Date:	2011-08-02 12:54
Subject:	IAMS & Animal Cruelty
Security:	Public
Mood:	numb

Because everyone should know what's happening: http://www.iamscruelty.com/

IAMS is using animals for "nutritional experimentation." Click the link to read more.

Thanks.

Gary . . .

Date:	2011-07-20 12:51
Subject:	Finally, I've come back with a Blog (well, a link at least)
Security:	Public
Mood:	tired

I've posted a new blog on my ongoing issue with sleep apnea and its affects. If you're inclined to, please check it out here:

http://writingthroughhell.blogspot.com/2011/07/help-me-i-cant-break-out-this-prison.html

Thank you and have a blessed day.


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2011-02-08 23:03
Subject:	Jack Ketchum Speaks at the Garden State Horror Writers Meeting
Security:	Public
Mood:	okay

Hi all,

If you live around the East Brunswick, NJ area or feel like taking a ride this Saturday (the 12th), the one and only Jack Ketchum will be speaking at the Garden State Horror Writers meeting at the East Brunswick Public Library. More info is here: http://www.gshw.net/

Jack's site: http://jackketchum.net/


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2011-01-25 13:32
Subject:	WEvery day I write the book(s)
Security:	Public
Mood:	blah

Just some writing news while I'm waiting around for whatever to occur.

So, the series...Book One, Fallen Angel, is complete and with my agent. Book Two, Man of Miracles is slowly being written. That would be very slowly, as in I'm on page 93. There were cuts and pastes and more cuts and what-the-hell-was-I-thinking cuts (you know how that goes!). So I got rid of all the C&Ps and now it's pure and flowing organically. Just to remind y'all: Cosmic Gods are trying to come back to this realm and it's up to Dylan Carver and his friends to keep this from happening, while followers are trying to kill them. Unfortunately, one god has already gotten through and taken Dream, one of Dylan's friends, as his consort.

If that's not enough to keep me busy, I started another series (at least I hope it will be!). This one is based on my trip to China last year. I've created a city of nine rings based on architectural styles we saw as we traveled around Beijing, Nanjing, Huai'an, and Guangzhou. The time frame is based on ancient Chinese history, circa 1200-1400 AD. The main character, Henry, is a descendant of foreigners who came to the City years ago (they're called no-breeds by the citizens of the City), who is a very amateur detective who stumbles upon the (dead) body of a well dressed woman who is obviously from one of the more affluent rings. Her ghost demands he save her, but when he tries to, he's arrested for her murder. Intrigue, mystery, and cricket fighting ensues.

I've got numerous ideas for more stories set in the City, so once this ball gets rolling, look out!

And that's about it for me for now. Stay tuned!


Peace, alla y'all!
Gary . . .

visited 22 states (44%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

So it turns out I've been to quite a number of states. I believe I'll be adding Kentucky on later this year.

Date:	2010-08-20 21:39
Subject:	Remember Me?
Security:	Public
Mood:	content

Just dropping in to let y'all know about a little blog I started called Writing Through Hell. Check it out: http://writingthroughhell.blogspot.com/

Read it, follow it, leave a note or two. Please feel free to join the discussions!


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2009-11-02 23:41
Subject:	Monty Python may sue Chris Christie
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

For the New Jersey peeps...tomorrow is voting for Governor day (and a few other local elections as well). I found this article unsurprisingly typical. Does NJ really want a governor, who was a lawyer for 22 years, who may be sued because he doesn't understand copyright infringement?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-lewis/chris-christie-rips-off-m_b_341598.html

And the world keeps spinning...


Gary . . .

You may remember back in February I had posted that my wife's father had stage 4 lung cancer. Saturday night he lost the fight. He was home with family and he went somewhat quick. I can't think of much else to say. Just don't forget to take time every day to let the people in your life know how much they mean to you. Life's too short and our friends and family move through it way too fast.

Namaste
Gary . . .

Date:	2009-09-16 18:04
Subject:	Dr. Paul's Words of Wisdom
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm

http://trueslant.com/fpaulwilson/2009/09/16/live-virus-in-the-h1n1-vaccine/

If you're wondering about the flu vaccine, read this article. Dr. Paul knows what's talking about.


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-09-10 22:45
Subject:	Appearances This Weekend
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Yeah, so it's short notice, but, if you're around south or central New Jersey this weekend, you may just find me.

Saturday, the 12th, I'll be signing and selling my books at the bookfair, here: http://njwritersconference.com/

Sunday, the 13th, I'll be at the Red Bank Street Fair, signing and selling the same books at the Liberty States Fiction Writers booth: http://www.libertystatesfictionwriters.com/calendar/

You may notice on the LSFW calendar, on Sunday, the 20th, I'll be with the LSFW again at the Jamesburg Street Fair.

