Sudeikis

Jason Sudeikis said the following when describing the work involved in developing sketches (many of which never air) for Saturday Night Live.

"If you allow yourself to enjoy only the product and not the process, I don't know if it's worth it. You could dump all your heart and soul into it and get nothing in return."

Another Book Review of Men Among Giants

The Lincoln 55+ newspaper has published a review of Men Among Giants. The feature also includes an excerpt from the book.

Click here to read the review.

Knuckleball!

I want to see the new movie, Knuckleball! This is partly because I love a good baseball story and partly because the main character in my recently-completed novel is a knuckleballer. And also because I became a fan of R.A. Dickey after reading his book, Wherever I Wind Up.

Bill Murray in the Sally League Hall of Fame

When you hear the name Bill Murray what likely comes to mind are his hit movies, including Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, Stripes, Ghostbusters, and Lost in Translation. What probably does not come to mind is minor league baseball. But it should. The actor is part owner of the Class A Charleston RiverDogs and he was recently inducted into the South Atlantic League's Hall of Fame.

Click this link to read an article about Murray's induction into the SAL Hall. The page includes a video of Murray's induction speech, which is well worth watching. I especially liked his story about the racehorses at the end of his speech.

A Strange Way to Read a Book

A few years ago I received David McCullough's 1776 as a Christmas gift. The book was on my wish list, but with so much other stuff to read I didn't get to it right away. Several months later, on the following Fourth of July, I saw it sitting on the shelf and started reading. The subject matter seemed appropriate for the day. Made it through the first chapter. Then the book went back on the shelf ...

Until the next Fourth of July when I picked up where I’d left off a year earlier. And so an Independence Day tradition emerged. Each year on that day, and only that day, I read McCullough’s work about that pivotal year of the American Revolution. This most recent July Fourth, I finished 1776—five years after I started. I must admit, this is not the best way to read a book. Each new session required me to reread several pages to refresh my memory as to what had just happened with Washington and his army. Even so, I’m still glad I read this particular book the way that I did. Learning about the events of that tumultuous year on the Fourth of July made the holiday more meaningful to me and renewed my appreciation of those who made our celebrations possible.

Book Review of Men Among Giants

The Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) reviewed my novel, Men Among Giants. The review, written by Cindy Conger, is available at the newspaper's Web site.

Click here to read.

End of the Beginning

Today I finished the first draft of my third novel. There is, of course, still much work to be done, but reaching this point is a significant milestone. I now have a full manuscript to read, start to finish, and can focus on hammering it into something presentable.

How far along am I in the overall process of getting this book to a published format available to readers? Hard to say, though perhaps the words of Winston Churchill are now applicable. During World War II, after British forces won the Battle of El Alamein in November 1942, the prime minister observed:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."