Has lightning been invented
yet? Is it too late for me to invent lightning? Feeling, oh
so, magical tonight. This happens to me now and then. My
crazy life – and trust me, the baseline of my life is craziness – warps
even further and becomes utterly surreal. Usually I have terrible
timing, ironies play wicked games, and frustrations abound. But
then there come these reversals wherein the stars align, incredible
good fortune comes my way, and I can walk unscathed down the middle of
a freeway like Mr. Magoo. It's Emerson's "Compensation," I
suppose, the universe coming into balance, only with me it tends to
happen in concentrated lumps. So, have to take advantage when I'm
on a roll. Call the patent office for me, will you? I'm
going to invent lightning.
The thing of it is, even when that treacherous trio of terrible timing,
ironies, and frustrations are messing with me, I'm a happy guy. I
think that's because I know that the Wizard Divine behind the universe
is warning me, "Don't try to win in life through probabilities."
That's not who I am. I am improbable, and everything I cherish,
enshrine and celebrate is improbable. The up-side to that is, of
course, freedom. When you don't particularly fit the world’s
routines, clichés and defaults, nothing owns you. Conformity be
damned, you can examine things solely for truth, escape narrowness, and
are under little imperative to live façades and hypocrisies. The
down-side is loneliness. Not utter isolation – on the contrary,
improbability seems to attract. No, not superficial
loneliness. But the deeper you go into originality, the less
likely you will be to find a true companion for the journey.
Yesterday I saw a man standing alone in the wind so choked up with life
gone by that I knew he could not speak, could not be touched, could not
be approached, could not enter into others or escape himself. It
made me shudder…shutter, because I knew I was looking in a
mirror. Have to overcome that. Did overcome it not so long
ago –found the single star to steer my ship – but that is one of those
improbability vs. irony things I mentioned. Alas, when irony has
the upper hand, you are left with nothing save the journey, like a verb
without an object, a stairway to an empty sky. But the magic is
still there en route. Lightning, please! Lightning on sunny
days and under a Hunter's Moon.
And here's another improbability. After procrastinating
book-length projects for a couple of years, I signed with two
publishers on the same day this month. That counts as a double
lightning strike, doesn't it? My excuses for not producing more
novels seem lame now, and I guess I’m a little surprised at how loyal
my fans have been and more than a little ashamed for letting myself be
distracted for so long. More details are available in my November
column [ http://storytellersunplugged.com/thomassullivan/2011/11/15/thomas-sullivan-high-wire-walking-across-the-grand-canyon-imaginary-shoelaces-an-announcement/
] over on StorytellersUnplugged, but my intention is to come in from
the cold with all my work – old and new – in e-books, audio releases,
and print editions. And – ta da! – here’s an announcement: the
first release is – wait for it, wait for it –TODAY! Just hours
ago Crossroad Press released my Best Novel Finalist from WorldFantasy
Con THE MARTYRING in E-book form in time for Christmas. And
Tell-Tale Publishing Group will similarly be bringing out BORN BURNING,
whose popularity has now pushed it to a 4th English language edition in
two decades. At $3.99 the E-publishing debut – which can be read
in any reader, including on a computer – makes a good stocking stuffer,
so count on it, I'll be most appreciative of anyone putting one or both
on their holiday list. Here's the link where you can get THE
MARTYRING now – http://store.crossroadpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=101_22_28&products_id=488
– and it will also be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and
Smashwords in a few days. My webmaster will be updating our
website shortly to include all info: www.thomassullivanauthor.com .
And here's a special offer I think I can keep up with if I prepare
ahead of time. If you give THE MARTYRING to someone, let me know
and I’ll send them an author’s greeting to go with the e-book on
Christmas Day or on whatever holiday you may celebrate. Just
email me at mn333mn@earthlink.net and include their name and the email address where you want me to send the greeting.
The rest of November's column at SU attempts to answer some of your
more intriguing questions, including some killers, like this
soul-searching, thought-provoking poser: "What has caused you the
greatest pain in your life?" That one turned me inside out.
I’m thinking everyone should try to answer that – lots of defining
things there. Thanks for making the Q&A format a
success. Keep those fascinating questions coming, and I'll use it
again. Any subject will do – writing, personal stuff, trivia, or
life's profound mysteries!
Last month's lightning also brought in some reader thunder in the form
of fan mail for Pete Adams (and moi), so I'm going with another
Blast-from-the-Past photobooth strip below. Any of you recognize
that guy behind the vampire? That’s Doc Foto’s brother, Dennis
Manrique, from our swimming and water polo days, I think at West Point
or maybe international competition in Canada. Speaking of water
polo, what do you think the world's 10 toughest sports are based on
endurance, speed, strength, skill, agility and physicality? The
National Football League’s blog ranks them as: 10) Irish
football, 9) gymnastics, 8) basketball, 7) hurling, 6) American
football, 5) ice hockey, 4) rugby, 3) boxing, 2) Aussie football, and
#1) WATER POLO!!! [ www.bleacherreport.com/articles/832927-what-is-the-worlds-toughest-sport/page/12
]. Hey, who knew? (Just us water polo players.)
Thanks Chuck Hines in NC for that info. Closing out the photos
below are the new book cover for THE MARTYRING, a recent sky shot at
Elm Creek, ice sculptures from a speaking trip to Oslo, and 2 shots
from hiking mountains in Oregon with my daughter Colleen, grandson
Seamus, and son-in-law Dave. The lead photo of my column at SU
this month is a Doc Foto spoof!
May you receive the act of loving, and love the act of giving.