A Week in the Writing Life, 24 June 2023

A homecoming this weekend in more than one sense.

The Mississippi River from the Muscatine, Iowa, riverfront

I had a pretty busy week this week when I got a lot of writing done, and paid subscribers are going to be able to take a look at what I wrote.

We’ll talk about that and a little more, although not too much more. I’m on the road this weekend.

Home Front Stuff

My wife Laura and I are going to return back to our hometown of Muscatine, Iowa this weekend. She plans to attend her high school reunion and meet some family and friends she hasn’t seen in a while. I’m looking forward to seeing some of them because we went to school together and I was only two classes ahead of my wife.

As for me, I’m planning to meet with my parents once again for the weekend and do some writing tour stuff (I’ll talk about that very briefly down below). Hoping to have a good time.

The CONCACAF¹ Gold Cup is kicking off this weekend. I might need some headphones for my cellphone to listen to the radio call if nothing else. Then again, what would you expect from someone who’s decided to write a whole series about the sport (The Yank Striker).

Swimming’s been working out for me this summer, so I might check in and see what it would cost to have a membership at a pool near my work this fall. I sure as heck have more fun than going to a gym.

What I’ve Been Writing

Everyone, I think I can now clearly understand how a writer can do something like get caught up in a writing side project that takes up all of their attention, like George R.R. Martin deciding to write something like Fire and Blood but everyone’s wailing for (or despairing of receiving) the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (The Winds of Winter). I have undergone something similar this week.

I promised everyone last week I would put out a paid subscriber exclusive short fiction piece (call it historical fiction) tied to my series The Yank Striker. In the first book, the title character, DJ Ryan, is tempted from playing for his college football coach father by a tryout offer from Donford FC, a Premier League soccer club in the East End of London. This is a wholly fictional club, created for this series.

Six days, multiple hours of research, and more than 7,000 words later, the short story I promised readers is finished and will be posted at midday this coming Sunday (tomorrow). In addition to be (hopefully) a good and interesting read, I think it gave me far more insight and knowledge of the world I want to write about, and it will be a good resource for me as the series continues. I hope you give it a look.

What I’ve Been Doing Having to do With Writing

The Author’s on the Riverwalk event I went to last weekend was a fantastic experience. I got to meet a lot of great authors, and it was a fine experience on the Des Moines riverfront. I always learn something new at these events, and I’m keen on making it back there next year. Did you know Canva can make business cards, display signs, and other items you design on Canva for your use? Pretty cool.

I have at least two events this weekend and the official book launch of The Yank Striker next weekend in Des Moines, but I’m not going to hash over those here. I’ll post on my Substack Notes feed a full update on events this weekend and the following two weekends. I’ll also post announcements on my Instagram and Facebook pages. If you can make it, I’d love to see you there.

By the way, my hometown newspaper (and former employer) the Muscatine Journal did a very cool article about my new book and doing an appearance in Muscatine tomorrow. You can check it out here.

What I’ve Been Reading/General Recommendations

I’m going to do one recommendation here and put some of the rest of the stories I’ve read on my Substack Notes. Trust me, you’ll find some good recommendations there.

One I will recommend here is this little article by

Andy Kopsa

of

Noheartland

regarding the governor of Iowa. What I will say here is Boss Tweed was right back in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century - to broadly paraphrase him, it’s the images that get people’s attention, and Andy does it amazingly here.

Writing Quote of the Week

I have a feeling this is going to be me during the last part of my life. Honestly, I always was faster and more productive on a deadline.

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.

• Isaac Asimov

Final Thoughts

That’s it for this week. Keep an eye open for the paid-exclusive content I mentioned for Sunday while I’m on the road back to my home stomping grounds of eastern Iowa. Take care, everyone.

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1. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, the regional governing body of football.