First Place For The Big D

Book writing is a funny business.

I learned a long time ago to write about what I wanted to write about, and The Big D came at a weird time.

I felt it when Prince died. I’m not sure why. Perhaps because he was young and he was a star when I was growing up. It felt like people my age kinda’ knew him.

I had also just finished reading the book “Bucky F***ing Dent” by David Duchovny. In that book, (which was really good) there was a relationship between a father and a son. A complicated relationship.

I kinda’ stole that idea.

Then, I heard a Carpenters song on my I-pod.

Another idea.

And Iowa was the perfect place to set the story. I was driving through it when the ideas started flying around the inside of the rental car.

I had to pull over to grab my black notebook and I kind of left the real world for a little while as I thought about the lives of people I wanted to create, and for the first time, I wrote a lot of the book into the notes on my phone.

In airports, on airplanes, while watching Law & Order.

Then I typed it into the computer and forgot about it. It was done. I liked it. Moved onto the next one.

Then I ran into an old friend, and a faithful reader. She asked me to “hurry up and give her another book.”

That night I thought about it...

...the circle isn’t complete until the story is shared.

I reread it and thought, “this is good!”

I actually said it out loud to Kathy and she laughed.

“You’re weird.”

I contacted the artist...a regular genius...we got it done!

And then on Wednesday I got the news that it was voted the winner in the General Fiction Category at the New England Book Festival.

A highly competitive category at a pretty cool festival.

“Wow!” Was all I could muster.

And then I thought about Angelo, Angela and Aaron.

They’d become friends for a long while.

I was happy for them.

Okay...

...that is weird.

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