I’m glad it’s summer or I think I’d never get to all of the things I’ve been trying to get to get to. At least some of that involves writing, so let’s talk about it.

Home Front Stuff

Heat becomes a bit of an issue in the summer. If you didn’t hear this from me before, I am not a hot-weather person. If I end up doing any type of chores outside, I do believe I’m going to save them for the morning if I’m going to do it if I don’t want to sweat to death. There’s days living in Iowa where I start thinking that Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iceland, or the Shetland Islands sounds like a good place to stay.

I also finally broke down and bought a new office chair. While my current desk and home office setup is pretty nice, my current chair is on the last legs of its usefulness. Over time, office chairs tend to wear out, especially the adjustable height ones. I didn’t realize that you could select office chairs on the basis of durability.

I’m a bit embarrassed I didn’t know about such things. I come from Muscatine, which happens to be the home and headquarters of the HON company, a very famous manufacturer of office furniture. I’ve used HON furniture during all phases of my professional life (journalism and teaching), and I’ve always rated their products.

While what I’ve bought is not HON, I’m looking forward to its arrival and putting it together. As a writer who needs a good writing space, you also need a good chair that works well for your posture and supports your back and spine. Unfortunately, I’m having to pay good mind to that issue more than I did as a younger man. Anyway, I’m looking forward to it.

What I’m Writing

Actually, a lot of the writing I’ve been putting out has been on my blogs. I’m happy with that.

In years past, whenever my word count for a particular week or month had a high percentage of writing on my blogs, it usually meant I had a slow week or month of writing. Back a couple of years ago, I might have some weeks where I’d manage to put out one blog post a week, where I would detail how many words I’d written and how much time I had spent on revising my work. I’d also talk a little bit about what I’d been busy with, what I was doing, and some other odds and ends.

I still post those weekly journals on my WordPress blog, Liegois Media. This is not because I think word counts and weekly reports are particularly traffic-worthy (which is why I don’t post them on Substack as well). Their purpose is to make myself publicly accountable for when I either am very productive or when I slack off.

It’s a lot more difficult to just ignore sitting on my butt and not writing anything when the numbers are there, staring at you, on the computer screen. It’s doubly more difficult to do so when you put those numbers out on the Internet for anyone to see and judge. There were times earlier in my life where I went weeks, months, and even years without writing anything connected to my day jobs as a journalist or educator, or as a student myself. By counting my words and seeing how productive I am over periods of time, I’ve been able to measure my work and my progress. If I go more than a day without writing or revising anything now, it’s an aberration. And last year, I had my most productive writing year on record.

So, I’m trying to keep up with the blog and everything else. As far as The Yank Striker Part 2 goes, I’ve begun toying with it and trying to figure out where to go with it. I have a brief outline for that next book and I’m ready to dig into it more. What I have in mind is I need to have the new book ready to go, all revised and proofread, by this same time in June 2024.

Whether I actually make it to that deadline is another matter. I’m going to be honest with everyone: this would be the shortest turnaround for a book I’ve ever had. The two books I’ve had published (and those I have not) have been the product of multiple years of thought, writing, revisions, and editing.

I can do this, however. I have the capability to write things pretty fast. I once wrote 50,000 words in a single month when I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)[1]. I’ve already put together 16,000 words in a rough draft. I just need to be ambitious and daring.

What I’ve Been Doing Having to do With Writing

Not much to mention here. I’m going to be running around to different places to promote The Yank Striker. I will have a post on Sunday detailing any updated appearances and book talks.

I’ll also be promoting those appearances on Substack Notes, Facebook, and Instagram. Hope you check me out at those locations, as well.

If you are not sure where my links are for not only my Facebook and Instagram pages, but my links for The Yank Striker, either go to my author’s page on Substack or the Link in Bio Page on my WordPress. You’ll find it all there.

What I’ve Been Reading/General Recommendations

There’s plenty of people I’d recommend you to read, but I’m hard up on time to get this done, so I’ll restrict myself to one recommendation.

Quadcities.com is a great website for information on the Quad Cities area (Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline, Ill.). Sean Leary is their director of digital media and a great columnist and writer in his own right. They were kind enough to publish the first media story on The Yank Striker to date.

The story is here, but I’d urge you to check out their other coverage of the Quad Cities, especially in the arts and entertainment arena. It’s good stuff.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week

The more I hear from Neil Gaiman, the more I get the impression writing’s not that easy for him.

Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.

---

This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.

Neil Gaiman

Final Thoughts

That’s it for this week. All you writers and creators, keep doing what you are doing, and everyone keep safe.

