tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393944421383017602024-03-13T22:38:50.074-07:00Morning Storm BooksThe Official Website of Russell DavisRussell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-5552399167951746682017-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:002017-02-21T14:05:42.685-08:00The Official Website of Russell DavisCongratulations!<br />
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Either on purpose, or more likely, on accident, you have stumbled into the official website for author, screenwriter, editor, and college professor, Russell Davis.<br />
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If you're looking for that Dr. Who guy, keep searching. Google will find him somewhere.<br />
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This website is updated on a very irregular basis - mostly when I feel like doing it - though career announcements, such as new book deals, will appear here as needed.<br />
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Otherwise, if you want to get in touch, go to the <a href="http://www.morningstormbooks.com/p/contact.html" target="_blank">CONTACT</a> page, and follow the simple instructions located there for reaching me.<br />
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Feel free to take a look around, and I wish you an excellent journey online - and on the page, be it as a reader, writer, or both.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
Russell DavisRussell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-43827762353937137842017-01-06T19:40:00.000-08:002017-01-06T22:36:57.509-08:00Final Reminder: End of All Seasons, Other TitlesThis is a final reminder that the following titles will be going out of print on January 15th!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/End-All-Seasons-Russell-Davis-ebook/dp/B00C5W1MN0" target="_blank">THE END OF ALL SEASONS</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waltzing-Dead-Russell-Davis-ebook/dp/B005BT6YN2" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waltzing-Dead-Russell-Davis-ebook/dp/B005BT6YN2" target="_blank">WALTZING WITH THE DEAD</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Touchless-Russell-Davis-ebook/dp/B004QZ9OU2" target="_blank">TOUCHLESS</a></div>
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All editions - print and ebook - will no longer be available after that date, so if you haven't gotten a copy yet, now is definitely the time. As always, reviews are much appreciated.</div>
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And, if you haven't picked up my newest novel yet, it's called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank">MURDER INK</a>, and that one you really should pick up, read, and review. It's a fine story, made even better by my co-author Laurie Moore. Even <i>Library Journal </i>says it's good, calling it, a "refreshingly different take on the police procedural..." and adding, "The plot is handled deftly, and Dakota is a compelling protagonist...." </div>
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So, get one, get two, or get 'em all, because the first three are going away and the last one...well, let's be honest, I need the support!</div>
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Read on,</div>
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Russell</div>
Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-42250062961767596332016-12-27T09:25:00.003-08:002016-12-27T09:25:58.129-08:00Favorite Novel 2016 Edition: Silver on the Road by Laura Anne GilmanEach year, I try to read between 100 and 150 books - and usually end up somewhere between those two points. I rarely review a book, and I never post about books I didn't care for - there's little point to an author essentially saying to another author, "Hey, your book sucked and here's why." Not nice, right? And while I read a number of books this past year that I really enjoyed, picking my favorite of 2016 was actually pretty easy.<br />
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It's almost always a book that leaves me wanting more, waiting for the next one in the series (if it's part of one), and silently urging the author to write faster, damn it.<br />
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So, for 2016, my favorite novel is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Road-Devils-West-Book-ebook/dp/B00TBKYJRA" target="_blank">SILVER ON THE ROAD by Laura Anne Gilman</a>. (<span style="color: #181818;">Full disclosure: I've known Laura Anne for many years, and consider her a friend.)</span><span style="color: #181818;"> </span>I'm going to steal the short blurb from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">On her sixteenth birthday, Isobel makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and makes sure they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel the circuitous road through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is power and chaos…and death.</span></i></span><div>
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<span style="color: #181818;">Laura Anne's writing just gets better and better. She conveys story and character with grace, power, and originality in a way that makes me just a little bit jealous. The next book in the series, THE COLD EYE, is due out in just a couple of weeks, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. I love westerns, love fantasy, and this one combines them in a way that no one else is doing. If you haven't read it, check it out - this one will knock your socks off.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;">What did you read this past year that you really loved? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;">Read on,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;">Russell</span></div>
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Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-81050365962510063042016-12-22T14:49:00.000-08:002016-12-22T14:51:36.908-08:00Holiday Book Buying and Going out of Print<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the holiday season
