Tag: books
A New Day! A New Year!

A New Day! A New Year!

By |

Dateline: January 21, 2021

You’re in the right place

for a mix of stories you just won’t find 

anywhere else…

“Here’s to the allure of the obscure!”

Well, 2020 was the weirdest year yet, wasn’t it? We seem to experience chaos at this advanced level at least, well, I was going to say once each century, but that’s not true. 2020 broke all the records and all the rules. Looks like 2021 will share in the weirdness, but wonderfulness too.

Having said that, we can and should gratefully acknowledge our good fortune, as individuals, and as a nation, even though many of us likely have experienced tragedy in some measure.

But we’ve shown a spotlight on important issues, we’re discovering ways to overcome a heinous global pandemic, and for many of us, we are re-thinking our humanity. That’s all good, kids!

For me and mine, Kay and I are blessed. We have a roof over our heads, we are okay financially, we go to bed with full bellies, and we talked with all our kids and grandkids over the holidays. Yes, we did that via Zoom or FaceTime, or just plain old phone calls, and we’re thankful.

Onward!

December 2020 – January 2021 News

So am I late with my December newsletter, or early for end of January? Both, I guess. So be it!

In this issue: 

1. Naked Bus
2. New Book Links
3. Veganversary

1. Naked Bus

Say what? Yeah, we are taking the plunge. You might never see risqué images like this anywhere else, so viewer discretion is advised.

When we bought our motorhome five+ years ago, we intentionally acquired an older higher-end unit. We couldn’t afford a new one with the quality and features we felt we needed for a mostly full-time live-aboard lifestyle (pre-COVID), so we went with a pay-as-you-go strategy.

She had everything we wanted, and more importantly, nothing we didn’t. We’ve been told by several knowledgeable sources that, “they don’t make ’em like that anymore.” That’s a good thing; for us, anyway.

Since we acquired our 2005 Newmar Mountain Aire (we often call her “Ma”), a grand old 43-foot diesel bus, we’ve continually upgraded her. She’s special to us, like a member of the family. But she can now use some new clothes after we traveled with her through forty-plus states since she joined the family. That’s what you do for a family member, right? You feed, clothe, and take her on family outings as you care for each other.

So last month we rode along with her to her birthplace–North Central Indiana–to the Newmar factory, and left her in good Amish hands for the winter. We had been working with folks up there since last June on designing her new wardrobe, deciding on some cosmetic surgery… a complete external makeover. I know she’ll feel like a kid again after all is said and done, and that will make us feel good too. She still possesses her inner beauty, although she’ll also get some new carpeting and a new bed, along with some other maintenance stuff.

By the time we pick her up again in April, she will have recaptured her vibrant youth on the outside. Her mechanical systems will be refreshed, including her roof and drive train, and she’ll be anxious for our next adventure together. For our RV friends, if you’re interested, I’ll post a more detailed article on our RV blog, although it might take a while as I wind down a few other projects (see #2 below).

But first, a few before pics of Ma to set the stage. She wasn’t horrible-looking, but we grew tired of her complaining. You know how it is with fifteen-year-olds, right?

From a distance, she looked good (my doting parental diligence showed, I like to think). But as an example, notice the black bands around her fancy jewelry (mirrors). That covered up some painful cracks (especially when I was waxing her). She’ll get that new jewelry, for sure. And like most her age, she looks better from a distance, but up close? Well, not so much (don’t tell her I shared with you the less-flattering images below)…
See what I mean? Her nose is a mess. She wouldn’t even go out in public anymore. We felt SO bad for her!
Nasty complexion! You’re witnessing the breakdown of a clear film that covers her makeup. Crud gets in the cracks behind that film. No amount of bathing or ex-foliating will help this. Only a complete peel will help at this point. And that usually damages her paint underneath. This is a significant makeover task that requires professional help.
Up close, you can see how a bad batch of fiberglass used in 2005 interacted negatively with dark (sun-beaten) paint–hundreds (thousands?) of tiny cracks that, left unattended, will further degrade rapidly. They’re not real obvious right now unless you’re really looking for them. Still, Newmar offered to replace all that fiberglass (sidewalls) and repaint the entire bus at a fraction of retail! Fifteen years and three owners downrange! That’s the class act we’ve come to expect from Newmar.

