Great Feedback and Fond Remembrance

November 1, 2010

Since my last posting, I have gotten enough feedback to know that there are several trends among readers of Condemned to Freedom. I think I can share some of them without giving away any of the elements of the mystery.

First the good: Readers have been enjoying the mystery itself--so far, no one has said they solved it, but all have agreed that the clues were there for them to do so; they just didn't grasp their relevance at the time. In discussions with reading clubs, while many have enjoyed the mystery elements, the majority of discussion has centered on the problems teachers and teen face in schools today. Many have enjoyed batting around the moral dilemmas and professional issues the characters encounter, and it's nice to hear that readers feel I let them make up their own minds rather than preach to them. Teachers have pointed out the authenticity and real-time feel the book has. All have been particularly interested in discussing and debating what choice the protagonist makes in the end. On a lighter note, some readers have picked up on the games I played with characters' names, but it's usually with only one or two of the characters.

Now the bad: Some readers feel that I used some vocabulary that was too complex and deep (one termed them "uptown words") especially in the early chapters. On a related note, some felt that the first several chapters were difficult, but once they got into the school subplot, the story moved at a fast pace. This may explain why I had such difficulty with agents. Agents generally read only the first ten to fifty pages and judge the whole book based on that. Interesting. I will have to remember that for the sequel. And I promise not to send you running for the dictionary!

I'd like to end this entry with a fond remembrance of my father-in-law, Pete Syrylo, who passed away six years ago today. Pete was an Army veteran of World War II, survived the D-Day invasion, and then came home to build the good life in DuBois PA with his sweetheart, Virginia. Together, they had three daughters, to whom he gave love, security, and an example of what a husband, father, friend, and citizen ought to be. Pete, we love you and miss you.

Take care until next time. John

September is Flying

September 20, 2010

Hey out there. Sorry it's been so long since my last post, which was about 4,000 hits ago. (I hope it wasn't one person coming back 4,000 times, looking in vain for a new post!)

Lots has happened in the past month.

First the good: Actually great, the Lebanon Daily News posted a very positive review and profile on me that prompted a jump in sales. More important, I have heard from so many people I had lost contact with, all wanting to read Condemned to Freedom. So that's kind of a double plus, you know? Also, educators who have read the book are giving it high marks for authenticity.

Now the bad news, well, something that started as bad news, but turned out to be a lesson to me (how often that happens) and ended kind of amazingly:

Two weeks ago, a friend named Carolyn passed away unexpectedly. She was the sister of my sister-in-law, Theresa, and I had just had the pleasure of her company for an entire Sunday about one month prior to her death. Now, many of you don't know my background, but back when I was in high school, Carolyn's and Theresa's parents, Ralph and Eleanor, took me into their home twice, for long periods, when I had nowhere else to go. They had already raised six kids, so you'd think they would've had their fill by then, but this wonderful family treated me like a son, and their own son, Pat, has always been like a brother to me.

You might ask, why do I bring this up, and what lesson is there is in this? Well, the Ralph's and Eleanor's descendants comprise a very large and close-knit family that is spread across the country. Every summer, they have a reunion that draws over 100 relatives, no matter what part of the country it is held. They have a bond unlike any I have known--certainly the opposite of my own fractured and dysfunctional family.

When Carolyn died, shock ran through the family; the grief was palpable. John, Carolyn's husband, was devastated. That Saturday, St. Benedict's, a large Catholic church, was full; the first six rows alone were taken up by family who had traveled from the far reaches of North America to attend. And afterward, police had to help manage the traffic as the funeral procession traversed the two-mile route to the cemetery. All for Carolyn: wife, mother of four (Greg, Cathy, Barbara, and Marilyn), Eucharistic minister and church volunteer extraordinaire, and volunteer who had made the Girl Scouts a cause for forty years.

I was honored to spend that day with the family, whose members gathered afterward at Carolyn's house for refreshments and fond remembrance. Soon, the atmosphere changed from acknowledgement of the grim reality of death to the celebration of Carolyn's life, as the family pulled together and pulled each other up. The sheer synergy of a hundred loving souls drawn together brought a strength and spirit that was awesome to behold.

Around 6:30 in the evening, with the sunlight slanting out of the west, someone glanced up and said, "Would you look at that?" Soon, all eyes turned to the sky directly above us. There, among the wispy stratus clouds, was a rainbow. You have to understand, there had been no rain within a hundred miles. And this rainbow did not arc to a horizon; it just sat there like a smiley face, beaming down on us. Cathy broke into tears and said she had been hoping for a sign that her Mom was all right, and she just got it. The whole family got it. And I got it.

Writer's Blues

8/13/10 - Friday the 13th and it's raining. How appropriate on the last day before my daughter has to leave for grad school. No time for moping of melancholy, though. In fact, it is precisely on days like this that I have to kick myself in the butt and move in a positive direction. Yes, I will miss my little girl, but she is embarking on an exciting adventure, and I should be excited for her, not sad for myself. Onward and upward.

