Join the S h a d e s o f L u z Book Tour

2011 Long Island Book Festival

2011-08-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

I will be reading at this year's Long Island Book Festival International during the weekend of September. It should be an exciting event. In addition to reading from my debut Shades of Luz, I am considering sharing some excerpts from my forthcoming Disposable Heroes. More to follow.

Shades of Luz Available on Nook

2011-08-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

So you want to stick it to Kindle then go and pick up the nutty Benny Fluke caper on Nook. It's still packed with humor, heart, and a bunch of other stuff I'd rather not get into at the moment. Nobody will hold it against you if you decided to pick it up in paperback form.

Cheers Mates!

Barnes and Noble Stamp of Approval

2010-08-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

So I was at the Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue a few blocks from Rockefellar Center the other day, the very Barnes and Noble that minted me a Benjamin. Well, not literally, but I found it splat on the floor by the checkout roughyl this time last year. Not a bad reason to go bookstore hopping.

Anyway, I was lollygagging through the second floor fiction section when I stumbled upon-- Shades of Luz of all things. Now, I know my book has almost been in print for a year and I know it is available through obscure locations like Amazon UK, Amazon India, St. Marks Bookshop, the stacks of Strand and a few other nifty spots.

If it sticks out of the bookcase it must be legitimate.

I guess my immediate reaction was surprise. It's been almost a year since it's been in print and I have walked into independent bookshops and have seen it loafing on a shelf. But it's a horse of a different color seeing your book in a Barnes and Noble. No, I don't think I've arrived. Still, not to get the word about my writing, but it was a nice moment. Let's leave it at that.

For now, Girma Dali is taking up much of my time.I'd love that to be my follow-up, but we will have to see.

Shades of Luz Goes Kindle

2010-07-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

If you can't bea'mt then join'm. Words to live by. I guess it's perfect that Shades of Luz Kindle is born on the Fourth of July. It's like revolutionary idea meets revolutionary idea. That's a kind of mimesis for you Greek-o-philes.

The truth is I'm happy that folks will get a chance to read my book on the cheap. So you must realzie I didn't get into this writing racket to make mad mullah. It's kind of a grueling, arduous pursuit with the fringe benefit of being able to smell my ink in print. That last line is kind of pilfered from Steve Almond's short story "My Life in heavy Metal" but it hammers home the key point of one of the big benefits of getting the printed word out there, the hope that somebody will read it.

Indeed, technology is making it possible to read much more stuff, cheaper, and in all kinds of ways. Readaholics should be nust about it and they are. Let me be the first to send you to my Shades of Luz Kindle page. You don't have to pick up a copy of the book. Just browse, window shop whatever floats your boat, but don't tell my publisher All Things That Matter Press that I said that. I still would like them to take a look at my future type-written diatribes.

Treasure of the Salvation Army

2010-02-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Who says you can't find interesting things at the Salvation Army? I'm not major frequenter, but I enjoy the hodgepodge, the hope of finding a small lost treasure. Mainly, I like to see if there is anything utilitarian that might enhance the ambiance of my apartment.

Usually, I ransack the book section. It's amazing what gets tossed for junk. Some of it is clearly sub-junk.

While I was debating whether or not to appropriate a second edition Robert Bly book of poems for 79 cents I came across what seemed to be an uncorrected proof of Elizabeth George's new novel "The Body of Death" which is slated for release this Spring. Seven hundred Xerox-copied pages topped with a flimsy mimeographed cover. It had the contact info for the editor associated with the book. Now I'm not dumb enough to think this was some lone copy. Obviously, a pre-publicity campaign had been launched. Copies sent out to all the usual suspects: newspapers, radio stations, C-SPAN, Oprah, Charlie Rose, The View, etc.

What did strike me as interesting though was the 6 city tour marked on the inside of the book. Six cities. Hmmm. I considered all the top cities recently touted as the cultural meccas of the universe: Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne. But no, there were only 6 American cities listed: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle.

To be sure, this was a pretty decent start, but what Portland, Minneapolis, Santa Fe, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Providence. And what about Canada? I was shocked to see such a small book tour for such an established best seller. I mean, all by mysef I pieced together 8 and half cities. On my dime of course, but still this sort of frightened me.

I recently read that the Beatles in the latter part of the sixties did little touring. One year in fact the Beatles capitalized on a rumor that Paul McCartney died in a car crash. Everybody was stoned those years so the brains behind the band cooked up psychedelic messages on the records when played backwards.

Now in this globalized mobile home-office world of infinite hours PR people have been paid to cut corners. I imagine this is why Elizabeth George, as big as she is, doesn't need to globetrot unless for her own self-needy peregrinations. I actually called up the PR person. Why the hell not? I wouldn't mind a bit of help on my own Shades of Luz campaign. She never called me back, but she did respond to my email and said that if I was so inclined I could keep the uncorrected proof of the book. I never actually bought it.

I picked up a copy of Robert Bly instead.

Gorman Set to Read at KGB Bar

2010-02-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

Set to read at the Trumpet Fiction Series tomorrow night at KGB Bar. Haven't decided what part of Shades of Luz to read from but I am leaning towards a part I've not yet shared in public. Should be oodles of fun.

Some of the Peanut Gallery have been encouraging me to read "Dog Day Afternoon" or the All in The Family" chapter. I've been loading up on too many "All in the Family" shows recently- the repeats they play on TVland on weeknights. I want to keep the surprise as long as possible, but I would have to say that both of those chapters are not high on my list. Sorry. And I am not going to read the chapter that is currently up on my website.

Catch you in the Village.

Power Outage

2010-01-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

It’s quarter to nine and it’s still pitch black along the Pacific Northwest coastline. Part of this has to do with the landscape’s position in relation to the rising sun and part of it has to do waterlogged clouds that hog the sky. The wind whips my face. This isn’t rain but some sordid combo of hail and wet BBs. Oregon rain blows sideways hitting me off the cheeks and chin. The beach sand skitters by thick as desert sidewinders. Sometimes it wafts off the ground as if smoke or the healing spirit dust shaman blow out of conch shells.

I pass the aquarium and wave to Monsieur Bones, the dead whale suspended from its ceiling cables, and the Coke machine guarding the building’s façade. The Martian glow of the Coke machine is the only nearby light. The rest of the promenade is veiled in midnight shadow. Not a flicker within the bed and breakfasts, Shilohs, or any of the other shops. The Lewis and Clarke statue peers off ambivalent to morning’s tardiness. The general store, the gourmet coffee house, and the rows of kitsch shops fade into one long blur. The door to Pig and Pancake is set ajar and I see a few lone pokes perusing menus in flashlight. I truck on. Cross the street to Dundee’s Donuts where I hope to grab a fresh one and a cup of joe. Their sign says open daily from 7 to 7. My watch reads 9:01AM. So I pull open the door and as if I put my head into a giant beluga. Somebody mumbles. Sounds like the Wizard of Oz slowspeed.

