The Writing Life, 21 December 2024
The year is starting to wrap up, and there appears to be the start of something new.
Well, this will be my last official newsletter of 2024. It’s been an intriguing year, and a year of some progress, but there’s no way I’d begin to say I’ve become a massive commercial success. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve come farther than I expected even five or ten years previously, but as much success I’ve had with this year’s goals, there’s always new targets and goals to aim for.
So, sit down on the couch for a while. We’ll talk about writing and a small taste of the nonsense which goes along with it if you want people to read your work.
The Home Front
I am finally on winter break for the remainder of 2024 and a bit into 2025 as well. We had one last celebration day on Friday and I can tell you both students and teachers were ready to scatter to the four winds once that day was done. But, it was a fun last day.
I have to say I have enjoyed the first semester spent at the sixth school district I have worked at. My previous districts have all seen me spent short stints there due to a variety of reasons (budget cuts, professional moves due to spouse’s advancement, etc.), but I have enjoyed my new professional home. As it stands right now, if this was the last professional home I had before my retirement from full-time work, I would be perfectly happy with this.
What I’m Writing
Current progress on my ongoing projects:
The Yank Striker 2, the sequel for The Yank Striker: More than 71,000 words into the rough draft. There’s maybe 10 days to write a great American novel of at least 75,000 words. It is possible, absolutely possible. The key, I need to keep reminding myself about rough drafts, as Uncle Ernest told us so many decades ago, is that all rough drafts are garbage.
The Untitled Pro Wrestling Family Drama project: All quiet on the Western Front. Enough said.
The Flow and Journey Chapbook: Look below.
I’ve hammered on about trying to reach my yearly goals for 2024, but I think I’ll save more discussion on that for an end of year retrospective once we pass New Year’s Eve.
Setting up Shop
I have decided I needed to put together an online shop to do some self-selling: specifically, my current poetry chapbook.
I plan to use my older Wordpress blog, http://liegois.media, as the center of this activity. As much as I enjoy my platform on Substack, I have found Wordpress to be more flexible in setting up a commercial enterprise. So, I have decided to set up a store for those interested in directly purchasing my inaugural chapbook, The Flow and the Journey.
It would be great to have the shop up and running this weekend just in case anyone is looking for last-minute Christmas gifts, although there probably isn’t a big group of people desperate for poetry books as gifts. But, you never know. If I do get it up this weekend, I will make a special post announcing it.
Writing Quote(s) of the Week:
I get this feeling whenever I show someone special to me one of my works.
If you show someone something you've written, you give them a sharpened stake, lie down in your coffin, and say, “When you’re ready.”
David Mitchell, Black Swan Green
And Uncle George with what I consider to be an absolute truth.
If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.
George Orwell
Podcasting!
Over the Thanksgiving break, I had a great conversation with a fellow writer in Iowa and friend Amber Rodgers as part of the Saga Studio Podcast. We talked about The Yank Striker quite a bit, as well as The Holy Fool and some of my upcoming projects. Check it out here if you want to give it a watch.
What I’m Doing Having to Do With Writing: Personal appearances
I first want to thank my hometown independent bookstore Bent Oak Books in Fort Madison, Iowa, for offering me a space in their store not only to sell my books, but for my first in-person appearance there. They gave me three days notice and I was overjoyed I had an empty spot in my calendar for the day. As I told Danette Baier, the wonderful owner of Bent Oaks, “I’ll be there whenever you need me.” Support your local indie bookstores, kids - you’ll never know what you are missing until they are gone.
I’m still hoping to be part of the DSM Book Festival at the at Franklin Junior High Event Center, 4801 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, 22 March 2025. This is being sponsored by one of my favorite independent book stores in Des Moines, Beaverdale Books.
How to support me😊.
Go to the links on the side if you are reading this on a desktop/laptop or the links on my profile to check out some of my other links. For example, in those places, you can find out about my first book, the journalism thriller The Holy Fool: A Journalist’s Revolt, as well as the first book in my The Yank Striker series, The Yank Striker: a Footballer’s Beginning.
If you go follow the links above, you will be able to buy both the paperback and ebook versions of my books on Amazon. Again, if you just put “Jason Liegois” in Google you’ll probably find them on the first page of search results.
If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores, you can find my books there:
Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St., in my new hometown of Fort Madison, Iowa. They’ve been open for just about a year and just recently opened up a new used book section at their store.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.
The Book Vault, 105 S Market St, Oskaloosa.
I’m always looking for some new places to place my books, so feel free to hit me up in the comments if you have a suggestion.
I love it if you are signed up for my free subscription, but I would love it if you signed up for a paid one. The monthly rate is the lowest I can put it ($5 per month) but my yearly rate of $35 is a steal at less than three/fifths the monthly rate.
Now, if you are interested in supporting me but can’t quite afford a full subscription, I am now on Venmo. If you are interested in a donation of whatever you can provide, you can just send whatever you can afford. Just click the button below; anything you can provide helps me keep things going.
Final Thoughts
I think that’s about it for now. For all of you out there during this holiday season, I hope you can find plenty out there to be grateful for and to celebrate. As Rick Springfield once sang, we all need the human touch1.
All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.
-30-
I have to admit I am pretty weird, all things considered. I need to show this more here on the blog.
Deadliest words to writers of poetry and short fiction: I don't get it.