Last night, I e-mailed copies of an uncorrected e-book copy of JOCK STEWART AND THE MISSING SEA OF FIRE out to several people who dared to read a pre-publication copy of the novel and say something about it. Since each of them had read THE SUN SINGER, I felt duty-bound to tell them this is a very different book--night and day, I would say--from my first novel. Things are moving forward and it still looks like the novel will be released on August 12 by Vanilla Heart Publishing.
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I'm tinkering with another Jock Stewart book. That led me to post the following on my Writer's Notebook and MySpace blogs. (Sorry about the odd line breaks; not sure what blogger is doing here since the lines look fine in the editor.)
Squash
by Laurence R. Campbell
Frankly, all squash to me is prose
And heaven only knows
Why it was invented
Unless by someone quite demented.
No matter who are the cooks
I don’t like the looks
Of squash.
Even with a small touch of it
There’s much too much of it—
That is, of squash.
As for the taste of it
Well, that’s a waste of it—
Of squash, I mean.
As for the smell of it
I hate to tell of it—
Of squash, of course.
As for the sound of it
I hate an ounce to a pound of it—
You’re right, of squash.
When it comes to squash
It’s an orange-hued mush.
So rather than eat it,
I beat it.
I'm receiving conflicting reports from my muse about a new novel still on the drawing board.
Last week I was stunned when a major character was found dead at a friend's
house. She went there to feed his dog while he was out of town and
encountered an intruder.
My first reaction was: somebody's going to pay for this in spades. While
my muse had been providing hints about the probable culprit in this
tale or arson gone bad, she hadn't given me a clue about whether he was
going to be found dead in the conservatory or the hall.
New reports seem to indicate he might not die at all and, frankly, the
other characters including the Chief of Police are up in arms about
that.
I'm taking a laissez-faire approach, otherwise known as the
turn-off-the-computer avoidance approach. Inadvertently, a generous
friend has provided assistance in the form of a large bag of
garden-fresh squash.
Unlike my late father, I like squash, though I must confess it lacks the
excitement of broccoli and the down home durability of potatoes.
Suffice it to say, an entire bag introduces pressure into my schedule
since--unlike potatoes--it can't sit there for weeks without
"processing."
Determined to forget Character ABC who is dead and Character XYZ who might end up
getting shot in the ass with a .22 caliber rifle on a snowy morning, I
escaped into the no-brainer world of squash casserole this morning.
While cutting up the squash, I considered bringing ABC back from the dead,
rationalizing that unless one thinks the story is already said and done
before I write it down, she's not really dead until the book reaches
print.
While grating the extra-sharp cheddar cheese, I considered quitting the
writing business altogether and joining the ranks of an honorable
profession such as grave digging or repairing Linotype machines.
While preheating the oven and crumbling saltines with unsalted tops into the
mixture in the bowl, I decided that perhaps Character XYZ might get
shot in the ass two or three times prior to heading to the State Pen
for the rest of his life and just maybe that was a high enough price of killing Character ABC.
I'm just a writer after all, reporting the news from Storyville and points
east, not a god sitting in judgement of the good, bad and the ugly
between the lines.
I'm renewed and breathing easier now and I have squash to thank.
Copyright (c) 2009 by Malcolm R. Campbell. "Squash" copyright (c) 1987 by the Estate of Laurence R. Campbell
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Writer's Journey
"The creative process is a process of surrender, not control." --Julia Cameron
Pat Bertram and I have been discussing the writer's journey on her weblog. What wonderful comments we've gotten so far! Stop by and share your journey.
In so many ways, our journeys as writers--or as teachers or parents or simply as creatures--bring out the best in us when we allow the world to unfold before our eyes rather than trying to orchestrate our vision. This is a difficult lesson to learn; it's completely at odds with the idea that we must set goals and strive toward them. Sure, we can use a brute force approach. It looks fast track. Such is the illusion of control. The words always flow better when one allows them to appear.
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This week marks the fifth anniversary of The Sun Singer's publication. I appreciate all the best wishes. A special thanks to Pat Bertram who invited me over to her blog to discuss the journey of writing the novel.
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This week in Jackson County, Georgia, we celebrate the lives of author Frank Gilbert ("Chasing the Wind") and Historic Preservation Commission chairman Buz Ward. Both of them made their marks on this community with lives dedicated to serving others. Gilbert was active in scouting and local history interpretation. Ward was active in preservation, most notably the ongoing restoration of our historic court house.