“Donut.” It’s the only thing I can think of and he throws me a donut back, but his sounds more like a question. My eyes begin to adjust. I can make the feint traces of a booth. Chipped corners betray the once unmarred wood. I can now smell the barista’s breath, redolent of clam chowder and Ricola. He flicks on his lighter. The wisping flame reveals a naked lady in red cowboy boots. The barista’s thumbnail has a thin gash and he points to cellophane-wrapped paper plates sporting day old glazed. I’m desperate. I’d eat through cellophane if I couldn’t shear it off, but this barista is chummy and hellbent on sharing his humblest apologies why he cannot offer me fresh-made frosties and Boston cremes. I nod not knowing what else to do. Can’t this guy hear my stomach growling? He knows I don’t come from around here. I lie and say I’m from Kansas City.

“Funny you don’t like you’re from Kansas City,” he says.

“I move around a lot,”

As I close in on the coffee pot he invites me to the other shop’s side. Dundees is also a bar and connects to the donut shop and I admit this makes me snicker in a puerile way. I’m craving my first lick of caffeine. My eyes have adjusted again and now I can see that there are ketchup packets and crayons in each little basket on each table booth. The Best Western I’m staying at also serves baskets of crayons, but no bread. I’m dying for a chocoholic bite of readymade frosting. And just then my barista’s cell phone goes off— “I’ve got two tickets to paradise.” I’ll take just one. The barista walks to the bar side leaving me to fend for myself and course there are no cups. He is gone for two minutes too long and I test drip the coffee. It’s really not that hot— a paltry few degrees above lukewarm— so I decide, against better judgment, to bend my head under the spout. The first spritz smarts my tongue. All these hot showers I’ve been taking haven’t prepped me for this moment nor have the super-nuked hot pockets I’ve scarfed down. It’s not that I’ve never burnt my tongue or the roof of my mouth. Everything tastes like a potato for days, but this is different. I am strangely drawn to this ungodly scalding as if to kill all the nips of bacteria glommed to the bumps of my tongue. Not my brightest hour. Big fat watermelon-sized coffee beans shoot off. My synapses go from zero to seventy in eight seconds flat.

I don’t hang around for the barista, but I leave behind two dollars for less than a Dixie’s cup worth of java juice.

Nine-fifteen and the first crack of light stirs in the sky.

Don't Think Shamu Think Monsieur Bones

2010-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite writers, Haruki Murakami, has a novel called A Wild Sheep Chase in which the protagonist reminisces about seeing a whale penis at the aquarium. His town's seaside museum didn't have the wherewithal to house the whole whale so they only displayed the penis. The young man describes an inscrutable loneliness recalling that occasion.

I had the great pleasure of visiting the rink dink aquarium on the promenade this morning. The sideways rain didn't disappoint. By the time I made it to my point of interest I was soaked. Big deal I would get a chance to dry off inside. The stink of blubber was brutal, a crazy melange of cloying sweet musk like I was held captive in a three-week old pot of Chinese sweet and sour sauce. There was no live whale in this museum, but an old hanging skeleton. This was no Shamu though it was a killer whale by classification.

The place looked like one big petshop. Nothing like the Coney Island I remembered from my youth. I decided it was too much for me to take so I opted to continue on my morning constitutional on the beach. There, perhaps, I would see a live sea monster amidst the waves. In the very least I could count driftwood and kelp.

The Salt Works, Lewis and Clarke's base camp, still needed to get scratched off my itinerary.

Speak Soft and Carry a Big Beer

2010-01-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

I keep writing prose, but deep down I want to engage my inner poet.

It all comes down to sound, but hell those sounds mean everything. Ever listened to the early Sinatra recordings-- the Columbia years when Axel Stordahl handled the arrangements for the Chairman of the Board. There's a distinct, mature sound after Nelson Riddle worked with Sinatra, Now, of course you might say that Sinatra had changed a bit after those Ava years and while that might be true there was a poetry, cadence, and delivery of those lines that Riddle had brought out of old Blue Eyes. Miles Davis recognized it too.

Where am I going with this you're probably saying? Well, it's simple. I'm listening to the poets. It's one thing to have good lines, it's another thing to deliver them. I also bring in the Sinatra example because he was the first the crooners to really make use of the microphone. A new breed of intimacy arose from the mic that the Broadway belters hadn't yet mastered. I feel it myself when I do a reading and I need break out the old diaphragm. With a mic I can be softer with certain lines, sibilants, fricatives, and the many other sounds in the register. I hate reading from the same sections. I want to be surprised as the crowd might be. But, I've found that when I do this I sometimes out-psych myself and the result is sometimes disasterous.

Preparation is really necessary.

I made a little breakthrough of my own going out of my way slowing down my reading. As a native born New Yorker I have a tendency to race through and into things: streets, taxis, relationships- I really could bore you with the unabridged list. When I read from Shades of Luz at Salvatore's, I had planned to read a longer section, but instead I read a shorter part and tried to nail a different kind of rhythm. I don't think it over all that well. I'm always amazed at what parts people laugh at and at what parts they don't. It seems they aren't laughing at the parts that I deem funny. When they do laugh it doesn't make intuitive sense to me so therefore I conclude they must be laughing at me. Joy of any kind is welcome in any entertainment biz- frankly there isn't enough of the stuff in this world, but self-flogging can take its toll on you if you aren't careful.

I end my set with a humdrum bowl of nuts and crunchies and a tall glass of Black Butte Porter.

Beach Books

2010-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

Met Karen the owner of Beach Books in Seaside Oregon today. There was a neat little reception with replete with acoustic guitar, wine, cheese, crackers, and chopped veggies with dip. Personally, I would have some Oregonian vino on hand instead of the lackluster Cavitt Pinot Grigio, but that's just me.

I was pleased with the wide selection of books for such a kitschy beach community. I thumbed through Gerald Stern's Last Blue before making a formal introduction to the proprietor of the shop. She seemed genuinely sweet while maintaining a virulent Emily Post's hosting composure.

Beach Books might pick up Shades of Luz. I won't hold my breath. Small bookshop receptions have a high school chess club formality until the second or third bottle of wine gets uncorked. I wouldn't call it stuffy, but when you get a number of bookish people in a room what do you exactly expect.

This is, no doubt, why the best readings have moved to taverns and pubs. How could you not have fun in the dim-lit lovechild of the speakeasy.

Nothing much else to report today except that I plan to see the hanging whale in the aquarium tomorrow.

Have A Little Faith

2010-01-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here’s the other side of going out of town. Sometimes you need to do what the locals do. If you know anything about me you know I’d rather be shacked up with a good book. Yesterday, I went to mass, a rare fete for me, but then on top of that I was selected to bring up the collection plate. Three other men were tagged with the same responsibility or penance (depending upon how you look at it).

Nobody asked if I had a proclivity for pickpocketing. As far as the parish was concerned, I was fresh meat ready and willing to help out like a god Christian soldier, a Minute Man for donations.

There was no Shibboleth to pass and no sponsor necessary. All I needed was the dutiful, perhaps sheep-hearted willingness to schlep through the pews and shove a five-foot basket-woven collection plate under the chins of bubble-eyed parishioners. If that wasn’t reward enough then I don’t know what would be. After the first few shoves I garnered a certain knack for bilking my brethren. Nothing pious about it. I envisioned myself more as a religious meter maid not nearly as worthy as the offertory elite who got to bring up the cruets of wine and the plate of bread. No, my part was miniscule when it came to participating in the lead-in to the miracle of transubstantiation.

