I’m pleased that Fictionwise is now carrying Cruising the Green of Second Avenue in addition to Wild Child Publishing. Thanks, Faith, for keeping the ball rolling.
Look for it at www.fictionwise.com. Simply key the title into the search engine at the top left of the site. You’ll even find an excerpt from “Frank Cassidy and the Canarsie Chick.” By the way, someone has figured out the book takes 100-141 minutes to read. Christmas is coming. Make a reader happy with a gift, and an author happy with a royalty.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Magic of Childhood
I left a mistaken impression on my blogsite recently that Written Word Magazine (http://www.writtenwordmag.com/) was nearing defunction. It’s very much alive, but its Web site was functioning oddly on my PC. I’d wait interminably, wanting to go out for a long walk or a short beer, until the graphics loaded. But—huzzah!—there in its archived June 2008 issue was “The Wishing Pool.”
This has been one of my favorite stories, written in January of ’06. Why? My childhood days were ominous, filled with omens, portents and symbols. The child matures when the signs come together. I put together a few of these signs and secret codes in “The Wishing Pool.” I’m happy, not only for the sale, but because the youngsters in the story nibbled at my heart. Perhaps I once was “Otto,” making bets on when the first snowfall would close school and wondering when my father would come home from his business travels.
My own childhood days in a small Oregon town were filled with tokens as powerful as having a Lone Ranger pistol ring. They were as mysterious as the X-ray machine at the shoe store where we watched our toes wiggle while the salesman sought out our Buster Browns. We believed in 1947 that the dead cat we found in the bushes had died violently. Why else would its mouth have turned into that horrible rictus? It was poisoned—and this was our nexus of fear: To touch it would be death for us too.
We were in awe of tramps, like the one who reputedly lived in the willow grove by the Northern Pacific tracks and carried a shotgun loaded with bacon rind. Yes, bacon rind, my brother, Chuck, explained: This was so he wouldn’t actually kill you when you were shot for intruding. We knew tramps left secret messages on our houses, messages hidden so carefully that only other gypsy tramp initiates could tell whether this house or that one would offer a welcome.
Every event, every glance, every crack in the sidewalk was filled with meaning. Dogma was established by my friends in second grade. “If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.” And, there was World War II revisionism, “No, no, if you step on a crack you’ll break Tojo’s back!” And each of us guaranteed a little good luck by stamping on a Lucky Strike pack.
Oh, and in regard to “The Wishing Pool,” sometimes kids know everything and understand very little. You know this. You were a kid once, weren’t you?
This has been one of my favorite stories, written in January of ’06. Why? My childhood days were ominous, filled with omens, portents and symbols. The child matures when the signs come together. I put together a few of these signs and secret codes in “The Wishing Pool.” I’m happy, not only for the sale, but because the youngsters in the story nibbled at my heart. Perhaps I once was “Otto,” making bets on when the first snowfall would close school and wondering when my father would come home from his business travels.
My own childhood days in a small Oregon town were filled with tokens as powerful as having a Lone Ranger pistol ring. They were as mysterious as the X-ray machine at the shoe store where we watched our toes wiggle while the salesman sought out our Buster Browns. We believed in 1947 that the dead cat we found in the bushes had died violently. Why else would its mouth have turned into that horrible rictus? It was poisoned—and this was our nexus of fear: To touch it would be death for us too.
We were in awe of tramps, like the one who reputedly lived in the willow grove by the Northern Pacific tracks and carried a shotgun loaded with bacon rind. Yes, bacon rind, my brother, Chuck, explained: This was so he wouldn’t actually kill you when you were shot for intruding. We knew tramps left secret messages on our houses, messages hidden so carefully that only other gypsy tramp initiates could tell whether this house or that one would offer a welcome.
Every event, every glance, every crack in the sidewalk was filled with meaning. Dogma was established by my friends in second grade. “If you step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.” And, there was World War II revisionism, “No, no, if you step on a crack you’ll break Tojo’s back!” And each of us guaranteed a little good luck by stamping on a Lucky Strike pack.
Oh, and in regard to “The Wishing Pool,” sometimes kids know everything and understand very little. You know this. You were a kid once, weren’t you?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A Nice Review of Cruising
Coffee Time Romance has just given Cruising the Green of Second Avenue a nice “three cups” review. They say, “The life and times of Jake is [sic] once again fodder for a fascinating look into bachelorhood in the ‘60s. New York City is at the heart of it all for Jake and his friends. Their stories prove that at some point we all need to grow up and move on. Their roaring twenties have up and gone, and now Jake is finally ready to be an adult. But did he wait too long to realize that there can be life beyond the Big Apple? The quick wit and humor are back with this second installment, and worth the read.
Read it all at http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Cruisingthegreenofsecondavenue.html --and then buy a copy at http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/content/view/426/125/. Help support a writer who needs periodic maintenance and accolades.
Read it all at http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Cruisingthegreenofsecondavenue.html --and then buy a copy at http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/content/view/426/125/. Help support a writer who needs periodic maintenance and accolades.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Introduction
Hello everyone, I would like to introduce myself to the Wild Child Publishing family. My name is Christopher Tran and my debut novel Tiffany's Twisted will soon be coming out. Working with M.E. Ellis, fellow author and my editor, has taught me alot about the writing craft. Her wisdom and efficiency were invaluable. I am a 25 year old novelist, and write in the suspense/thriller genre. Thank you for the invite to your wonderful team. I appreciate all you have done for me.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Nigh Spring and Full Worm waxing
Two days until the Vernal Equinox (Mun Geri) and also the Full Worm Moon. The fogs are heavy and deep. 'Tis Werewolf Weather -Beware!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
CONTEST WINNER- BRANDY
The answer is: The symbol appears on the cover of Santana Abraxas on the left hand of the Red Demon.
I'm hoping Brandy will enjoy the novel and maybe write a review.
Stay well, all
Ron Scala
(between Moons)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
