Tag: The Writing Life

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Final Thoughts

All you writers keep writing, and all of you keep safe. See you down the road.

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The Writing Life, 2 August 2025: The Yank Striker’s Journey is out, etc.

FEATURED PHOTO NOTE: My hometown of Muscatine, Iowa is known for its melons. The city leaders are leaning into this history it appears. 🙂

Hi, everyone. It is officially the start of August, which means people who have summer vacation are now thinking about returning to work in the next few weeks, myself included. However, I’ve gotten quite a bit of activity done in the time I’ve had off. I’ve gotten a new book published, gotten started on more than a few other projects, and met a lot of other people as well.

So, let’s talk writing and a couple other things.

What I’ve Been Writing

It’s nice getting some books written at a faster pace than I ever had to date. So, the fact The Yank Striker’s Journey is now officially released is no excuse for me not to get going on other projects. Such has been the case for me, thankfully, this past month.

The Yank Striker 3 (AKA YS3, AKA Working Title)¹: For those just joining us here, The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of Daniel John “DJ” Ryan, a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. I decided to ask myself years back, “What would the first American soccer superstar look like?” and it snowballed from there. Check this out if you want more information about the first book in the series, and the Journey link above if you want to know more about Book 2.
YS3 continues DJ’s story as he attempts to progress as a footballer, despite new challenges and an unexpected event that could either be a setback or opportunity, depending on how he faces it.
I’ve finished preliminary notes on the project and have already gotten more than 3,000 words into the rough draft. I have an ambitious goal of getting it published by next year, but I’m feeling good about trying to reach for it.
Also on my list is the sequel to my debut novel, The Holy Fool. That was my journalism novel featuring Samuel “Sonny” Turner, a Chicago-based newspaper columnist who was tasked with helping his newspaper, the Chicago Journal from sale by its unscrupulous owner and breaking a major story on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars during the 2008 presidential election and the beginning of the Great Recession.
The sequel, which will be set in around 2024-2026, is now over 7,000 words for the first draft. At most, I only want the story to be 70,000 words2 – a quick, lean bit of storytelling. I will get most of the writing done this year (I hope I hope I hope) but I want to see how a certain event next year plays out before I finalize the last scene.

Also, no progress on:

Kayfabe Stories (Previously The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project): This is a story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means;
The Heart Project: The speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled times involving four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
From a recently completed short story, I think I have the germ of an idea about a fantasy/horror novel set in Iowa, leaning on the environmental damage being done to my home state. Let’s give it the working title The Land, The River, and The Waste.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing (Which in This Case Means Where I’m Making Appearances)

I’ve got several events coming up, some that I have confirmed, some I have mostly confirmed, and others I’m hoping will happen. I’ll list them here however I have them.

At 6:30 p.m. 14 August (a Thursday), I’ll be over at the Fort Madison Public Library. I’ll be talking about the writing process, creating fiction, and my books, in particular The Yank Striker’s Journey. Any friends of mine in the eastern Iowa area, I would love to have you out here to celebrate the evening.\
At 4 p.m. (thereabouts) Thursday, Aug. 25, I am going to be back at Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St., Burlington, for a Farmer’s Market appearance. Chris (the store’s owner) has been a massive support for me, so when he calls, I answer. It’s as simple as that.
I am going to be making an appearance at the Atlas Collective, 1801 5th Ave, Moline, Illinois, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 27 August. This is this first book store event I’ve participated in outside Iowa, and I am hyped for it. Atlas is a fantastic bookstore, one I would recommend to anyone.

Also hopefully on the schedule will be the Windsor Heights Book Fair on SUnday, October 5, in Windsor Heights, Iowa (outside Des Moines), and an appearance at the Iowa City Book Festival, from October 5-12.

With The Yank Striker’s Journey having officially dropped, I am hoping for quite a few more appearances this year. Watch this space for new events. 🙂

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

A lot of stuff I’m seeing on the interwebs seems to relate to me this month.

With this first quote, replace “diary” with “manuscripts and notes” and it absolutely fits me.

“This diary is my kief, hashish and opium pipe. This is my drug and my vice.”
― Anais Nin

One from The King.

Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.

― Stephen King

On the good days it absolutely feels like this.

Every few weeks she would shut herself up in her room, put on her scribbling suit, and fall into a vortex, as she expressed it, writing away at her novel with all her heart and soul, for till that was finished she could find no peace.

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

When I Post

Check out this post for when and what I post on a regular basis.

How to support me😊.

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
[NEW] The Corner and More, 703 Main St., Mediapolis.
Green Point Mercantile, 217 E. 2nd St., Muscatine.
[NEW] The Brewed Book, 1524 Harrison St., Davenport.
[NEW] The Black Rose, 116 W. Main St., West Branch
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.
[NEW] The Atlas Collective, 1801 5th Ave, Moline, Illinois – my first out of Iowa bookstore, very proud of this.

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 Musser (Muscatine) public libraries.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

If you don’t have the budget for a paid subscription, feel free to just send me a one-time payment of whatever you have the budget for.

Final Thoughts

Again, sorry this is slightly late, but better late than never and it’s still on the weekend. Take care, everyone.

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Anyone want to guess the actual working title? I’m liking the one I came up with. ↩︎
All Iowa locations unless otherwise noted. ↩︎

The Yank Striker’s Journey: Here we go!

So, the past couple of days I’ve actually not been writing much of anything. I’ve been in kind of a waiting pattern for one of the biggest projects I’ve had going on, something I’ve been talking about for a while on this site.

Since the project I’ve been talking about is set in the world of soccer, my thoughts immediately went to something from that world. There is an Italian football journalist by the name of Fabrizio Romano who specializes in covering football transfers. Whenever he announces a deal is finalized, he uses the phrase “Here we go!”

Well, everyone … Here we go!

I am delighted to announce that The Yank Striker’s Journey, my third novel and the second book in The Yank Striker series, is now available for purchase in paperback on Amazon. I had hoped to get the book out and online by last month, but the final steps of editing and proofing took slightly longer than I had expected. From now on, I’m going to assume anything having to do with publishing is going to take double the amount of time I originally assume it’s going to take.

Currently, the book will only be out in paperback. At a later (as yet undetermined) date, it should also be out on ebook format. I will let you know when that happens, but that will be some months down the road.

I plan to put together an introductory post for the book such as I did for my other books, including The Yank Striker. That should be coming out very soon – tomorrow, I’m thinking. [SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR The Yank Striker AHEAD.]