On the other hand, my money-grubbing, took care of those other important incidentals: the heat, gas, cable bills, and the London Broil and tatter tots the clothed men in the rectory fed off.

Halfway to the altar, a blue-haired old woman was sitting smack in the middle of the side pew. I tripped over the kneeler to get to the untouchable. She wore a heather-colored hand-crocheted scarf around her neck and wire-rimmed glasses to the very tip of her powdered nose. If she wasn’t a born again Christian then she was, in the very least, a contemporary of the stained glass window a few feet next to her. She made me get right beside her. I took the collection by the neck so as not to jab it into her and she clutched my wrist.

“Are you having one or two collections today?” she said with all the pomp of a lifelong diner waitress.

I heard it as how many lumps (as in sugar) one or two. I guess this is why she shook my wrist and I told her there was only one collection for today.

“Just a minute then,” she said.

She tossed in two envelopes. I went on my merry way. When I got to the last row the hairy-nosed gentleman who pulled me aside to help out in the collection told me to dump the plate into the big basket in the back. But, to grab the plate again during the final announcement before mass ended.

“What?” I said.

“Yeah, there’s a second collection for the earthquake victims in Haiti.”
Now he tells me. I sat back down and pulled out my copy of Shades of Luz hidden under my Missalette. I had to do a reading that evening and I was going to prep for it at one of the local watering holes.

I kept my hands in my pockets for the saying of the peace. Didn’t want any unbidden germs. When it came time to go up for the collection I made my rounds. Not surprisingly, there weren’t as many folks contributing for this encore donation. Still, there was a pretty good amount of generosity. When I arrived at my blue-haired friend she had a fierce look about her as if I had hustled her out of her bingo money.

“You said there was only one collection today,” she said.

“I ah— I thought there was.”

“I want the second envelope to go to Haiti.”

“And it sure will,” I said.

“How the hell do you know that for sure?” she said.

I made quick use of my peripheral vision. I gave her a flavorless smile. Nobody seemed to have seen her cursing at me, but I wasn’t sure.

“Look, I’ll personally go through the basket and make sure your second envelope goes to Haiti.”

“Good luck. Neither is marked any different.”

“Isn’t the date on the envelope?”

“No.”

And with the precision of her punctuation I knew this wasn’t good. Nimrod marked on my forehead. I felt like Matthew Gray who was lambasted in third grade for chewing on his Communion wafer. “Hold, hold, hold it on your tongue,” Bishop Denning said. After that, Matthew was known as Cookie Monster. We were dumb kids then.

When mass had ended, I didn’t exactly go forth in peace. I was stressed. The reading, later that night, didn’t sit well with me. I would have walked right on by blue-hair but I would have to knee her in the gut to do so. The aisle was clogged with handshakers and huggers. She stared at the cover of my novel and seemed to be working out some sort of algebra in her head.

“What kind of book is that?” she asked.

“It’s a novel,” I said.

“Is it any good?”

“It’s interesting. A little bit strange.”

“I like strange.”

So did I but I wasn’t planning on getting into a strange interlude here. I couldn’t help but have a Rose scenario pop in the mind. Benny would shoot the breeze with this woman, but I wasn’t Benny. I didn’t feel like letting her know I was the author.
She took the book out of my hand and opened to a random page.

“Never heard of this Gorman.”

“Me neither,” I said.

“Then who gave you the book?”

“Just a friend.”

We then had one of those long oily pauses, the tease of getting to know you.

“Here, why don’t you have it,” I said.

I walked off without a thank you and headed to the nearest saloon. I had no intention of heading back to my room for a fresh copy. If nobody in the audience brought Shades of Luz that night I guess I would just recite bad poetry.

Friends & Followers

2010-01-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Before I go about giving any Shades of Luz updates I’d first like to thank writer/ media pro Bridget Hopper for letting me join her Friends and Followers on Book Blogs. Bridget you seem to be a real dynamo and a coalition-builder and that works for me.

The beauty about social-networking is that gives you marketing leverage that would have required any army-sized staff in the pre-blogger days. Nobody really can accurately quantify the net returns on all the networking being done, but it sure can’t hurt building a readership. Wouldn’t you agree?

As for me, I am now in the gorgeous coastal town Seaside in Oregon finally tying the knot on my MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific University. To say that I’ve kicked up my writing quality a mucho-notch is not only an understatement, but s downright lie. I will now try the herculean juggling task of prepping my critical introduction spiel and my scheduled reading, keep the buzz going with Shades of Luz, and also make headway on an A-1 top-secret writing project. More news to follow.

A New Batch of Fiction

2010-01-01T21:21:00.000-08:00

I want to make it clear that I will be writing a fresh batch of fiction this year, but much of the fodder for this prose will come from non-fiction. Is that a surprise for you? Don’t let it be. I have always been drawn to news, slice of life sketches, scientific journals, biographies, and a myriad of other non-fictional sources for my stories. I don’t think this makes me unique, but I am aware of what makes my creative bulb switch on.

I’ve armed myself with a stack of newspapers and a pair of scissors. I really do like to clip out interesting stories, quotes and so on. I can come back to them at later times. I’ve read that Newt Gingrich was a fan of this archival approach as a young chap. I don’t know how that makes me feel knowing that we have shared a collective collating strategy, but it is what it is.

I also plan on doing some essays based on childhood, short-run flavorless jobs, political essays, and many more extended wine notes. I think I am going this way for two reasons. 1) Because a number of people, close to me, who have read Shades of Luz think that is a memoir. 2) I think I have a knack for writing essays and I want to blur the boundary that has come to be known as creative non-fiction.

Well, I want to first answer that point about some people close to me who think that Shades of Luz is a memoir. It most certainly is not although I did, for a short while, sell stuffed animals on the street. That was a wacky experience if ever there was one. I probably should go into greater detail about that time and perhaps this year I will. It might help me to know if something new about myself. No promises. Worst case scenario, it will make an interesting writing exercise.

I also plan to do more flash fiction writing (microfiction)— more pieces under 750 words. There is great beauty in toned prose where all the gristle is trimmed away and all you have is the true grit of the writer’s soul.

P.S. I welcome any comparisons to T.C Boyle, Stuart Dybek, and Chekhov.

Toast to a New Decade

2009-12-31T17:02:00.000-08:00

When I woke up January 1st of 2009 I really hadn’t planned on being a published author. My main concern was tying the knot on my MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific University. This by itself was going to be a heck of fete to pull off. I had the stories in mind I wanted to iron the kinks out of plus the idea to write some fresh material that hopefully would be my best stuff to date.

I had also hoped to get back into a routine whereby I would send out multiple short story submissions to various important literary journals still looming out there. I had been lagging behind in my diligent efforts of the past primarily because I had become so obsessed with a few short pieces.

I hadn’t gotten around to Shades of Luz in maybe seven or eight months. Honestly, I cannot say for sure why I decided to pick it back up, but I decided it needed more polishing before I sent it off. I guess it was March or a little bit before that when I had started sending it off in what I would call a kamikaze-type mission.

I’ll spare you the gory details of how it got picked up and all that jazz. The main thing I wanted to say with this final post of the year is that I am really looking forward to 2010. A new decade of possibility. It’s funny but I was terrified of 2000. Not because I was worried about Y2K, but because I felt like a new millennium was upon us and I didn’t know where I fit into it. Back then I was a writing the novel that would get pleasantly rejected by a myriad of top publishing houses.