And while we're looking forward, I want to respond to those of you who have e-mailed and written, asking if there will be a sequel to Condemned to Freedom. I have moved about 30,000 words in that direction, although sometimes it seems as though I'm working backwards--last year at this time, I had 40,000 words toward the sequel. I like to think I'm tightening up the work.

That's what I like to think, and it is true to an extent. But another part of the truth is that I haven't written in a couple months, and I also like to think I had several good excuses for not writing: There was Laura's graduation from Hamilton College in May, our van breaking down on the way home, helping Laura get ready and take off for an archaeological dig in Spain, Ethan's Little League season, the family's vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Little League All-Stars and two home run derbies, Brian's computer screen breaking and the adventure of getting that fixed without having to take out a second mortgage, shopping for a new car, remodeling our kitchen, helping Brian with his decision on a college major, bringing Laura home from Spain and helping her get ready for grad school, and remodeling our bathroom.

OK, are you buying it? Let me tell you this, the sequel has some of your favorite characters returning. It also has several new characters to torment Randori: an old custodian is given to malaprops and mystery, a powerful new school board member who wants to turn the district upside down, an egotistical state senator, and a dynamic new school district administrator. So, nine days from now, on Sunday August 22, all of my summer responsibilities and distractions will be gone, and I will once again be tapping away at the keys.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. I hope you are having as much fun as I am. --John

Burning by ...

Monday July 19, 2010 - Location: Hell!

Anyone who questions the reality of global warming should have spent the last month in Central PA. Oy-freakin'-vey, as my great friend Sandy Paul might say. I look out the window and think, my, how nice it looks, and then I go out and I'm hit with a a wave like Bilbo Baggins must have felt when old Smaug scorched his little hobbit butt.

I went to the track last Friday (I have to go to the track anymore; I need a soft surface and my knees don't like surprises, like rabbit holes and sharp stones) and was all set to move my body for an hour. Just as I was finishing up, an old friend joined me and asked me to walk with him. At the time, it was 1:00 in the afternoon, 94 degrees, but with the humidity it was pushing three digits. So, naturally, I said, "Sure!" with a broad grin that only an over-the-hill jock can muster when he doesn't want to show any sign of weakness. Forty-five minutes later, I was thinking, You know, enough with this whole 'death before dishonor' thing! In all, I went over six miles, lost 5 pounds of fluids, and when I started getting goose bumps, I had another thought: What an odd thing: I wonder if I'm dying.

So, here I am today, considering doing the same thing all over again. But then again, I'm safe here in my air-conditioned living room. I'm sure that if I stepped outside and caught a blast of that old dragon's breath I'd change my mind right quick. We'll see.

4th of July: Free as the Breeze

We had a high of 94 degrees today, and it took a welcome breeze to save me as I toiled over our new, old-fashioned charcoal grill (a little more work, but the flavor of charcoal grilled food can't be beat). It wasn't the new grill that thrilled me today, though. At first, it was just the sensual pleasure, feeling the light buffeting on my face and arms.

But then I looked across to my neighbor's home and saw his American flag flowing proudly, unfurled almost straight out in that breeze. And on this July 4th, I was reminded that it was people like my neighbor Bernie, my father-in-law Pete, and my father Vince--all World War II veterans--and my dear friend Paul Demcoe, a Vietnam vet who died way too young, and the thousands of other men and women who fought in the heat and the cold, in the rain and the snow, on all terrains and in the most adverse conditions.

All that sacrifice, just so we can feel free as the breeze.

Accuracy in Academia

Whenever I think about the journey I'm taking with Condemned to Freedom, I am humbled by the support I've been getting from unexpected places. Mal Kline is the Executive Director of the Washington, DC blog "Accuracy in Academia" www.academia.org/ and 35 years ago, in another life, I was his guidance counselor and football coach. Mal is bright and erudite--and he is a true, by-damn William F. Buckley Conservative. We always got along very well, but our political views ... there was a respectful but obvious chasm between them, and he was always 100 per cent honest in both his agreement and disagreement with my views and values.

After Mal graduated, our paths diverged and I lost track of him. Then, through the magic of Facebook and the recent publication of my book, and there was Mal, as always honest but supportive, ready to give his unvarnished opinion of Condemned. I think it's fair to say that I was a little nervous when he was reading the book. After all, his critique would be read by thousands, if not tens of thousands, and some heavy hitters both inside and outside the Beltway would see the judgment of this well-respected blogger on the little murder mystery by an unknown author.

Well, today he published his critique, and it was overwhelmingly positive. As soon as I can figure out how to do it, I will include it on my site, but meanwhile, check it out yourself on today's edition on his website.

Cultural References

For those of you who have read, or are reading, Condemned to Freedom, I placed quite a few cultural references in the book. Start with the names of the characters, but you can move on to others, minute and trivial, that provided me with a little diversion as I wrote. Another is the name of a hospital that appears. More hints to come. Enjoy!