heads into its final days, aren't you thinking about last minuted gifts or
stocking stuffers? Of course you are! And what better gift than a book?</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">On January 15th</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, my two
collections, THE END OF ALL SEASONS (free on Kindle Unlimited and only $2.99 otherwise
in ebook form) and WALTZING WITH THE DEAD ($2.99 in ebook format) as well as my short SF
novel TOUCHLESS ($2.99
in ebook format) will all be going out of print. You can find all my books on </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Russell-Davis/e/B004FW42CG" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Amazon at my author page</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All three are also available
in trade paperback, and if you want, I'll even send you a signed bookplate - just <a href="http://www.morningstormbooks.com/p/contact.html" target="_blank">CONTACT ME</a> with an address, and if you want it personalized, and I'll send it along at no cost to you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you already have all these titles, then may I suggest you pick up my newest novel, co-written with the <i>amazing </i>Laurie Moore? It's called MURDER INK, and Library Journal said it was "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">a refreshingly different take on the police procedural... The plot is handled deftly, and Dakota is a compelling protagonist who has worked hard to overcome her troubled past." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you and your entire family have a marvelous holiday season!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Read on,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Russell Davis</span></div>
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Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-61086419806171860272016-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:002016-10-02T11:06:07.252-07:00MURDER INK - BOMBING DAY 2<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUIXEtQP0R0/V_FJ_lMAZsI/AAAAAAAAAVI/vW7xV541pT8CtSCoEk_v5qpo_B8Y0IayACK4B/s1600/Murder%2BInk%2BCover%2BSmall.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUIXEtQP0R0/V_FJ_lMAZsI/AAAAAAAAAVI/vW7xV541pT8CtSCoEk_v5qpo_B8Y0IayACK4B/s320/Murder%2BInk%2BCover%2BSmall.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
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Our second day of promotion for the new novel continues, but then we promise to stop for at least a couple of days!</div>
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<i>Murder Ink</i>, the new thriller from Laurie Moore and Russell Davis, is now available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-ink-laurie-moore/1124459160?ean=9781941408759" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and other retail outlets. Library Journal said, "... a refreshingly different take on the police procedural... The plot is handled deftly and Dakota is a compelling protagonist..." </div>
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<span style="color: #4b4f56; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today, we need your help to get the word out to as many people as possible. Please POST or SHARE links to the book on your Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as any other social media platforms you belong to. It's great when you give us a "like," and it does help, but unique posts and shares with tags (on Facebook) and new tweets/retweets help more people see the book. As many of you know, getting a new book notice is genuinely challenging these days. Help us get Dakota Jones, P.I. off to a great start!</span></div>
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If you haven't already ordered your copy, it's available in ebook, trade paperback, and even hardcover - so get your copy today and <i>be sure to leave us a review</i>! If you do, you can send us a message, and we'll send you a signed bookplate.</div>
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Thanks,</div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=521859629" href="https://www.facebook.com/laurie.moore.mysteries" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Laurie Moore</a> & <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1399659900" href="https://www.facebook.com/rdaviswriter" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Russell Davis</a></span></div>
Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-7653462700737812332016-10-01T10:15:00.004-07:002016-10-01T10:18:45.179-07:00MURDER INK - RELEASE DAY BOOK BOMB<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank"><img alt=" Murder Ink" border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kgzj6sw-f3k/V-_ukFHVNLI/AAAAAAAAAUw/OmTAb68DpbEV-vxD4kNM7EJQC6VElDPawCK4B/s320/Murder%2BInk%2BCover%2BSmall.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank">Murder Ink</a>, the new thriller from Laurie Moore and Russell Davis, is now available at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-ink-lauri%E2%80%A6/1124459160" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and other retail outlets. Library Journal said, "... a refreshingly different take on the police procedural... The plot is handled deftly and Dakota is a compelling protagonist..." We also made the <a href="http://www.washingtonblade.com/2016/09/16/fall-arts-2016-looking-good-book/" target="_blank">Washington Blade's FALL ARTS 2016 "Looking for a Good Book"</a> column!</div>