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North Georgia, like most of the southeast, is suffering through a heat wave. Wherever we're going, we're going their hot.
Malcolm
Pat Bertram and I have been discussing the writer's journey on her weblog. What wonderful comments we've gotten so far! Stop by and share your journey.
In so many ways, our journeys as writers--or as teachers or parents or simply as creatures--bring out the best in us when we allow the world to unfold before our eyes rather than trying to orchestrate our vision. This is a difficult lesson to learn; it's completely at odds with the idea that we must set goals and strive toward them. Sure, we can use a brute force approach. It looks fast track. Such is the illusion of control. The words always flow better when one allows them to appear.
-
This week marks the fifth anniversary of The Sun Singer's publication. I appreciate all the best wishes. A special thanks to Pat Bertram who invited me over to her blog to discuss the journey of writing the novel.
-
This week in Jackson County, Georgia, we celebrate the lives of author Frank Gilbert ("Chasing the Wind") and Historic Preservation Commission chairman Buz Ward. Both of them made their marks on this community with lives dedicated to serving others. Gilbert was active in scouting and local history interpretation. Ward was active in preservation, most notably the ongoing restoration of our historic court house.
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North Georgia, like most of the southeast, is suffering through a heat wave. Wherever we're going, we're going their hot.
Malcolm
Friday, June 19, 2009
Bits and Pieces
If you tend to think of funny stuff, you might enjoy How to Write a Humor Column, a guest post by John Philipp on Sia McKye's blog. Like my Jock Stewart posts on Morning Satirical News, Philipp's ideas begin with real stuff that's taken way out to a preposterous conclusion. Nice post.
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It looks like Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire might hit the streets on my birthday, August 12th. In a way, the novel is an extended humor column even though investigative reporting isn't normally a joking matter. Especially when somebody steals a racehorse. Especially when somebody is murdered in her bed and you were supposed to be there with her.
Am I the only person on the planet who can't see the black humor in such phrases as "a body riddled with bullets?" It's the double meaning of "riddle" that sends me off into the world of crazy ideas. I fully expect people to think I'm nuts when the book comes out. Maybe they're right.
But as I started thinking back on the journalism background behind the book, some of the stuff wasn't insane, Mail Call 1968, for example, on the aircraft carrier where I worked as a Navy Journalist. Or, finding a photograph of the guys I worked with in the ship's public affairs office and realizing that I have no clue where any of them ended up.
(I'm the second from the right with the weird coffee mug.)
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I just finished reading Abe F. March's novel "Journey Into the Past," a novel set in the German wine country about two people who meet and suddenly feel great passion for each other in spite of their vastly different backgrounds. I posted a review on my Writer's Notebook web log. Now, I'm heading for Pat Bertram's "More Deaths Than One."
It's going to be a hot weekend here in Jackson County Georgia. That was obvious when I was soaking wet this morning after only 90 minutes of spreading fresh pine straw in the tree island in front of the house. Might be a good weekend to stay inside and read.
I hope you find something equally enjoyable.
--Malcolm
-
It looks like Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire might hit the streets on my birthday, August 12th. In a way, the novel is an extended humor column even though investigative reporting isn't normally a joking matter. Especially when somebody steals a racehorse. Especially when somebody is murdered in her bed and you were supposed to be there with her.
Am I the only person on the planet who can't see the black humor in such phrases as "a body riddled with bullets?" It's the double meaning of "riddle" that sends me off into the world of crazy ideas. I fully expect people to think I'm nuts when the book comes out. Maybe they're right.
But as I started thinking back on the journalism background behind the book, some of the stuff wasn't insane, Mail Call 1968, for example, on the aircraft carrier where I worked as a Navy Journalist. Or, finding a photograph of the guys I worked with in the ship's public affairs office and realizing that I have no clue where any of them ended up.
(I'm the second from the right with the weird coffee mug.)
-
I just finished reading Abe F. March's novel "Journey Into the Past," a novel set in the German wine country about two people who meet and suddenly feel great passion for each other in spite of their vastly different backgrounds. I posted a review on my Writer's Notebook web log. Now, I'm heading for Pat Bertram's "More Deaths Than One."
It's going to be a hot weekend here in Jackson County Georgia. That was obvious when I was soaking wet this morning after only 90 minutes of spreading fresh pine straw in the tree island in front of the house. Might be a good weekend to stay inside and read.
