Hello, everyone. This is The Writing Life, my monthly newsletter about a writer of many interests (me, Jason Liegois) and what’s been going on with me and my writing.
Let’s get started.
The Home Front
March was good because of Spring Break and Easter Break, fine times for teachers in the doldrums of the second half of the year. I remember one year that felt like a particularly long one because my wife had moved to a new city (Chariton, Iowa) for a new job, and I was obliged to stay in my hometown of Muscatine, Iowa, to see out a teaching contract I’d already agreed to. Plus, my daughter wanted to see out her senior year at her hometown high school, so I wanted to honor her wishes.
It was around this time, deep into the year, when I began to think of the concept of “rest holds,” the moves made by professional wrestlers during matches when they wanted to catch their breath1. I produced the following poem, thinking I needed a few rest holds to get through the school year2.
REST HOLDS (A Kayfabe Tale)
4.2019
I was just a kid
looking for action
on The Tube
that dominated my attention
when pro wrestling hooked me
like Lou Thesz used to hook.
I loved the big bumps
the spots from Up High
and the soap opera drama aimed at men
and those who would be men.
Some of the wrestlers were
60-minute men,
the ones who could wrestle
All Night Long.
Those matches were packed
with bumps and high spots and
The Big Finish
at the end.
It was an inevitability, especially in
those 60-minute Broadway matches,
that at some point,
one wrestler would get the other wrestler
in a
head lock
arm lock
leg lock
and the other guy or gal
would lay there on the floor,
occasionally trying to
writhe out of their
Iron Grasp.
And they’d always shriek and yell
in agony.
I always wondered as a kid
how they could take that
level of punishment.
Later, however, as the veil of
Kayfabe
was lifted before Y2J was a thing,
I found out those were the times in a match
when they were catching their breath.
They even called them “rest holds.”
I never held it against them, though.
There’s plenty of times in my own life
where I need some rest holds to get by.
Anyway, this month has gone well. On the day this newsletter is published, I’ll be headed up to our state’s capital (Des Moines) because my boy will be hosting an early Easter dinner. I cannot wait. 🙂
What I’m Writing Right Now (Sort Of…)
[NOTE: For more detailed summaries/synopses of the works in progress I discuss below, go to this link. The story below also contains some titles I have been working on but not at the level of the projects I’m discussing this month, so you can find out about them there.
In all honesty, I have not had a good writing month in February. In fact, although I’m not always going to get into numbers every month, I will say I’ve probably written only half as many words as I did in January. I’d much rather write 20,000 words than 10,000, but I’ve got to keep it in perspective. I am going to have a better month in March, however. I’ll have the advantage of Spring Break, for one thing.
[NOTE: For more detailed summaries/synopses of the works in progress I discuss below, go to this link.
Also note, all titles except those of my series are working titles. This is the reason for that.]
Father Abraham
What is it?
A short story inspired by one of my friends from the fan fiction world. I was unaware until very recently alternative history stories were allowed on fan fiction sites such as Archive of Our Own (AO3), when I saw one of my friends speculative fiction pieces, this one centered on the Middle East of antiquity times.
This inspired me to think of a scenario: What if the assassination attempt on President Abraham Lincoln not only failed its task, as such plots often do, but one of the conspirators admits to United States authorities the plot was known of by high-level operatives of the Confederate government and military and was supported by them? I would have to think such an event would profoundly affect not just the political careers of Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, but the entire progress of Reconstruction, what laws ended up getting passed as a result of Reconstruction, and the status of the US Constitution itself. (Slight spoiler: it will cover the years 1865 to 1884.)
Status:
I’m currently at somewhere around 10,000 words on this project, which if I spend too much more time on it will eventually end up being a novella. I’ve already published Part 1 (out of an expected 4) here. At least I know what I’ll be working on for Prose Night for the next three months or so. Hope you enjoy the read as much as I’ve enjoyed writing this.
It’s been a fun experience for sure, and I hope you check the story out as I build it.
