Back To The Writin' Board

I was a freelance writer for more than twenty years. I stopped doing it because it wasn't fun anymore. Then David Bowie died. And I knew I needed to start writing again.

That's my bio. It's not the complete story; I accomplished a little bit beyond what it may imply, and perhaps I fell short of the success it may suggest. But I was good at it, and I'm satisfied with what I did. Now, I want to do more.

Following the giddy highs of last week, this week inevitably reverted to the mean. An editor took a pass on two short stories I wrote, but encouraged me to keep submitting my efforts. The editor has bought three stories from me this year, so I retain my hope that I can write and sell other stories, too. And while rejection's no fun, this one doesn't really sting. Both of those stories will appear on the blog in the near future, probably next week. And I have further short story ideas to pursue.

My book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is in a holding pattern for now. I'm told I did a good job with my book proposal, and that the writing itself is solid. It remains to be seen whether or not a publisher will be interested in it. My agent is going to do an extensive review of the proposal before proceeding, and we'll discuss revisions in a few weeks.

(I buried my lede. Yes, I have an agent now. The agent has been both enthusiastic about the book and realistic about its prospects. I am cautiously optimistic. I will offer more details when they become official.)

Meanwhile, I have some writing to do. Short stories. Chapters of my book. A few new ideas. And this blog will continue to have at least one post every single day. Writing is fun again. This time, I aim to keep on doing it.

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Fans of pop music will want to check out Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, a new pop compilation benefiting SPARK! Syracuse, the home of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. TIR'N'RR Allstars--Steve Stoeckel, Bruce Gordon, Joel Tinnel, Stacy Carson, Eytan Mirsky, Teresa Cowles, Dan Pavelich, Irene Peña, Keith Klingensmith, and Rich Firestone--offer a fantastic new version of The Kinks' classic "Waterloo Sunset." That's supplemented by eleven more tracks (plus a hidden bonus track), including previously-unreleased gems from The Click Beetles, Eytan Mirsky, Pop Co-Op, Irene Peña, Michael Slawter (covering The Posies), and The Anderson Council (covering XTC), a new remix of "Infinite Soul" by The Grip Weeds, and familiar TIRnRR Fave Raves by Vegas With Randolph, Gretchen's Wheel, The Armoires, and Pacific Soul Ltd. Oh, and that mystery bonus track? It's exquisite. You need this. You're buying it from Futureman.

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1).

Our most recent compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is still available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.