Currently I’m writing a novel about a monstrous suspicion and the quest to prove or disprove it. Several people have contacted me to tell me that they finished Ghosts and Ballyhoo and liked it, so I’ve asked them to please leave Amazon reviews. Every Amazon review will help me rebuild my writing career. As I…
A note for those who lead double lives
May 14, 2014
My next novel is about double lives. One double life in particular. As I’ve said before, I made it all up. Not a single aspect of it is true. Being a novel, it’s entirely fictional. Recently someone wrote the following about my novel Chasing the Last Whale. For anyone interested…I’m half-way through Chasing the Last…
New rules of engagement
May 10, 2014
What made the suicides of my parents so painful was that Mom and Dad kept assuring us that they wanted to live. They said one thing and did the opposite. I’ve dealt with people like that my whole life, but I was nearly killed by my mother and father reaching out to us and pushing…
Junk science to make you hate yourself
May 9, 2014
Mother Jones is out with an article titled “The Science of Your Racist Brain,” by Indre Viskontas (not Indrid Cold) and Chris Mooney. It’s absolutely hilarious. More junk science to make you hate yourself for being irredeemably evil. The article initially differentiates between “explicit racists” like Donald Sterling and “implicit racists”—all white people. According to…
Dad’s deathmobile
May 9, 2014
When my nephew Hunter James Gonzales turned three, my father gave him the most dangerous birthday present I’ve ever seen. Dad’s deathmobile was used only once, almost twenty years ago, but I remember it as though it were yesterday. A hot needle would would burn out the memory. Free e-books to anyone who does the…
Are you willing to kill to get the girls back?
May 8, 2014
On April 14, 2014, the terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from the Chibok Government Girls Secondary School. When Nigerian soldiers left the village of Gamboru Ngala to search for the girls, Boko Haram attacked and murdered more than 300. They had armored personnel carriers, rocket-propelled grenades, and explosives. It was an orgy of…
Who is the audience?
May 7, 2014
Alanis Morissette has recorded “Today” for independent congressional candidate Marianne Williamson. Who is the audience? Have you ever heard more loathsome tripe in your life? It’s fitting, since Williamson is a cheesy self-help entrepreneur who knows nothing about politics. Given that she’s not a politician, this isn’t a political post. It’s a post about rampant…
My second interview since 2002
May 6, 2014
Here’s my second interview since 2002. It’s with bassist Joe Burcaw. We have a lot in common, and we would likely disagree on nearly everything if we got into it politically and socially. But why would I do that to Joe? I like his playing. That’s all that matters. There was one question that I…