– 30 –

Footnotes:

1. The secret to accomplishing that? What you write doesn’t have to be good.

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. I will eventually be opening some special contests, offers, and first looks at original fiction, poems, and other items. Just click the button below.

This might be one of my shorter weekly newsletter posts, since I’ve written some supplemental posts just about that new book I’ve got coming out.

So, I’ll get on with the newsletter and keep the promoting to a minimum. Promise.

Home Front Stuff

Other than me being on the phone and emailing a good number of people, my first full week of summer vacation has been quietly uneventful, which I’m glad for. As I was already on vacation, my only bit of awareness of Memorial Day weekend approaching was the fact that I was trying to send out my queries to various locations and people before Friday was done, after which nobody would be checking their emails or messages for at least three days.

My wife pointed out to me that this will be the first time since at least 2001 that we have celebrated Memorial Day on our own. Both our son and daughter have their own school or work plans this weekend, which is not that much of a surprise considering they are now 22 and 21, respectively. Time flew for all of us, but I think I at least did appreciate having our kids with us when they were here. I’m just happy that they’re beginning their own journeys through life and finding some success.

What I’m Writing

Not that I’m going to bang on about word count here in detail (if you’re really interested in such things, check out my writing journals here), but I’ve not been too happy with my productivity over the past couple weeks. In years past, I might write less than 3,000 words a week and not be too upset about it, but now I look at that and think I’ve had an off week if I didn’t get above 4,000.

Now, however, I need to just kick butt and start writing stuff. I’ve started to sort through what I’ve put together already on my newest “pro” fiction project, The Yank Striker 2 (working title). I’ve pretty much put together how I want to structure the book, but I haven’t gotten around to actually adding more than a small amount to the manuscript. I have to get going on it if I want to be done with a rough draft by the end of the year, and have a finished product ready for next summer. That would be a fast turnaround time for me, but I want to try and see if I could put it together that fast. Since I’m dealing with a series, the books absolutely don’t have to be 100,000 words or even 80,000 words, so that is a plus.

Along with all of the above, I’m still interested in moving forward with a possible fantasy series, a memoir, and perhaps a poetry collection at some point. I’m very possibly messed up in the head, but at the very least, I don’t have any excuses anymore that I don’t have anything to write about. And that doesn’t even take into account the amount of writing I’m putting together for my blogs, which is probably the only reason why my word count numbers aren’t fully in the latrine.

What I’ve Been Doing Having to do With Writing

I decided to break down and and make some more use of Instagram, because I refuse to engage with Twitter for reasons I laid out before.

So, I decided to set up a new Instagram page dedicated to my writing and writing activities. I’m still attempting to get the hang of it. You can check it out here if you want a laugh.

I’m planning on making a bunch of personal appearances and book signings all through Iowa this summer and beyond. I just posted a new list of some of those appearances I’ve confirmed here; I’ll be updating that list on a regular basis.

As of this writing, I don’t have a final location set for the “official” book launch for The Yank Striker. I do know that I want it to be sometime either in late June or early July. You’ll hear about it on these pages first.

As for the rest of it… I’m continuing to update pages, etc. etc.

What I’ve Been Reading/General Recommendations

One good thing to read disregard all that because I haven’t had time to put a list of links together. I’ll try to do better next week. Or, maybe I should just restrict that to my Substack Notes? Let me know what you think.

Writing Quote of the Week

Needed some inspiration this week. I hope this will do it.

This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.

• Neil Gaiman

Final Thoughts

It feels like there’s a lot happening with me, the blogs, and everything else. There’s some exciting times ahead. See you next week.

– 30 –

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. I will eventually be opening some special contests, offers, and first looks at original fiction, poems, and other items. Just click the button below.

Things are hopping here over at my place. I’m officially on summer vacation and there is a bit of a to-do list for me coming up. And one of those things concerns you, my readers and subscribers. Let’s get into it.

Big Announcement

It’s coming.

I’ve now finalized my publishing contract with Biblio Publishing for my latest book, The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. It will soon be available for sale both in paperback and ebook format. And I cannot be more excited to share this story with the world. It’s a story that has been years in creation and development.

As readers of this blog, my friends, and my students are aware, I’m more than a little obsessed with the sport of soccer. It’s a fandom that has stretched throughout my life, but picked up speed ever since I became a devoted fan of the sport and the US Men’s National Team as I watched them play during the 1994 World Cup.

I wrote the first essay that post above refers to more than 10 years ago. I’d have to say that it’s been at least that long since I began to ask myself a simple question.

What would an American Diego Maradona look like? What would an American Lionel Messi look like?

There have been a lot of great American players now and in the past, although I can safely say none of them could have been ranked among the top 10 players in the world during their careers. But, what if?