So here are a few pics of the two most significant projects now that the surgeons have started operating: first, cosmetic surgery (body work) and second new clothes (replacing fiberglass sidewalls, all the exterior lights, new mirrors, re-furbished roof and all new paint):

The bus was not happy. And if Ma (Mountain Aire) ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! After a nose “peel,” I have it on good authority she looks and feels better already! Also she was sagging a bit (misaligned body parts) in places. All that’s gonna be young and shiny again (thanks to a fiberglass “chiropractor”). You see her here prepped for fresh paint.
Ma would be embarrassed by these “nudies,” but this body work and facelift is on Daddy’s dime, so… Notice the aluminum studs and beams. One of the quality hallmarks of the Newmar brand (no sticks ‘n staples here like some more economical rigs). She has “good bones.” And how about that insulation! Another quality hallmark in RVs. Also note she’s getting a “butt lift” (body work on her rear end), but I drew the line on implants. Hairline stress cracks are typical at her age. Ma prefers we call them “laugh lines.” She’s such a vain teenager.
Here’s progress on her driver’s side makeover. Note her new skin (using the old sidewalls as a pattern) is laying on the floor lower right. She’s gotta be chilly like this! Check out that monster beam on top of the main slide-out room (the one with two large window holes).
New skin in place on her passenger’s side, soon to accept makeup and tattoos (new base paint and four other colors in her–our–chosen graphic design).

There you have it. So far.

Ma is obviously a work in progress. She’d be apoplectic if she knew I was sharing these lurid images with you, so it’ll be our little secret. As far as she’ll know, I’ll only share pictures with you when she agrees she’s presentable (finished); however, she seems to be okay with the two pics that follow:

So here’s what she’ll look like by April (the design center’s rendering of our choices after weeks of considering and rejecting alternatives). A side note: Kay chose that maroon accent (cayenne red metallic) to match the color of our new toad (towed vehicle – the Jeep).
And these are samples of our five chosen colors. Exciting, isn’t it?

2. New Book Links

I have been promising to release my new paranormal science fiction trilogy for a while now. Well, the time has arrived to introduce the Mayhem Trilogy–both paperback and Kindle versions–available by the end of this month, but you can pre-order now for auto-delivery on January 31st (click on the following links), OR you can order either edition of book 1 or the trilogy’s companion guide right now, and you could be reading it within minutes. And if you don’t have a Kindle, no worries. Just download the free Kindle reader app from any of the Amazon page where you find any of these books:

A month late, but wait! 😉 These three books tell an epic tale spanning three transformational decades in Earth’s future history through the eyes of real people who struggle to not only survive, but to serve others selflessly. I’ve also also produced a supplementary resource for you:

The sixty-page companion guide to the Mayhem Trilogy.

This handy little reference includes:

  • An overview of the entire trilogy’s story line in the mythical country of the United Westican Territories, aka Westica, which evolved from Old America,
  • Summarized history of the time between the twentieth and twenty-second centuries where our story of Mayhem is set,
  • Master character list for all three books,
  • Master glossary of the language (colorful terminology and street slang) used in each book during the last half of the twenty-second century,
  • Visual relationship map for each of the three Mayhem manuscripts that portrays the relationships between all of the major characters within each book. Below you see an example of such a map for Mayhem: Underground:
A Glimpse of Mayhem: Companion Guide to the Mayhem Trilogy contains relationship maps for all major characters in each book. This is an example of the map for characters in Mayhem: Underground. These diagrams are fully scalable and zoomable and will add to your understanding of these folks as you get to know them in these epic tales. A god’s eye view. It’s fun!

3. Veganversary

If you’ve ever thought about giving up meat, or are curious what veganism is all about, read on. All will be revealed. Well, the basics, anyway.

Over a year ago, Kay and I experienced an epiphany: we decided to no longer treat our stomachs as either a junkyard or a graveyard.

So what the heck does that mean? Well, we committed to stop eating junk food or to consume anything that once had a parent. Sound extreme? At the time it did, but what did we have to lose… other than a bunch of adipose tissue. That’s fat, folks. All it required was an attitude shift (ya gotta wanna). It was easier than we thought once that shift of our tectonic plates happened.