I toast them all. I really didn’t like that novel very much and I am glad it didn’t see the light of the lit world. Here’s to Shades of Luz. Now begins the wild-eyed quest for write the sophomore follow-up.

Cornelia Street

2009-12-16T18:03:00.001-08:00

What does Woody Allen say? Eighty percent of life is showing up. Something like that. It turns out I was going to support George Wallace, a poet buddy I know, by attending his reading in the West Village. Running late as usual, I bumped into him heading to the cafe.

"Hey Johnny," George said. "What's shaking?"

"Good to see you too Frank," I said.

I've always likened George to Frank O'Hara. George is a damn good poet, a hell of a reader, and a hell of a guy.

"What's this the first time we've bumped into each other in the city?"

And it was. For the past two years we've been running into each other out in Oregon. Both of us are New Yorkers, but we've never shaken hands on our home turf. this was our tipping point.

It was an amazing lineup of poets. Some paid tribute to the late great Kerouac. Ah, my Kingdom for a Beatnik! George called out before the night was said and done and made me get on stage to read from Shades of Luz. Boy, was I shocked.

You think this guy, hosting the event, would want to read. But, no. He gave me his final slot so that I could share with the packed house my Sven Bergstrom thumb-wrestling scene from the novel.

I had to give him an autographed postcard. It was the least I could do. He has a big reading lined up for the penultimate day of the year. I have a big surprise for him. And I'm not telling.

Gorman Rocks The Cell

2009-12-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

Forget the near monsoon that opened on Gotham City yesterday the turnout for my Shades of Luz reading at The Cell Theater was peachy keen.

This time around I read a thumb-wrestling scene. Why not? Frankly, I've grown a bit tired of the wine snobbery, love scenes, and whatnot. I wanted to share the coolness of hand to hand combat. Jen Ochs of NY Book Cafe and the Examiner recently described the thumb-wrestling in"Shades of Luz" as comparable to an MMA competition. Maybe so. The crowd got a kick out of Bald Bull, Glass Joe, Slippery Slim, and Benny dodging, parrying, and sneak-attacking.

Benny Fluke victorious at least for this chapter.

New stuff on the horizon. I will be putting together some reading lists for online book catalogs and web zines.

"Bones Brigade" which was originally published by Mississippi Review back in 2006 will be re-released by Shalla Magazine.

St. Mark's Bookshop Now Carries Shades of Luz

2009-11-20T04:24:00.001-08:00

I was beginning to think I’d never get it into a book shop. Now maybe I didn’t bumrush enough of them but I did make a number of appearances. I won’t get into all the details about it right now. After a week of having little of any success even getting independent bookshops to consider my book let alone carry it I finally hit pay dirt.

And you would think with it being NYC Independent Bookstore Week I would’ve had a better shot. Not the case. The moral of the story is to never make assumptions. And, more importantly, not to give up.

Yesterday, I was bushed by the end of the day. I’d been pounding the pavement searching for a happy home to carry Shades of Luz. I’d visited few shops and the last one on my itinerary, Bluestockings, seemed to have gone pretty well. I had a very good conversation with one of the staffers. I really respect their shop. They have a great selection of interesting reads: culture, gender studies, non-partisan politics, fiction (both on and off the grid). They’re also in an awesome location off Allen Street in the Lower East Side. As great as my drop-in chat went we ended things at still in the talking phase which is fine.

I must add however that I was directed to St. Mark’s Bookshop which I of course already knew about, but hadn’t pursued. Yeah, I’m a procrastinator, but I get overwhelmed. I could put my book on any shelf throughout the country. Who’s shelf should I hit first? It would be great to stumble upon the ordered list of where I should turn to first. Truth is, it doesn’t matter you just got to get it out there.

For some reason, I had it in my head that St. Mark’s Bookshop was closer to Tompkins Square Park and though I walked back and forth up the block and around the block, grabbed a slice of pizza, scratched my head and was ready to pack it in I decided to swing it up 9th Street, poked my head in Solas for a minute a had a beer to wind down. I should count my blessings I told myself. The hell with them my feet were sore. I was tired. I was in that woozy state where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take a nap or do an Irish jig. I don’t know if you ever have the mood to do the Irish jig when you are bushed, but sometimes it comes to me. I also trip over the same song in my head. “Ninety-nine Luft Balloons” was playing in mine, not on the stereo.

So anyway I got myself onto my feet, declined the jig, paid for beer and sluffed off. When I crossed onto 3rd Avenue I noticed from my peripheral view that St. Mark’s Bookshop was to my left. Unbelievable. After all that galumphing. So I went in and perused the mags and books for a bit. I never go straight up to anybody. I need to kill more time. Go over the rejection in my head a little, let it stew.

I went to the back and made my little spiel, in a voice that was in desperate need of Darjeeling and honey. I don’t remember when exactly I pulled out my copy of Shades of Luz from my backpack, but somehow it made its way onto the counter. The guy didn’t even look at it and I’m thinking “What the hell?” and I’m ready to leave when he says. “We’ll give it a shot.”

I didn’t jump through my skin, but I wanted to. He let me put a couple of my postcards in the front of the shop. “Three months,” he said. “If it doesn’t sell in three months you know the deal.”

Indeed I did.

I left the shop with my leather jacket unbuttoned and did my version of the Irish jig until I made it to the Astor Place station.

Shades of Luz Earns Most Gifted in Fiction

2009-11-14T12:44:00.001-08:00

I woke up to realize I hit 4 new Amazon categories. After a week on the Mover and Shakers list, a couple of Days on Best Seller List in Fiction, I discovered that I had hit the Most Gifted in Books, Fiction, Contemporary Writing, and General Fiction categories.

I reached a high of #13 in Contemporary Fiction, #16 in General Fiction, #20 in Literature and Fiction, and #51 in Books.

The upshot of this is that I am a list that tracks discussions about John Gorman and Shades of Luz pitted against Pat Conroy's "South of Broad", E.L Doctorow's "Homer and Langley", Stephenie Meyer's "Host" and "Eclipse" (Twilight Saga Book 3), Dan Brown, Patrica Cornwell, Paulo Coehlo, and a host of other heavy hitter best sellers.

International fame is a bit off on the horizon, but this is certainly a fantastic and unexpected start. I like to play things down. That's my nature. but, it is high time I start tooting my horn.

If I don't then who will.

Next Stop NY Times.

Shades of Luz Website Gets Facelift

2009-11-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

At the behest of some astute marketing and PR folks I decided to change the background color and font on my website. It a thousand times more readable now. In fact, the color scheme much better too. I don't know if you can talk in terms on Feng Shui with regards to cyber furniture, but there's this way better vibe.

Also, included is a excerpt from the chapter "A Girl Named Luz, A Hippo Named Cyclopes." This should draw readers in or turn them off. Who knows? But, I want to share a bit of the book before people plunk down their hard-earned ducats for the libro.

Might alternate excerpts every so often. To make it more fun.

Check back for new gadgets and webfetti and of course- Author on the Loose scoop.

