Link to The Falls: Revenge…

     The link to The Kindle Store, Amazon.com, The Falls: Revenge:http://www.amazon.com/Falls-Dead-Winter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008G4X28O/georgejackso-20

My First Blog Review…

     If it's possible for an old Yankee Scotsman to dance a jig…that's just what I'm in the process of doing. I'm usually pretty calm, some might even say stoic. But today, Kate Eileen Shannon published her blog review of my small town mystery series, The Falls. I have to admit, I'm very please, proud and humbly grateful to Kate for her warm, welcoming and amazing writeup.

     She not only reviews the latest (12th) in the series, The Falls: Revenge, but talks about the whole series. It's rather astonishing to find someone who has read all twelve volumes and is excitedly waiting for the next one to be published! Warms an old Scottish heart!

     I must admit, ever since I started writing the series back in 2009, I have looked forward to something like today…a time when someone would notice my humble little tales and "spread the word". So please excuse me if I jump up in the air just one more time and say, "Hallelujah"!

     Many thanks to Kate Eileen for not only her insightful review, but for her friendship, expertise and for imparting worlds of knowledge about the digital publishing process to a humble old writer, who just loves to weave stories, but knows very little about such technological wonders. (Neither do his dragons, unfortunately…)

     Thank you, Kate Eileen, for everything. So, please, visit her blog and read the review. (The link is below.) My thanks as well to all the other writers I have met who have been so kind and caring toward me, and to my loyal readers as well. There will be many more The Falls books yet to come!

     May the dragons watch over you…

http://t.co/CpIJ2j4v8u

Thanksgiving…

     It's two days before Thanksgiving, and it has me remembering Thanksgivings' past. I remember when I was a kid, we all went to my Nana's house each Thanksgiving night for a huge feast! The adults would eat in the dining room, while the kids would sit at the kitchen table. Afterwards we would all file into the living room and talk and laugh and have desert, which was great. The sparkling, twinkling bubble lights from the early Christmas tree and the laughter and good spirits were wonderful as I sat on the arm of a chair and just listened and immersed myself in what was going on around me.

     As a kid, I eagerly looked forward to being old enough to to sit at the "big table" in the dining room. Sitting in the kitchen with my cousins and the other kids ranging from three or four to fifteen or sixteen was like waiting on the bench to get to "play in the big game". Watching cousin Rodney wolf down his food with the manners of a she wolf intent on feeding her pup, or wincing as I watched Glenda stuff peas cheerfully up her nose, or listening to Bertram snuffle and wipe his runny nose with the back of his hand while he ate hungrily with the other, just didn't make it. Every year I would ride home from Nana's in the back seat of our car with the burning desire to "grow up" so I could finally sit in at the big table.

     Then, one year, just before Thanksgiving, my Nana got sick and died. There would be no more going to her house for Thanksgiving. No more big table or little table. I loved my Nana with all my heart and it somehow just seemed like we had lost so much when she passed away. So, I never got to sit at the big table. But that suddenly didn't matter anymore. All I really wanted was to have Nana and her Thanksgiving celebration back again.

     So, as we get ready for Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season, I urge all of you to take the time this Thanksgiving to sit down and tell the people, whether they are family, friends or coworkers, that you love and care for most how you really feel about them. Later on might just be too late. Tell them what makes them special to you. Tell them how much they mean to you. Show them by your honesty and sharing that they have a special place in your life. And give them the opportunity to tell you how they feel. It may be embarrassing. It may be difficult to say. But do it. Before its too late. Do it.

     May you all have the most wonderful of Thanksgivings…

     And may the dragons fire up and give your turkey a nice golden, crispy touch...

Fifty Years Ago…

     I was in high school, changing classes. Suddenly the news spread up and down the hallways like wildfire. The President had been shot. The students and staff were shocked at first, unwilling to believe anything so horrible could have happened. None of us wanted to believe it was true. Then, as more and more updates came racing in, reality set in and the agonized weeping and hushed whispers began. Some people were simply wandering around, aimlessly. Others were clinging to their friends. Still others rushed to get to the TVs where we watched as the whole nation stopped whatever they were doing to watch the horrible scene play out.

     Staff and students alike were galvanized to the black and white, grainy screens as we searched for some sense to it all, some rhyme or reason. We each were in our own private worlds at times. At other times, we tried to console those who couldn't or wouldn't be consoled.

     I can remember being numb and cold and feeling these emotions from moment to moment:  horrified, detached, angered, saddened, sorrowful and expectant. I wanted some announcer to get on and say it had all been a mistake. When they didn't, and I gave in to the reality, I prayed that the President hadn't felt much pain. Then I started thinking about his wife and children. Somehow, their pain and sorrow became paramount. Finally, I turned to the global view. What would it all mean? Would Johnson be a good president? What would this mean in the struggle against the communists, the Cubans?

     By the time I reached home, I was emotionally worn out. I remember my parents talking in hushed tones about what had happened, and then we stayed glued to the TV to find out the latest developments. Not more than twenty words were shared around the living room that night.