I hope you find something equally enjoyable.
--Malcolm
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A Writer's Mindfulness
I often have multiple stories dancing inside my head, competing for time with thoughts about promotion, query letters and the chores of the day. What a delight to read Susanne Iles post "Mindfulness of the Senses: A Walk Around my Home" and share as she quieted the internal monologue and allowed the place to speak to her.
Mindfulness, the experiencing of only here and now, is difficult. As David Abram notes in his wonderful book The Spell of the Sensuous, we typically walk in the world and don't really see it or hear it because our minds are focused on thoughts of tomorrow and next week.
As a writer, I try to cultivate mindfulness, partly to better experience my surroundings, but also so that I can more easily tune out extraneous thoughts while I'm writing. Suffice it to say, if I'm thinking about tomorrow's doctor's appointment, I'm not going to be fully focused on the description of a place or an event or a character in the novel in progress.
The chatter inside our heads is hard enough to filter out, but now I'm tempted to check e-mail, check Facebook, check MySpace, check Twitter, and that list of things it seems necessary to check goes on and on.
In a recent MySpace post, author Nancy Whitney-Reiter (Unplugged: How to Disconnect from the Rat Race, Have an Existential Crisis, and Find Meaning and Fulfillment) started a cell phone challenge. Essentially, she asks, can all of us stop thinking of our cell phones as a fifth limb and enjoy the gift of a quiet mind?
Personally, I hope so.
--
Glacier National Park
Those of you who have read The Sun Singer know that the novel is set in a fictionalized version of Glacier National Park. I'm happy to see that plans are well underway at the park for next year's centennial celebration. I was also happy to see that Carol Guthrie's beautiful Glacier National Park: The First 100 Years won an award.
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As for now, I'm mindful of the rain moving into north Georgia, but not mindful enough to sit in the yard an experience it directly. I'm still tired out from yesterday morning's yard work!
--Malcolm
Copyright (c) 2009 by Malcolm R. Campbell
Mindfulness, the experiencing of only here and now, is difficult. As David Abram notes in his wonderful book The Spell of the Sensuous, we typically walk in the world and don't really see it or hear it because our minds are focused on thoughts of tomorrow and next week.
As a writer, I try to cultivate mindfulness, partly to better experience my surroundings, but also so that I can more easily tune out extraneous thoughts while I'm writing. Suffice it to say, if I'm thinking about tomorrow's doctor's appointment, I'm not going to be fully focused on the description of a place or an event or a character in the novel in progress.
The chatter inside our heads is hard enough to filter out, but now I'm tempted to check e-mail, check Facebook, check MySpace, check Twitter, and that list of things it seems necessary to check goes on and on.
In a recent MySpace post, author Nancy Whitney-Reiter (Unplugged: How to Disconnect from the Rat Race, Have an Existential Crisis, and Find Meaning and Fulfillment) started a cell phone challenge. Essentially, she asks, can all of us stop thinking of our cell phones as a fifth limb and enjoy the gift of a quiet mind?
Personally, I hope so.
--
Glacier National Park
Those of you who have read The Sun Singer know that the novel is set in a fictionalized version of Glacier National Park. I'm happy to see that plans are well underway at the park for next year's centennial celebration. I was also happy to see that Carol Guthrie's beautiful Glacier National Park: The First 100 Years won an award.
-
As for now, I'm mindful of the rain moving into north Georgia, but not mindful enough to sit in the yard an experience it directly. I'm still tired out from yesterday morning's yard work!
--Malcolm
Copyright (c) 2009 by Malcolm R. Campbell
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Vanilla Heart Publishing Announcement
Vanilla Heart Publishing, an independent publishing company in Seattle, Washington, USA, is pleased to announce the signing of author Malcolm R. Campbell of Jefferson, Georgia, for his novel, Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire, scheduled for release later this summer.
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire is mainstream humor with a dash of mystery. A throwback to Hollywood’s film noir reporters, Jock Stewart is out of touch with the looming world of digital journalism. A mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down.
Hard-boiled reporter Jock Stewart wakes up on the morning after the Star-Gazer office party with a hangover and an old flame in his bed, and much later, he cuddles up with the mayor’s wife in the back seat of a 1953 Desoto. Between these defining moments, he investigates the theft of the mayor’s race horse Sea of Fire and the murder of his publisher’s girl friend, Bambi Hill.
