Tag: books

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The Truth Hurts

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Tough news hit me right before a wonderful family vacation last week. It came in the form of an email.

Have you ever received unsettling news that way? No voice. No eye contact. It didn’t help that there wasn’t a thing I could do about it at the time…except focus on packing my bags and loading the car for the beach.

We went to St. George Island. It was great weather, warm water. Still the news lingered in the back of my brain. Stinging at times, when I wasn’t enjoying the sun. It was that email. Rereading it over and over again in my head. It came from the CEO of Booktrope, Ken Shear. He regretted to inform writers of the company’s upcoming immediate closure. He wrote:

We are deeply saddened to share the news that Booktrope will be ceasing business effective May 31, 2016. This decision was not reached lightly and we will share as much as we can with the community over the next few weeks…. What you need to know now: Booktrope will remove all published books from sale as of May 31, 2016

May 31st.

Thoughts of What the heck? and How will my book survive this? hit me again and again.

Then, I remembered that WHEELMAN and other titles at Booktrope existed before publication, and they would survive this as well. God is doing great things through the books in the Booktrope imprint, Vox Dei. These stories will continue being told – just in different mediums.

I appreciated the response from Shear and the timely update. It gave me enough foresight to mull this topic over, and I know I need to pray about WHEELMAN (and other books’ futures) as well.

The company’s closing date will mean the removal of WHEELMAN from their roster and printing will cease, as well as the Vox Dei logo going away. However, I am in the process of learning how to get the story back out there in a different way.

As always, I appreciate your faith and prayers in this current situation. Thank you for reading, and if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, this will be the last chance to order for a while. (I believe if WHEELMAN is ordered before 5/31, it will be printed via Vox Dei. Let me know if you have any problems with this.)

May God continue to bless the stories being told. Fellow writer, Niki Krauss does a much better job of describing the process for her thus far and getting her story re-printed.

All told: the beach is still there, the sun is still there, and God still holds it all together. Amen.

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70 Reviews on Amazon!

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2 months into its debut and we’ve hit 70 reviews for WHEELMAN already!!

Give yourself a pat on the back if you assisted in the reading/reviewing of this first novel (early readers you know who you are). Let’s crank it to 100 reviews!

Believe it or not, work has kick-started on a 2nd novel already (Titles and plot are hush hush at this point).

The 1st draft of the manuscript is being looked at for the first time by my editor this week. Prayers are appreciated for Martin Jones as he reads.

Now we wait…and we work and work and work. Is it summer yet? Are you traveling anywhere fun? Are your taxes done? If you answered yes to all 3 of those questions, I appreciate your honesty. Enjoy the weekend!

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3 books you can’t live without

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Much like Castaway and Tom Hanks’ obsession with Wilson, there are things we can honestly say we don’t think we could live without.

My best friend is a music director, and he asks his students (each year) if they could only take three albums on their iPod to an isolated island – what would they be? Then, what would they do once the charge to the iPod runs out? Interesting discussion ensues…

Luckily for those paperbacks, they don’t require a charge and their only fault is not being waterproof. So, if you had to only pick 3, which books (all-time) matter the most to you?

Re-readable qualities…Characters you can’t live without…Narration that soars and exposition that is just right.

What are those 3?

 

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Q&A with Eisenhower Elementary about Writing

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Would like to thank Mrs. NeShaune Lasley and her 5th grade class at Eisenhower Elementary in Louisville, KY for the interview questions today. Hope they help motivate more young writers. Mrs. Lasley is doing great things and providing a great example for her students.

Here are the questions they asked:

The Burke Writing Interview – Brian L. Tucker

Thanks!

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One-Year Anniversary of “Baptisms & Dogs: Stories”!!

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It’s been a year since its debut! The story collection I never imagined would see daylight..let alone printing presses. (It went to WASHINGTON, DC, at one point, Thanks to Matt Smith and the Marine Barracks, and their private library there. I never imagined real heroes would be reading it. EVER!) It’s been a crazy process, and I admit it’s been a BIG learning curve. From where to submit stories to what types of writing conferences to attend, I’ve learned A TON. And, I still feel like a novice. 🙂

Thanks to Leah for remaining patient with my trips to South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and coffee shops around Chattanooga. I’ve tried to motivate her with, “Hey, one of the future novels will take place in the fictional town of Seton, Kentucky.” I’m not sure she’s convinced, but if you see her, tell her to give it a chance in 2015, 2016, 2017, etc. How ever long it takes, I guess. (*insert nervous laughter*)

Thanks to Leah, Nathan Davis, and Lindsey Frantz for taking a look at this new idea. It consumed a good chunk of 2014-2015, and it’s still undergoing changes, but I’m optimistic to do something with it before the year’s end. While my tentative title isn’t nearly as clever as Russell Helm’s Sprinkle Cheese (to be released later this fall as The Ground Catches Everything), I still hope you consider reading my work, Beef Jerky for All, when it’s published.