Shades of Luz is A Best Seller

2009-11-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty solid run yesterday. Shades of Luz hit the Best Seller list in Fiction rising as high as #80 at one point one spot behind Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist. I was ahead of Stephanie Meyer's [The Twilight Saga]"Eclipse", James Patterson, Orphan Pamuk's "The Museum of Innocence", Danielle Steele, 2 Anne Rice Books, the Kindle releases of "Three Musketeers" and "Gulliver's Travels", Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident with the Dog", "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Zombie Survival Guide" "Rainwater" by Sandra Brown and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

I still feel pretty much the same. I don't think it has fully hit me yet. To tell you the truth I have some books on my own TBR that I'd like to get to and an unprecedented number of emails and facebook messages that I need to answer. I think it's time I put a professional on board. Somebody who can keep me organized.

Thank you to everybody who offered kind words and so much support. I will always remember.

Shades of Luz on its Run Toward Best Seller

2009-11-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

For a brief moment yesterday we cracked 1200. Shades of Luz was ranked as high as 1134 on Amazon before it dropped back to 1737 by day end.

Overnight I woke up to find out it had dipped down to 2443 on the chart. Had to shuffle over to a BNI meeting. My buddy Erik is the president of the Midtown Manhattan chapter. I have to say they were a super impressive group of individuals. They all seemed so focused and dedicated to their respective professions.

I had the great opportunity to deliver two 40 second commercials, one for buddy's A-1 First Class Moving company and the other for my book. Truthfully, I think my book spiel sucked, but I gave a stellar commercial for Erik.

I'm going to change my format of this blog a smidgens by giving an update everyday, at least for as long as "Shades of Luz" is on its run to become a best seller. God knows how long it will last. But, I know there a re a lot of folks pulling for me.

Shades of Luz, The Little Engine That Could

2009-11-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and Shades of Luz had risen 2000 spots and right now it's ranked #263 on Amazon. It's nerve-racking the higher it climbs. I keep wondering when it will finally stop. Is it just teasing me. I see it trundling along to #101 and then a slow slip back into midlist and then into oblivion.

It's hard to imagine my novel went into print a little over two months ago. I think I've mentioned the mix of emotion I felt both joyous and spent. This is why I was happy to see NaNo come on November first as it always does. Indeed, it is something to look forward too. But, of course I can hardly concentrate on it until my novel place is settled. Best Seller, no-seller, or some-seller, which is it going to be.

I've never taken it much to heart because I never dreamed it would be possible. A Pushcart maybe. I still would like one of those. If I wasn't addicted to the internet before with Tweeting, blogging, and perusing the latest scoop from the over abundance of web content then I must be hyper-addicted, uber-addicted.

Surprisingly though I have been pretty cool about drinking coffee. In fact, I've only had a cup in the past three days combined. Something's up.

Hopefully all of this will be settled one way or not by tomorrow.

If it's going to be then it going to be.

Fingers crossed.

NaNo Write-in

2009-11-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's great to get the creative juices going. When you are hopped up on book promoting you sometimes feel like a stale baguette.

Yesterday at a NaNo write-in in Astoria the aspiring novelists shared a great vibe. I can't thank them enough for the quick sprints, the positive energy, it's the writer's lifeblood.

I didn't take home any of the sprints. I'm a marathon man. Well, that might even be a stretch too, but I'm definitely all about the distance. I don't mean that strictly in a word count sense, but in the sculpturing aspect of writing when you take the pay the utmost attention to shaping words.

I do have an inner editor, more so than ever before and that of course slows me down, but I truck on. I love to click keys. It's such a delightful sound creating nuggets of meaning.

Tomorrow will be another hectic day, but with all the progress Shades of Luz is making climbing the Amazon ladder I think it is worth it.

Happy writing.

John Gorman, A Word Juggler

2009-11-01T19:48:00.001-08:00

Okay Sportsfans I was never really circus material when it came to juggling, but I knew how to keep a few tennis balls in the air. I did mainly to keep my pre-teens enthused during water breaks during tennis lessons.

Now I find myself in a game of word juggling. I'm stretching the metaphor a bit, but when I'm wearing as many hats as I am now I think I'm entitled to the poetic license. I logged in 1098 words for NaNo which is an respectable start. I'm a prolific writer. When I get on a tear I let it rip. During my Wednesday Q and A I racked up 5000 plus words of what I tallied. I also had to retype part of it do to an accidental erase. Oops. I'll make my 50K don't you worry.

When I first tried NaNo in 2006 I was one week late into it and I cleared my hurdle and then some. Why would I put through myself through this added pressure while I'm on my book tour. Well, I tell you I'm itching to get back into the novel swing. I've been at my story collection for a while and I love it. The big advantage of short stories is the narrative focus. If you bring your lens that close to the POV character you can cause a rift of emotion, eke out a moment of transcendence.

There goes that poetic waxing.

Tomorrow I'll be making a NaNo appearance at Panera in Astoria.

Student Filmmakers Digs Shades of Luz

2009-10-30T14:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, somebody from Student Filmmakers Makers magazine reached out to me because they found my story interesting. When I say story I mean what's been going on with "Shades of Luz" that has been garnering a lot of media attention. They have an article posted on their site www.studentfilmmakers.com.

Screenwriters Basics also piggybacked on this idea. Yes, it's exciting to get more film people interested in the book, but I know it can take an army to get it where it needs to be.

Film has that collaborative aspect that novels don't. The writer needs to make peace with the crew, producers, and so on. Heard horror stories from the E.L Doctorows, Irvings, and other big writers who have had to fight tooth and nail to keep the integrity of their vision.

As for me I will keep plugging at this. It will get to the point where I will focus more on the film buzz, but it seems it's happening whether I want it to or not as I am still very much on Book Tour

Shalla Magazine Q and A Huge Success

2009-10-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Shalla de Guzman from Shalla Magazine invited me for a round-table-style Q and A. It was an amazing experience and a little overwhelming. There were so many brilliant questions passed my way that I really needed to keep on my toes. There was a also a brief snafu where my answers didn't get posted right away so when I sent them they disappeared into the black hole of cyberspace. Yikes. I literally had to rewrite my answers to approximately 8 questions. And, let me just say they weren't yes or no.

I did a brief tally afterward on MS Word because I wanted to make sure I was saving my responses. I had 5000 plus words logged. That's 3 days worth of writing by Stephen Kings standards. But, I was game. I was juked. And I wanted to share every bit of micro-knowledge I've learned yet far. I'm sure I passed the neonatal stage of author development, but I have a long way to go. Plumbing the inner writer has both an uplifting and a exhaustive element. The deeper the introspection helps you learn more about yourself in the process. It was truly great fun.

One of the promising young writers, a college student, told me she was majoring in sociology but her passion was for creative writing and she wrote stories on the side. Boy, did that remind me of me way back when I was an Anthropology student at Hunter College. I too called what I did writing on the side. I was quick to point out to the student that writing is writing. It's a calling and when we discuss the craft with others we shouldn't be afraid to call ourselves writers. There's no harm in that. We are all in different stages of development.

It's funny too because shortly after "Shades of Luz" went into print I went into my own kind of Postpartum depression. Writers give birth to their works. We share a piece of our soul. I felt exhilarated, exhausted and a little afraid that I didn't didn't deserve to be out there yet even though 3 different publishers had accepted my novel. Colleagues from my MFA program and former professors raved about my book. None of it seemed to matter. I had to come to grips with it myself.