Sidebar: COVID frightened us. Still does. We’re in our seventies, so they told us we were at high risk. No reason to doubt that. We’d rather over-react than the alternative. So our best preventative measure (yeah, we’re proactive as hell) was to boost the strength of our immune systems. That was our motivator.

How are we doing on our first veganversary, other than coming up with a corny term to describe the one-year anniversary of committing to this vegan lifestyle (more on what that means to us in a moment)?

  • We both feel great,
  • Our doctors are amazed at our blood work,
  • Eating “vegan” ain’t cheap, but what’s great health worth?
  • Takes more food prep time (I’ve developed wonderful chopping/slicing skills), but we have time, and we’re learning shortcuts,
  • We’re also exercising at least 4-5 days a week (at or around home), and that’s important mentally since we’re self-isolating (other than “safaris” for groceries and gas).
So here’s what “eating vegan” means to us:
  • No animal or dairy products,
  • No seafood ,
  • No processed foods (like sugar),
  • Learning to love new foods (a year ago, I’d have said, “Avocado? Yuck!” No more! A great source of good fat),
  • All or mostly organic foodstuffs (whenever we can find it, that is, no pesticides used or GMO–genetically modified food),
  • Our protein and other essential nutrients come mostly from G-BOMBS:
    • Greens,
    • Beans,
    • Onions,
    • Mushrooms,
    • Berries,
    • Seeds and nuts.
  • Augment our G-BOMBS with lots of fruit every day,
  • Focus on those nutrient-dense foods along with a few daily supplements:
    • A good multivitamin,
    • DHA (short-chain fatty acid that’s hard to source outside of animal protein),
    • A few other anti-inflammation supplements like tart cherry extract, selenium, etc.). We both are managing some arthritis.
  • Oh, in addition to both of us giving up all alcohol nine years ago now, I quit all caffeine over a year ago too. Kay never used that particular drug (and if you disagree on that term as an avid coffee or high-test soda drinker, try quitting cold turkey for a month – brutal!).
  • A few cheats: While we’re very disciplined about our eating habits, we’re not fanatics:
    • Dairy cheats: Between the two of us, we may consume 2-4 eggs per month. Kay likes easy-overs, and I’m still a sucker for corn bread once in a while (recipe uses an egg). We might also very occasionally make veggie burgers that uses an egg for a binder to hold the darn things together.
    • Processed food cheats: Kay still will buy the occasional bag of shredded cheese (for topping a veggie pizza, for example). We’ll have a few unsalted baked veggie chips instead of carrots with our black bean hummus as an appetizer.

Someone once famously said, “You spend the first half of your life acquiring vices, and the last half giving them up.”

But while we could look at these culinary changes as just a bunch of takeaways, we view them as an adventurous new way of living better and feeling really good about it. So how does this translate into daily reality:

Pretty standard daily breakfast for us. A smoothie plus maybe a small bowl of fruit topped with wheat germ, maybe ground flax seed or some sunflower seeds (unsalted, unroasted) and a dusting of Saigon Cinnamon. We throw in some plant-based protein powder into the shake too and blend.
Anti-cancer soup prep. Looks like a lot, and it is, but this’ll whip up a delicious nutrient-dense pot of soup that’ll last us for a week’s worth of lunches.
Okay, so it looks like purple puke, but it’s my favorite breakfast. Saturday mornings only. Raw oatmeal soaked in pomegranate juice with sunflower seeds, ground flax seed and frozen wild blueberries, all warmed in microwave (oatmeal is still chewy). Add plant-based protein powder, diced apple, pear, pineapple, nuts, and drown it all in cold almond milk. Oh, baby!
  • Daily Basics: We measure out our nuts/seeds for the day’s protein booster (1.5 oz for me; 1.0 oz for Kay – eaten at mealtimes only), we each take supplements twice a day, and other than meals or a pre-meal snack (see below), no snacks between meals! Period!
  • Breakfast: Giant smoothies of veggie protein powder, frozen mixed fruit, wild blueberries, banana, fresh pineapple, ground flax seed, wheat germ, maybe half of a Bosch Pear or a half apple…
  • Lunch: Once a week (Saturday mornings) we make a huge pot of soup or chili with lots of veggies and beans. We’ll freeze part of it. This will feed us lunches for a week. For variety, each day we might add something to that day’s lunch (more or different types of beans, fresh kale, etc.).
  • I’ve been at my goal weight for six months (at six feet, I’m at 158-160 pounds with a decent muscle mass), so I also choose to have a small glass of almond milk and a Wasa cracker with organic almond or peanut butter so I don’t lose more weight. Kay just drinks lots of (triple-filtered) water
  • Pre-dinner snack together: homemade black bean hummus on carrot sticks or baby carrots has become a nightly tradition together.
  • Dinner: a huge salad with romaine hearts, baby spinach, radishes, cukes, avocado (essential healthy fats), one medjool date, walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, a few cashews, sunflower seeds, apple, pear, pineapple… Or we’ll share a big salad like this with a hot side dish. But the salad is always in the center ring under the big top.

