The paperback edition is now available with beautiful gray-scale page backgrounds and images. Yes, I had fun formatting this book for you!
Synopsis:
Follow my evolution from frightened child to (relatively) enlightened senior, with select key moments in between, as I pushed the limits of what is possible, hopeless, useless, desirable, ethical, affordable, even legal, or something else. On land, sea, and in the air!
As a high-tech multinational business executive, I proved a kid raised on the wrong side of the tracks from the corn fields of Minnesota can spar with heavy hitters in the inner sanctum of a global corporation and survive, if not thrive.
And as an itinerant vagabond in retirement, I also proved that “All who wander are not lost,” but also, “Every battle plan is perfect… until the first shot is fired.”
Now an author of 21 published titles comprising 15 full-length novels spanning five genres, a book of poetry & essays, four audiobooks, three of which I narrated and produced, at age 77 I still cling to the delusional self-image of a relatively fit young man of higher-than-average intelligence who still has much to accomplish. This old dude ain’t all that smart, but I refuse to quit. Ever.
I describe this memoir as “a literary-based archeological dig into my life in search of artifacts that lend their value and insight to the present, and to the future. For me, and perhaps for you.” Fancy, huh?
With pretense now a distant mirage in my rearview mirror, I offer you honest and often embarrassing anecdotes from my past that uncover a true rebel without a clue who confronts his own weaknesses to prevail in series of refreshing tales who takes chances and wins more than he loses.
I hope to finish recording, producing, and publishing its audiobook edition by late summer. Here’s a pre-publication audio sample:
But what about actual content, you ask? After several acquaintances suggested I’ve led a rather provocative life, I decided to write this edgy memoir—a select set of life-influencing pivotal moments surrounding the book’s theme in the title—brought to you in a carefully curated set of short stories—critical moments in time—only because I was an ordinary guy repeatedly thrust into some rather extraordinary circumstances, many downright dangerous.
Some, if not all of these stories are sure to entertain you. You say you’re not into memoirs? How about a memoir written by a veteran novelist? Here’s a sneak peek:
My early teen years had been passing me by in a fog of mediocrity. Although it all came back into focus once in a while for a few standout moments. Though I was physically invincible, I still craved acceptance. Then, invincibility almost killed me and my friends.
I can’t vouch for every detail of this near-death experience—one of many—but it’s close. Yes, the three of us had been drinking. No, we weren’t of legal age at 16. New to driving, our buddy, Rod (not my brother), piloted an old Mercury. Or was it a Chevy? No matter. It sure sounded like a fast car with a big-ass V8 and a four-on-the-column shifter. I recall each of us craving a need for speed, though none of us said that out loud. More of an unscratchable but persistent itch. I can’t even tell you where we’d been earlier that night or how we scored the booze.
We careened through Silver Lake Park. Rod drove as if possessed by feral abandon. But me on the passenger side, and my friend Bill in the middle of the front seat? Not really, though we’d never allow such cowardice to surface. A vortex of wind noise swirled around us through the rolled-down windows. The summer evening intoxicated us, along with the beer and whiskey we’d been swilling. Bill hollered over the thunderous roar of the big engine. “Boy, this thing sure has a lot of power!”
He and I both clutched the metal dash with white-knuckled grips, already hurtling through the darkness. Not sure what we were expecting, other than naked fear knowing our buddy Crazy Rod. He growled, “Ain’t nothin’. Watch this.” He downshifted with violent abruptness milliseconds before stomping on the gas pedal to challenge a tight curve around the old Isaac Walton League cabin. I don’t think we careened up onto less than four wheels, but it had to have been close, at least within the expanse of my fertile imagination six decades later. Neither do I remember if that car was equipped with seat belts. Even if it was, we weren’t wearing them. Another potential act of cowardice.
I drank in delicious first-hand terror with my two intoxicated neighborhood buddies—slow-motion trauma—of decelerating from somewhere on the high side of 55 MPH to a dead stop in less than a second or two. This experience felt similar to a few other pivotal life-or-death moments in my teenage years and beyond—this wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last. None of us should have survived that night, but we did. After all, we were invincible.
Time didn’t quite stop. That was the surreal illusion that engulfed me. Whatever this phenomenon is called, I’d experienced it before when a lady T-boned me on my motorcycle with her car’s front bumper several months earlier. She’d blown through a stop sign at speed on West Center Street. I saw it coming in full slo-mo, and with intense curiosity, observed the sequence, powerless to twist fate toward my favor. It’s a beautiful thing, this cosmically choreographed ballet—foreplay to a violent embrace. But the pain and blood and many weeks of rehab? Not so much. Fortunately, I healed quickly in my youth.