Similarly, the 2015-2016 (and newest) project is underway and gaining some steam. It doesn’t have a witty title yet. (It’s the Seton, KY revisiting…and I hope to complete its first draft this summer. We can all make Christmas wish lists, right?)

I write all of this to say, Thank you again for the support–lovely readers. Readers of this blog. Readers of anything I’ve sat down to try and muster up the courage to complete. Prayers appreciated for the journey ahead. It’s exciting and daunting all at once. Like a deep dish, meat lover’s pizza from La Rosa’s. It’s beautiful and scary all at once. You have to dig in and burn the roof of your mouth. Because you know…it’s worth it.

 

God bless you this week!

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3 Amazing Summer Reads

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These are “lesser known” reads and I hope this makes the Summer that much better for you. There’s something fun about reading books off-the-beaten-literary-trail, and these fit into that description. If you’ve never met me before and are wondering why you should take some stranger’s advice on this trio of books, just do it. I promise I wouldn’t lead you astray, because I know how precious time is and how little there is to go around. Especially during the SUMMER!

So….

Here is the list of 3 Summer Reads you must find and set to take with you to 1.)the beach, 2.)the pool, 3.)Disney World, 4.)Disney Land, 5.)Any and all airports, 6.)cruise boats, and 7.)other places you spend quality time from May-August.

3 Amazing Summer Reads (lesser-known):

1.) “Dog on the Cross: Stories” Aaron Gwyn –

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*   Stories that stick with you. The cover is lauded with Tom Franklin praise. I picked this one up randomly and found the stories to be sophisticated and true. It’s the best collection I read yesteryear! And now I wanted to share it with you.

2.) “Broken” Travis Thrasher –

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*   This one broke all of the rules for me. Do I read split narratives much? No. Mysteries told from the female point-of-view? Sometimes. Stories that read like screenplays? Nope. Novels likened to Stephen King? Not recently. This little book held all of these elements and still rang true at the end. Last week I was able to speak with the author, Travis Thrasher, and he was kind enough to discuss the formation of this read. It’s subject matter isn’t light, but the author sets a strong example in his style and God-like witness. He’s an author I’ll revisit. (Plus, I’ve been told “Broken” was an earlier work of his. Tight. Tight. Prose.)

3.) “Anna in the Tropics” Nilo Cruz –

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*   You might be thinking: Didn’t this win a Pulitzer Prize? Yes. But, it’s for drama. And, I didn’t know if many people read dramas. So, I wanted to share it with you. It’s cigar factories, Cuban heritage, and American immersion all at once. Perfect for you at the beach or wherever. This is amazing!

 

Here’s to a great Summer 2015 for you. Hope these 3 find their way into your reading satchel this vacation season!

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eBooks are all the Rage!

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Met a guy at a conference recently.

Very nice gentleman.

Even offered to help me find some writing accountability.

In our conversation, we discussed all kinds of writerly things including print (and ebook) options.

At the end of the conversation, he gave me his contact information, and I offered my card.

(Of course, I had to cross out old email addresses/blog sites/etc., because I’m so bad with technology that I can’t quite keep up, it seems.)

He was patient, and when I offered to give him a copy of a book, he politely, and it was the nicest rejection I’d ever received, said, “Ebooks only, for me.”

I quit searching for the PAPER copy in my backpack.

Brought my hand out of the backpack and shook his. Muttered something like, “Just ebooks?”

He smiled and nodded. Informed me that it was keeping him clutter free, and his wife was appreciative.

Ebooks are all the rage, it seems.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I LOVE paper copies. The smell. Being able to hold them outside. Take them camping and not having to worry about an electric outlet or battery life. But…

his smile revealed something new to me.

He was enjoying a life less cluttered.

And…maybe that’s what it’s all about these days of “Run and gun” style of living.

There’s little time to breathe.

—

My wife and I just moved apartments this weekend. We are getting settled and the endless copies of books are invading our space AGAIN. Maybe I’ll take his advice to a certain degree (keep some of the paper). But, I agree with his attitude. He was freeing up a lot of space and still reading what he wanted/when he wanted.

Shameless plug: (Final Day of my ebook being FREE is today: http://www.amazon.com/BAPTISMS-DOGS-Stories-B-Tucker-ebook/dp/B00LAFKRBQ/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426443237&sr=1-1&keywords=baptisms+%26+dogs) I’m grateful to the many people that have taken a risk and read this book. I know it’s different to what you usually might pick up at a store. Plus, they’re short stories. But, thank you so much for being there for this first effort. It’s done better than I could’ve ever imagined.

Like my ebook, maybe I will continue to seek out copies on Kindle. But, let me tell you it has been so difficult to part with the REAL thing. (It’s difficult to take a dog-eared copy of a Kindle ebook into a pool where cannonballs are being offered by small children, without losing the entire device to H20. But I will try and try again.)