How is this sustainable, you might ask?

Dinner is where we shake things up. Here’s a pasta dish… spinach-pesto pasta made with almond flour. The “meat” is TVP (textured vegetable protein) crumbles. This was a spicy dish with lots of other veggies (ala primavera).

First, I have not felt hungry since October 2019! We eat a LOT, but only good stuff, so it’s ok. Kay never complains about hunger (only irrational urges even though she’s “full”). She’s always suffered from this. A little nutritional yeast sprinkled on a salad helps.

Second, there are enough variations within this food plan to keep it very interesting. For example, we don’t just eat one type of beans as a source protein. We rotate between dark and light red kidney, garbanzo, pinto, black, great northern, lentils and tri-color beans. Each has a different flavor and texture. Plus it feeds the mind’s need for variety.

And we’ll also change it up with occasional bread (pre-sprouted whole grain = minimal “processing”: Ezekiel Bread!), or a gluten-free pizza crust made with almond or soy flour, or we whip up a monster Chinese stir-fry, but instead of meat, we’ll use TVP (textured veggie protein).

One of our faves: veggie tacos with organic almond flour tortillas. Lots of beans (both whole and fried, and a cornucopia of other veggies. Natural spices has us spitting fire (low flame). Note the cheat with a few sprinkles of non-fat cheese (this may have been a non-dairy cheese knockoff – I don’t recall).

This is definitely a thinking person’s lifestyle. We use Dr. Joel Furhman’s book, “Eat to Live” as our culinary bible, and so far, so good.

I’ve lost sixty-five pounds (and have kept it off for six months and counting). Kay has lost a lot more than that (her story to tell). We’re staying active, and feeling chipper, skipper!

Bottom line? Eating vegan is every bit as enjoyable as the way we used to eat. Just requires an attitude adjustment. We ain’t just talkin’ rabbit food here, folks! This is the good stuff.

Last night we conjured our customary salad with homemade cashew dressing made with a flavored vinegar (like pear, balsamic white or dark, strawberry, rasberry, fig, or whatever we can find), mustard, water and dates. The hot side dish: portobello spears with a quinoa/lentil/bean topping and a light Italian sauce. Some broccoli for added texture (stuff to chew!). Awesome.

Yes, we spend a LOT of money on organic non-GMO veggies, but we spend nothing on beef, pork, chicken, seafood or buffalo. We shop more frequently (twice a week) to score fresh produce (LOTs of it), and it takes more refrigerator space, but it is SO worth it. Once a week to buy bulk nuts from a store called “Earth Origins.”

Honestly, I can’t imagine eating anything else right now. I guess the transformation is complete. Kay still longs for a steak once in a while, but she’s loving her weight loss and her doctor’s report card!

Food for thought, eh?

A few mor pics below, but only if you’re interested.

With pen in hand,

Gene

We have veggie burgers once or twice a month. This batch will use just two eggs as a binder.
So when we splurge on veggie burgers (because of the eggs), we go hog wild and hit the starch too (baked potato rubbed with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) with some sea salt. Asparagus is one of our staples. This is about the smallest volume meal we have because it’s not very nutrient dense.
Another favorite: veggie fajitas. The tortillas seem superfluous with all this flavor. We use a lot of Mrs. Dash (salt-free seasoning) to spice things up.
This is the ONLY “flourless” bread I eat (toasted), and I’m careful not to overdo it (maybe one slice every day or two). Tastes awesome and satisfies my carb craves.