I stumbled out of the gate. Somebody had immediately asked me to do a reading and I didn't even respond. I was that despondent. I had to convince myself what I did mattered. A good friend and a terrific writer, editor, literary shaman of sorts Nannette Croce invited me to guest blog on her Zine Writer about my experience publishing my novel and I did. She had published an essay of mine last year called "Boba Fett Blues" when she was with The Rose & Thorn.

I learned so much about myself writing that blog about my spiritual growth writing "Shades of Luz" that I think was OK with myself afterward because I realized it is all a process and not a product. My novel might come and go, but I will always grow as a writer.

Thank you Nannette

Thank you Shalla

NANO Kickoff Big Success

2009-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Went to the NANO Kickoff last night at No Idea Bar. Great stuff. For those of you not familiar with NANO and National Novel Writing Month it is the shiznit, it's awesome! Chris Baty some years back made the writing marathon into a colossal community experience. You have 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel that's the whole kit and caboodle. It's all run on the honor system so don't think about cutting and pasting stuff into the system. Big brother is keeping his eye on you.

I participated and won back in 2006. I'm making my second appearance and I'm way psyched. I met a lot of cool people yesterday who are planning on writing all different kinds of novels running the gamut from dead-on-balls literary to retro zombie, swords and dragon fantasy sci-fi romance and futuristic cowboy.

Shades of Luz didn't come out of my 2006 NANOfest, but I think I will craft something snazzy this time around. Keep tuning in to my posts. I will have some NANO writers on Paper Cut soon, including 3-time NANO champ Katherine Gilraine, author of The Index Series.

Off to the Behind the Book charity event tonight. Paparazzi welcome.

Shades of Luz Reaches India

2009-10-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

(Read the Main Scoop)

What does Shades of Luz and Slumdog Millionaire have in common? Nothing yet, but oddly enough Benny has some curious similarities with Slumdog's Jamal. Both of them take to the streets and connect with wonky underworld type bosses. Jamal isn't a chess whiz, but he's got an incredible memory. So does Bennys.

There's an interesting article by Anubhav Bharadwaj posted today in Read It India about Shades of Luz. In the article, Bharadwaj goes on to say that should Oprah or Ryan Seacrest put the question to Adam Lambert- whether or not he's interested in the role of Benny when Shades of Luz goes film- this will make a Slumdog Millionaire success for Shades of Luz.

So let's see it hit the Middle East and India. Maybe Luz will next find its way into London, Paris, or Monte Carlo.

Shades of Luz is on Twitter

2009-10-26T11:40:00.001-07:00

You can now follow Shades of Luz on Twitter.

Some other exciting things have been happening including the new accolade best author on the block.

Somebody recognized the "must love dogs" element in my novel. Apparently, I've been tagged by dog lovers. Wondering when there is going to be more of a monkey following.

Prepping for my Q and A on Wednesday.

Will have more about a potential Luz for the film in a bit.

Anybody who has any suggestions please feel free to drop them in my comment box. We love hearing from you.

The Week Ahead

2009-10-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Wild week lined up. On Tuesday I will be at the NANO NYC kickoff party. Wednesday afternoon I am being interviewed by Shalla Magazine. Wednesday night I'm attending the Behind the Book Benefit at the William Bennett Gallery. Shades of Luz will be at the Dirty Laundry Reading Series and Opium's Literary Death Math on Thursday at the Bowery Poetry Club.

I think I'll bring along my Luke Skywalker light saber for added protection at the Literary Death Match.

Still have a few more days to pick an outfit for Halloween. Not going to go as Dorian Gray as I did last year.

Please Don't Stop the Music

2009-10-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

(Legendary Poet Marvin Bell Collaborating with globetrotting bassist Glenn Moore)

I'm not an anniversary guy, but I love how oxymoronic one-week anniversary sounds. Last week I got up to find out some Adam Lambert fans had taken a liken to my novel Shades of Luz. I have to admit it surprised me a bit. For those of you in the loop, Benny is a Grad school dropout selling stuffed animals on the street. He's the furthest thing in the world from a celeb who sings mega pop songs, but an interesting thing I noted from much of buzz was that fans of Adam kept saying "Adam can do anything" "he's versatile" "He's the modern day Don Quixote".

If you're familiar with the blurb on the back of my book it says that "Shades of Luz" is a modern day Don Quixote. You never know what strands, what memes get picked up on.

Nonetheless, I am thrilled to have people taking an interest. In fact, if you'll recall, a few weeks back I went to Opium Live's party where Anya Ulinich was interviewed by Todd Zuniga which was then followed by a rad performance by Zee Avi the Malaysian wunderkind. I think it hit me then how awesome the mixing of music and words are.

Well, that's not completely true. Actually, I've seen Marvin Bell, the legendary Dead Man Poet, jam with Glenn Moore. It's like watching Lou Reed rif with Les Paul. Jimi Hendrix strum along with Walt Whitman. Something like that.

But, what I'm driving at is this deep sense of musicality that comes alive in some prose. I'm not tooting my horn so to speak, but if there is a certain music in my prose I want it to echo green.

Hit the Road Jack

2009-10-21T19:08:00.001-07:00

Today was a pounding pavement day. I know I'm supposed to be hitting the cyberlane, but I'd like to throw some of the old-fashioned brick and mortar into the mix. I reached out, in-person, to Word, 192 Books, Posman, and St. Martins Bookstore. It took forever to get to Word in Greenpoint. The G train is perpetually MIA. But did I quibble? No. Good thing I had my trusty retro Paris Review on my person. Been prepping for interviews. The one I was reading from has interviews with Malamud, Vonnegut, Tennessee Williams, Garcia Marquez and much much more. I would've been fierce pissed if I only had my thumbs to twiddle waiting on the lousy subway platform.

A southern author who had grown up in Queens NY, like yours truly, gave me some advice about what's what. I think I am going to go Kindle ASAP. Got to build the readership. It's never too early to start.

I noticed a heavy boost or readers added on to my hitometer from yesterday to today. By my standards. I think it has something to do with my Paper Cut blog on Lethem. Mazel Tov to that.

Timothy McSweeney became a Facebook buddy. It's a all about building one brick at a time. I'm not leaving you with a bricklaying analogy, but trying to clue you in to my introspective gestalt.

Tuesday with Johnny

2009-10-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

Just what is Coming of Age? Follow the discussion posted on Amazon

Need to give my website a facelift.

Working on a new story for Plots with Guns.

Later out to Brooklyn to see Fortress of Solitude scribe Jonathan Lethem.

Then it's over to Floyd's for Midnight Bocce.

Oh yeah, and sorry to hear that Cameron Diaz and Mike Myers got banned from Twitter. Guess that means I get more plug time.

Looking For Luz

2009-10-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

The time has come for us to find the right Luz. I'm always a few steps ahead, the way the chesswonk Brig thinks. The book is doing pretty well, but I'm thinking movie. Always loved movies and had the good fortune of winning NY International Independent Film and Video Festival a few years back. I want to take that know-how and transform my book into an award-winning screenplay.

Of course you know it helps to have the cast in mind. The Studio has their way of twisting your work the way they see fit, but I'm not going to stop that from letting my opinions matter.