To be brief, however, The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of Daniel John “DJ” Ryan, the son of a college football championship-winning coach from Liberty Rock Park, Texas (somewhere around Dallas, let’s say). He grew up catching the passes of his brother, Trey, both at home and on their high school football team. DJ sees joining his brother on their father’s team, the Hamilton State University Copperheads, as his best chance at an eventual NFL career.

However, DJ also shows talent at soccer, and he has a talent for scoring goals for both his high school team and a local semipro outfit. It’s while playing for the former in the state championship tournament that he’s noticed by a scout for an English Premier League team in the East End of London, Donford FC. He’s soon torn between staying around home and trying for the NFL, or taking a big gamble on himself in the high pressure world of English soccer in an unfamiliar place. In addition, he’s keeping a secret about his personal life involving his sexual orientation that could be a major complication for him, whatever decision he makes.

The Yank Striker’s Journey focuses on what DJ has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England. He’s dealing with many complications: His development and growth as a player, the intensive demands of Premier League football, the extra scrutiny paid to him as an American and his sexual orientation, al while thousands of miles away from his old home.

What’s Next?

Other than the links I provided here, you can also go to the links for The Yank Striker’s Journey on the sidebar of this Substack and in my author profile. You’ll also find links to my other books there, too.

My stomping ground is Iowa and surrounding areas, so I’m planning on getting my books out to some of the independent bookstores around here. Among the places that currently have my books are:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Green Point Mercantile, 217 E. 2nd St., Muscatine.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

I’m hoping to add some more names to the list soon.

I’ll keep you in the loop with other new changes and updates for in-person events coming up. I hope you come along with me on this writing journey.

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The Writing Life, 6 July 2025: Any day now for The Yank Striker’s Journey

Hey, everyone out there in the online and offline worlds, it’s good to talk again. I’ve got more updates on my upcoming book, The Yank Striker’s Journey, my other writing projects, what I’ve been up to, and more.

Let’s talk about writing.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker’s Journey (Previously referred to as The Yank Striker 2): the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of Daniel John “DJ” Ryan, a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. The Yank Striker’s Journey focuses on what DJ has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone whose sexual orientation brings extra scrutiny.
Sadly, I was not able to meet my ambitious schedule of having Journey ready to go for June. I am now hoping it becomes available now sometime this month.
The minute this is ready for release, I will make an announcement post here as well as a separate post introducing you, the readers, to the story, such as I have done for my other novels and collections.
The next book in The Yank Striker Series (to be referred to for now as The Yank Striker 3). It will cover another season in the life of DJ Ryan as his football journey continues. I plan to begin writing this book the minute Journey is available for sale. It would be crazy if I had this ready by next year, but I want to be ambitious.
Last month, I talked about wondering what the protagonist of my first novel, Samuel “Sonny” Turner, the old Chicago-based newspaper columnist turned new era blogger, might think of the current news scene. In my first novel, the journalistic thriller The Holy Fool, we saw Sonny saving the fictional Chicago Journal from sale by its unscrupulous owner and breaking a major story on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars during the 2008 presidential election and the beginning of the Great Recession.
I have now written over 7,000 words on a first draft for the project, which was a bit of a surprise it came that fast. At most, I only want the story to be 70,000 words – a quick, lean bit of storytelling. I was thinking it would be finished by the end of this year, but with everything going on and the ghost of an ending scene already in my head, I’m thinking it will be more second half of next year. Anything else regarding the scene would be a bit of a spoiler, so I’ll keep it to myself for now.
Also, no progress on¹:
- Kayfabe Stories (Previously The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project): This is a story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means;
- The Heart Project: The speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled times involving four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
- Poetry work (except for the pieces I post here on Substack and the odd unpublished poem or two.

How Much I’ve Been Writing: Mid-year check

I don’t usually get into writing productivity and my ongoing word count, but now that I’m in the middle of the year, I thought it might be cool to take a quick look at what I’ve done over the course of the first part of the year.

At the beginning of the year, I’d laid out a few writing goals for 2025. Essentially, these were:

Match a goal of 225,000 words this calendar year. I was less than a thousand or so words away from this last year, and I thought it was doable.
Make my daily writing goal or quota (DWGM) at least 80 percent of the time.
Complete The Yank Striker’s Journey by this June.
Make more progress on the Kayfabe Stories project.

So, where am I at with all of these? First, here’s my numbers for the first part of the year.

Writing statistics for the first half of 2025:

Words (total): 113,755.
Words (monthly avg.): 18,959.
Revise/Plan (Total): 6,825 minutes.
Revise/Plan (monthly avg.): 1,365 minutes.
DWGM: 89%

Half of 225,000 is 112,500, so I am more than 1,000 words ahead of pace – not a massive amount, but I’m glad I’m at least a little ahead of the game. Also, I’m doing quite well on my daily quotas, so I feel good about that.

As I mentioned above, I didn’t get Journey finished in June, but that is forthcoming, so I don’t feel like a massive failure there. And I’ve doubled the amount of material I’ve written for the Kafabe Stories and have done some considerable planning, so I’m ahead there.

In short, so far so good. But I’m not taking a rest anytime soon.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

Me at the new Page, Print, & Pint independent bookstore in Keokuk, Iowa, this past Saturday.

It was a fantastic afternoon this past Saturday (5 July) when I attended the grand opening of Page, Print, & Pint, located in the heart of downtown Keokuk at 401 Main Street, Suite 1. Co-owners Willow Carrington and Katarina Page were fantastic hosts to me and seven other regional authors there for the event. They are just getting their business set up at the moment, but I’m hoping they’ll be carrying some of my books in the near future.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 12, I’ll be returning to Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St., Suite 3, Burlington, IA, for an appearance and book signing. Owner Christopher Murphy has been a great supporter in recent years, and I am excited to be returning to one of the best and longest running indie bookstores in southeastern Iowa. This will be going on at the same time as the city’s well-known Snake Ally Film Festival, so maybe I’ll be seeing some film enthusiasts that day.

It’s been tough to get some new events set up, since I am still waiting on the The Yank Striker’s Journey to officially drop so I have some new stuff to offer at these events. I am hoping for quite a few more appearances this year, including the Windsor Heights Book Fair this October 5 and hopefully the Iowa City Book Festival in October of this year. Watch this space for new events. 🙂

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

It’s funny that I can relate equally to two different quotes with such separate points of view and think they are equally valid.

