Hang onto lightning, throw away the
thunder. That’s my advice. Got plenty of both this glorious
summer, but I went with the blazing white light of optimism and the
electric plasma of newness in my veins. Thunder will try to scare
you, bluff you, keep you in the dark, but do you really want to come
blinking out of the shadows some day and have to say, “I didn’t know
rainbows came in colors”? Take the lightning. It’s a
renewable resource.
All by way of saying summer delivered for me. Hope yours was spent in high gear. But if you spent it idling in the garage, and you aren’t dead yet from carbon monoxide poisoning, it’s not too late to put the pedal to the metal and run down your dreams (run down, not run over). Garage time is murder on your battery. Not to mention, the most lethal tragedies happen while you’re sitting in Park. You miss a turn in your life or let a crucial instant pass and it becomes a day, and then you let that become weeks, then months, and then a whole year! And after that the years just fairly slide by, and SUDDENLY life is gone! Don’t do that. Time is too precious. There is nothing more foolish or a crime against oneself than to stand pat while the lights of opportunity wink out. If you’re still drawing a breath, then even if you have to get off your death bed to do it, take the journey! Act! Go down standing for something worthy of your stuff! Else you are just holding up your skeleton and filling out your skin.
Here’s a favorite quote: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious don’t live at all. From now on you’ll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.” -- The Princess Diaries
Just sitting here wondering: how did I end up with 12 functioning phones? When they all go off at once, it sounds like the freak-out clanging at the end of the War of 1812 overture. Four of the phones have call blocking, but when one of those banned calls comes in, the other eight phones just keep on truckin’. I’m living in a belfry. Actually my plan wasn’t to block the calls, because if the blocker uses a busy signal, robot dialers will just keep calling. I just wanted to assign them a separate ring tone so I would know what to ignore. Soon as I figure this all out, 11 ringers will be shut off, but ol’ nummer 12 is gonna have a playlist that distinguishes the quick from the dead.
Some interesting feedback came in challenging my assertion last month that moving to Maple Grove, MN, gave me certain things I never would have gotten otherwise. How do I know I wouldn't have found them somewhere else? I can't absolutely refute that. But it's not like I just fell off the turnip truck. I've known the impact of major war, having lived in a dozen countries by the time I was six. Uncountable intrigues and enchanting formative phases marked my childhood. I've experienced the luxury of a nanny to raise me in Brazil and the eccentric whims of a banished (by his family) European prince who sometimes cared for me in Argentina. The love of a saintly mother and a gifted father could not save me from myself, or soften the experiences of idealistic if impoverished rites of passage. And the wanderlust continued from there: ten schools (secular and religious), failed jobs/aborted careers from gambler to teacher to novelist, enough credits for a doctorate (though sheer unruliness kept me from parlaying them into anything past a BA), a 23-year marriage, two children, single parenting, city commissioner, All-American in two sports, lots, lots more…no turnips – ever. So, you might say that Maple Grove is a refuge in the storm for me (even if I brought the storm with me). Bottom line: I recognize the uniqueness.
And of all the labels I could claim, the one that continues unabated is “novelist.” For that you have my profound gratitude, friends & fans. This summer brought that home with your support of break-away sales for several new e-book editions of my novels. DUST OF EDEN, in particular, danced around the lists on Barnes & Noble, reaching as high as #2 for a bit. It’s cool to see hundreds of sales in a matter of hours. It was a grand couple of months and the momentum continues. If you are interested in a low-cost read on a Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or any reading device, including on your PC or Mac, you’ll find links here: www.thomassullivanauthor.com .
And the subject of this month’s column on StorytellersUnplugged: http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2012/09/15/thomas-sullivan-how-to-avoid-running-over-girl-scouts-matchbox-twenty-the-portmanteau-from-hell/is another happy publishing experience. The superb audiobook reading of my Best Novel finalist at World Fantasy Con THE MARTYRING is now up for an award.
I’m always frustrated over not taking more photos. Hard to record things and live them at the same time. Not to mention the discouragement of knowing you can’t push a button and capture the rapture. But I’m trying to not be so solitary and to share more of the inspirations – there’s no reason not to and life keeps kicking me in the teeth to get me off the dime. Meanwhile, below are this month’s pale imitations: 3 shots of canoeing on Rice Lake and its neighboring Saragossa Sea; 2 shots of the iconic Golden Field at sunset that I’ve written about in past Sullygrams; another sunset of Rice Lake with moi standing on a trail; and a Spongehead Sully webcam shot taken at request of some FB friends while I was on line one day. The sponge was to protect my paper thin skull after the end of a headset that I use to dictate to the computer broke off.
Hasta la vista for now. And if you find yourself living a life a couple sizes too small, untie your fears and loosen your guilt. Then change into something more the real you! A few moments of truth each day can heal years of omissions.