I forget a lot, but the seconds leading up to that almost lethal event with two of my besties 60 years ago? I will never forget that cinematic frame-by-frame phenomenon. The front of Rod’s heavy sedan folded around that massive tree trunk that remains scarred to this day. The car’s ass-end left the ground. Just a touch of vertical deceleration—and a whole lot of horizontal—followed.
Then, a warm curtain of blood descended into my eyes a few seconds after I snapped back from planting my nose on the dash and the top of my skull into the windshield that both gravity and I had just shattered. Part of it, anyway.
Nor will I ever forget the strong sense that I was part of something unique and special—proof of my immortality, and more importantly, of belonging. We sat there stunned, listening to the background soundtrack of hissing and crackling and the ticking of cooling metal. We bled together, a fraternity of adolescent desperadoes.
Most of all, that night of invincibility meant camaraderie. Did that mean I was a danger junkie? Surely not. Or was that what it must be like to bond with others in combat? I hadn’t a clue. Not back then. As I recall, after the initial shock, I think we coughed up a little laugh, a sneer into the Grim Reaper’s shadowy leer. Or maybe a nervous chuckle at the ridiculous proposition that we had all survived. Or most likely, simply a veneer of false bravado instead of crying like babies in front of each other.
Now, I’m not saying I sought to re-experience that euphoria again and again. But thirteen motorcycle accidents, plus “totaling”my mom’s 1962 Buick Le Sabre while under the influence of some damn fine weed, all before the age of eighteen? And I’m still alive to regale you with these idiotic tales? Evidence suggests I was invincible, immortal, an exception to the professed frailty of man. Especially as a hormone-inflated teenager. Or I was just damn lucky!
You’ll think I’m crazy! Maybe I am. But don’t tell my blushing bride!
ALL of my books are FREE the entire month of July on Smashwords
(eBook editions)!
Keep reading, and I’ll show you how to score your own copies of all eleven books….
In this issue:
New Novel News (of course)
Reminder: Hot New Adventure Coming in Four Weeks
Time for a Memoir?
Travel & New State of Residence?
Audiobooks Next?
Crazy Book Sale (is it a sale when they’re FREE?)
Whenever we visit the home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, also our home town, we take care of as much of our medical business as possible. At our age, that takes some time and attention.
We’ve been enjoying family and friends while here in Rochester, Minnesota, as we are blessed to do so for a while almost every summer. We do love this part of the country… in the summer!
1. New Novel Progress
Well, what do you expect? I’m an author. I write books. If I’m not producing new books, I’m not bringing home the bacon. Interesting turn of phrase for a vegan, right?
In my last newsletter, I mentioned the second book in my Literati Mystery series, “Secret Swords,” and that I was toying with a different title: “Dancing With Death.” I asked for feedback. Some said, “The new title is much better, but not the series name. The word, ‘Literati’ doesn’t sing to me.”
Hey, you speak, I listen. This series is now “Aubrey Greigh Mysteries.” Unless I receive more feedback to the contrary, here’s what I envision for this new book (coming Fall 2023). Let me know any further thoughts, please. I even re-issued a new edition of Voodoo Vendettawith an updated cover for consistency.
2. Reminder: A Hot New Outdoor Adventure Coming In Four Weeks….
Lethal Game is the first book in our new Sam Travis Adventure series. Get yours in just four weeks!
This first Sam Travis Adventure is available for PREORDER NOW!
That means that you can buy it today at a reduced pre-publication price of $3.99 (USD) and Amazon will deliver its Kindle edition to any or all of your smart devices automatically on August 1st.
I am thrilled at the reaction from early readers/critics of this engaging and sometimes humorous adventure tale based on the real-life law enforcement experiences of my new friend, Lieutenant Tom Kasprzak (retired) from the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Has he got stories!
Tom “LT” Kasprzak, the real-world version of Sam Travis.
New news: LT and I are already working on the second Sam Travis Adventure. We envision the title to be Lethal Trail. I have no draft artwork of the cover to share with you yet, but we’re excited about the book’s premise (look for it before Christmas, with a little luck):
Something is happening in Sam Travis’s backyard, but with no clue as to what that might be. Yet.
Since 1974, thirteen people have disappeared while hiking or camping on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail—called the AT by locals and hikers. Some of these fell prey to foul play. Several hikers have disappeared within the previous year alone, and three of those were last heard from on the ninety miles of the trail that passes through the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts.
Then, a fourteen-year-old girl is kidnapped, beaten and abused. She turns up on her own, bruised and bloody, after hiking down one of Sam’s mountains to a parking lot near the Massachusetts stretch of the AT.
Sam has a reputation for finding people—alive or dead—and for wilderness tracking. In other words, a recovery expert. He’s called in to consult with the Massachusetts State Police and the FBI. It is critical they find where the girl was held. Amnesia is blocking her memory.