Writing is something that you don’t know how to do. You sit down and it’s something that happens, or it may not happen. So, how can you teach anybody how to write? It’s beyond me, because you yourself don’t even know if you’re going to be able to. I’m always worried, well, you know, every time I go upstairs with my wine bottle. Sometimes I’ll sit at that typewriter for fifteen minutes, you know. I don’t go up there to write. The typewriter’s up there. If it doesn’t start moving, I say, well this could be the night that I hit the dust.
― Charles Bukowski

Don’t get it right – get it WRITTEN!
― Lee Child

When I Post

Check out this post 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. There’s where you can find out about my first book, the journalism thriller The Holy Fool: A Journalist’s Revolt, as well as the first book in my The Yank Striker series, The Yank Striker: a Footballer’s Beginning.

If you go follow the links above, 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 probably find them on the first page of search results.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

My poetry book The Flow and the Journey is available at Bent Oak, Green Point and Burlington By the Book, but it is also available online but not on Amazon. I’ve set up a new online store for copies of my chapbook on my WordPress site, Liegois Media. If you want to get a physical copy, go ahead and click on the link below.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

If you don’t have the budget for a paid subscription, feel free to just send me a one-time payment of whatever you have the budget for.

Final Thoughts

Again, sorry this is slightly late, but better late than never and it’s still on the weekend. Take care, everyone.

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I likely won’t repost these next month unless I see significant progress here. ↩︎

The Writing Life, 7 June 2025: It’s cover reveal day for The Yank Striker’s Journey

Hey, everyone out there in the online world and other places, it’s good to get in touch with you again. There’s big news and updates regarding my upcoming book, The Yank Striker’s Journey, and some more news about my writing projects, what’s upcoming for me, and a lot more.

Let’s talk writing.

What I’ve Been Writing/
Official Cover Reveal (Drumroll)…

I’ve been waiting so long to reveal the new cover … hope you like it. Cover art and design by Joe Boardman.

The Yank Striker’s Journey (Previously referred to as The Yank Striker 2): the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of Daniel John “DJ” Ryan, a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. The Yank Striker’s Journey focuses on what DJ has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone whose sexual orientation brings extra scrutiny.
So, thanks to my editor, good friend, fellow writer (and eastern Iowa resident) Misty Urban, I’ve now sent the revised manuscript of Journey to my publishers, Biblio Publishing. (By the way, if you are interested in historical romances (or romances in general), I think Misty can hook you up with some good stories. And if someone’s looking for some writing services, she’ll have you covered, too.

I’m hoping to get a publisher’s proof of the book next week and then expedite its publication in mid to late June. Honestly, one of the reasons I decided to release this during Pride Month (as I wound up doing for The Yank Striker) is because I thought it was appropriate given the LGBTQ themes it and the series explores. Although I try not to make this page excessively political, I consider myself to be an LGBTQ ally. They are my family, friends, and sometimes my students.

Also, as you can see above, I’ve shipped the new cover art for Journey to my publishers as well. This was the first time I used an outside artist, Joe Boardman of the Des Moines-based Boardman Group, for one of my books. The results went beyond my expectations, and I’m very interested in working with him again on future projects.

(If you’re interested in his design work, and I highly recommend it to you, go ahead and email him at JoeTheAdGuy@Gmail.com.)
I have already gotten approval from my publishers to move forward on the next book in The Yank Striker Series (to be referred to for now as The Yank Striker 3). I have an excellent idea of where the story will go and how it will develop over the course of another season in the life of DJ Ryan as his football journey continues.
I think I might take a quick break from putting together a rough draft, but I want to get started on this by the start of July. If I had this ready to go for this same time next year, that would be the fastest turnaround for any project I’ve yet done. I didn’t get my last draft for Journey done exactly when I wanted it to, so I’m going to try and temper my expectations. However, if I’m not trying to shoot for the moon, what the heck am I doing with my time?
Last month, I talked about wondering what the protagonist of my first novel, Samuel “Sonny” Turner, the old Chicago-based newspaper columnist turned new era blogger, might think of the current news scene. In my first novel, the journalistic thriller The Holy Fool, we saw Sonny helping the fictional Chicago Journal from being sold by its unscrupulous owner and breaking a major story on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars during the 2008 presidential election and the beginning of the Great Recession. We last saw Turner in 2009, celebrating the founding of his nonprofit news site, The Fool, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Well, I now have more than 5,500 words of a rough draft beginning on Election Night, November 2024, so I think we can officially call this The Fool Part 2 no longer just an idea but a new writing project. Right now, I am not anticipating this to be as large of a book as the first one (somewhere under 100,000 words when it was originally around 150,000. I was super wordy when I started writing.
My guess is I finish this book sometime next year. Somehow I’m thinking this book is going to be as quick and abrupt as a right cross. If it goes over 75,000 words, I’ll be surprised. I get the feeling I’ll be surprised regardless, lol.
Kayfabe Stories (Previously The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project): This is a story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means. I’ve been obsessed with the idea of this story for at least a year and a half, and by story I mean this is going to become a trilogy at least¹. Currently, I’m at more than 51,000 words on the project, which is more than 14,000 words in two months.I’ve started to think I might want to write all three books before releasing them. At the moment, I’m not sure what format I’m going to release them in, so this might be a way to give me some more time to think about
The Heart Project: This is the name of the speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled times involving four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
No progress on this. I need to start putting together some more notes and planning on this project now my current round of revisions on the Yank Striker’s Journey is finished.
No new poetry except the handful of examples I put out for Poetry Night at the end of the month and one or two unpublished pieces. Right now trying to submit poetry to publications is totally foreign to me, and not a high priority. However, I do want to get back to it.

The Home Front

The Mississippi River at Fort Madison, Iowa, 31 May 2025. (As always, I’m the photographer unless otherwise noted.)

I’ll keep this quick.

This week has been the start of my summer vacation from teaching, and it couldn’t come soon enough. Teaching even during the best times is comparable to running a triathlon with your brain, and in May you are running on fumes.

We managed to get some improvements done to some of the buildings on our property, so that’s a good thing. We have this out building which the previous owner used as a auto-repair garage but which I think we will use as storage and an outdoor hangout. My wife was so desperate to have an outdoor place to hang out in, you all have no idea.