Not so bad, huh?
‘KEEPIN’ IT WEIRD’ NEWS

‘KEEPIN’ IT WEIRD’ NEWS

By |

Dateline: October 30, 2020

You’re in the right place

for a mix of stories you just won’t find 

anywhere else…

“Here’s to the allure of the obscure!”

October 2020 Newsletter

We’re not expecting too many trick ‘r treaters this year. Oh well.

In this issue: 

1. New Books Page

2. Free Books

3. Butterfly Effect

4. Featured Guest

1. New Books Page

Take a look at my refreshed ‘Books by GK Jurrens’ page on this site. I call the new banner photo on that page (from my personal archives) , “Room with a View.” Go see for yourself why that is a grand metaphor, especially coming from an at-risk guy who has been staying indoors for most of the last year.

I’d be honored if you’d check out my handiwork here.

‘Tis the season to grab a new book, a mug of your favorite coffee or cocoa, cozy up to the fire under your favorite blanket, and prepare to be amazed by worlds other than your own.

2. Free Books

Speaking of books, You’ll see a synopsis of each of my three latest labors of love on that same New Books page.

Two years in the making, the plan is to publish my Mayhem paranormal science fiction trilogy before Christmas, and I’m so excited to offer free advance review copies (prior to publication) to anyone who will commit to writing a brief review of each book prior to their publication date of December 15th. Just shoot me an email at gjurrens@yahoo.com with the subject line “ARC.”

This is how I plan to cap off 2020 before we move on to 2020 hindsight. No, this is not how an author is supposed to launch three new books, but what the heck! So help me out over here!

If you’re of a mind to top off your year of living dangerously engaged in an entertaining read and by writing a paragraph or three of your impressions of one or more of these epic tales (before 12/15), this starving artist would be forever grateful. You will be among the first to read this as a trilogy! If you’d like to just do one or two books, that’s fine too.

Maybe you could imagine hiking down through sub-basements and tunnels to reach “The Digs”
in Mayhem: Underground…

Full Disclosure: Underground is an extensively enhanced edition of Beneath the Mayhem that now flows into the all-new Mean Streets and the epic Post Earth. Each book also stands well on its own, and you’ll see many of the same characters in more than one book. But together? An epic tale.

The mind, human or otherwise, astounds us beyond even our most compelling imagined reality–on ANY timeline.

“A science fiction story for our time.” – Early beta reader

Are you curious what sort of world Earth has become in the latter half of the twenty-second century?

Much has changed, but people remain the same. Well, most of them. Some still lust for power and influence, but most remain filled with hope, joy, despair, generosity, and a desire for redemption. Even in impossible circumstances.

And for whatever reason, some offer the world something more. Much more.

NOTE: If you’re not already on my ARC (Advance Review Copy) team and wish to get a copy of these as ebooks FREE & to keep with the understanding you’ll send me a review after you’ve finished reading one or more of them (before December 15th), shoot me an email at gkjurrens@yahoo.com with the subject line “ARC,” and I’ll send you three publication-ready books for your review. Thanks in advance. I hope to entertain you.

3. Butterfly Effect

Within the pages of Mean Streets, our heroes must influence three obscure events that impact future history in a monumental way. A seer chooses these events from within his prognostications and challenges three of his acolytes to carry out his quests. Some call such events “linchpins” or the “domino effect.” I was inspired from a personal experience.

This phenomenon may also be characterized as the “butterfly effect.” For example, a butterfly takes flight in Africa and sets off a chain reaction of events that leads us to a completely unanticipated event or future consequence on the other side of the world via a ripple effect. Upon reflection, you might find amusing one such effect in my recent experience.

I enlisted in the US Coast Guard in 1969 in Minneapolis based on an idea that came to me while living in San Francisco. That event led me to a brutal nose dive into an empty porcelain bathtub in 2020 at home here in Florida a month ago. My reward? A cracked rib and a subdural hematoma. Say what?