Right now I am seriously considering Luz's role. I have to. Duh. Shades of Luz is the title.

So much speculation has been brewing for the male parts, particularly Benny. It's amazing that I see fans interested and involved in this process. And believe me I am listening with eager ears for thoughts on Luz while I consider who i think would be the perfect star or maybe it's an unknown or a rising star.

By TwitterIcon.com

Hunter College Hall of Fame Dinner

2009-10-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Jocelyn Cruz was a most gracious nominee and recipient at this year's Hunter College Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. She'd been a stellar tennis player, fencer, and then later a star coach who led her team to many championships.

Cruz, I'm very proud of you.

No lamb chops to report about. They served up salmon which was probably for the best since I don't get enough fish.

On the book front, my buddy Tony put me in touch with a former TV Guide executive. A big shout out to you my man.

Hustling like crazy with some local news to show the relevance of Shades of Luz. As if I really need to make the point.

Check out The New Book Review.

Thumbs Up For Luz

2009-10-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

(Photo by Deb E. Tenney)

Carolyn Howard has posted "Literary Novel Finds Publisher and High Approval" about Shades of Luz on The New Book Review.

Though I'm trying to keep a low profile on the part of Luz when we take Shades of Luz to the screen, Twitter and a host of blogs have been doing mad speculating about Benny. Almost all of them are fanatically behind Adam Lambert to play the part. Still haven't heard anything about Bret McKenzie and whether or not he's interested in Brig or Charlie. There are a few other people that might be good for Charlie's role. Giovanni Ribisi for one. Loved him in Boiler Room.

Jason Swartzman from Bored to Death is another really good choice for Charlie. He already has the bookish quirkiness playing Jonathan Ames real life character.

Will be at the Hunter College Hall of Fame Dinner tonight. Hope they serve lamb chops. I've had a craving for a while now.

Adam or Bret for Benny's Role

2009-10-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

So you wondering about Adam Lambert as Benny when the film Shades of Luz busts out. Now I know some confidants have also been whispering Bret McKenzie to me co-producer and folk-pop strummer from Flight of the Concords. Here's what I have to say about Bret for Benny. I think he'd make a better Brig. Brig the sidekick of Benny who informs about the whole crazy underworld he gets himself into.

The trouble is once we get in Luz's role we also want to consider who looks good paired up. We're still very much in the neonatal stage of development, but it's exciting.

I want to be clear that I dig Bret McKenzie. I just think he would be better for Brig or possibility Charlie. And neither of those parts are anything to scoff at.

Check out the Official Adam Lambert site to see how fans feel about it.

Trumpet Fiction

2009-10-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

I will be doing a Shades of Luz reading at the Trumpet Reading Series at KGB Bar in February thanks to Jonathan Kravetz.

It seems like each day there's a new reading lined up, but I'm mainly interested now in getting some blog radio going. I have an interview with Shalla from Blog with Shalla coming up. She has a large presence on the net. I'm really forward to that.

NANO is coming up too. There kickoff will be in less than two weeks and I'm slated to give some pep talks as I'm a 2006 Winner.

Dirty Laundry reading is set for the end of the month. I'm going to make sure I bring the liquid Tide this time.

Letting the Monkeys Loose at The Cell

2009-10-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just signed onto a reading at The Cell for December. I've personally been asked to read a section from where Benny trains his monkeys to through darts. I love Thelonius's character (AKA Benny's favorite snow monkey). If you check out my website I even posted a picture of a real snow monkey on my Praise tab.

Anybody who didn't get to see me read on Monday night then drop by The Cell, in Chelsea on December 13th. I'll be reading from Shades of Luz again. Karen Heuler, author of Soft Room and Wah-Ming Chang, host of the Page Reading Series will be hosting the event. I should be a blast.

On a side note I just joined on Shelfari, book lover and author networking site. Den Tenney gave me a huge reading list and Jen Knox, author of Musical Chairs added on to my friend list.

Doing the Rounds

2009-10-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Forget-me-nots from Telephone Bar Reading

Today I hit up both McNally Robinson and Housing Works. Housing Works has always been a prime spot. I've had a lot of good experiences there. I met George Saunders,Gary Shteyngart, Etgar Karat, and Mary Gordon there. George Saunders is a heck of writer and a heck of a guy.

Housing Works took my book. It's a non-profit so it's totally pro bono, but has great exposure. I gave them autographed copies too, but I'll be following up.

Next stop Half-King.

Telephone Bar Reading Tonight

2009-10-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Drop by Telephone Bar tonight to get better acquainted with Benny, Brig, Luz, and all the other wild and crazy cast of characters from Shades of Luz. Reading starts at 8pm. Telephone Bar is on Second Avenue and 9th Street a block from St. Mark's church. A bunch of us will be chilling out by the bar before and after so come on down.

One lucky attendee will win a three-month supply of Inca Cola, the Peruvian Golden Cola. Thumb-wrestling permitting only after the performance.

A special shout out to Tony and the posse he is bringing out. Hope to see you all there.

Gorman Stops By Mad Hatter's Review

2009-10-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Dropped in at Carol Novack's Mad Hatter's Review reading at KGB Bar. I never noticed before but the stained glass behind the bar reminded me of Humpty Dumpties in green overalls. Just a simple observation.

Said a few hellos, stayed for the first part of the reading then scooted on over to St. Mark's Bookstore.

Came up with the idea for my Bandito story.

Shades of Luz is one-month old.

Shades of Luz is a Hybrid

2009-10-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've got say that there isn't a single category I'd put Shades of Luz. To call it a fast-past coming-of-age-story, urban adventure would be to miss the point. It's about finding love and meaning. It's about aimless dreams and letting them go. Sometimes our lives feel as is they are without any direction and sometimes it feels like we cannot find the right path.

I wrote Shades of Luz so that the protagonist Benny Fluke could find his way. With that in mind I really had no idea where he would end up and after a few aborted attempts found where he needed to go. There were a few characters too who once were foils, but were removed in order to keep the focus of the story.

Killing your darlings, as many writers already know, is a bit like killing off a part of you. But, often it is necessary for the betterment of the work.

When I was sending out my manuscript, I sent a number out to different presses. Some strictly literary, others mainstream, slipstream, hard-boiled, sci-fi, fantasy, multi-genre, and a number of them said Shades of Luz defied all categories. In other words, there was no neatly-packed genre it would fit into.

What do you do if you get good feedback, but nobody wants to publish your book? Well, I wasn't going to hide under a rock or cut my throat, but it did annoy me that nobody seemed to want to take the chance with it. Self-publishing did cross my mind, but as I got closer to finishing up my MFA program I thought of the things my professors would say or what would universities say when I applied to teach at them and I only had one novel, self-published to my credit.

There seems to be a double standard when it comes to non-fiction. Fiction writers go through a lot more scrutiny. I'm not exactly sure why that is the case, but it is a reality nevertheless. X-libris used to hound me. Somehow I'd gotten on their marketing list and believe me I thought long and hard about it.

When I got word from All Things That Matter Press that they wanted to publish Shades of Luz I was ecstatic, but also petrified. The whole world was going to see my words and would be able to judge them. Because I'd been nursing my novel for so many years this naturally scared me. It took me a about a month to settle down and then with all the edits we needed to do before the book went live I was on the verge of hyperventilation. I stress the hyperbole because it is true that bringing a book into the world is a lot like giving birth. A bit cliche perhaps, but nevertheless true.