As for me, I’m looking forward to a summer of mental relaxation, writing, and travel around Iowa and nearby areas.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

I’ve just managed to add some new events to my personal appearances schedule, and I’m hoping to add several more before we’re done. Let’s talk about them.

I will be at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Indie Author Book Expo from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Valley Junction Activity Center, 217 Fifth St., West Des Moines. I did this show a couple of times these past few years and it didn’t run last year, but I’ll be back at it this year.
I will be part of the grand opening beginning at 11:30 a.m. and lasting most of the afternoon of July 5, of a lovely new independent book store, Page, Print, & Pint, to be located at 401 Main St., Suite 1, Keokuk, Iowa. I plan to be doing a reading and appearance along with other area authors in celebration of this great new local business. You can check them out on Facebook.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., I’ll be returning to Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St., Suite 3, Burlington, IA, for an appearance and book signing. Owner Christopher Murphy has been a great supporter in recent years, and I am excited to be returning to one of the best and longest running indie bookstores in southeastern Iowa. This will be going on at the same time as the city’s well-known Snake Ally Film Festival, so maybe I’ll be seeing some film enthusiasts that day.
I am hoping for quite a few more appearances this year, including hopefully the Iowa City Book Festival in October of this year. Watch this space for new events. 🙂

Writing Quote of the Week:

George Orwell wrote more than a century before Chat GPT but right in the midst of 20th century totalitarianism. This quote seems applicable to both circumstances.

If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.

George Orwell

When I Post

Check out this post for when and what I post on a regular basis.

How to support me😊.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

If you want to support me but can’t quite afford a full subscription, I am now on Venmo. You can just send whatever you can afford. Just click the button below; anything you can provide helps me keep things going.

Final Thoughts

I’m looking forward to a busy summer, and I hope to see some of you readers during my time out and about.

All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.

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Literally today, however, I got the idea for at least one more book set in the Kayfabe Stories world just today. There might be opportunities for others. ↩︎

The Writing Life, 3 May 2025: The Yank Striker’s Journey approaches

Hey, everyone on the interwebs, good to be back. Summer is approaching and there’s a lot of cool things coming up, even though some of the deadlines and due dates are not set it stone.

Let’s talk writing¹.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker’s Journey (Previously referred to as The Yank Striker 2): the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. The Yank Striker’s Journey focuses on what my main character, Daniel John “DJ” Ryan has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone whose sexual orientation brings extra scrutiny.Much has happened since list time. My third revision of the book is wrapped up and I’ve now sent it off to my good friend and fellow writer (and eastern Iowa resident) Misty Urban for a revising/proofreading session. I’m looking forward to working with her on the project. (Also, if you are interested in historical romances (or romances in general), I think Misty can hook you up with some good stories. And if someone’s looking for some writing services, she’ll have you covered, too.
I’m also working with an outside artist on the cover art, and I’m hoping we can have a cover reveal sometime this month. (This will likely be a special post beyond my normal weekend posts – I’ll let everyone know in Substack Notes when it comes.)
We’re hoping to get this work wrapped up by the end of May. If all goes well, I am hoping for a June release, although I do not have an exact date yet. I’m going to start trying to put some appearances together for this as well, hopefully at some upcoming book fairs, indie book stores, and libraries.
The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project: This is a story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means. has been at the head of my creative interests for a while, with the exception of The Yank Striker’s Journey. Currently, I’m at more than 47,000 words on the project, which is more than 10,000 words than I was at last month.I put together what will either be a prologue or a new Chapter 1 after I got feedback from two of my writer’s groups the beginning of the story seemed to be dragging and difficult to figure out where the plot was headed. After some brand new feedback on this section today, I’ve been reassured I’m on the right path.
The Heart Project: This is the name of the… let’s call it speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled time involving four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
With The Yank Striker’s Journey on my radar, this has been put on the back burner, in all honesty. But I haven’t forgotten about it. I might have to start seriously getting some planning and notes on it this summer.
In recent weeks, I’ve begun to wonder what Samuel “Sonny” Turner, the old Chicago-based newspaper columnist turned new era blogger who was the protagonist of my first novel, The Holy Fool, would be saying or doing if he was present during the current circumstances. When we last left him in this book, it was 2009 and Turner was celebrating the beginning of his new news site, The Fool, in Geneva, Switzerland. I’d like to think he was still at work, and he might have a more proactive journalistic mindset than his corporate media counterparts.
I’m not necessarily thinking there might be a sequel to The Holy Fool. But I’m thinking it might be a possibility.
My pure new writing output tanked this month while I was busy with revisions on The Yank Striker’s Journey. I was hoping to write at least 225,000 words for 2025, which would be a new yearly record. This month and this summer will be a great opportunity to pick up the pace.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

There’s only a couple of events coming up for me this next few months, so I am planning on adding to this. But for now:

I will be at the the Badger Public Library book fair between around 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday, 17 May, at the Badger Public Library, 211 1st Ave SE, Badger, Iowa. They were one of the first places ever to participate in a book fair and I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

I will be at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Indie Author Book Expo from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Valley Junction Activity Center, 217 Fifth St., West Des Moines. I did this show a couple of times these past few years and it didn’t run last year, but I’ll be back at it in June.

Writing Quote of the Week:

The King, once again saying it the best:

Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.

Stephen King

When I Post

Check out this post for when and what I post on a regular basis.

How to support me😊.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

Final Thoughts

I’m looking forward to a busy summer, and I hope to see some of you readers during my time out and about.

All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.

-30-

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By the way, I would love to hear about what you, the readers, are writing yourselves. Please feel free to share what you are working on either in the comments or by direct message. ↩︎

The Writing Life, 5 April 2025: The Yank Striker 2 gets its official name

Hello and Some Quick Housekeeping Items

Hello and welcome back to my modest little Substack here on the interwebs but produced in southeast Iowa.

For those just joining me here or those who have been away for a while, my publishing schedule has slightly changed.