     Fifty years later, I still have strong feelings. I also can't help wondering what that bullet kept from happening that day in Dallas. What would our world look like now if Kennedy hadn't been shot? Even though I know it's useless to think about, I still wonder.

     Where were you that day?

     May the dragons watch over us all...

Characters vs Plot…

     The old debate still surfaces from time to time: what's most important, characters or plot? It's an interesting discussion point, and each author will have their own personal scale weighing out the percentages of what they feel to be true on the matter. I must admit to a bit of waffling on the matter. I believe that the story drives the characters and the characters drive the story.

     In writing The Falls small town mystery tales, I believe that the small town, West Sugar Shack Falls, is the main essence of each story and of the series. Each community member takes turns being the focal point as the scenes shift back and forth, and the plot unwinds. In my Dragon World series, the characters are strong, aggressive and a bit over the top and demand center stage. The plot winds and weaves and has sone neat little twists but the essence is always good versus evil.

     In essence then, I must come down in the exact middle. I believe that each story is unique and that sometimes the storyline leads, and other times the characters are the centerpiece. I know, I know, it sounds like a copout, but it's what I truly believe. 

     As I have said before in an earlier post, the characters in The Falls form one main essence: a small town. Small towns are unique and have a life of their own. Where I can create a vast world in the Dragon World series and paint in broad, bold strokes, when I tell the tale of The Falls, many of the relationships intertwine, weave around and create intricate, dewey spiderwebs that flutter and glisten in the brilliant Vermont sunrise. 

     So, what's most important to you as a writer, or as reader? Plot or characters? Why?

     May the dragons watch over you...

Every Writer Does it Differently…

     I have been asked several times "how" I came up with and wrote my stories about The Falls and Dragon World. Did I outline my story in the beginning? Did I make notes and have a "board" where I put down pertinent issues to write about, scenes to develop, etc. Did I have an online file or yellow pad where I put down everything I wanted to happen and then systematically figured out the sequence?

     Well, I only know one thing for sure: there are as many different ways of creating, writing and developing stories as there are authors. Everyone has their own way of doing it. Some authors are very precise, meticulous and patterned with outlines, notes and tons of research. Others let the story take them where it will as a meandering spring stream after the winter snows melt. And then there are the rest of us who fall somewhere between the two extremes. 

     I hope you're not too disappointed when I admit that I really don't have a very illuminating answer about how I write. I don't outline, although as I go along I often think of a scene or something that I want to happen and put it on a sticky. (Mostly because I don't want to forget it!)  I do have a file box with 3x5 cards where I write down each character and a little about them and keep them stored alphabetically. I also have two large three sided charts (they are the boards kids use for their science projects, truth be told!) that has the map of The Falls on one and the surrounding area map on the other. I use Wikipedia mostly for my research, such as checking out methods of killing off someone or wounds that Doc Stone and Meg need to describe. I also use it for specific issues such as hot air ballooning, flowers, and Beth Goldstein's funeral. It is specific enough without overwhelming me with too much detail. Obviously, for my fantasy series, Dragon World, Wikipedia isn't needed. I do keep a note here and there about something I created in that world so I will remember when I want to use it again. I also keep a list of characters that I place in the back of every book.

     But the story, the story unfolds in my head and heart and soul. It sometimes ambles along like an old man and his hound dog walking along a country road. At other times, it rushes by like a great river swollen by rain or spring snow melt. It has a life of it's own. It is it's own entity. I am the conduit. I am above all else, a story-teller, a weaver of of tales. I am the midwife, as each story is born, takes it's first few breaths and then fully unleashes its lungs and cries out. I mold it and shape it as it pours out. I must say, it is one of the most truly alive feelings a person can ever have…giving birth to and weaving a tale.  Yes, I fashion it, turn it this way and that, change out words, define meanings and descriptions. But in the end its essence comes from deep down inside me. At times, I write from my heart. At other times i write from my brain. And my soul is always there, urging, reminding and admonishing me as I form the tale like a glass blower fashions a beautiful bottle or vase. Writing excites me, makes me feel alive. It is trite, I know to say it, but it's true for me: writing defines me and completes me.

     I hope that helps. It's the best this old Scottish Yankee can come up with. I'm sure there are other, much more eloquent writers who could do the subject justice. Perhaps, if we wheedle and urge enough, they'll do just that.

     May the dragons watch over you all...

Thank you…

     There are no words that say enough, are appropriate enough to express how much we owe to the men and women who serve, protect and keep us safe and free. All we can do is say "Thank you" and hope, that in some small measure, all of our heroes know how special they are and how much we owe them every day of our lives. 

     May this day and all your days be filled with love, laughter and the warmth of friendship and family. Thank you for being there. We salute you all.

     May the dragons watch over you...

Heaven help me, I've Tweeted…

     Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined it. My mother and father, Heaven rest their souls, would raise their eyebrows. I still remember rotary phones, phones with party lines, cisterns in wood burning kitchen stoves, the advent of color TV and early Elvis. But last night, in the privacy of my own home I took the step. I tweeted! And I tweeted twice this morning.