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Today, we're asking for <i>your help to get the word out</i> to as many people as possible. Please post links to your Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as any <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">other social media platforms you belong to, and help us get Dakota Jones, P.I. off to a great start!</span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">Oh, and if you haven't already ordered your copy, it's available in ebook, trade paperback, and even hardcover - so get your copy today and be sure to leave us a review! Thanks, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=521859629" href="https://www.facebook.com/laurie.moore.mysteries" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Laurie Moore</a> &<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1399659900" href="https://www.facebook.com/rdaviswriter" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Russell Davis</a></span></div>
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Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-4544824919969850192016-09-29T18:39:00.003-07:002016-09-29T18:39:34.134-07:00MURDER INK - Library Journal Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first trade review for my newest release, MURDER INK, is from Library Journal. While the text hasn't made its way to Amazon yet, it is up on Barnes & Noble, so I'll share it in full here:</div>
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<span style="font-family: PTSans, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Years ago, Dakota Jones worked as an escort but then won the lottery and reinvented herself. She now helms Runaway Investigations, which specializes in tracking down missing teenagers and patients with Alzheimer's. She shares a lovely home with girlfriend Kris Carson, a homicide investigator for the Phoenix PD. When Dakota's former boss at the escort service is murdered in a highly ritualized manner, Kris and Dakota's relationship takes a hit because Kris hates being reminded of Dakota's previous work. While Kris and colleague Hamilton Stark investigate what appears to be a killer targeting escorts, Dakota looks for a missing teen. The two cases collide in an explosion of gunfire and arson. In <b><i>a refreshingly different take on the police procedural</i></b>, the narrative alternates between Kris and Dakota's efforts to live a normal life and the parallel investigations. <i><b>The plot is handled deftly, and Dakota is a compelling protagonist who has worked hard to overcome her troubled past.</b></i> <b><i>VERDICT Add this to the growing pantheon of titles starring lesbian detectives</i></b>, including Katherine V. Forrest's Kate Delafield and Claire McNab's Carol Ashton, Kylie Kendall, and Denise Cleever." - Library Journal, 10/1/16</span></div>
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The added emphasis is mine, of course. If you haven't already done so, you can pre-order the book in <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-ink-laurie-moore/1124459160?ean=9781941408742" target="_blank">paperback or hardcover on Barnes & Noble</a>, and on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Ink-Dakota-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01L03LO1O" target="_blank">Kindle at Amazon</a>. And don't forget, we're hoping to get a full-scale book bomb going on October 1-2!</div>
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Read on, write on,</div>
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Russell</div>
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Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-12093270537275770462016-09-23T20:14:00.000-07:002016-09-23T20:14:14.797-07:00The New Novel, MURDER INK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long time coming. A very long time.<br />
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I originally came up with the basic idea for this novel all the way back in 2004. And I knew right away that when I finished the outline, I wanted <a href="http://www.lauriemooremysteries.com/" target="_blank">Laurie Moore</a> to write it with me. I think we started on it in 2005 and finished sometime in 2006 - it was a long time ago, so forgive my somewhat hazy memory. And we sent it out and... kersplat! Nothing. I think people were a little afraid of it, to be honest.<br />
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But here we are, and in just over a week, our first book in the <i>Dakota Jones</i>, <i>P.I. </i>series will be live and real. If it goes well, we'll probably write another one. If not, well, at least we eventually got it published. And that wouldn't have happened without the kindness of <a href="http://davidniallwilson.com/" target="_blank">David Niall Wilson</a>, the Publisher at <a href="https://crossroadpress.com/" target="_blank">Crossroads Press</a>. I know we're both grateful for everything he's done to help us bring Dakota Jones to life.<br />
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Here's the cover copy, should you care to read it:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Dakota Jones, nouveau riche owner of Runaway Investigations, expects a quiet Thanksgiving with her girlfriend, Kris Carson, a homicide investigator with the Phoenix Police Department. But Kris gets called in to work, spoiling their long-awaited day together. Celia St. Claire, the madam of Fantasy Escorts, Unlimited—a high-dollar escort service—was found murdered and her body posed at a grisly scene, and Kris’s police partner, Hamilton Stark is asking for Kris’s assistance with the investigation. It looks like someone had a grudge to settle with Celia until another fantasy escort is found murdered a few days later. Then a third fantasy escort is found dead, and a pattern begins to emerge in the clues from each victim—henna tattoos, with lyrics from popular songs, and missing locks of hair. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Dakota, who once worked as a fantasy escort for Celia, wants the murders solved but Kris, who’s glad Dakota left her old life, wants her to stay out of the investigation and distance herself, despite phone calls from the remaining escorts who are begging for Dakota’s help. Jealousy between Hamilton and Dakota for Kris’s time and affection erupts as the two detectives work the pattern killer cases; after all, Kris once had a meaningless fling with Hamilton and it’s getting in the way again. Then grizzled stranger Travis Creeley—one of Dakota’s former fantasy clients?—appears in town looking for his daughter while Dakota searches for a missing teenaged neighbor, a wealthy member of the Goth culture and aspiring henna tattoo artist. </i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Could the teenager be involved, or know who’s responsible for the murders? Hindered by local politics, Kris and Hamilton must accept Dakota’s help as they work parallel investigations in order to stop the murders and find justice for the victims now that Kris and Dakota find themselves targets of a frightening pattern-killer.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span>