What you are reading now, The Writing Life, is my official newsletter, where I talk about my upcoming writing projects, promotional events, some personal news, and some odds and ends. It runs on the first weekend of the month, usually (not always) Saturday.
Second weekend of the month is Prose Night. This is where I post an original piece of prose writing. It could be an excerpt of a larger work in progress, an original essay, such as my A Writer’s Biography posts looking back at my life and path as a writer, or the occasional short story.
Third weekend of the month will be The Writing Lab. This will cover advice about writing to readers, as well as glances at issues I’ve faced myself as a writer. Hopefully, it can be useful to those who want to improve their own work. For the first of those last month, I ran a live Substack Chat for anyone wanting to get advice or feedback on writing. That didn’t get much response, so I might try a Substack Note instead. I’ll let you know what I decide.
Fourth weekend of the month is Poetry Night. You get a couple of fresh new poems from me, and likely some random exposition as to why I might have written them. It’s been a good challenge for me to be more productive with my poems, and I’m surprised at how much I’ve grown as a poetry writer in the process.
If there is a fifth weekend in the month, I either take the weekend off or we do a Hodgepodge Night. It could be anything – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, advice – shoot, maybe even a video or podcast if I get crazy.

Anyway, I’ll try not to repeat this list in my later Writing Life newsletters, or I’ll figure out another way to get the schedule out there without clogging up the newsletter.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker’s Journey (Previously referred to as The Yank Striker 2): the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. The Yank Striker’s Journey focuses on what my main character, Daniel John “DJ” Ryan has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone whose sexual orientation brings extra scrutiny.

I’ve now finished the second draft and have gotten feedback from the majority of my beta readers. I’ve now begun the second of three planned revisions after a first one in February. My plan is to finish this and the third revision by the end of April. In May, I am planning to have a final editing and proofreading session, and this needs to get wrapped up by around Memorial Day. If all goes well, I am hoping for a June release, although I do not have an exact date yet.

The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project: I’ve been making more progress on this. Over the past year and a half, this story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means has been at the head of my creative interests for a while, with the exception of The Yank Striker’s Journey. Currently, I’m at more than 36,000 words on the project.
However, over the past few months, I’ve had the great opportunity to share the rough draft with two different writing groups. In getting feedback from members of those groups, I’ve come to the conclusion my rough draft starts off at a leisurely pace and it’s not clear enough what the main conflict of the main character is. In 21st century fiction, you just can’t spend the first several pages of a book wandering around the story rather than getting to it.
I’m going to continue to make progress on the rough draft, even though every instinct in my head is telling me to go back and rewrite the beginning of the book. It will be an experience, I am sure.
The Heart Project: This is the name of the… let’s call it speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled times.
This involves four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
With The Yank Striker’s Journey on my radar, this has been put on the back burner, in all honesty. But I haven’t forgotten about it.
Poetry: No word on whether I swept the Lyrical Iowa 2025 Contest awards, but I’m glad I entered it. Otherwise, I keep trying to produce some more works.
I didn’t win or place in this year’s Iron Pen Contest sponsored by the Midwest Writing Center, but it was a heck of a ride as always. Looking forward to next year’s contest.

In total, however, my writing output over the past two weeks especially has gone down the toilet as I have been spending much time on reviewing revisions for The Yank Striker’s Journey. I want to pick up the pace, especially if I am hoping to write at least 225,000 words written for 2025, which would be a new yearly record for me if I make it. I just need to refocus myself and realize I have to keep producing stuff. I need to realize the rough draft stuff doesn’t have to be perfect.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

I’ve continued to participate in different writer’s groups in the area. I attend one sponsored by the Fort Madison Area Art Association two Tuesdays a week, and I do a virtual meeting with the Midwest Writing Center’s group usually every first and third Saturday, and a live meeting with the Society of Great River Poets in Burlington the same days. Those days get pretty hectic when I make it to both meetings, but I truly get some great feedback and advice from them. I credit the writing groups I previously belonged to, the active Writers on the Avenue in Muscatine and the defunct Iowa Writers’ Corner in Des Moines, with helping me on the path to publishing my past two books.

I absolutely enjoyed my time at the DSM Book Festival last month in Des Moines, hosted by Beaverdale Books in town. I let them know I would absolutely be interested in making a return trip there next year.

Here’s a couple others:

I will be at the the Badger Public Library book fair between around 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday, 17 May, at the Badger Public Library, 211 1st Ave SE, Badger, Iowa. They were one of the first places ever to participate in a book fair and I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

I will be at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Indie Author Book Expo from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Valley Junction Activity Center, 217 Fifth St., West Des Moines. I did this show a couple of times these past few years and it didn’t run last year, but I’ll be back at it in June.

I know I need to get some appearances and other things going to promote the book, and get in contact with some media as well. I think this is the appropriate time to say if any podcasters or bloggers are interested in new fiction, if you are interested in stories based in the world of soccer, or if you are interested in featuring writers from Iowa or the Midwest, I would absolutely be open for a feature or interview. Get in touch here or at jasonliegois@liegois.media.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

This in particular seems to be good advice for many writers, including my own students.

Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report written on birds that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

This next quote reminds me I want to put out as much writing and creativity as I can in the time I have left because I spent a lot of time not doing it. I’m trying to make up for lost time, but then again that’s something everyone does when you get down to it.

The second thing you have to do to be a writer is to keep on writing. Don’t listen to people who tell you that very few people get published and you won’t be one of them. Don’t listen to your friend who says you are better that Tolkien and don’t have to try any more. Keep writing, keep faith in the idea that you have unique stories to tell, and tell them. I meet far too many people who are going to be writers ‘someday.’ When they are out of high school, when they’ve finished college, after the wedding, when the kids are older, after I retire . . . That is such a trap You will never have any more free time than you do right now. So, whether you are 12 or 70, you should sit down today and start being a writer if that is what you want to do. You might have to write on a notebook while your kids are playing on the swings or write in your car on your coffee break. That’s okay. I think we’ve all ‘been there, done that.’ It all starts with the writing. ”
― Robin Hobb

How to support me😊.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

Final Thoughts

It’s going to be a hectic few months for me coming up. All you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.

-30-

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The Writing Life, 1 March 2025: The Yank Striker 2 revisions and a quick format change

Good to welcome you all to my neck of the Internet. It was a bit warmer, but I am not exactly wishing for June temperatures even though I’m starting to think of my summer break increasingly.

Let’s get into some talk about what’s going on with me and with writing. Turns out there’s a bit going on.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker 2: the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. Book two focuses on what my main character, Daniel John “DJ” Ryan has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone whose sexual orientation brings extra scrutiny.

I’ve now finished the second draft (2.0 or 2.1 depending on how you define it). This is my schedule for the rest of the process.

Beta reads – – Now beginning at the start of March and completed by the end of March.
Two more rounds of revisions in April.
Final editing and proofreading in May and concluding by the end of May.