Now that the book is out there whenever I am asked by critics what it's about I have to be a quick thinker because it's still an undefinable hybrid.

Wu-Tang Clan Redux

2009-10-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what Shades of Luz has in common with the Wu-Tang Clan, but I'm going to take it as a compliment. I know RZA, the founder and mastermind behind the legendary group is into chess and his prophetic in many ways. Benny certainly has some of those qualities and his sidekick Brig does too, for that matter Luz is super-platinum.

Aside from that I've working diligently to partner up with other writers and artists to spread the word. Nannette Croce wrote a review of Shades of Luz on Cross Reference. If you get a second check it out. She's an awesome editor, critic, and writer and has a killer site called Zine Writer which carries on some deep discussion on literature.

Off to the art galleries today. No stone left unturned.

A Little Honey for Shades of Luz

2009-10-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

Beez and Honey got on board and has spread about Shades of Luz on their blog
http://beezandhoney.blogspot.com/

I've also been asked to visit a local senior center which is totally cool. I think they will relate to Luz. There's also my unsung Heroine Rose who I'm thinking about reading from.

Somebody said Brig reminded them a bit of Rza's The Tao of Wu.

I'm down with a comparison to the Wu-Tang Clan.

Shades of Luz Listed on NY Writer's Workshop

2009-10-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dan for the plug. That's big. Well, after NY Writer's Workshop listed me on their board I logged a few more attendees for my upcoming Telephone Bar Reading/Book Signing.

Yesterday, Bonnie Jo Campbell rocked the house at Center for the Book Arts in Chelsea. She read from her winning chapbook Love Letters from Sons of Bitches.

Today I will be at Behind the Book reading at KGB Bar.

Tomorrow at Opium Live!

John's at Center for Book Arts

2009-10-07T14:05:00.001-07:00

Today we're on the go go go. Lot's of exciting news and not enough time to report it all in. Two of my aunts picked up copies which, frankly I'm surprised about. Wait until they get to the racy part- A Spoonful of Indiscretion. Also, one of my writer buddies Douglas Light, author of "East Street Bliss" is going to do a Q and A. Actually, I'm going to Q and A him, but he will be visiting my site. Details to follow shortly. His book is soon to become a feature film.

Gearing up for the Telephone Bar reading. That should be off-the-hook. I have quite a few pre-vites already RSVPed. Hope there's enough seats.

Tomorrow will be stopping by KGB Bar.

Finding the Right Target

2009-10-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked me this weekend if my book was available at Target. It had never occurred to me that Target was a viable book chain. It's easy to lose track with B & N, Borders, Amazon, and Powells. There are so many classy indie bookstores. I'm smitten with the idea of a new reader pulling a copy of my book from a quaint, local shop that maybe I have neglected the Bulls' eye logo Department store where I happen to pick up many containers and other household odds and ends.

The long of short of it is this, I'm willing to test my luck wherever it fits. A few years back, I found a writer friend's book in a dollar bin at the Strand on Fulton. I called her up to let her know she'd made it into the afterlife of the book chain. Used books is that last channel, a testament to the book's will to live or the erstwhile owner's willingness to let the book live on.

I haven't seen any Shades of Luz in half-priced bins yet, but I won't frown if I do. To me, it will a sign that my book has a survival gene built in its DNA, much like its author.

Next stop on this Book Tour-- Target!

Shades of Luz Website Goes Live

2009-10-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Without further ado Shades of Luz is shelved in Cyberspace. More on the Book Tour Coming Soon. Pick up your copy on Amazon.

Bookmark the Shades of Luz Website

2009-09-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been tinkering with it for days, but the website is finally, almost nifty. I've noodled with a few styles, content, and so on. I have now come to the indubitable conclusion that it needs to be a working-model.

Ever see those art installations where a zillion things are going on and you really aren't sure what the deal is? I have. If you wait there long enough, you'll see it loop back and then it will all start to make sense.

There's a lot of websites to choose from. If I studied all of them the next ice age would have already slid by. Basically, I made an executive decision and stuck by it. How could I not?

I feel the neurons swimming, and this only phase one.

http://www.shadesofluz.com

guerrilla

Red Room

2009-09-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I read an unsettling post about an author who had the day from hell when her book launched. Her Facebook froze, her laptop battery died, and she couldn’t find her Blackberry. Yikes. Oh, the trials and tribulations of these Twitter Times.

My qualm of the day is on a much smaller scale, but goes to show the metamorphosis that has taken place in me since I’ve minted a book. Recently, I’ve joined a slew of networks to get better connected with literary circles. Some I’ve been active in some I haven’t been. One in particular called the Red Room I have tried to make the effort, but my bio page and book influences have a bunch of HTML gobbledygook spitting out in my profile. Today I made my first blog post on their site. When I’d submitted it I went back to see what it looked like, but of course I couldn’t find it. It appeared to have been lost in a cyber black hole. I was uber-frustrated as I tried posting it 4 more times. Nothing. I later realized there was a pending category that stored a queue of posts requiring approval. All four of my posts waited patiently while I mourned the loss of my sensibility. It then struck me I have become more of an instant gratification whore than I’d like to admit.

Is there a moral to this story? Probably not. But, I find I am more antsy now that I've published my novel than before I had. When I couldn't get Shades of Luz published I skulk in a corner for a while and lament the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune. I napped more. Now, I juked with energy. Nervous energy. Francine Prose says that to be a great writer is to put each word on the trial of it's life. I'm putting each move I make on the trial of its life. I'm looking for skapegoats in case my paper moon gets lost in the shuffle.

To Raise an Author

2009-09-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've been reaching out to journals I've published in to see if I can sniff up interest in my novel. Sometimes editors will let you share an excerpt or post a link back to your website or your page on Amazon.

I had a rather fortuitous email from University of Texas Pan American who publishes a print journal called RiverSedge. I was trying to track down a short story I'd thought was published by them, but wasn't sure since I never received a copy. My story "A Miner Frame" about a Fireman who burns with the passion of being an artist has a fabulist experience when he's visiting an art gallery. He escapes a room brimming with philistines and cozies up to a particularly odd painting. He is so engrossed by it that it sucks him into the canvas and all at once the fireman becomes part of the painting. The rest is a dialectic on the enterprise on aesthetics and craftsmanship.

Here's the good thing that happened to me. I was informed by the assistant of the English Department that indeed my story "A Miner Frame" appeared in issue 18:1 -- back in 2005. Some postal snafu must have botched things up. Nonetheless, I will finally be getting my two free author copies.

Alas, I am plugging away trying to get to word out there. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a miracle to raise an author.

No, Just Feel like Plastic Man

2009-09-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today's book tours, in their own peculiar way, are like A Movable Feast. Sort of. I don't know but, my days seem to be getting shorter and shorter. At the moment, I am in the neonatal stages of development on an article for Nannette Croce from Cross Reference. She was kind enough to publish my essay "Boba Fett Blues" in The Rose & Thorn last fall. Let's see if I can wow her again.

The trick is to either be Plastic Man or have and army of well-oiled, java-juked publicists. I'm working on both. Anybody who can spare some of the latter you know where you can reach me