Memorial Day Remembrance

Lt. Colonel Frank M. Joachim

March 20, 1928 - January 2, 2011

Rest in Peace.

Gentle Warrior,

Husband,

Father,

and

Friend.

Your family and friends miss you 

on your first Memorial Day 

away from us.

"A la familgia."

Electronic Platforms

In the digital village, writing a novel is one thing; spreading the word about it is quite another.

Now that my novel has been released online, getting my electronic platform synergized and active is my immediate concern. It wants to run, but it just learned to walk.

My website is in place [www.zugislandthenovel.com], I have an author's page [www.goodreads.com], and my blog [www.fornology.blogspot.com] is connected to each.

Now I find out that I need "friends." So what else is new?

Then I was told, "Don't worry. You don't have to know them."

#%&@!!! What does it mean?

Facebook, here I come.

Barred from Zug Island

Early on in the writing of my novel, about six years ago, I tried to get on the industrial complex known as Zug Island, only to be confronted by two burly security guards.

I told them I had worked in the labor pool over thirty years ago, and I was there to get permission to take some photos for a novel I was writing.

They were less than impressed and wouldn’t even allow me to go to their Human Resources Department to ask.  They ushered me off the island and told me not to return. "Case closed!" In the age of 9/11, that is expected I suppose.

I will be in Detroit this July, and I still want to get on the island to take a few key photos for my book talks and my blog. My tactic has changed this time around though.

Yesterday, I sent a complimentary copy of my novel with a cover letter, a press release, and some bookmarks and postcards to their Human Resources department. It should arrive Tuesday. If nothing else, it will be a curiosity and an amusing break in their day.

Will it work? I’ll let you know.

Zug Island Inaugural Presentation

Yesterday afternoon, I gave my first book club talk, to a group of teachers from the San Diego area. Writing a novel is one thing; speaking about it is another. After I related how I came to write Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel, I spoke to its theme, read a brief passage, and answered every one's questions. Before I knew it, the party was over.

By all accounts, the presentation went well, and I was pleased with the response. Having been a career English teacher for many years, the transition from classroom lecturer to public speaker was an easy one for me. Articulating answers in response to impromptu questions reminded me of being in the classroom, and I actually enjoyed myself.

If you are in the San Diego or Detroit area in the next couple of months, check out the Events button on my novel's website. This page will be updated as new venues are added. I hope to see many of you soon.

Novel Coincidence, Part Two

Late afternoon on Friday, I get a call from my barber, Janine.

"Greg, one of my clients saw the front cover of your novel on my bulletin board in the shop. He knows about Zug Island and witnessed the mayhem while driving home from a baseball game that afternoon."

"No kidding. How coincidental is that?"

"I know! He gave me his cell phone number and asked that you call him if you're interested in talking with him. He wants to buy your novel."

"Great! Give me his number."

So I start writing down the information: "Dr. Nathaniel Whitfield." Then, with a smile, I wrote his phone number.

"Janine," I said. "Dr. Whitfield is my ex-wife's OB/Gyn. "He delivered both of my children some thirty years ago."

Small world.

Novel Coincidence

Last week, I showed my barber, Janine, the mock up of my novel's front cover, and she placed it up on her bulletin board in her shop. Friday, one of her patrons was getting his hair cut, and he saw the book cover.

"Zug Island. I know Zug Island. It's on the Detroit River," he told Janine, amazed. Then he responded to the subtitle, A Detroit Riot Novel. "I was there during the riots. I was at Tiger Stadium for a Sunday afternoon Tiger/Yankee game and remember it like it was yesterday."

Janine replied, "One of my first customers wrote and just published it. He is very excited about it."

"Wow! After over forty years, someone wrote a novel about it. I'd like to speak with him sometime. Would you mind giving him my cell phone number?"

"I'd love to," she said.

End of part one.

Late, Late, for a Very Important Date!

I spent Easter Sunday in Tucson, Arizona, at a family gathering, but I was late getting there from San Diego. When I turned off on River Rd., it was virtually empty at 9:20 AM, so I checked left and right for any stray Easter egg hunters or Easter bunnies, then I leaned on the gas pedal and soared to a blazing 51 mph in a 40 mph speed zone.

The Pima County Sheriff pulled a rabbit out of a hat with a photo-enforced, speed camera and earned itself $228.50 from me for 11 miles over. Not a bad payday from an out-of-state visitor. The camera took an excellent picture of me, driving my beloved Altima, and the ticket reminded me to slow down when I get off the freeway.

Every time I drive through Arizona, I get a speeding ticket either coming or going, so my record is intact. I guess my urban driving habits don't translate well in the high desert.