Speaking of Those Beta Readers…

Even though I will be reaching out to friends and family, I am sincerely looking for beta readers for The Yank Striker 2. If anyone out there on the Internets or on Substack is interested in becoming beta readers for this project and completing your work in a timely fashion, I would be willing to reward you for your hard work.

Anyone interested in serving as beta readers for the project will get a complimentary paid subscription for this site lasting at least one year. I will sort it out for you. Depending on your services, I might also throw in another freebee or two.

If you are interested, chirp back to me in the comments of this post or in DMs. Thank you for your service ahead of time.

Now, on with the other projects.

The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project: I’ve been making more progress on this. Over the past year and a half, this story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means has been at the head of my creative interests for a while, with the exception of The Yank Striker 2. Currently, I’m at 32,000-plus words on the project and have continued to make progress on it.
Poetry: Just entered the Lyrical Iowa 2025 Contest at the last minute. I’ll be interested to see if anything comes of it. I’m glad I’m starting to do things like this and the poetry slam contest the Iowa Poetry Association sponsored.
The Heart Project: This is the name of the… let’s call it speculative/fantasy/soft sci-fi story I have in mind informed by our troubled times. I’m just starting some initial notes on the project.
I’m going to keep this very vague right now, but it involves four one-time friends, a high school reunion, and a microcosm of a larger sense of chaos.
I think it’s going to take me a while to pull this story together in my head, so I’m going to be coy about the whole thing in the meantime. I might start letting some rough excerpts escape into a Prose Night post one of these nights.
Oh, and I’m trying to participate in this year’s Iron Pen Contest sponsored by the Midwest Writing Center. Trying to get a short story and poem sorted out in 24 hours or less, heh heh. I’ll let you know if anything comes of it.

A Slight Change in Programming (A Revamp of my Posts)

I want to make sure I am trying to provide some value to my readers, both old and new. For the first several months of this format, I was doing a newsletter every week, and it wound up getting pretty repetitive. For those not aware, I went to producing the newsletter (The Writing Life) every first and third weekend of the month rather than every week. That’s why you are seeing this now, on the first Saturday of March.

Now, I’m beginning to think that might be a bit too much. So, I am going to change gears and try and provide some more value for your read. This is going to be my publishing schedule going forward. There’s not a massive amount of change from my previous schedule, but I will point it out as I lay it out here.

First weekend¹ of the month: The newsletter (The Writing Life). This is where I keep everyone updated on what I’ve been writing, what is upcoming for me, just to say hello.
Second weekend of the month: Prose Night. I produce an original piece of prose writing for reading here. Sometimes it will be an excerpt of a larger work in progress. Sometimes it will be an original essay, usually tied in some fashion to writing or myself. For example, I’ve been writing these posts off and on throughout the years entitled A Writer’s Biography, where I look back on my life through a writer’s lens to see how my passion influenced my interests, my path in life, and how it made me into who I am right now. I might even do an occasional short story here, perhaps. It’ll be brand new stuff.
Third weekend of the month: [LOOK OUT, HERE IS WHERE THE PROGRAMMING CHANGE IS.] The Writing Lab. These posts might be slightly shorter than the first two types; we will have to see. I’ve been inconsistent with providing advice and insight into writing for readers. I want to address that with The Writing Lab.
Sometimes the post will be a straight piece of writing advice. (I’m going to make an effort to keep track of all these topics to make sure I’m not repeating myself too often.) Often, I’ll take you into my prime writing spot, my writing nook, as I review or reflect on writing difficulties I have faced or am facing, and how I try to deal with them.

The main writing nook. It’s a bit more crowded now. 🙂

In addition, in conjunction with this new feature, I am going to make more use of the Substack Chat feature. Every weekend I post The Writing Lab, I will post an open chat which will be Ask Me Anything About Writing (AMAAW). The times and exact dates of these chats might vary, but I will post on Substack Notes when I have them set. Any questions you have on writing and fiction, or any feedback you want on your own writing, I will be open for business. I would love to see this take off and be successful.
I’m scheduling the first of these Writing Labs for March 15. Looking forward to it.
Fourth weekend of the month: Poetry Night. You get a couple of fresh new poems from me on Poetry Night, as well as some nonsense exposition as to why I might have written them. Ever since I started this, I have to say I’ve been much more productive with poetry than I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve written six poems this year so far, which is an unheard pace for me, who never really concentrated on putting out a large amount of poems. I may be talking too soon, but I think the quality of what I’ve been producing has grown. At least, I think it’s become easier for me.
If there is a fifth weekend in the month, I either plan to take that weekend off or we do a Hodgepodge Night. That’s means it could be anything – fiction, non-fiction, poetry – shoot, maybe even a video or podcast if I get crazy. We’ll just have to see, won’t we?

Anyway, that’s my schedule for now. Hope it might shake things up a bit.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

This week, I attended my first meeting of a new writer’s group here in Fort Madison sponsored by the Fort Madison Area Art Association. I was really happy to go to a writer’s group meeting locally. While I do have a couple of groups I attend on a regular basis, those are virtual and/or out of town, so it’s nice to have an in-town option. Looking forward to getting and receiving some good feedback on my work.

The Dude in Purple. A bit of a reference to a personage in my hometown. Read up on it if you want.

I have more than a few plans for book fair appearances in the coming months. Recently, I have managed to confirm these, so I will list them here.

From 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, 22 March, I will be attending the DSM Book Festival at the Franklin Event Center, 4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines. This will be the first year of this festival co-sponsored by one of my favorite independent bookstores in Des Moines, Beaverdale Books. Can’t wait to be part of this.
I will be at the the Badger Public Library book fair (Time TBD) on Saturday, 17 May, at the Badger Public Library, 211 1st Ave SE, Badger, Iowa. They were one of the first places ever to participate in a book fair and I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

If there are other events coming up, I’ll let you know. I’m hoping for some more events, especially to promote what I hope will be The Yank Striker 2 this summer. I’ll keep you in the loop.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

Charles Bukowski is one of those poets I just seemed to respond to.

the writing of some
men
is like a vast bridge
that carries you
over
the many things
that claw and tear.

The Wine of Forever

― Charles Bukowski, Love Is a Dog from Hell

The following is quite true this spring especially with The Yank Striker 2 in revisions. 🙂

A good book isn’t written, it’s rewritten.

― Phyllis A. Whitney, Guide to Fiction Writing

How to support me😊.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

Final Thoughts

That’s where I’m at for now. As I often say, all you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.

