Roanoke Rocks! (and a new podcast...?!)
- andrewjhallman
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Roanoke, Virginia is my summer destination
After a great month of reuniting and reconnecting with family and friends--starting in Miami, then Hilton Head, and finally in Lancaster & Philadelphia--I've made my way to lovely Roanoke, Virginia, nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very psyched to explore this town and the mountains surrounding it--which so far have proven every bit as fantastic for hiking as I'd hoped.
Yesterday I finished editing DIG TWO GRAVES. I'm still planning on sending this to a professional copy editor, to see how that goes, and to see if that is merited. (I began my career as a proofreader, so it pains me to do this, but I want to see if it's helpful/necessary.) I'm self-publishing DTG and THIS ACCURSED BLADE, which I'm going to be editing in the coming weeks, and so I want the final "product" to feel professional.
Here's the current blurb for DTG:
“If I was after revenge, best believe you’d have to dig more than two graves.”
Von Martin walks out of prison after four years with nothing but the clothes on his back and a check for $50 from the State of Florida. His ex-wife has moved on with his former best friend. His daughter doesn’t recognize him. His old boss pretends he doesn’t exist.
Everyone keeps telling him he needs to go through proper channels, follow the rules, earn his way back. But Von knows the truth—respect isn’t something you beg for.
What starts as reclaiming his dignity becomes a blood-soaked reckoning through the sultry darkness of Southwest Florida. Von’s twisted sense of justice will destroy everyone in his path, including himself. Because some men would rather burn the world down than be disrespected.
A brutally funny, cynically violent, blisteringly sunburnt polaroid of the American id unleashed. You’ll hate yourself for rooting for Von Martin.
Whaddaya think? Would you read this? (Even if it doesn't sound like your sort of novel, does the blurb strike you as effective?) Hit me up, let me know! Still plenty of time for tweaking and... modulating.
The Second Chapter: a new podcast
When I was 13 (or so) I took a summer continuing/adult ed Creative Writing class at Franklin & Marshall College, in Lancaster, PA. That was where I met Wendy--we were the kids in the class. Not long after, we were both at McCaskey High School--she finished first in the class, I finished second. (Not mad or anything.)
Nearly 40 years later, we reconnected, and discovered that we are both still writing away, and had even published novels in the interim. Of course, she had published four to my two. (Again--not mad!)
Anyway, we began corresponding over email, sharing travails & tribulations, and it occurred to me that if we instead met up over zoom and recorded our calls, there might be others in our situation--mid-life, mid-career, mid-list--who could benefit from the lessons that we are learning, in real time.
Welcome to... The Second Chapter: Writing, Editing, Pitching & Publishing
(and Marketing--there's going to be a lot about marketing. And Branding. Need to rethink that subtitle.)
Links:
Ep 3, on Marketing & Advertising: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Y8KwSzI0ZclPY0bOHJ10E?si=5phAgC-XSke048IbGP3xgw
Ep 2, on the Perils & Pitfalls of Self-Publishing:
Ep 1, on Mid-Life meets Mid-List:
If you're at all interested in the process that gets you from writing to publishing, check it out!
Wendy's great--her books are here: https://amzn.to/3ToNeMB
Comentarios