We're hoping for a strong launch and preliminary signs are good, but we could really use your help. I'm looking for anyone who's willing to be part of an online book bomb this coming Sunday and Monday, October 2-3. What's a book bomb? Easy - help us get the word out. Post about the book on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc., during those days, and if you're feeling generous, order a copy and (this is important, thanks to Amazon's algorithms) leave us a review when you've read it. We're also happy to do interviews (blog, radio, television, etc.) as well as live chats, and just about anything else you can think of, bearing in mind that Laurie lives in Texas and I'm in Florida.<br />
<br />
I'll be posting more on this over the next week, but in the meantime, if you're willing to help out, please contact me - send a message via Facebook or an email to writer(at)morningstormbooks.com.<br />
<br />
As always, write on - and read on!<br />
<br />RussellRussell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-17883924441260772712015-04-29T13:36:00.000-07:002015-05-14T09:32:38.708-07:00I Am Not My Legs<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The following is the text of
a reading I gave on the campus of
Western State Colorado University.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I AM NOT MY
LEGS</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am not my legs. When I use a cane,
a wheelchair, a scooter, when my legs fail with no warning, and I get the
opportunity to contemplate the sudden, alarming closeness of the tile floor in
the kitchen or the ragged gravel of my driveway, that’s the phrase that keeps
running through my mind: I am not my legs. It’s a mantra that reeks of
desperation, but it’s the one that works for me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Of course, what I’m really telling
myself is that I am not my disease, that I’m not – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">won’t </i>– be defined by it. It’s part of me, part of my story, but
it’s one color, not the whole painting. And believe it or not, much of what I
feel and think about my disease has to do with what I believe it means to be a
writer, a novelist, a poet. What it means to be a storyteller. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let’s start with some history. In
2005, a year before my youngest son was born, I was diagnosed with primary
progressive multiple sclerosis. Unlike the more common form of MS, which is
called relapsing-remitting, my disease does not and will not remit. It will not
relent. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin sheath of nerves,
breaking it down much like stripping the plastic covering off a piece of wire. My
MRI that year showed three small lesions in my brain. My MRI this year, ten
years later, showed multiple lesions, including an active one about the size of
a large marble. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I’m one of the lucky ones. My
symptoms began, we think, in about 1999, but it wasn’t until 2003 that they got
bad enough for me to seek medical help. It took two years to get a diagnosis
and another year after that to get to what’s called a plateau – my disease
continued, but the symptoms were under control enough that I was able to rebuild
some of the muscle atrophy and leg function. This is an illusion. Muscle power
overcoming the nervous system on the micro level, but on the macro level, the
big picture is undeniable: the damage to my brain, each and every lesion, is
permanent. And the reality of my disease is simple: there is no treatment and
no cure. The only things I can do are take medications for the symptoms and
throw Hail Mary passes involving chiropractic care, acupuncture, diet
modifications, and nutrition supplements – all in the hopes of buying the one
thing we all want: more time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Here are some basics. Ten years have
passed since I was diagnosed. 80% of people with primary progressive MS are
dead within 20 years of diagnosis. 90% are dead by age 65. Death often comes in
the form of pneumonia – immobility is a perfect breeding ground for illness,
and so its victims die, sick and drowning, unable to move, often blind, unable
to speak. Not pretty, right? And seriously, how much money would you bet on an 80/20
or 90/10 shot? I wanted to die with a headline obituary that read: Eaten by
Dragons, Killed While Saving Entire World from the Forces of Darkness, or (my
favorite) Came and Went at the Same Time While Bedding 23-Year-Old Twin Playboy
Bunnies. Statistically speaking, my end is far more likely to be much less
grand, far less pleasant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But I am not my legs, not my disease,
and I’m not a data point in a set of statistics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">From 2006 until 2015, I didn’t go
back to the neurologist. If denial is not just a river in Egypt, it’s safe to
say I was hip deep and wading deeper. I took the medications to control my
symptoms, and as those symptoms got slowly worse, I ignored them. I blamed them
on getting older or other injuries from a misspent youth. I blamed them on bad
days, which is a sort of mental gymnastics that people with MS do all the time.