Oh yeah... the following Saturday, the 26th, I'll be at Horrorfind in Hunts Valley, MD, hanging around and doing a reading between 6-7pm. http://www.horrorfindweekend.com/index.html

Hope to see you soon!


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-07-06 13:14
Subject:	A very entertaining blog (if I do say so myself)
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative

There's a great post on beliefs and writing over here: http://project4word.blogspot.com/ by yours truly. Well worth the time to read it. Let me know what you think.


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2009-06-30 23:47
Subject:	Project 4Word
Security:	Public
Mood:	happy

Hi all,

Because I know you need one more cool place to be, I give you Project 4Word: http://project4word.blogspot.com/

This is a blog started by Seton Hill University alumni from 2004. They've graduated from the Writing Popular Fiction masters program and decided to have a group blog. And after this passed weekend's writing retreat, they invited me along for the ride.

The retreat was awesome and I'll post more about it shortly. Suffice to say, I've rarely met a bunch of enthusiastic genre writers like these people. This was my second year and I expected a bit of second time let-down, but found none of it. If anything, I think I had a better time this year because I knew more people who introduced me to more people. Absolutely awesome.

This is the second year the retreat was open to the public (thanks to Ambassadora for talking it up on her LJ last year) and though I felt a bit awkward last year for being one of the few non-graduates there, this year was pure fun.

A huge thank you to the 106 crew (you know who you are). And to the rest of you, stop by, subscribe and enjoy. As it's just started, I don't know where we're going, but it should be a fun ride.


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2009-06-14 23:13
Subject:	Come to the Panel...
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Here's where I'll be on Tuesday night. If you're in the area, you should come.


"THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!"
How Authors Keep You Turning Those Pages

A free panel by
The New Jersey Authors’ Network

Tuesday, June 16, 7-9 p.m.
Ringwood Public Library
30 Cannici Drive, Ringwood, N.J.

Seven novelists share their secrets:

* Lee Barwood, environmental thrillers
* Peggy Ehrhart, Steven Rigolosi
and Cheryl Solimini, mysteries
* John Grant, fantasy & political satire
* Gary Frank and E. F. Watkins,
paranormal thrillers

Come learn the tricks of the trade!

Date:	2009-05-21 22:43
Subject:	Do you have the time to listen to me whine...
Security:	Public
Mood:	aggravated

Green Day's new CD, 21st Century Breakdown, has some questionable lyrics to the point that Wal-Mart, the country's largest seller of CDs, won't carry it. In other words, unless Green Day chooses to censor themselves, Wal-Mart won't carry the disc. Green Day's response? They aren't changing a word.

Here's the article: http://new.music.yahoo.com/green-day/news/green-day-lashes-out-at-wal-mart-policy--61988870

Imagine writing a book or putting together a CD and bleeding your heart into it, only to be otld that unless you clean it up, the largest retailer in the country won't sell it. It's called censorship. Who the hell is Wal-Mart to censor musicians? Is the American public so incapable of choosing what's appropriate, that we need Wal-Mart to censor music (and I'm sure literature) for us?

Oh sure, Wal-Mart gives artists the opportunity to come out with a "clean" version of CDs, but who decides what's "clean"? Who else? Wal-Mart. So, in other words, you speak your heart and if a few overpaid Execs at Wal-Mart are offended by what you say, you either rewrite the songs to suit "Them" or you can forget being carried in their store.

To be perfectly fair to "Them", they have the right to refuse to sell anything they choose. But they don't have the right to censor what we listen to. Unfortunately, in this money hungry world we live in, too many musicians are willing to give in to Wal-Mart's demands just to sell CDs.

I've never stepped foot into one of those stores and I do not plan to. This just solidifies my disgust. As a writer and musician, it is reprehensible to me that in this day, we have to have execs censoring what we listen to and what we read. We, the American public, are smart enough to make decisions for ourselves.

Have a nice day.


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-05-08 13:25
Subject:	Living Authentically
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative

What does living authentically mean to you? How do you live authentically when the world around you pulls you in every other direction?


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-04-26 22:59
Subject:	Sunday Night Update
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted

Nancy's dad's home with oxygen. Nancy said he was doing better yesterday. The 3-6 month prognosis seems to have come from the doctor based on how dad looked when he was in the ICU. Now I'm sure there were other factors, but do you tell a patient he's got max 6 months to live because he doesn't look good? Apparently, he had a heart attack the day he was brought in. No wonder he didn't look good. He looks like someone with cancer on chemo.

In other news, my neighbor's mother died. My uncle's mother died. My stepmother is going for tests to see if her cancer's returned. What the hell is going on?

Nancy's going to interview for her job tomorrow. The position is shifting under a new business area so she has to interview to keep her job. Un-freakin-believable.