All by way of saying summer delivered for me. Hope yours was spent in high gear. But if you spent it idling in the garage, and you aren’t dead yet from carbon monoxide poisoning, it’s not too late to put the pedal to the metal and run down your dreams (run down, not run over). Garage time is murder on your battery. Not to mention, the most lethal tragedies happen while you’re sitting in Park. You miss a turn in your life or let a crucial instant pass and it becomes a day, and then you let that become weeks, then months, and then a whole year! And after that the years just fairly slide by, and SUDDENLY life is gone! Don’t do that. Time is too precious. There is nothing more foolish or a crime against oneself than to stand pat while the lights of opportunity wink out. If you’re still drawing a breath, then even if you have to get off your death bed to do it, take the journey! Act! Go down standing for something worthy of your stuff! Else you are just holding up your skeleton and filling out your skin.
Here’s a favorite quote: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious don’t live at all. From now on you’ll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.” -- The Princess Diaries
Just sitting here wondering: how did I end up with 12 functioning phones? When they all go off at once, it sounds like the freak-out clanging at the end of the War of 1812 overture. Four of the phones have call blocking, but when one of those banned calls comes in, the other eight phones just keep on truckin’. I’m living in a belfry. Actually my plan wasn’t to block the calls, because if the blocker uses a busy signal, robot dialers will just keep calling. I just wanted to assign them a separate ring tone so I would know what to ignore. Soon as I figure this all out, 11 ringers will be shut off, but ol’ nummer 12 is gonna have a playlist that distinguishes the quick from the dead.
Some interesting feedback came in challenging my assertion last month that moving to Maple Grove, MN, gave me certain things I never would have gotten otherwise. How do I know I wouldn't have found them somewhere else? I can't absolutely refute that. But it's not like I just fell off the turnip truck. I've known the impact of major war, having lived in a dozen countries by the time I was six. Uncountable intrigues and enchanting formative phases marked my childhood. I've experienced the luxury of a nanny to raise me in Brazil and the eccentric whims of a banished (by his family) European prince who sometimes cared for me in Argentina. The love of a saintly mother and a gifted father could not save me from myself, or soften the experiences of idealistic if impoverished rites of passage. And the wanderlust continued from there: ten schools (secular and religious), failed jobs/aborted careers from gambler to teacher to novelist, enough credits for a doctorate (though sheer unruliness kept me from parlaying them into anything past a BA), a 23-year marriage, two children, single parenting, city commissioner, All-American in two sports, lots, lots more…no turnips – ever. So, you might say that Maple Grove is a refuge in the storm for me (even if I brought the storm with me). Bottom line: I recognize the uniqueness.
And of all the labels I could claim, the one that continues unabated is “novelist.” For that you have my profound gratitude, friends & fans. This summer brought that home with your support of break-away sales for several new e-book editions of my novels. DUST OF EDEN, in particular, danced around the lists on Barnes & Noble, reaching as high as #2 for a bit. It’s cool to see hundreds of sales in a matter of hours. It was a grand couple of months and the momentum continues. If you are interested in a low-cost read on a Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or any reading device, including on your PC or Mac, you’ll find links here: www.thomassullivanauthor.com .
And the subject of this month’s column on StorytellersUnplugged: http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2012/09/15/thomas-sullivan-how-to-avoid-running-over-girl-scouts-matchbox-twenty-the-portmanteau-from-hell/is another happy publishing experience. The superb audiobook reading of my Best Novel finalist at World Fantasy Con THE MARTYRING is now up for an award.
I’m always frustrated over not taking more photos. Hard to record things and live them at the same time. Not to mention the discouragement of knowing you can’t push a button and capture the rapture. But I’m trying to not be so solitary and to share more of the inspirations – there’s no reason not to and life keeps kicking me in the teeth to get me off the dime. Meanwhile, below are this month’s pale imitations: 3 shots of canoeing on Rice Lake and its neighboring Saragossa Sea; 2 shots of the iconic Golden Field at sunset that I’ve written about in past Sullygrams; another sunset of Rice Lake with moi standing on a trail; and a Spongehead Sully webcam shot taken at request of some FB friends while I was on line one day. The sponge was to protect my paper thin skull after the end of a headset that I use to dictate to the computer broke off.
Hasta la vista for now. And if you find yourself living a life a couple sizes too small, untie your fears and loosen your guilt. Then change into something more the real you! A few moments of truth each day can heal years of omissions.
Sully
http://www.thomassullivanauthor.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1219261326
http://twitter.com/thomassullivan
For Kindle and pc users: http://www.amazon.com/Dust-of-Eden-ebook/dp/B008MQW9Z8/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i
For Nook and pc users: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dust-of-eden-thomas-sullivan/1006198562?ean=2940014953320&format=nook-book