When I repeatedly fell in the grocery store or couldn’t control the tremors in
my hands, when my kids noticed that I struggled with the accelerator pedal of
the car, or I simply made excuses not to go somewhere, I blamed it all on other
things. I couldn’t be getting worse, right? After all, it had only been… well,
it had only been. Time blindsides us all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A few months ago, I moved to a new
primary care provider who said she’d take me on under the condition that I went
to a neurologist again. I agreed because I knew what the neurologist would do
and say. She’d do an exam, run some tests, and tell me everything I already
knew: no treatment, no cure, symptom management, and she’d do all this for the
low, low price of thousands of dollars. But what the hell, right? I hadn’t been
in a long time and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perhaps </i>I was
overdue. So I went.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And the first thing she said was,
“What in the blue hell were you thinking waiting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">years </i>to see a neurologist again?!” My reply was what I just said,
to which she replied, “And how can anyone help you as your disease progresses
if no one sees you?” I shrugged. “I’m holding the line.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Except I wasn’t holding the line. I’m
not holding the line. There is no line. The line is completely fucking
imaginary. MS is a personal disease, its course individual, and in the case of
the primary progressive form… it is as inexorable as the tides. Her exam
revealed symptoms I didn’t even know I had (like this special one: I can’t
close my eyes and touch my nose, which means random DUI stops will mean deep
trouble). That I have muscle atrophy in all of my extremities. That my reflex
responses are reduced or – in the case of my left arm – pretty much gone. All
that and more <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> she sent me for
the MRI. Now you know why I didn’t go until someone made me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And what’s all this got to do with
writing? With being a storyteller? Almost everything. You see, I fundamentally believe
we’re all storytellers. The fact that I’m standing up here tonight, sharing my
work, doesn’t eliminate the fact the every single of one of you, whether you
call yourself a writer or not, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>a
storyteller. <b><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Scientists
look for dark matter, for what binds the universe together, and I say that when
it comes to human beings of any and every shape, size, and kind, they are
looking in the wrong place. It is story that is the invisible matter that binds
us all together.</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our daily lives are based on story,
and over time, we come to share common stories across a wide spectrum of human
diversity and experience. Don’t believe me? Let’s test it out. I’ll sing a
couple of lines from a song and if you know the song or the next line, raise
your hand: “I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright / I don't want
you to tell me it's time to come home.” See what I mean? That Billy Joel song
first appeared in 1978. There are probably people in this room who don’t
remember 1978, maybe weren’t even born in 1978, and yet there’s a song – a
story song – most of us share. How about this one, “I got sunshine, on a cloudy
day…” The Temptations, 1965. It’s not just those specific songs, either, since
I could probably find one from every year dating back longer than anyone in
this room has been alive and we’d get the same results.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let me offer a bit more bit of proof
before I tie all this together in one of those neat little writerly bows. If
you recognize any of the following quotations, raise your hand, and please keep
it raised. If you hear more than one you recognize, raise them both and keep
them up:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“The
more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the
more places you’ll go.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“So,
they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on
the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his
Bear will always be playing.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Call
me Ishmael.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“It
is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good
fortune, must be in want of a wife.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“It
was a pleasure to burn.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">"Tomorrow,
I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another
day."</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">"As you
from crimes would pardoned be,</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Let your indulgence set me
free."</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Into the valley
of Death / Rode the six hundred.”</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Once upon a
midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary.”</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“But I have
promises to keep / And miles to go before I sleep.”</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Do not go
gentle into that good night.”</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">How many people do we have? Everyone? Good. It only took a dozen examples,
first lines, last lines, famous lines from a children’s book, a novel or a bit
of a poem to bring us all together. To prove we are all sharing in the stories
of our world and ultimately our lives – because our lives are the source, the
well from which all the songs, poems, and stories are drawn.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Look around you. Do it right now. You probably don’t know everybody in
the room, at least not well, but yet all of you share story in some way or
another. Your politics, religion, sexual preference, gender identity,
ethnicity, class, place in the bureaucracy, spot on the hierarchical flow chart
or lack thereof… all of it fades before the power of story. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was once asked what he
would do if he was told he only had six months to live. He replied, “Type
faster.” That’s pretty good advice, whether you have ten days or ten years or a
hundred. Every day, every minute, every experience adds to the well that you
can draw from.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So, here’s what I know: I started publishing professionally, which is to
say, someone paid me a professional rate for my writing (not copies of a
magazine no one’s ever heard of) in 1995. That was a mere twenty years ago. It
was early in my first marriage and my eldest daughter, who’s in college now,
hadn’t even been born yet. In that time period, I’ve written and sold more than
thirty novels, thirty-six short stories, published a chapbook collection of
poetry, two collections of short fiction, edited more than a dozen anthology
titles, and edited (in all seriousness) hundreds of novels. I’ve contributed,
in my own way, to this idea I have that we’re all storytellers, that we’re all
sharing our stories in our own way. Not bad for twenty years, but here’s the
thing that sometimes keeps me awake at night as much as the muscle spasms in my
legs ever do: no one sitting in this room can probably quote one line from
anything I’ve written. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">That’s okay. Just because I wrote it and someone bought it and published
it, doesn’t mean it was any good, let alone quotable. But still… I ache for
that one. The one story or novel that will ensure that long after my time is up
– whenever it’s up – my kids will still be collecting royalty payments. You
know, until recently, we all believed that Harper Lee only wrote one novel and
has been living pretty well on it ever since. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I don’t want to be Harper Lee, or J.K. Rowling, or Stephen King. I still
want to be me – just with one crackerjack book or story that resonates so well
with people, it will be in print when my great-grandchildren are going to high
school. And if we are all bound together by story, isn’t the opposite of this our
shared fear that our story will not last, or perhaps worse: that we will
outlast our own story. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Now, here’s the thing – that writerly bow I promised you. I am not my
legs, I am not my symptoms. I am not my disease. And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> are not your legs, your eyes – no matter how sparkling, or your
smile – no matter how bright. If you struggle with an illness, that is not you.
