Check Out the Movie

Adapted from one of my short stories, I wrote the screenplay for this movie. Jim Gleason, a professor from Delta College, directed and shot the film. Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to share it.

My Rant Against Jim Leyland

Okay, when will the press finally decide that the post-game interview with Jim Leyland after a Tigers game is pointless. The man has NOTHING interesting to say, and his flair for stating the obvious is just sad.

Press: “So, Jim, your guys won tonight. What were they doing out there that just felt right?”

Leyland: “Well, when they were up to bat, they tried to hit the ball. They tried to hit it so the other guys couldn’t catch it. They tried to hit it hard. If we had a guy on base, the batter would try to help move the guy to the next base or the next or even home, which is really good. Sometimes they bunted and sometimes they didn’t. They tried really hard not to strike out. They took their walks when they got them. The bats were made of wood.”

Press: “Yeah, okay, and what about your defense? Defense looked really good. What specific things did you like out there on defense tonight?”

Leyland: “Yeah, defense was good. Verlander was really throwing some special stuff. He’d try to throw it in such a way that the batter couldn’t hit it. He tried to strike out the batter. He tried not to walk the batters. When the ball was hit right back at him, he tried to catch it. In fact, all the guys tried to catch the ball when it was hit at them. If they caught it before it hit the ground, that was an out. Outs are good for us…unless we’re up to bat. Then they’re bad. What our guys were doing was trying to stop their guys from going around the bases and getting home. That was our major strategy on defense. Catching a ball with a glove on doesn’t hurt as much as bare-handed.”

Press: “Jim, you realize you say the same thing every week.”

Leyland: “Hmm?”

Press: “Never mind…So, what’s your plan after tonight.”

Leyland: “Well, I’m going to head out to my car. If I locked the door, I’m going to unlock it. I’m going to sit in it either way. I’ll use the key to start it. When I shift into drive, or reverse if I’m going backwards, I’m going to keep my foot near the brake either way. It’s just safe. When I’m out on the road and I want to turn, I’m going to turn the wheel in the direction I want to turn. If I want to go faster, I’m going to use the gas. I’m going to try not to crash. If I want music, I’ll turn on the radio. If not, I’ll leave it off. If I want to switch lanes, I’ll—“

Press: “Well, Jim, that’s all we have time for. Thanks for driving our remaining viewers to other stations. See you next week for more of the same.”

A New Book Available

I read Larry Smith's The Long River Home when it was nearing its final draft. I gave Larry a few suggestions, but the book was already a pretty polished creation.

If you like realistic fiction, if you like a saga that follows a family over years and miles (akin to Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel and Jack Kerouac's The Town and the City) then you're going to want to get this book.

It's a story of family, struggle, and joy. I love in this book how Smith shows both the sadness and joy of this working-class family making their way in the Ohio River Valley.

Check it out (and even buy it!): http://www.smithdocs.net/WorkingLiveshomepage2.html

Facebook Premiere Coming . . .

"Commitment" - a digital short by Jim Gleason and Jeff Vande Zande on Facebook

Little Milestone

Well, I have now officially sold 525 copies of my first novel, Into the Desperate Country.

I hit 500 back near the end of April, so it takes me a little over three months to sell 25 copies.

Man, I can just feel Dan Brown drooling with envy.

Necessary Fiction

Necessary Fiction publishes a new short story (up to 2000 words) every week. This week, they have my story "Inside Job" up.

Check it out.

I like their taste in fiction, so I have them bookmarked. They also have a Facebook page.

http://necessaryfiction.com/

Tri-City Film Buffs

If you like film, you need to check out the Saginaw Riverside Film Festival.

I was going to create a link to the festival page, but I'll create a link to the mainstreet 360 page instead . . . that way you are reminded of MS360's existence, and maybe you'll bookmark it.

http://www.360mainstreet.com/arts-and-entertainment/riverside-saginaw-film-festival-returns-for-third-year

Quick Note

The Northwood Gallery in downtown Midland now carries two copies of Landscape with Fragmented Figures.

I'm going to be there Friday, September 11 signing copies from 6 to 8 p.m. during the opening night of Randy Crawford's one-man art exhibit. (there is a connection -- Randy provided the cover art for the book)

To be honest, it gave me a little chill to type the word September. Where the hell did the summer go?

Electric Literature

Yup, that's the name of it . . . a new literary magazine on the scene and it's, well, electric.

Finally, someone has made the limited-story format work. One Story tried it (is still trying it, I suppose) but it didn't (doesn't) work. Just one story? I loved the concept, but when I subscribed, I found myself disappointed issue after issue. My tastes seldom meshed with One Story's editors tastes. And, as a result, I was stuck every two weeks with a story I didn't want to read.

Electric Literature, on the other hand, publishes five stories. First, their editors have better taste in stories (in my opinion). Second, they publish five. I'll admit that I wasn't in love with every story, but I liked the majority. Five stories gave me the freedom to dislike one and still not be disappointed with the issue as a whole. Their first issue is off to a rip-roaring start. Publishing the likes of Jim Sheppard and Diana Wagman, they are publishing "names", but the stories they've selected remind the reader why these writers have "names". They are good writers. Period.

They even published the first chapter of a novel-in-progress by Michael Cunningham (The Hours, Speciman Days). Pretty cool. And, the opening chapter was damn good . . . and worked as a stand-alone story.

It's cliche to write this, but Electric Literature has a little something for everyone. Obsessed avalanche researchers, single-breasted girlfriends, jealous second husbands, bikini-bottom-sniffing teens, and dignified professional dog walkers.

Pick up an issue if you're looking for a literary magazine to support. My guess is that you won't be disappointed . . . at least not by every story.