The Insomniac Writer

A quick calculation showed that 86% of the original print run of BLACK BLACK BLUES have found a home. I expect that to be 100% within a week. Some who ordered a copy may still be waiting on the USPS to deliver their copy. Please try and be patient. Their holiday delivery load always slows things down this time of year. Even with the delays, everyone should have their copy by early next week at the latest.

Didn’t get a copy? No worries. After the holidays, I plan to do a second print run. Anyone who missed out can claim a copy then.

Keep coming back to the Insomniac Writer and The Write Crowd for some of the fun updates coming up soon… including an audio version of BLACK BLACK BLUES.

Well, then you need to visit my friends Aree and Sally Bray at Kaaterskill House in Stamford, NY. Not only are they a great place for a steaming mug of java and a yummy panini, but you can pick up your FREE copy of BLACK BLACK BLUES from them and visit the Write Crowd via their free WiFi.

In an age of coffee mega-franchises, it’s great to be able to support a locally owned and operated coffee joint that regularly brings good music and great coffee to their community. If you live in the Catskills, or are planning a visit, be sure and stop by Kaaterskill House. You’ll be glad you did.

J

I’ve been blogging about it long enough. It’s time to see if all the work was worth the effort. You can get your free copy of BLACK BLACK BLUES by emailing your mailing address to jeff@thewritecrowd.com or jpatricklemarr@gmail.com. It’s really that simple. Want me to send one to someone else? Same drill.

So, how can I do that without charging, you ask? Well, it’s fairly simple. I DO accept donations via PayPal (you should use the jpatricklemarr@gmail.com for the email address) and mail: just email me for the correct mailing address. I don’t want to leave it floating in the ether.

Donations go to recouping the cost of production and keeping future chapbooks FREE.

So there you have it.

Donation or not, let me hear from you and I’ll get your copy of BLACK BLACK BLUES on the way.

J

A bit of a teaser for you… the first two stanzas of “Home”:

Beyond this hard, cruel earth,

hurt and poverty,

beyond now

a Lover waits

near a river called “Mercy”

which flows from a wound in His side

with Him my parents stand waiting

for their child to wash in with the tide

Greetings humanoids! The crud has claimed its latest victim by clogging my sinuses and dulling my brain. Aside from making things in Dadville slow and achey, things in Writerville have been relatively unaffected. I’m editing pieces for BLACK BLACK BLUES to ensure it launches by December and things are going, if not quickly, steadily.

 Let’s talk editing for a moment. We all hate it. It’s a drag. It takes time away from creating new and interesting worlds. Still, it’s a must. So what do we do? We see it for what it is: work that MUST be done! If I want to get BLACK BLACK BLUES in your grubby little hands by December, I HAVE to edit. No ifs, ands, or buts. So, I break out the red pen (What can I say? I worked in education.) and kill my little darlings.

 The biggest casualty so far? Extraneous words. The more I read a poem, the more I find I used too many words (“and”, “or” and “the” seem to get slashed the most) that stifle the impact or rhythm of the piece. I tightened up for pieces in a single night just by chopping off the dead weight. So, this week, start there. If a word adds nothing to the impact of the piece, give it the axe. You’ll find yourself with a leaner piece of art.

 J

 Write More. Write Now.