You are not defined by your physicality or mobility or illness or health. You
are not defined by your wealth – or lack thereof. You are not your house, your
car, or your job. These are just colors. You are your story. Whatever it is,
for however long it may last, for whoever will listen. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Share it – with friends, family, children, grandchildren, strangers at
the coffee shop, people at the bar you find interesting or attractive or both,
colleagues and peers that you admire, and those that you strongly dislike as
well. Do this because we’ve already proven that the boundaries of story do not
exist. Write it down, talk it out, sing it if you like, but share it. Craft a
sculpture, which is a moment of a story frozen in time, paint a picture, which
is a window into a story, compose a song or a sonnet, keep journals for your
children, take pictures – but not selfies – because you will probably remember
your part of the story, anyway. No matter the form or the medium, find a way,
any way, to capture your story, and share it with someone, someday. Not because
you will be quotable later, not because you will be remembered globally or even
locally, but because the value of a story is in its sharing, in its power to
bring people together, across any and all boundaries, for even the briefest of
moments.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You are your story, and our world is made entirely of story. Stories
written out on paper or published in magazines and books. Stories read at
poetry readings with snapping fingers in place of clapping and berets that
should never be worn except by really cute girls with bohemian tattoos. Stories
revealed in songs on the radio or around the campfire. Stories shouted at the
cold stars or cried into the wet grass next to a headstone. Stories whispered
to small children at bedtime. Stories shared at the water fountain, in offices,
in hallways, in classrooms and boardrooms. Stories giggled in the dark of a
bedroom with a lover or a spouse. Stories of grand, fictional imagination or
the most common of events, of love and hate, happiness and sorrow, sex and
death. There is no subject, real or imagined, that cannot be encompassed by the
power of story. The medium of words is my way, but it doesn’t have to be your
way so long as you understand that finding the medium of your story and sharing
it is what matters.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So, we end where we began. I am not my legs. I am my story. There will
come a time, I know, that this body will fail me. Sooner rather than later. My
disease will raise the tides hurricane high and they will not recede and the
words of the stories I want to tell will elude me – or worse, the words will be
there, but I will not be able to get them out. And yes, should you wonder, I am
terrified of losing the precious gift of being able to tell <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> stories. But your gift<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>, most hopefully, will not. Story is not just my gift, but a
gift belonging to everyone sitting in this room, everyone you know… everyone
you don’t. You do not know how much time you have with this gift, but to ignore
it is a disservice to yourself, your family, your community, and ultimately,
your world. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And perhaps some of you are sitting there, wondering silently, “Why,
Russell, in the name of God would you share this depressing crap with us?” And
my answer is simple: it is my gentle reminder to all of you:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>type faster.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> are your story. Share it.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">© 2015, Russell
Davis. Please do not reprint this without express, written permission. Linking to
this blog post is, of course, fine.</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div>
Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-31515966974092922372013-05-19T19:54:00.001-07:002013-05-19T19:56:25.001-07:00Another Review & Random UpdatesJust spotted another review for my latest collection, THE END OF ALL SEASONS. This one is over on <a href="http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=14569" target="_blank">SFRevu</a>, and I think it's a pretty good one. It's hard to pick a pull quote here, so I'll just leave it up to you to click and read, if you so desire.<br />
<br />
The Brenda Novak Annual Online Auction to benefit Type 1 Diabetes is still going, with twelve (12) days left! I'm <a href="http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2885839" target="_blank">offering a complete manuscript evaluation</a>, plus a follow-up phone call, to the winning bidder. The last time I did this, which was for DO THE WRITE THING FOR NASHVILLE, the winning bid was $2100 - and frankly, this auction is way cooler because Nashville was going to rebuild no matter what, but without fundraising the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) is dead in the water. My son has Type 1 Diabetes and he wants his cure as soon as possible. Right now, the bid for my item is only at $145! Come on, folks, get over there and bid for an important cause.<br />
<br />
I wasn't able to attend the <a href="http://www.sfwa.org/" target="_blank">Nebula Awards</a> weekend, though it seems that everyone had a great time. I want to congratulate all the winners, and the nominees, and especially want to give a shout out to Gene Wolfe who was given his long overdue Grand Master. Wish I could've been there to see it all happen and more importantly, to catch up with old friends.<br />
