to be difficult. And I'll try to refrain from being political since there's more than enough of that stuff on the World Wide Web.

So here's the first podcast. Please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube Channel as well although I plan to do dual posts here. You might consider clicking the "follow" button in the right margin of this blog to keep current with my posts.  

Until the next time . . .

New Novel Update

I've read the galley proof of my latest novel, New Horizons, and submitted an errata sheet to my editor. It's now out of my hands until the book's May 1 release date.

New Horizons, published by Wings ePress, is the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. This time John and Sally Ross encounter happiness, headaches, and heartaches on an international trip to Budapest, Hungary.  

Back to the galley.

The corrections, as well as a few additions, were minor in that they don't require any major revisions that would delay publication of the novel. Everything is moving along at a smooth and manageable pace.

As with other writers, it bothers me when I see any kind of error after publication. And no doubt there a typo will appear in the final product. It happens to all authors, on every level—major and small publishing houses and those who are self-published. That's not an excuse; it's the reality of publishing. 

And it's not only authors and editors to find them. Eagle-eye and casual readers spot them as well. And it's the readers we want to satisfy, in the final product (print or ebook) and the story.

Between now and publication date (did I mention May 1?), I'll continue working on the marketing and promotion of New Horizons. Check back here for updates. It's easier if you simply click the "follow" button in the right margin. 

By the way, Wings is celebrating its 17th year in publishing so check out the wide variety of books from its talented stable of authors from around the world.

Until the next time . . . 

Some Songs Are Simply Too Much in One Way or Another

Remember those cold mornings in the movie "Groundhog Day" when Phil Connors (Bill Murray) wakes up to "I Got You Babe" on the radio alarm clock?

Nothing against the Sonny and Cher song but it's certainly not a tune I'd want to hear to start my day at 6 a.m. And there are other tunes that I've heard too much in my lifetime. They give me the shivers.

There are a few songs I really liked when they were released, but in my most humble opinion, they've been overplayed on the radio through the years. When they come on, I tune them out.

It would be a nightmarish "Twilight Zone" experience for me to be stranded on an island with the following songs blaring day after day after day.

Here's my list:

"Sympathy for the Devil" — The Rolling Stones 
"Ride Captain Ride" -- The Blues Image 
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" — Charlie Daniels Band
"Money" — Pink Floyd
"American Pie" — Don McLean 
"Nights in White Satin" — The Moody Blues
"Dueling Banjos" — Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell
"Piano Man" — Billy Joel
"Stairway to Heaven" — Led Zeppelin
"More Than A Feeling" — Boston
"Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" — Rupert Holmes 
"Bohemian Rhapsody" — Queen

And there are a few songs I didn't care that much for when released so they're automatically tuned out:

"Muskrat Love" — America and The Captain and Tennille 
"You Light Up My Life" — Debby Boone
"Tragedy" — The Bee Gees
"Band on the Run" — Paul McCartney and Wings
"You're Beautiful" — James Blunt

And then there are a few songs that are difficult to categorize because they can be like a virus and stick in your head all day:

"Achy Breaky Heart" — Billy Ray Cyrus
"The Final Countdown" — Europe
"Macarena" — Los Del Rio
"Party All the Time" — Eddie Murphy
"Anna (Go to Him)" — The Beatles
"The Candy Man Can" — Sammy Davis Jr.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" — Duran Duran

I'll spare you those irritating Christmas songs. Bah humbug!

Let me add that after not hearing overplayed songs for a while, I don't mind listening to them again. Just not an overdose. It can kill you!

Any songs that fit these criteria for you?

Until the next time . . . 


P.S. -- I'd appreciate it if you'd click the "Follow" button (far right column under "Followers" with all the pretty faces) since Google has eliminated more than 100 followers by shutting down Google+ extensions.

Cover of Upcoming Novel

As those who follow this blog know, at least I hope they do, I've got a new novel that will be released May 1. 

And today I'm previewing the cover for New Horizons, the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series, from Wings ePress. The others in the series are Old Ways and New Days and Darkness Beyond the Light.

Trisha Fitzgerald-Jung, the graphic artist, did a fantastic job with the cover. I couldn't be more pleased with her artwork. Of my nine novels, it's my favorite.   

The photo is of a street in Budapest I took when my wife and I visited the Old World city in 2016. And much of the novel takes place in the Hungarian capital. I hope readers will gain a sense of what a wonderful place it is to visit.  



Budapest is a city that captured our hearts, and it's a place we'd love to spend time again. Maybe someday. I would encourage others to experience the sights if given the opportunity.

That's all to this post; I just wanted to share the beautiful cover.

Until the next time . . . 

Band Music from Bands

Quite a few songs with "band" in the title have charted in the U.S. through the years. 

The first one that comes to mind is "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band," from The Beatles' landmark album released in 1967. The Paul McCartney-penned tune (but credited as a McCartney-Lennon composition) reached No. 71 on the charts. 

The following year, The Association's "Six Man Band" made it to No. 47. The song, written by Terry Kirkman, revealed the band's edgy side.

John Fogerty's rousing "Travelin' Band," reached No. 2 in 1970 for Creedence Clearwater Revival. The guys showed they were much more than a bayou-blues band.

Three Dog Night scored a No. 19 hit with the funky "One Man Band" in 1971. It was written by Billy Fox, Tommy Kaye, and January Tyme).  Three Dog Night had 18 songs reach the Top 20; quite an accomplishment for a group that can't get a nod from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Albert Hammond had a No. 19 hit with the bouncy "The Free Electric Band" in 1973. He co-wrote the song with Mike Hazelwood.

And finally, Grand Funk Railroad had its biggest hit in 1973, with the driving "We're An American Band" topping the charts. Drummer Don Brewer wrote and sang the classic song (my favorite by the group).

Some other notable "band" songs include "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings (No. 1 in 1974 by McCartney); "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead (No. 69 in 1970 by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter); "Listen to the Band" by The Monkees (No. 63 in 1969 by Michael Nesmith);"Rock & Roll Band" by Boston (uncharted in 1976 by Tom Scholz);  and "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band)" by The Moody Blues (No. 12 in 1973 by John Lodge).

Do you have any favorite band songs?

Until the next time . . .