Stewart discovers the truth for his news stories via an interview style based on lies, pretense, and audacious behavior.
Campbell was graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in radio-television writing, with a minor in English, and from Syracuse University with an M.A. in journalism. He also attended the University of Colorado as a journalism student and was a weekend climbing participant at the school’s Mountain Recreation Department. He served in the U. S. Navy as a journalist between 1968 and 1970, writing news stories and features for the military and the civilian press while on board the aircraft carrier U. S. S. Ranger (CVA-61) and while stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station.
Campbell lives in Jefferson, Georgia with his wife Lesa, of 22 years, a former newspaper reporter, systems analyst, and the consulting director of the Crawford W. Long Museum. In December, Campbell finished serving four years, three as chair, on the Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission. Both Campbells have been active in the town’s Main Street Program.
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire will be available in print editions through several trade distributors and on Amazon, Kindle editions, and Ebook editions throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. A video teaser, pre-release reviews, contact information, and select excerpts are available on the Vanilla Heart Publishing Author website – http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com.
PUBLISHER CONTACT INFORMATION
For Media Requests or to schedule an appearance or interview with Malcolm Campbell, please contact MediaInfo@vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com.
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire is mainstream humor with a dash of mystery. A throwback to Hollywood’s film noir reporters, Jock Stewart is out of touch with the looming world of digital journalism. A mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down.
Hard-boiled reporter Jock Stewart wakes up on the morning after the Star-Gazer office party with a hangover and an old flame in his bed, and much later, he cuddles up with the mayor’s wife in the back seat of a 1953 Desoto. Between these defining moments, he investigates the theft of the mayor’s race horse Sea of Fire and the murder of his publisher’s girl friend, Bambi Hill.
Stewart discovers the truth for his news stories via an interview style based on lies, pretense, and audacious behavior.
Campbell was graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in radio-television writing, with a minor in English, and from Syracuse University with an M.A. in journalism. He also attended the University of Colorado as a journalism student and was a weekend climbing participant at the school’s Mountain Recreation Department. He served in the U. S. Navy as a journalist between 1968 and 1970, writing news stories and features for the military and the civilian press while on board the aircraft carrier U. S. S. Ranger (CVA-61) and while stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station.
Campbell lives in Jefferson, Georgia with his wife Lesa, of 22 years, a former newspaper reporter, systems analyst, and the consulting director of the Crawford W. Long Museum. In December, Campbell finished serving four years, three as chair, on the Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission. Both Campbells have been active in the town’s Main Street Program.
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire will be available in print editions through several trade distributors and on Amazon, Kindle editions, and Ebook editions throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. A video teaser, pre-release reviews, contact information, and select excerpts are available on the Vanilla Heart Publishing Author website – http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com.
PUBLISHER CONTACT INFORMATION
For Media Requests or to schedule an appearance or interview with Malcolm Campbell, please contact MediaInfo@vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Continuing work and a meeting that didn't happen
While waiting to see how JOCK STEWART AND THE MISSING SEA OF FIRE might work for the publisher who is now looking at it, I'm forging ahead with a sequel called JOCK STEWART AND THE BAMBI DIARIES.
I'll let somebody else decide what genre these books are in. Both are humorous and both are mysteries. Genre-wise, I have no clue what that means. But writing these short, commercial novels has been a lot of fun.
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My favorite author, Sunetra Gupta (MEMORIES OF RAIN), was in Athens, Georgia for the Conference on the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases this past week. While this workshop was for experts in the field, and she is certainly one of them in her teaching position at Oxford, I hoped we might have a chance to meet outside the event. We e-mailed back and forth about meeting for coffee, but the schedule never quite worked out. I would have enjoyed talking to her about her work, most especially her latest SO GOOD IN BLACK.
Maybe next time she's 18 miles from my house, our schedules will match up better.
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In June, I'll be celebrating the 5th anniversary of the publication of THE SUN SINGER. Many thanks to all of you who have bought and read the book and have been so supportive with your time, your encouragement and your reviews.
I'll let somebody else decide what genre these books are in. Both are humorous and both are mysteries. Genre-wise, I have no clue what that means. But writing these short, commercial novels has been a lot of fun.