<br />
I'm wrapping up the last Bolan novel over the next week, as well as finishing work on student theses, and then a brief lull for the second half of June, while I prep for the summer residency at Western State Colorado University. Once again, I have the first year students and I've completely reconfigured my summer course plans to add even more exciting levels of writerly torture. I'm also about two weeks into the new Vampires in Literature & Film course I developed for <a href="http://www.excelsior.edu/" target="_blank">Excelsior College</a> and it seems to be going pretty well so far.<br />
<br />
In other news, we had a very busy weekend here, as Sherri did her practicals for her new EMT license, and I got to take my ex-wife Monica to the urgent care for a bunch of stitches after our son Malachi hit a line drive baseball directly into her ear. See? There are times when hanging out with your ex-spouse can offer moments of high comedy.<br />
<br />
Next week, I will be guest blogging over at <a href="http://www.writeinthethick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Write in the Thick of Things</a>, so spread the word and consider stopping by there as I talk about the process of picking and choosing and why it matters so much to writers.<br />
<br />
Hope you and yours are all well and that spring has sprung - it's arrived here, but in fits and starts, so if I report snow tomorrow, don't be surprised.<br />
<br />
Write on!<br />
Russell <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-32376625925063452382013-04-22T11:35:00.000-07:002013-04-22T11:35:10.612-07:00ANOTHER POEM FOR DZHOKAR<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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bleeding the unready, the unaware, is easy</div>
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for you, the sniper, the assassin jogging away from the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ticking pressure cooker counting down to the screams</div>
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in a stress free life with your hat on backwards.</div>
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<br /></div>
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after the fact sorrow, sympathy, compassion is expected</div>
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for you, from some, fools who run from the razor reality of</div>
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burning shrapnel death and innocent amputated limbs</div>
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in a world tinted rose with shadow blinders on all sides.</div>
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<br /></div>
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once there would have been no ambulance, no trial
anticipated</div>
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for you, the murderer, would be hunted down and hung from
the</div>
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nearest sturdy tree to the applause of those left behind</div>
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in a country where excuses were whispers torn away in the
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<br /></div>
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driving over your brother, the police, the city of Boston</div>
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for you, the so-called victim, the lost one, hiding in a
boat bottom and</div>
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offering unheard promises to kill or wound again and again</div>
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in America where they took you to a hospital to save your
worthless life.</div>
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<br /></div>
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dying for the cause, this broken faith, is worth it</div>
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for you, for some, who translate difference as hate and sin</div>
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wishing for warmth from a cold cell or a colder hell</div>
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in a prison where all your promises will be broken.</div>
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<br /></div>
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* * * * *</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Want to make a donation? Go to <a href="https://onefundboston.org/" target="_blank">The One Fund</a> and help the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing or check out <a href="http://teespring.com/staystrongboston" target="_blank">Stay Strong Boston</a> and get a t-shirt, too!</div>
Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-1828604003135335312013-04-11T10:24:00.002-07:002013-04-11T10:24:52.991-07:00Collection Update & SharingSo, a pretty unique thing happened to me yesterday. I wrote a short essay that appeared on John Scalzi's blog, for a regular column he provides called "The Big Idea". You can <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/04/10/the-big-idea-russell-davis/" target="_blank">check it out here</a>, if you like, as it does give quite a bit of context for the new collection. I was a bit nervous about it, but the handful of folks that commented said nice things and (as usual) the cover received a lot of praise.<br />