  • 1969: A butterfly… While living in San Francisco, I was drafted into the Army but chose instead to enlist in the US Coast Guard “back home” in Minnesota,
  • 1972: Ice Op = Injured my back during a rescue mission on a frozen Lake Huron (read the short story of that mission here if interested),
  • 2014: Back surgery resulting in neuropathy (numbness in my left foot),
  • 2019: Neuropathy worsened with age and arthritis (yay!),
  • 2020: I tripped over rug in the dark with my numb bare left foot resulting in a painful swan dive into an empty bath tub! (I’m okay now).
Obviously, I jest…

So the moral of this story seems obvious, doesn’t it? Do not enlist in US Coast Guard Search & Rescue as that will cause a geriatric injury half a century later!

4. Featured Guest

Meet Josef Lederhaas (posthumously), a penniless immigrant who I am proud to celebrate as a friend, even after he has fallen. I regret not capturing a photo of my friend before his passing many years ago. He wasn’t much for that sort of thing.

I’ll share a brief story with you. Joe Lederhaas commanded a Naval missile destroyer during the Viet Nam war and brought high honor to the uniform in the service of his adopted nation.

A Naval missile destroyer from the Viet Nam War era.

Born in Austria, he immigrated to the US as a young man, unable to speak a single word of English. He became a naturalized US citizen just so he could become an officer in the US Navy, learned the language and gained entrance into the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland by pursuing an American politician to sponsor him. He lost many friends and acquaintances during the Viet Nam War, as did some of us, and other wars since. But under his command, his ship also saved the lives of countless Naval aviators.

The nickname for the fleet of ships called missile destroyers–swift and deadly, but they lacked heavy armament for protecting themselves.

One day, Captain Joe asked me as a fellow vet if I was registered in the VA (Veteran’s Affairs) system. At the time I had not bothered and told him so. After all, my IBM healthcare insurance provided all I needed back then.

Now understand that Joe stood an imposing six-foot-four, and his use of a cane notwithstanding, when he stared you down with those intense blue eyes and with a set to his block-and-slab chin and jaw, you listened.

USN Captain Joe Lederhaas

Suddenly, in Joe’s sterling command-and-control voice he boomed (we were in an elevator at the time), “Gene, you do your fallen brothers and sisters who fought and made the ultimate sacrifice for your rights as a veteran a disservice if you do not exercise those rights. Is that your intention?”

Well, it took me almost two years to get classified as a disabled veteran, but I made it happen after that compelling elevator speech. Because, as Captain Joe stated so eloquently, it was the right thing to do.

The same is true for casting our ballots. Many have sacrificed to earn this privilege for each of us, this fundamental touchstone of our beloved democracy. So vote. Please.

Allow me to offer the likely unnecessary reminder to vote ASAP if you haven’t already done so. Almost seventy million Americans have already done so (early)… record numbers in the election of a lifetime. This is how we celebrate our democracy! Joe would be proud.

I’ve heard some say, “What’s the point of voting? A single vote doesn’t matter.” Or, “I don’t like either candidate, so I’m not voting.” Or, “I’m just gonna vote for a write-in as a matter of principle.”

Kay and I were registered to vote by mail (absentee ballots) here in Florida, a key battleground state. We received our ballots, read the instructions carefully, marked the ballots, placed them in the enclosed “secrecy sleeve,” inserted all into the included envelope, and signed the outside of the envelope over the seal as instructed. Then, just to be safe, we dropped our ballots off at the Lee County Supervisor of Elections. Painless. For us.

Please note: It is now too late to mail in your ballot, so fill it in and drop it off or vote in person! Wear a mask, maybe gloves if you’re at risk. Please.

Not to be too weird about it, but we old folks are no longer the major demographic in this country. Young people are the biggest voting block. So if you’re under twenty-five, pass the word! Listen to the lovely Keke Palmer and “Actually Vote!” Either way, I’m looking forward to a drop in my blood pressure, y’all !

To celebrate our votes and life in general, we’re venturing out for a rare weekend away from our COVID bunker in the RV.

Besides exercising the bus’s equipment, we’re taking our dance lesson DVDs with us to learn (again) the salsa, rhumba, and maybe an evening waltz. Not much room in the living room of the motorhome, but enough. Other than that, we’ll just eat, nap and love. Maybe watch an old black and white Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) movie on Sunday morning.