Similar cases in four other states on or near the AT lead authorities to suspect some or all might be connected. But the kidnapped girl who was left for dead is the only victim found alive. She is the key to tracking and apprehending one or more serial rapists, or more likely serial killers who seem to be on a multi-state spree. And they are escalating.
Sam and his team are called in to work with the girl, and to participate in three searches spanning a period of two months and three states. The trick is to distinguish those hikers who disappeared because they succumbed to weather, disorientation, malnutrition, exposure, dehydration, wildlife attacks, OR from victims of foul play. That is challenging if no body is found after someone is reported missing, often weeks or months later.
But then a hiker is discovered in a shallow grave. His belongings are missing, and there is evidence of sharp force trauma—he was stabbed. A homicide is declared. These investigations now take a different turn with a sense of urgency. Travis and his unusual team are called in once more.
End-to-end, the AT reaches 2,193 miles. It takes at least three months to “through hike” from northern Georgia to Maine, though most folks take longer than that. More than three million people hike a portion of the trail each year. Almost a thousand through-hikers walk its entire wilderness length annually.
Changes in elevation are equivalent to Mt. Everest’s sixteen times over. It’s been called the most dangerous and longest hiking trail in the world.
Injuries and fatalities occur, but the intentional human-on-human disappearances? That’s where Sam, his quirky team of trackers, informants, and investigators help solve those crimes and catch the criminals—a juicy, and sometimes comedic recipe for adventure and intrigue.
3. Time for a Memoir?
A friend who is a New York Times best-selling author once told me, “Geno, you’re never gonna make any of the best-seller lists if you keep hopping genres. You write historical crime fiction, fictional autobiographies (fictional memoirs?), murder mysteries, now outdoor adventures, and you dabble in futuristic paranormal romantic mysteries. Plus, some non-fiction…. What the hell?”
I told him, “I don’t care. I write what’s in my heart.” He didn’t say it, but I could feel his thoughts bludgeoning me: “Oh, you’re one of those!” He strictly writes for commercial success, and I’m very happy for him.
So, he tossed me a challenge: “Okay, smart guy, I challenge you to write a really solid book that nobody will buy!” Game on. I wrote a book of poetry for people who hate poetry (The Poetic Detective). And it’s selling! Not a lot. But that’s okay.
Now, why not write a (non-fiction) memoir targeting readers who hate memoirs? “They” can’t stop me! In truth, who cares? Well, I’m hoping you will. How’s this for a working title: “Confessions of a Pathological Believer –In Science, Superstition, and Emotional Addiction.”
Am I crazy? I hope so! Most good authors are. Confessionsshould be an interesting read when I get around to finishing the damn thing. I’m hoping it will be available by mid-2024.
4. Travel & New State of Residence?
We’re hanging out here in Southeast Minnesota for another six weeks or so. Then, we’re off to the Black Hills of South Dakota (we love that area). But this time, we also plan to establish South Dakota as our state of domicile.
Now that we don’t plan to spend much time in Florida anymore (we’ll miss our friends, but not hurricanes!), we need a new official state of residence. What to do?
Of course, it’ll be important to choose the right plate for RV & toad (towed vehicle). Honestly, we don’t care.
This means we’ll officially become SD residents from a legal perspective. Why? Like Florida, no state income tax. Unlike Florida, however, where we’d have to physically reside for six months of every year (no longer our plan), we only have to be in-state once every five years (to renew our drivers’ license)!
We’ll register our RV and cars there (then, we can get new plates by mail each year), and register to vote (they honor absentee ballots, and the mail forwarding service we’ll use (Dakota Post) forwards absentee ballots, unlike our other service in Florida.
Yup, SD is by far THE friendliest state in the union for full-time RVers like us. Gotta think differently lacking a real estate address nowadays.
5. Audiobook Editions?
I’m finally returning to creating audiobook editions of my manuscripts. As a DIY project, this is an aggressive undertaking. So much to learn. But I enjoy that.
Why create audiobook editions? I’ve asked so many folks, “Do you read books?” only to hear “Only ‘Books on Tape'” from some. Of course, they mean audiobooks. That means I’m missing a market. Like the old lottery player’s motto, “You can’t win if you don’t play.”
Being a control freak, and a cheap one at that, I can’t justify paying a professional voice artist four figures to narrate each of my books. Plus, many of the folks who enjoy audiobooks have said they prefer listening to an author narrating their own work.
I promise that producing and performing one’s own audiobooks is not for the faint of heart. At least three reasons:
A good deal of technology (hardware) and technical (software/audio) knowledge must be mastered to avoid rejection by audiobook distribution channels,
Requires an investment in hardware (an ultra-quiet “recording booth,” a quality microphone, an interface between the mike and my computer) and software (a digital audio workstation, a.k.a. DAW),
New skills must be mastered that most might take for granted – that of a voice-over artist.