<br />
I also wanted to push for help for David Farland's son Ben yesterday, which I did. And if you missed it, go forth to <a href="http://www.helpwolverton.com/" target="_blank">this website</a> and help out. David is a fine writer, and when the community pitches in to help each other, it's a pretty damn fine thing.<br />
<br />
But then, I sort of fell into the trap of watching the Amazon numbers for THE END OF ALL SEASONS. With the Kindle version being only $2.99, I figured the "Scalzi effect" (something I'll no doubt be blogging about in the future, would garner some sales. I also did a couple of Facebook posts, and saw the momentum thing really take off a bit. I almost <i>never </i>look at the sales numbers for my books, because so few of them are in my name. By the time one comes out, I've long since moved on to whatever it is I'm writing at the time. It was sort of fascinating, I admit, and I think a couple of people may even have bought the trade paperback version. <br />
<br />
As of writing this, THE END OF ALL SEASONS is in the top 25k of all paid books in the Kindle store, but even more cool (at least to me) are these numbers:<br />
<br />
#14 in Kindle Science Fiction Anthologies<br />
#22 in Kindle Fantasy Anthologies<br />
#53 in Books/Fantasy Anthologies<br />
<br />
As the evening progressed, I updated Facebook a couple of times, and asked people to share the link and help the momentum. A good number of people "liked" the link, but only a few shared. Just in case folks don't know, the reason for "sharing" the link instead of just liking it is the differential in our respective friends lists. You know people I don't, so if you share a link and say something about it, your friends are more likely to see it (understanding, of course, that Facebook has made it impossible now for everyone to see everything). If you just "like" a link, you and I see it, but your friends do not.<br />
<br />
Many of us share friends, of course. The spec fic community isn't so massive that there's not a lot of crossover. But still, I wonder... I have over 1000 friends on Facebook. If even half of them shared one of those Kindle links for my collection, what would happen? Well, it's fun to imagine, but I do want to suggest that supporting authors (yes, others, but me, too) is important and one of the ways you can do that is to <i>share</i> posted links about books as well as <i>liking</i> them, and to buy a copy for yourself if you can. Also, don't forget to leave a review on Amazon and other online websites, if you do get a copy. All of that builds momentum and sales, which ultimately means your favorite writers get to write even more.<br />
<br />
Next up for me, I will be blogging on the <a href="http://wscufiction.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Western State Colorado University MFA blog</a> on the subjects of outlining and writing backwards. I'm well overdue for an appearance there as <a href="http://www.brazenhussies.net/roessner/" target="_blank">Michaela Roessner</a> has been doing all the heavy lifting. I'll also be putting in an appearance on <a href="http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/category/journal/" target="_blank">Mary Robinette Kowal's blog</a> soon, for the regular feature she runs called "My Favorite Bit." And then back to here, where maybe I'll get around to blogging about something <i>other </i>than the collection... no promises, but I'll see what I can come up with.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-539394442138301760.post-69660916957246175332013-04-08T20:58:00.001-07:002013-04-08T20:58:05.801-07:00The First Review is InI just saw the <a href="http://www.dondammassa.com/R2B2013.htm" target="_blank">first review</a> of my new collection, THE END OF ALL SEASONS, and I'm happy to report that it was a good one! You can click on the link above for the full review (and you should visit the site anyway), or read it right here:<br />
<br />
<i>"Putting
this in fantasy is somewhat arbitrary since the stories collected here
range across several genres, including science fiction and even
westerns. I have a soft spot for westerns as that was the first genre I
ever read way back in prehistoric times. The stories, and a few poems,
are arranged by season of the year rather than genre or theme. There are
retellings of fairy tales, stories of technology and magic, stories of
the Old West and future. The science fiction - which is normally my
preferred genre - are actually my least favorites this time around.
Davis has a gift for short fantasy fiction - rare in my experience among
even the more competent fantasy novelists - and imbues most of his
stories with some genuine emotional content, also a rarity. If I had to
pick favorites, I'd mention "The Angel Chamber", "When I Look to the
Sky," and "The End of Summer". You'll enjoy this best if you forget
about worrying about genre and just look forward to some good fiction." - Don D'Ammassa, 4/8/13</i><br />
<br />
Now, if I can get through my appearance on John Scalzi's blog, <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/" target="_blank">Whatever</a>, for The Big Idea on Wednesday, maybe I'll be able to breathe again. A little. Oh wait, then I'm on Mary Robinette Kowal's <a href="http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> the next week. And somewhere in there, other folks will probably review it. That's it, then. I'm probably holding my breath for the next month...Russell Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17260815625536036120noreply@blogger.com0