Stay safe and stay well if you can possibly manage both. Are you looking forward to 2020 hindsight too? 

Every day is to be treasured, y’all. Namaste, and…

Adieu, my friends. 

With pen in hand, 

Gene

Why Are We Here?

Why Are We Here?

By |

Aspiring authors…

You’re in the right place. You read too, right?

Sorry ’bout the mess… Usually, when we see construction underway, we anticipate something new and exciting… and useful, even utilitarian.

So yes, exciting changes are coming your way, including this new website dedicated exclusively to compelling writing and a potpourri of independent publishing wisdom.

This means two things for which you’ll want to return so I can show my gratitude by showering you with a few surprises: 

  1. A total redesign of my GKJurrens.com website for us avid readers of fiction and nonfiction, including reviews of my favorite books these days written by famous and not-yet-famous authors (like me). After all, what serious author doesn’t make time to read for inspiration? Some of what I will offer you on that site will surprise you. I will also include my own offerings, of course, including announcements of new releases before they’re published. Now let me ask you this… Do you dare flex your mind–the most important muscle in your body? 
  2. And for all you aspiring authors, come hang out here with other authors in this new community I call UpLife Press (this site). Why UpLife? Because we’re turning our focus to embrace a fresh new direction: upgrades to life! After all, why should we treat our computers, our cars, or our houses better than our own bodies and minds? Especially our own minds? So in a Writer’s Blog, I’ll share my new book ideas with you here, publishing knowledge, and how I’m approaching the necessary drudgery of market research (it doesn’t have to be) with the twin objectives of not only writing our passion, but passionately writing what sells. Think healthy candy for the brain! Then wander back over to GKJurrens.com to see how one author (me) translates those ideas into his (my) published reality.

Hang onto your britches, kids. We are in for an exhilarating ride together! 

My name is GK Jurrens. I am an author and publisher of contemporary thrillers and science fiction.

I’m also a poet, an avid reader, and a starry-eyed dreamer of all things possible.

When called for, I also love to teach writing and independent publishing (authorpreneurship). Helping other writers yields almost as much joy for me as watching my own words flow magically onto the page.

So if you’re looking for a shortcut to some of my archived articles on solid writing and publishing tips, click here.

Or navigate to my current Writing & Publishing blog on this site here.

I publish a daily newsletter on writing good fiction in which I highlight the work of others, including book reviews, eclectic videos and book trailers. If you like the sound of that, click here.

And finally, if you’re daring enough to check out my own books, click here.

      Dream big. Set goals. Take action. Reading and writing are like life… the journey is the destination.

I am a researcher by training which means I love to learn and share new insights. My books are fun to read, but may also contain a few pearls of wisdom. You judge.

When you read one of my books I wish you to consider a little different perspective when you set the book down than when you picked it up.

Do you want a good example of that? Take a look at my debut thriller. “Dangerous Dreams” is just such a diversionary tale that illustrates how human frailty and heroism can lead to personal redemption that shapes our sometimes-scary reality in a hopeful way.
Slipping the Draft

Slipping the Draft

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While I am not a huge race fan, I am shameless about snagging a decent metaphor wherever one can be found.

There is a concept in NASCAR called “drafting.” This happens when one car follows another very closely to benefit from the lead car’s wind shadow. Plus, the second car gets sucked along in the lead car’s draft, resulting in better fuel mileage so important in a long race. 

An associated concept is important when the second car “slips the draft,” or steers sideways to escape the leader’s draft. Can’t win if you don’t pass; however, when slipping the draft, fuel mileage plummets when facing the full force of the headwind without the leader’s protection. It is usually worth it, though, IF you’re in possession of certain resources such as power, skill, and an iron will to cross the finish line first. 

So what about the writing thing?

Unwittingly, I just surpassed 100,000 words in my latest writing project, a thriller entitled, “Fractured Dreams,” my most ambitious novel to date. It is both a sequel to my debut novel, “Dangerous Dreams” and a prequel to my second, “UpLife, Reality 2.0.” Neat trick, huh? Such a feat is not without a cornucopia of writing challenges! 