The Land, The River, and The Waste
What is it? An environmental sci-fi horror tale set in a quiet Iowa town on the Mississippi River. In a state where agricultural pollution effects people and the environment are a big deal, the new pollution is getting into everyone…
Status:I’ve been working on this more or less continuously since Halloween night of last year. I’m now at about 37,000 words and I plan to have the rough draft done by the end of this year, but next Halloween would be even more poetic.
The Fool 2
What is it? The sequel to my first book, The Holy Fool. It follows the adventures of ex-Chicago newspaper columnist turned independent blogger journalist Sam “Sonny” Turner, as he and his correspondents struggle to get the news out about America during troubled times.
Status:Number two priority after LRW. Not much work recently, although I have been gathering background material so I remember everything that has been going on in America during 2024-2025. Hopefully I make more progress on this soon.
I’ve been researching all of the historic events in 2025 (and I’m betting I’ll have to do the same for 2026) so I don’t forget what was going on in the world. I remembered I did this for the time period covered by The Holy Fool as well. The first part of the book takes place as the 2008 Republican National Convention was underway, and the climax of the book occurred on the same weekend Lehman Brothers was sliding into bankruptcy. Considering the main character of the book is a journalist and I was a journalist once, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing those details.
What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing
This is my current schedule of appearances coming up:
- I’ll be appearing at the DSM Book Festival between 1 and 2:30 p.m. with a large contingent of area authors. Come see some of the speakers (it’s a shame I’ll miss Art Cullen ‘s presentation) as well as some good books and authors. This one I’m looking forward to.
- From about 4:30 to 7 p.m. May 28, I’ll be outside Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington, for an appearance and signing as part of the farmer’s market in downtown Burlington. Chris, the owner at BBTB, has been a longtime supporter of me and other local authors and I’m delighted to be returning there.
- Finally, I’ll be at the 11th annual Indie Author Book Expo from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Valley Junction Activity Center. This is one of the bigger book events in Des Moines during the year and I’ll be happy to return there once again.
Hopefully, I might be adding some other appearances before the year is out.
Writing Quote(s) of the Month:
This month’s writing quotes are pure writing vibes.
My bursting heart must find vent at my pen.
― Abigail Adams
Aaaand…
Write only if you cannot live without writing. Write only what you alone can write.
― Elie Wiesel
When and What I Post
Check this out for when and what I post on a regular basis.
How to support me😊.
As always, go to the links on the side if you are reading this on a desktop/laptop or the links on my profile on mobile. If you follow the links, you will be able to buy both the paperback and ebook versions of my books on Amazon. If you just put “Jason Liegois” in Google. you’ll find them on the first page of search results.
I have quite a few places that now carry at least some of my books, some of the many great and fantastic independent bookstores in Iowa and the Midwest.
These are the bookstores you’ll find at least some of my work3:
- Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
- Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
- The Corner and More, 703 Main St., Mediapolis.
- Green Point Mercantile, 217 E. 2nd St., Muscatine.
- The Brewed Book, 1524 Harrison St., Davenport.
- The Black Rose, 116 W. Main St., West Branch
- Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
- Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.
- The Atlas Collective, 1801 5th Ave, Moline, Illinois.
I’m always looking for some new places to place my books, so feel free to hit me up in the comments if you have a suggestion.
For those who are budget conscious among all of you, my books are part of the collections of the Fort Madison, Burlington, and eventually at the Musser (Muscatine) public libraries.
My poetry book The Flow and the Journey is available at Bent Oak, Green Point, Burlington By the Book, and The Corner and More, but it is also available online but not on Amazon. See below.
Final Thoughts:
Not much else to say. All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.
Not much else to say. Considering all the unpleasantness of the world around us, I’m lucky for the most part4.
All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.
-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. Just click the button below.
- I’ve been obsessed by pro wrestling for some time. ↩︎
- Lol. ↩︎
- All Iowa locations unless otherwise noted. ↩︎
- This is not an endorsement of anything going on in the world, especially decisions made by my federal and state (Iowa) governments. ↩︎