-30-

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This (and the other regular posts) will run on Saturdays at about 5 p.m. Central time unless circumstances out of (or in) my control dictate otherwise. ↩︎

The Writing Life, 15 February 2025: Getting going on The Yank Striker 2 revisions

To both regular readers and any random online wanderers coming upon this page, welcome.

It’s honestly wild that we are now in the middle of February. Time is moving fast and I’m all right with that for the moment. Many people I’m around in Iowa are getting tired of the cold (but not much snow), but I’m happy not dealing with 98 degree weather we had to deal with from July to almost October last year.

I’m not going to be happy with 1.5 Celsius temperature rise myself. At this point I might ask my wife if we could retire on the shores of Hudson Bay or Svalbard.

Been working on at least a couple projects in various stages of production. I’ll talk about those things and some updated information about where I’ll be during the next few months. I’ll either keep it interesting or to the point – whichever one works lol.

The Home Front

Since today is my mother’s birthday, I’ll take a moment to wish her happy birthday. We’re not in the same town, but we’re planning on getting together to celebrate sometime in the next couple weeks or so.

My son just passed his certification test to get his heating and air conditioning (HVAC) journeyman’s certification. It’s been a long road for him, especially after recovering from the head injury he got on the job about a year ago in Des Moines. But this is a big step in his career. I’m very proud of the progress he’s made.

And I’m looking forward to the long weekend this weekend. Happy President’s Day and all that.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker 2: the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. Book two focuses on what my main character, Daniel John “DJ” Ryan has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England, both as an American in a strange land and someone who identifies as bisexual and the scrutiny it brings.

As of this moment, this will be the schedule for The Yank Striker 2:

Second draft – begun on 8 February and completed by the end of the month at the latest.
Beta reads – these hopefully will begin at the start of March and completed by the end of March.
Two more rounds of revisions in April.
Final editing and proofreading in May and concluding by the end of May.

Speaking of Those Beta Readers…

If you are interested, chirp back to me in the comments of this post or in DMs. Thank you for your service ahead of time.

Now, on with the other projects.

The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project: While waiting for my plans on The Yank Striker 2, this has been dominating my thoughts more and more. Over the past year and a half, this story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means has been at the head of my creative interests for a while, with the exception of The Yank Striker 2.
I’ve continued to make progress on the rough draft of this story. I’m within reach of 30,000 words so far, and I think I should add around 50,000 words to make it about right as far as size. I don’t think I’d want to go further than this, because the project will be part of an eventual trilogy I have in mind. The trilogy also has different timelines to deal with, with a “modern” timeline of fall 2017 to spring 2019, and a flashback timeline spanning from 1953 to roughly 2009, I think.
Poetry: I managed to self-publish my own chapbook of poetry at the end of 2024. A second one is not a massive priority now, but I’d 100 percent be open to doing another one in the near future. I am continuing to produce more poetry, some of which shows up here on the fourth weekend (usually Saturday) of every month. Now, I want to try and save some poems up, in the event I want to submit them to places that insist they want to have the right of first publication. Apparently, if I publish them in Substack that means they’re published. Good to know.
Then there’s this third idea I have for a book. It’s one slightly based on the current situation in America but I’m going to play with the setting slightly.
I’m also a bit nervous about releasing a title for the book when it is this early in the writing process. At this point there’s just been notes and speculation in my head, nothing more. To be slightly close to the spirit of the novel I want to create and yet be a bit obscure and non-spoilerish, I’m going to call it the Heart project at the moment.
For now, I want to sketch out a better idea of the story I want to write. I have persons and concepts and angles now, not necessarily on paper, but I need to get names and plot lines moving as well. I’ll mention this again in more detail when I have more detail to give.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

I have more than a few plans for book fair appearances in the coming months. Recently, I have managed to confirm these, so I will list them here.

I will be appearing from 1-4 p.m. Next Saturday, 22 February at the Johnstown Public Library, 6700 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston, IA. I had a great time at this event two years ago and I am honored to be returning there.
From 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, 22 March, I will be attending the DSM Book Festival at the Franklin Event Center, 4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines. This will be the first year of this festival co-sponsored by one of my favorite independent bookstores in Des Moines, Beaverdale Books. Can’t wait to be part of this.
Finally, I will be at the the Badger Public Library book fair (Time TBD) on Saturday, 17 May, at the Badger Public Library, 211 1st Ave SE, Badger, Iowa. They were one of the first places ever to participate in a book fair and I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

If there are other events coming up, I’ll let you know. I’m hoping for some more events, especially to promote what I hope will be The Yank Striker 2 this summer. I’ll keep you in the loop.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

This is quite relevant as I start revising The Yank Striker 2.

The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.

Sir Terry Pratchett

Never heard of Robin Hobb before running across this quote. The quote makes me curious about the speculative fiction she writes, because this is some good advice.

The second thing you have to do to be a writer is to keep on writing. Don’t listen to people who tell you that very few people get published and you won’t be one of them. Don’t listen to your friend who says you are better that Tolkien and don’t have to try any more. Keep writing, keep faith in the idea that you have unique stories to tell, and tell them. I meet far too many people who are going to be writers ‘someday.’ When they are out of high school, when they’ve finished college, after the wedding, when the kids are older, after I retire . . . That is such a trap You will never have any more free time than you do right now. So, whether you are 12 or 70, you should sit down today and start being a writer if that is what you want to do. You might have to write on a notebook while your kids are playing on the swings or write in your car on your coffee break. That’s okay. I think we’ve all ‘been there, done that.’ It all starts with the writing.

Robin Hobb

How to support me😊.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.

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.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

On the subject of Substack, it’s fantastic if you are signed up for my free subscription, but I would love it if you signed up for a paid one. The monthly rate is the lowest I can put it ($5 per month) but my yearly rate of $35 is a steal at less than three/fifths the monthly rate.

Final Thoughts

That’s where I’m at for now. As I often say, all you writers keep writing and everyone keep safe.

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The Writing Life, 1 February 2025: February’s already here, and I’m keeping busy

Welcome to everyone wandering over to this part of the Internet.

The Home Front

We are done with January, which seemed to last forever last year. Then again, last year was when I was between homes, driving around between homes and hotel rooms and apartments in between the move to Fort Madison and looking out for my kid in Des Moines. In short, January 2024 dragged for me and my family, and I prefer this alternative.