On Tuesday, I bring my Mazda in for repair. Oh, I didn't tell you (or maybe I did). Last Wednesday, someone hit my car in a parking lot and took off. $1,100 worth of damage to the rear bumper and the tail light plastic. One and a half months old. No note. Nothing. I was on my way to a gig and needed a cord. Somehow, the show turned out awesome even with everything going on.

All the dishes in this house were clean; then we ate dinner.

Cut the lawn today in the 80+ degree heat. Not fun but it looks better than I thought it would.

Did anyone see the CSI episode at the Star Trek/Sci-Fi convention? Awesome show. Real geek stuff. I was able to name the Star Trek episodes they parodied. I don't know if that's good or bad.

Liberty States Fiction Writers meeting was quite enjoyable. The main meeting was on the Male POV. Lively discussion that turned into a psychological cross-section of gender issues.

Lastly, I was the featured guest at a chat at www.Writerschatroom.com. It was awesome fun and everyone had a great time.

Novel Update: I'm on page 95. It's coming along really well and I like it much better than what it had been.

I think that's everything.

Be well, take care, have fun, and don't forget to tell the ones you love that you love them. Don't assume they know because you told them last week. Tell them again. Thank you.


Peace,
Gary . . .

Date:	2009-04-23 23:06
Subject:	Having is not just "Having"
Security:	Public
Mood:	aggravated

As a writer, words are everything. If you tell yourself someone has cancer, it keeps it at a distance, like someone has a cold and they'll be over it soon. It's like oh, my friend has a new TV. It's no big deal. It's about possession and that's about it.

But when you say my father-in-law is dying of cancer, it turns so f'king personal and becomes near to impossible to digest in even the smallest bite. The doctors say he will not see Thanksgiving or Christmas. As far as I can think, there's no way to rationally take that in. Someone close to me is going to disappear soon from all these lives and all we can do is say goodbye.

I know people die. It happens every day. Life goes on. And all that bullshit. But in the meantime, when you're in this space of having to be a spectator in a relatives slow demise, it really rips your heart apart. It's not just watching my father-in-law, but my wife, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law going through this.

Writer-self aside, no pretty words: this sucks.


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-04-23 22:47
Subject:	Writers' Chatroom
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

Hi all,

If you're around Sunday night, April 26, stop over here: http://writerschatroom.com/ at 7pm EST and say hello. Just follow the "Enter Chatroom" link to the chat. I'll be talking about writing, the first two books, the next book, and who knows what. Bring questions and we'll have some fun. And one lucky person will win an autographed copy of Institutional Memory.


Gary . . .

Date:	2009-04-05 16:58
Subject:	Concern Fun "Run" / Walk
Security:	Public
Mood:	content

Another day like any other day and there are people starving in the world. Thousands of them. Did you know that a child dies from hunger-related illnesses every five seconds? Go ahead. Count. 1…2…3…4…5. There's one. Every five seconds.

Concern Worldwide is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world's poorest countries.

To that end, they hold a hunger fun run/walk in Central Park every year in April. This year, I'll be taking part in the event to raise money for Concern Worldwide and their American affiliate, Concern USA. My wife, Nancy, and my friend, Jim, and I have formed a team, Running Down a Dream, and we'll be walking (or slowly running) the 4 miles through Central Park to raise money and awareness of this organization and the great work they do.

The economy hasn't made giving very easy and no one expects anyone to give a lot. But even if you donate one dollar, it's something. If you can give more, $5, $10, $20 or even $50, that'll go a long way to helping Concern Worldwide continue their mission throughout the world.

We're all on this planet to help each other, to make a difference, to do something greater than what we believe we're capable of. We can end hunger and the suffering going on around the world. We just need to reach out and give a little.

Thank you in advance for any donation you can afford. Please pass this letter and these links to everyone you know and together we can end hunger.

Thank you for your time. We now return you to your normally scheduled reading.


Peace,
Gary . . .

If you'd like to join our team, you can get more information on the Hunger Fun Run/Walk here: http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=300411&lis=1&kntae300411=B6A7355186154948AB4CC5CB59EBF2ED


My personal donation page is https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=300411&supId=249486512


Information on Concern Worldwide (USA) can be found here:
http://www.kintera.org/faf/help/helpAboutOrg.asp?ievent=300411&lis=1&kntae300411=38E36040B0B145598A361D6AB334A857

Concern Worldwide's website: http://www.concernusa.org/

Date:	2009-03-17 10:19
Subject:	Something New!
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused

According to Tower.com's sales ranking, Institutional Memory is number 186 on the Top 100 Erotica - Lesbian list! Now that's awesome. I may have to reread the book to find those scenes that I don't remember putting in there, but I'll take the ranking!

Gary . . .