Before I hired Mike Albee and Lura Dold of Sandpiper Publicity—the two frauds who conned me out of $40,000 by exploiting the suicides of my parents—I didn’t know much about book publicity. Now I know a lot more. Today I had a long phone conversation with a real publicist, a friend of Scott Thunes. He…
Excised Snippet Number Four
February 6, 2014
This is the fourth passage from my novel Invisible Idiot, which became Chasing the Last Whale, Volume Two of the Ghosts Trilogy. It was necessary to remove these scenes, but since I like them, I’m publishing them here when I get the urge. Mike Albee and Lura Dold of Sandpiper Publicity—who defrauded me of $40,000…
An age of wonderment
February 1, 2014
Scott Thunes is in the hospital. His situation isn’t to be minimized. However, he picked one of the best times in history to have a significant health issue. We live in an age of wonderment. In the last two decades, the global poverty rate had been cut in half. It appears that the trend will…
Introducing my two favorite con artists
January 23, 2014
I’d like to introduce you to my two favorite con artists, Mike Albee and Lura Dold of Sandpiper Publicity. Stand up, kids! Don’t be shy. Mike also runs another fake company, Magnus Publicity. Let’s give Mike and Lura a hand! Mike has a long history of defrauding people. Unfortunately for me I didn’t see this…
The calm before the storm
January 17, 2014
Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the day Mom and Dad took their first steps on the journeys that removed them from my life. Tim and I didn’t commemorate it in any special way. We commemorate our parents daily, talking about what they did and why. The one favor our parents did us by dying…
White privilege in action
January 16, 2014
I haven’t seen Lone Survivor, the movie about former US Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. But I read LA Weekly film critic Amy Nicholson’s review of it. In her review, Nicholson says the following. As the film portrays them, their attitudes to the incredibly complex War on Terror, fought hillside by bloody hillside in the Afghan…
A letter to Mom and Dad, Part One
January 16, 2014
Dear Mom and Dad: Today I got some really good news, which I’ll keep to myself for now. In case you hadn’t heard, I signed up with a fake publicity firm that stole almost $40,000 from me. The guy who runs the company has no background in the publishing industry. What happened was that Tim…
A letter to Mom and Dad, Part Two
January 16, 2014
My letter to Mom and Dad continues. 28. On April 14, Mom, you came home. You refused to eat or exercise, even though you’d been told over and over that you needed to do so in order to be a good candidate for chemotherapy. We fought about it, and you accused us of criticizing you….
It was all for nothing
January 12, 2014
It hit me today: Just like trying to save Mom and Dad, trying to publicize Ghosts and Ballyhoo was a waste of time. It was all for nothing. Tim and I are doing some cleaning up before we have the houses appraised. We’re having to throw away things that represent so much futility. Neither Mom…
Off to a rousing start
January 8, 2014
I said that 2014 couldn’t possibly be worse than 2013. Well, maybe I spoke too soon. The year is off to a rousing start that doesn’t bode well for me personally, but it’s sure to provide loads of entertainment for you. The full extent of the scam pulled on me has come to light. I’ve…