To the first point, audio computer file requirements and what each contains are exacting. I won’t bore you with the details.
Second, eliminating echoes, outside and ambient room noises require soundproofing a space within which to record (a “booth”). My Behringer phantom-powered pro microphone is crazy sensitive. I need that to record quality sound.
Plus, the DAW I use (recording studio software) must be able to record precise acoustical results and analyze them to ensure I don’t flunk #1 above without spending hundreds of dollars per hour renting studio time. Plus, did I mention I live in a bus?
And third, I am humbled by what it takes to effectively narrate a quality audiobook. I had no idea! Narrators don’t just “read the book aloud” as someone records their voice. They perform the book! Huge difference!
The heart of the matter: a Behringer Pro-1 twin large diaphragm condenser XLR “mike.” I chose to use a foam “pop” shield that slips over the head of the mike (not shown in this image).
Note the sophisticated soundproofing (wink) comprising pillows, bedspreads, etc.
To the left of the mike’s enclosure, note my 8-channel Yamaha mixing “board” that controls the mike’s sound level before it reaches the computer = a MacBook Pro to the right with a solid state 1 TB (big enough) “drive” = no noisy fan).
With the “board” I can also mix in music backing tracks or sound effects channels into the recording on the computer, but most audiobook distributors frown on getting that fancy.
The board also contains an interface that converts analog (mike) signals to digital (computer) signals.
So the mike is connected to the board, and the board is connected to the computer. Simple, but effective. The computer runs the recording software. I’m using a program called GarageBand right now, but am thinking of upgrading to a more professional DAW called Logic Pro (also an Apple product). SMOM (Small Matter of Money).
All this hardware packs into a waterproof Pelican (performance) case when we roll down the big slab.
You audiophiles will get a kick outa this. Elegant, huh?
As a practical matter, the foam pop guard you see fit over the mike’s head seemed as effective as the fancy anechoic chamber that I simply use as a mike stand in this photo.
I found standing as I “perform” gave me a fuller voice and performance range. The DAW enables me to eliminate most ambient noises, and should get me close to the exacting audio standards required by audiobook distributors like Audible, Findaway Voices, etc.
Note the mike itself is mounted in a suspension mount to isolate it from unwanted micro vibrations, and the whole affair sits atop a foam kingsize mattress (further sophisticated anti-vibration, noise-deadening measures).
I’d prefer even more soft surface areas to absorb unwanted noise bouncing, but one does what one must (like set my mike/stand atop Kay’s juicer box!).
To my ear, the results sound quite good. And FAR cheaper than renting professional studio time!
This is a screen shot of my current DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), if this sort of thing appeals to you. It’s called GarageBand and runs on my MacBook Pro.
While it works very well, it may not be up to the job of meeting the precise technical requirements of audio distributors(I can’t easily analyze my recorded tracks to confirm)
Logic Pro is a serious professional upgrade to GarageBand, also an Apple product, and one of the most popular professional DAWs in the industry.
Much more than I need, and not free like GarageBand, but more efficient. Since it uses the same sophisticated audio engine and similar interface, that should minimize my learning curve (gulp!).
I’m still researching before spending $200, but next time you listen to an audiobook, you’ll appreciate more what its production encompassed.
Soooo, if you’re interested, I thought I’d share with you an audio draft of one chapter fromVoodoo Vendetta(chapter 8). I have yet to scrub it for technical requirements, and while I never like the recorded sound of my own voice, I’m told that listeners just have to “not hate it.” We’ll see, right? If you have an opinion after listening to this 5-minute clip, shoot me an email at gjurrens@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance:
Listen to Chapter 8 of Voodoo Vendetta (not in context – sample of sound quality & performance):
6. Crazy Book Sale – They’re ALL FREE IN JULY!
Yup, that ain’t just hype. My entire set of eleven published works (so far) are free the entire month of July–all eBook editions on Smashwords, that is (an Amazon alternative).
Here’s how to score my entire collection at no cost:
Sign into smashwords.com or sign up for a new account (it’s free)
Search for “jurrens” at the top of the window
Click on “buy” for any or all of my books.
Don’t forget to scroll down to see all eleven books
Checkout
Choose payment method
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Proceed to checkout
Easy. All I ask in return is a paragraph or three in reaction to each book you read (even if you don't finish it). Send your thoughts to gjurrens@yahoo.com. Tell me what you enjoyed or hated. Either way, I'll be grateful.
So, until next time…
Let’s roll!
Gene
Smilin’ in “the studio” (inside the motorhome)!
I just had to snap this pic outside the gym this AM. What’s your favorite? I couldn’t pick just one! Did you notice the rusty bumper hitch receiver center bottom? It IS Minnesota, after all !No serious author can deny the truth of it… just try and stop me, though. Weird science.