Enter the metaphor…

When I realized I could write these two nested stories forever but wanted to finish this book, I thought I might start “slipping the draft.” Time to enter serious editorial mode, which means I’m:

  • Deciding how to narrow my storyline to fit within one book, leaving room for additional stories in the series of books to come,
  • Rearranging scenes and chapters to make overall sense of one story (the prequel of my second novel that takes thirty years in the future) as it weaves its way through another (the sequel to my debut novel that happens in the present day),
  • Recovering from the inevitable timeline discontinuities and plot hole issues, using devices such as flashbacks, flash forwards, dream sequences (carefully!), and character maps!

So why this metaphor in this article? No, I haven’t gone daft (draft having lost its ‘r’). The term “draft” in a literary sense, as you writers already know, refers to less-polished versions of our manuscripts before we publish them.

We associate the word rough–ironically, since a rough draft is usually easiest to throw out there—with a very early version of our writing when we’re more concerned with just puking out the initial story line, time line, character and setting sketches, heroes, villains, and their relationships, and myriad other dimension to erasing the blankness of the page.

Maybe we started out with a one-paragraph premise and a bunch of what-if questions, or an outline. Maybe we even jotted down one or more working (temporary) titles. And we most certainly tried to keep tension and conflict in mind as we scratched out scenes that pit our heroes and villains against each other. Maybe we tortured, maimed, married, or killed off a few characters in the offing.

When do we combine scenes into chapters? That will probably happen later when we revise our manuscript into a “first draft.” This is where we transition from puking out a rough draft to something that more closely approximates a still-too-vague-but-readable manuscript, end-to-end. Maybe not yet?

Each of us punish ourselves with our own unique style and workflow. I’m describing mine. But they all share a common emotion… anguish. Maybe doubt too. 

Later, sometimes much later, once a drafted manuscript has a chance to marinate in its own juices, we might produce a “final draft.” Some authors solicit feedback from collaborators. Others wait until a more alleged perfection can be achieved. I say alleged since this perfection fantasy is why so many manuscripts never escape the author’s hard drive. Because no manuscript is ever perfect, whatever that means. 

I promise I haven’t forgotten my feeble metaphor. 

So at some point, the time comes for all these scenes and chapters to make more sense with each other to a reader, hopefully all your readers. While I wouldn’t consider my  current project’s draft final yet—holes still exist, and I realize I need more detail in settings, as well as to tell less and show more—I need to slip my drafts, accelerate toward my final draft, and pretend I’m serious as Hell about thrusting this manuscript a quantum leap closer to completion. 

That time is today.

This requires courage and a sustained iron will. I’m overcoming doubt that this piecemeal collection of hundreds of scenes will EVER become a cohesive story that folks will want to read more than spending time on so many other interesting diversions life offers.

I’m getting a handle on the need to edit stuff out. The thought of deleting scenes, much less entire chapters, is hardest for me, because as every writer knows, every single word we commit to paper or screen is precious and necessary. Every serious writer knows that is unadulterated bullshit. 

Daunting headwinds threaten to slow my progress now that I’ve slipped my draft, but I can’t snag the checkered flag for my victory lap without facing those headwinds.

I put my faith in reality as I see it. Doesn’t everyone?

Even though I may question whether I can achieve this lofty goal, I must trust my resources, such as they are—knowledge, skill, desire, and willingness to accept criticism once I get closer to the finish, closer to “The End.” 

I’m confident in my strong BEGINNING (a compelling ‘hook,’ inciting event, key event, a couple of respectable plot points)

And an even stronger END (some surprising plot twists with a few pinch points, an engaging extended climax, and a strong resolution for both major story lines).

In fact, these to are so strong, they are magically closing in on my MIDDLE (where hero transforms from a runner to a chaser, love interests blossom, and the villains start to get their asses handed to them on fancy-ass platters) to offer readers two entertaining tales in one book.

Whew! Now I just need to slip the draft long enough to ensure the entire manuscript is engaging, plausible, and fun.

I can do this!

With pen in hand… Gene

P.S. Watch for “Fractured Dreams,” available late 2019.

I am never so happy as when I am writing. That’s when I am.

Books by GK Jurrens available on Amazon:

Look for the sequel to “Dangerous Dreams” and the prequel to “UpLife – Reality 2.0” entitled “Fractured Dreams.” Available late 2019.

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