-
My favorite author, Sunetra Gupta (MEMORIES OF RAIN), was in Athens, Georgia for the Conference on the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases this past week. While this workshop was for experts in the field, and she is certainly one of them in her teaching position at Oxford, I hoped we might have a chance to meet outside the event. We e-mailed back and forth about meeting for coffee, but the schedule never quite worked out. I would have enjoyed talking to her about her work, most especially her latest SO GOOD IN BLACK.
Maybe next time she's 18 miles from my house, our schedules will match up better.
-
In June, I'll be celebrating the 5th anniversary of the publication of THE SUN SINGER. Many thanks to all of you who have bought and read the book and have been so supportive with your time, your encouragement and your reviews.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Jock Stewart and the Missing Sea of Fire
My new novel, working its way toward completion, is JOCK STEWART AND THE MISSING SEA OF FIRE.
On page one, reporter Jock Stewart wakes up on the morning after the Star-Gazer office party with a hangover and an old flame in his bed. He doesn't yet know that he'll soon be investigating the theft of the mayor’s race horse Sea of Fire and the murder of his publisher’s girl friend, Bambi Hill.
Stewart discovers the truth for his news stories via an interview style based on lies, pretense and audacious behavior. Soon, the following facts are as clear as duck soup: (a) Mayor Clark Trail might have stolen his own horse, (b) Chief Kruller, who spends more time at the Krispy Kreme than the police department, will need more than doughnuts to help him close a case, (c) Old flame and gossip columnist Monique Starnes appears to be involved in something, (d) Newspaper publisher Marcus Cash was, until her body was found riddled with bullets, enjoying the charms of Ms. Bambi Hill, (e) Lucinda Trail brings more to the table than the bad meatloaf she serves at her Purple Platter restaurant, and (f) Stewart cannot abide the police department’s findings that Ms. Hill’s death was “just one of those things.”
Chief Kruller believes Bambi Hill was killed because she knew too much, and he warns Stewart that if he (Stewart) finds out what it is, the slapdash reporter may become a target. Kruller’s lucky guess is proven true on a dark and stormy night when Cash, after a brief stay at the psych ward, comes after Stewart with a shotgun just in case he found Bambi Hill’s incriminating diary. Stewart survives the shootout with more guile than good sense.
At 60,500 words, JOCK STEWART AND THE MISSING SEA OF FIRE is mainstream humor with a dash of mystery. A throwback to Hollywood’s film noir reporters, Stewart is out of touch with the looming world of digital journalism. While he goes out of his way to mock those in authority by pretending to kowtow to them, he admits he does his best work by “being an asshole.” A mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down.
Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned!
On page one, reporter Jock Stewart wakes up on the morning after the Star-Gazer office party with a hangover and an old flame in his bed. He doesn't yet know that he'll soon be investigating the theft of the mayor’s race horse Sea of Fire and the murder of his publisher’s girl friend, Bambi Hill.
Stewart discovers the truth for his news stories via an interview style based on lies, pretense and audacious behavior. Soon, the following facts are as clear as duck soup: (a) Mayor Clark Trail might have stolen his own horse, (b) Chief Kruller, who spends more time at the Krispy Kreme than the police department, will need more than doughnuts to help him close a case, (c) Old flame and gossip columnist Monique Starnes appears to be involved in something, (d) Newspaper publisher Marcus Cash was, until her body was found riddled with bullets, enjoying the charms of Ms. Bambi Hill, (e) Lucinda Trail brings more to the table than the bad meatloaf she serves at her Purple Platter restaurant, and (f) Stewart cannot abide the police department’s findings that Ms. Hill’s death was “just one of those things.”
Chief Kruller believes Bambi Hill was killed because she knew too much, and he warns Stewart that if he (Stewart) finds out what it is, the slapdash reporter may become a target. Kruller’s lucky guess is proven true on a dark and stormy night when Cash, after a brief stay at the psych ward, comes after Stewart with a shotgun just in case he found Bambi Hill’s incriminating diary. Stewart survives the shootout with more guile than good sense.
At 60,500 words, JOCK STEWART AND THE MISSING SEA OF FIRE is mainstream humor with a dash of mystery. A throwback to Hollywood’s film noir reporters, Stewart is out of touch with the looming world of digital journalism. While he goes out of his way to mock those in authority by pretending to kowtow to them, he admits he does his best work by “being an asshole.” A mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down.
Keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned!
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