     I don't appear to feel any lingering effects from the experience and I still look like my old self in the mirror in passing. But I have officially entered the Twitter age. I even have some followers! My Twitter name is TheFalls_VT. Obviously referring to the small town mystery series I write. I struggled with a name and discarded several while Twitter wouldn't let me have a number of others because they were already taken.

     I'm told that having a Twitter account and Tweeting at least once a day will help a bit with my book promotions. So, I'll give it an old Yankee try. As the old adage goes, any port in a storm. 

     So, here I am, officially Tweeting and being Tweeted to. Amazing. Simply amazing! So, give me a Tweet and I'll Tweet back. Just remember, be gentle…I'm new at this!

     May the dragons watch over you…and TheFalls_VT...

Feelin' my way…

     I just published my 12th volume in The Falls small town mystery series as an ebook at the Kindle Store, Amazon.com. That's the 20th ebook I've published through Kindle Direct Publishing. Sounds like a lot doesn't it? You would think that I would be used to all this by now. Truth of the matter is that I'm not.

     Each book that I hit "publish" and send out to the wild world of the internet brings about the same reaction as the first. I take a deep breath and make a little, heartfelt wish. I call on the dragons to watch over it as it slips into Kindle's inventory of ebooks and then I walk around all day wondering if it's good, whether I have done a good job editing and how it will be received by the growing number of people who actually (miracle of miracles!) seem to be fans.

     Many writers are tough skinned and determined while at the very same time, we are overly sensitive and just a bit fearful. I'm six foot two and two hundred and thirty pounds and can honestly say I've never really been afraid of anyone in my life (the lone exception being my mother, bless her soul). But once I have sent that newest volume out, I worry about how it will be received, receiving and dealing with bad reviews internally and not living up to a certain standard. 

     I am my hardest critic. Trust me. Since I am still learning the online publishing business, I often am not sure that I've got it right. But, as my dad always said, if you don't try, you can't possibly succeed. Dad was a very smart and perceptive man despite never attending college. It doesn't make it any easier though.

     Reading, studying messages from other authors speaking about and advertising their works, I tend to marvel. They seem so positive and confident. They seem so polished and energetic about their works and present such an enthusiastic and energetic presence. there must be an author's confidence drink out there that I'm missing!

     When forced to answer, I will admit to believing in myself as a writer. The stories that I weave are a large part of the inside me. They flow out of me, taking twists and turns as they appear on the page. I don't outline my plot or characters beforehand, they simply appear as I write. In fact it's more like I'm telling a story, weaving a story than I am writing. Just like when I used to tell my kids stories at bedtime. I tell the story that comes out of me.

     As a principal, I had a positive, strong, calm front that I presented to everyone (well, the kids always got the real me to come out!). I don't have that front as a writer. Perhaps I will some day. But then, after 20 books, if it hasn't shown up already, you'd have to think it's probably not going to. So it's just me out there.

     So, here I am, just as nervous and at stray ends after publishing The Falls: Revenge as I was after the first one I published. I truly hope you enjoy it. I hope the story speaks to you. Most of all, I really hope that it becomes more than a story, a piece of your life perhaps, for a just a magical, little while.

     May the dragons watch over you, gentle readers... 

The Twilight Tea Party and Tales from the Principal's Bench…

     It just struck me, some of you may not know that I write stories other than small town mysteries (The Falls small town mystery series). It must be a senior moment. (Then again, I was having those moments when I was in my twenties, but let that be our little secret, okay?)

     I humbly weave the stories of Dragon World as well. There are six Dragon World volumes in the series. The first book is entitled Dragon World: Dragon Magic. It weaves the story of a fantastic, rugged, wild and lusty (yes, I said lusty!) world called Rupar. There are wise and fiery Dragons, fierce and noble Dragonriders, dedicated White Wizards, fearsome Black Sorcerers, savage Barbarians, and several other races spread out in an uneasy peace across the huge world. War springs up from time to time and its inhabitants laugh, love and battle fiercely as good continues to fight against evil.

     I also have a collection of short stories that I accumulated over 40 years in education as a teacher and principal. They will make you laugh, shed a tear, and stop and think about kids, schools and the adults who deal with them. That would be Tales from the Principal's Bench.

     A few months ago I wrote a children's book for one of our eight grandchildren. It's illustrated and described a child's fanciful night in the twilight with a ballerina bear, a timid hedgehog and a stern rabbit. You will find The Twilight Tea party at the Kindle Store for only $.99. I wanted to put it on for free, so my granddaughters friends could get it, but had to settle for placing it on a free promotion for five days.

     There will be more, I can assure you of that! In fact, over the next day or two, the twelfth volume of The falls small town mysteries will be published! The name will be The Falls: Revenge and it will be available at the Kindle Store, Amazon.com. for $2.99.

     What stories do you still have in you?

     May the dragons watch over you...