We haven’t had much in the way of massive snow storms around Iowa this year. My own school district has had only one snow day this year (technically a weather day, since it was severe cold rather than snow shutting us down). Many of my co-workers are hoping for sun and warmth, but honestly I am glad it still can get as cold as it has. I thought there was no way Iowa was going to cool down around last October. I will take 28 degree weather rather than 98 degree weather. I’m the freak who prefers the Azores, Shetland, and Faeroe Islands to someplace in the Caribbean.

So far, kids and my wife Laura are doing all right. Not much else to say otherwise.

What I’ve Been Writing

The Yank Striker 2: the sequel to my book The Yank Striker: A Footballer’s Beginning. The Yank Striker series follows the exploits of a prospective American soccer player who leaves his family behind to try his fortune with an English Premier League team in the East End of London. Book two starts examining what my main character, Daniel John “DJ” Ryan has to face now he is trying to establish himself as a footballer in England.
I am looking at Saturday of next week as the continuation of the writing process. I wanted to make sure I let the rough draft of the new book sit for at least a few weeks. I set 8 February 2025 as the time to restart my work on the book. As of this moment, this will be the schedule for The Yank Striker 2:
- Second draft – begun by 8 February and completed by the end of the month at the latest.
- Beta reads – begun at the start of March and completed by the end of March.
- Two more rounds of revisions in April.
- Final editing and proofreading in May and concluding by the end of May.
  
  This might be the most ambitious release date for any book I’ve ever done. I’m confident in making this work, however, and I’m starting to put things into motion for all of this to happen. I’ll keep you updated on how it’s going, and I think I’ll have to have some big announcement regarding what the official title of the story will be.
  
  This is the thing, however. Even though I will be reaching out to friends and family about this issue, I am looking for beta readers for The Yank Striker 2. If anyone out there on the Internets or in Substack land will be interested in becoming beta readers for this project and completing your work in a timely fashion, I would be willing to reward you for your hard work.
  
  Anyone interested in serving as beta readers for the project will get a complimentary paid subscription for this site lasting at least one year. I will sort it out for you. If you are interested, chirp back to me in the comments of this post or in DMs. Thank you for your service ahead of time.
The Untitled Pro Wrestling Fiction Project: While waiting for my plans on The Yank Striker 2, this has been dominating my thoughts more and more. Over the past year and a half, this story about a family of pro wrestlers from Texas and a young man’s determination to understand what it all means has been dominating my thoughts for a while. My poor students have had to endure my using wrestling terminology with them regardless of whether they understand it our not. (For example, for those who keep on joking or not taking anything seriously, I occasionally say “I can’t tell if everything you do is a shoot or not.”
For just screwing around with a rough draft with no set schedule, building up a rough draft to more than 26,000 words is a bit of an accomplishment. It’s going to be the first of a trilogy, though. I’ll keep you up to date on what is going on.
Poetry: I managed to self-publish my own chapbook of poetry at the end of 2024. I had a lot of fun with the process, and I can finally call myself a published poet. I don’t have any plans to do a second collection, but I’m not opposed to going forward with it either. Based on the feedback from my poets’ group, I might not even have to choose a theme for it. Or, maybe I will.
I have another idea for a book – one aimed at the strangeness and uncertainty we see in this country now. Call it part sci-fi, part fantasy. It might be classified as either, for sure. It has not evolved into more than an abstract idea for now, but I want it to be more. It will not cover the present players and unpleasantness. In all honesty, they are not interesting subjects for fiction, for they are not unique in history.
In short, the unfairness and oppression many face in my country have tempted me to write something. I have the idea of compassion and empathy spreading among the population. (Enough spoilers there). We’ll see if I make progress with it.

What I’m Doing Having to do With Writing

I have more than a few plans for book fair appearances in the coming months. Recently, I have managed to confirm these, so I will list them here.

I will be appearing from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, 22 February at the Johnstown Public Library, 6700 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston, IA. I had a great time at this event two years ago and I am honored to be returning there.
From 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday, 22 March, I will be attending the DSM Book Festival at the Franklin Event Center, 4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines. This will be the first year of this festival co-sponsored by one of my favorite independent bookstores in Des Moines, Beaverdale Books. Can’t wait to be part of this.
Finally, I will be at the the Badger Public Library book fair (Time TBD) on Saturday, 17 May, at the Badger Public Library, 211 1st Ave SE, Badger, Iowa. They were one of the first places ever to participate in a book fair and I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

If there are other events coming up, I’ll let you know. Hopefully, I’ll have one or a few launch parties for my new book to come.

Writing Quote(s) of the Week:

Some things can be both true and not quite true all at once. This statement is one of them.

You can’t blame a writer for what the characters say.

Truman Capote

I think Miles Davis said something similar when it comes to music. And I agree with both of them.

A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.

Mark Twain

How to support me😊.

Go to the links on the side if you are reading this on a desktop/laptop or the links on my profile. There’s where you can find out about my first book, the journalism thriller The Holy Fool: A Journalist’s Revolt, as well as the first book in my The Yank Striker series, The Yank Striker: a Footballer’s Beginning.

If you go follow the links above, you will be able to buy both the paperback and ebook versions of my books on Amazon. Honestly, if you just put “Jason Liegois” in Google you’ll probably find them on the first page of search results.

If you happen to visit these fine independent book stores in Iowa, you can find my books there:

Bent Oak Books, 619 7th St. Fort Madison.
Green Point Mercantile, 214 Chestnut St., Muscatine.
Burlington By The Book, 301 Jefferson St, Burlington.
Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave. # S1, Des Moines.
Pella Books, 824 Franklin St, Pella.
The Book Vault, 105 S Market St, Oskaloosa.

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.

My poetry book The Flow and the Journey is available at Green Point and Burlington By the Book, but it is also available online but not on Amazon. I’ve set up a new online store for copies of my chapbook on Liegois Media. If you want to get a physical copy, go ahead and click on the button below.

The Flow and the Journey

The first collection of poetry from author Jason Liegois.

$6.00

Go ahead and buy me a cup of coffee, why don’t you? 😊

Now, if you want to support me but can’t quite afford a full subscription, I am now on Venmo. You can just send whatever you can afford. Just click the button below; anything you can provide helps me keep things going.

Final Thoughts

Hope your week went well, and for you writers, I hope you got something down on paper or on screen. And for everyone else – keep safe out there, things are getting weird.

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