I wrote the first essay that post above refers to more than 10 years ago. I’d have to say that it’s been at least that long since I began to ask myself a simple question.

What would an American Diego Maradona look like? What would an American Lionel Messi look like?

There have been a lot of great American players now and in the past, although I can safely say none of them could have been ranked among the top 10 players in the world during their careers. But, what if?

I turned that question over and over in my head for a long time, wondering what kind of person that player would be. Eventually, a character started to form in my head, the character of a young man by the name of Daniel John (DJ) Ryan.

Before this, I had written two (unpublished) novels and one published one (The Holy Fool: A Journalist’s Revolt). Looking back on the main characters in all of those books, I would have to say that all three of them were, if not copies of myself and my personality, at least a reflection of them. DJ Ryan, however, is something far more unique and different than me, of which I’m glad.

What’s it About, Again?

We meet DJ Ryan as a 17-year-old an All-American wide receiver about to graduate high school. Most people know him as the son of John Daniel “Junior” Ryan, former legendary college and NFL linebacker turned college football national championship winning coach at Hamilton State University, just outside Dallas. They might also know him as the younger brother of Junior Ryan’s star quarterback and son, John Daniel “Trey” Ryan, who is now a college All-American and dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate.

It would seem natural for DJ to join his dad and brother at HSU for glory and a title, with an eye toward a future NFL career and financial security. However, DJ’s relationship with his dad is complicated, especially considering Junior Ryan’s divorce from DJ’s mom Jenny, driven first by Junior’s womanizing and neglect and later by Jenny falling in love with another woman. DJ himself is attracted to people regardless of what sex they are or aren’t, but he knows that the world of football is a hostile place to people like him, so he tries to keep that part of himself private.

Then there’s DJ’s love for the other sport known as football – soccer. He’s a talented striker for both his high school and semipro teams. However, he sees that as just a hobby or private passion… that is, until he is spotted by a scout from the Premier League club Donford FC, and he offers to have him come to London for a tryout.

DJ faces two choices – what sport will be part of his future? And will he continue to live in secrecy, or out in the open?

So, When’s it Coming Out?

I am planning on having a proper launch party for The Yank Striker. I am currently searching for locations for that event, likely to be somewhere in the Des Moines area. There will probably be some other events as well, and I would love to put something together somewhere in my current town as well as my old hometown of Muscatine, among other locations.

The official launch of the book will be in July. I will have an exact date in the weeks to come. As always, watch this space, and subscribers here will hear about it before anyone else.

What I’ve Been Doing Having to do With Writing

I don’t remember if I mentioned this previously[1], but I undertook a quick refresh of this site’s look. I like the new options for Substack to alter the design of pages, so I decided to change the colors on The Writing Life to purple and gold, the colors of my former school, Muscatine High School. I’ve always had a soft spot for that color combination, and I honestly think it looks hip. So, there’s my explanation for that.\

On my WordPress page (Liegois Media, https://liegois.media), I decided to freshen up the look of that page as well. So, I changed it from the Penscratch 2 theme to Independent Publisher 2.

In both cases, leave me a comment on either site if you care about such things.

I had a great meeting today with the Iowa Writers’ Corner (IWC) in Des Moines. Roxanne Rustand was our guest speaker and gave a great presentation on book publishing and promotions. Her site has some very good resources for writers, as well, so I’d recommend checking them out. Between her and some of my other IWC members, I have a lot of homework and reading to get through beginning this following week.\

What I’ve Been Reading/General Recommendations

As I promised last week, I’m giving a couple of shout-outs for sites I’ve run into on my WordPress feed.

Robin Leeann was one of the first people I started following on WordPress, and I really admire her work. This piece is a great reminder to all the writers out there.

Literary Hub is one of the great online locations for writing about writing and writing in general. For example, there are some fine author interviews such as this one on Samantha Irby. Go ahead and check it out.

Writing Quote of the Week

This is the way you should approach writing. It takes a lot of mental energy, however.

You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.

• Ray Bradbury

Final Thoughts

Again, I’m really excited to share not just The Yank Striker with you, but all of the later books in the series to come. I’m looking forward to the ride.

– 30 –

Footnote:

1. If I did, I’ll do it again. Heck with it.

While I do appreciate you following this blog, I really would like you to subscribe to my Substack page. By subscribing to that page, you’ll not only be receiving my Substack newsletter, The Writing Life With Jason Liegois (the companion blog to this one), but you’ll also be signing up for my email list. I will eventually be opening some special contests, offers, and first looks at original fiction, poems, and other items. Just click the button below.