Red Sox

Another fresh page to soil

/ R.J. Keller / 6 Comments

aka: a warm and hearty welcome.

 Well here it is…my first official post made directly from my new blog. You’ve probably already noticed that I’ve imported all of my old blogger posts so it’ll feel more like home. Hopefully you’ve also noticed the new pages up yonder, namely my new About Me page, Indie book page, and – yes! – a Waiting For Spring page (don’t worry!!! No spoilers!!) There’s a new poll on the WFS page. I’ll be adding some new stuff in the next few weeks, and will keep you posted on the changes. 

In other blogging/writing news, I want to direct your attention to a new indie publishing blog that got its official kick-off today: Publishing Renaissance. Contributors include Zoe Winters, Moriah Jovan, Rae Lori, Robin Altman, and myself:

We are a group of indie writers putting our work out into the world and trying to navigate the web, social media, and all the new opportunities available.  Each of us has different perspectives on what it means to be indie, why we’re indie, and the unique challenges that indie publishers face.

What we share in common is a desire for community with other indies, and a goal toward raising the quality of the work put out by indies.

Today’s post is entitled The Ever-evolving World of Indie from a guest blogger, Mr. Cliff Burns, whose very excellent blog you can read here. For now, you’ll find the link to the blog itself, as well as to each contributor, in my blogroll. Those links will have a more prominent spot in the sidebar very soon…

varitekIn the meantime, if you need me you’ll find me alternately praying to the baseball gods for Captain Jason Varitek’s safe return to my beloved Red Sox and cursing the name of Scott  Boras, his agent. There is not enough profanity in the English language to express the bitterness and near-hatred I feel for that man. I’m hoping that at least one of my faithful readers is bi- (or even tri-) lingual and can help me out in this regard.

All good things must come to an end

/ R.J. Keller / 6 Comments

I’m not talking about the heartbreaking loss of my beloved Red Sox to the team-that-shall-not-be-named, nor to the horrifying possiblity that Mr. Jason Varitek–now officially a free agent–may not be back with the Sox next year (please, please please sign the man, Theo).

No, I’m talking about Waiting For Spring‘s serialization at Sid Leavitt’s Readers and Writers Blog. That’s right…the final two chapters were posted there yesterday.

I can’t begin to express my gratitude to Sid for giving Waiting For Spring such a fine home alongside so many amazing books, short stories, and poems. He announced yesterday that he’s taking a temporary break from posting new entries after next week, but the site will remain up, along with “The Works” library. (Check it out: Non Fiction, Fiction, Poetry.) Waiting For Spring will remain there as well should you wish to read it.

In the meantime, also posted this week: chapters 18 and 19 of Ann M. Pino’s Steal Tomorrow.

All good things must come to an end

/ R.J. Keller / 6 Comments

I’m not talking about the heartbreaking loss of my beloved Red Sox to the team-that-shall-not-be-named, nor to the horrifying possiblity that Mr. Jason Varitek–now officially a free agent–may not be back with the Sox next year (please, please please sign the man, Theo).

No, I’m talking about Waiting For Spring‘s serialization at Sid Leavitt’s Readers and Writers Blog. That’s right…the final two chapters were posted there yesterday.

I can’t begin to express my gratitude to Sid for giving Waiting For Spring such a fine home alongside so many amazing books, short stories, and poems. He announced yesterday that he’s taking a temporary break from posting new entries after next week, but the site will remain up, along with “The Works” library. (Check it out: Non Fiction, Fiction, Poetry.) Waiting For Spring will remain there as well should you wish to read it.

In the meantime, also posted this week: chapters 18 and 19 of Ann M. Pino’s Steal Tomorrow.

Some of This and some of That

/ R.J. Keller / 5 Comments

Ah, yes, another potluck post.

1. My Internet Explorer is pulling a mini freak out on me. It won’t let me visit websites, blogs, etc that use Site Meter. This is very distressing since I use it on this blog. At least, I did until I figured out why I couldn’t get on here and deleted the Site Meter thing-a-ma-bob. So, if you have Site Meter on yours, and are wondering why I haven’t visited you…that’s why. I’m not a computer geek, so I’m not exactly sure what I.E. has against S.M., but I hope they kiss and make up very soon. Is anyone else having this problem????? [UPDATE: Looks like it’s not just me. Check out this article.]

2. I have to weigh in on the Manny Ramirez thing. If you’re not into baseball, feel free to skip ahead to #3. Basically my thoughts boil down to this: Thanks for the laughs, Manny, now good frigging riddance. The Hall of Fame awaits you, no question, and deservedly so. But no amount of homeruns can make up for selfish bullshit you’ve been pulling all season long. Oh, how I long for the days of real baseball! Before it became a haven for soulless, money hungry agents like Scott Borasshole. To quote my hero, Bill Lee: “That was real baseball. We weren’t playing for money. They gave us Mickey Mouse watches that ran backwards.” (Imagine what my thoughts were before I boiled ’em down…)

3. I’m going to a Portland Seadogs game tonight!!! Whoo hoo! (Ooops…I guess those not interested in baseball should’ve skipped ahead to #4.)

4. A Waiting for Spring reader emailed me yesterday wondering just what the hell Watermelon Tourmaline is. It’s a pink and green gemstone that–when cut just right–looks like watermelon slices and–when cut another just right way–is just plain beautiful. I used it in WFS for a few reasons. 1) it was once mined in Maine. 2) it went along well with the color motif that runs through the book. 3.) its ‘energies’ (if you believe in that kind of thing) are love, healing, and power…also very important themes in the story. 4.) a few years ago I fell in love with a tourmaline ring I saw (but couldn’t afford to buy) at Bennett’s Gems & Jewelry in Belfast, Maine. I figured if I couldn’t have it then Tess could. Here’s a website that’s chock full of information about tourmaline, including lots o’ photos.

5. Chapter 20 of Waiting for Spring has been posted at Readers & Writers Blog, along with Chapter 32: Hillsborough of Gerard Jones’ Ginny Good. Check ’em out!

6. Have a great weekend!

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News and stuff

/ R.J. Keller / 1 Comment


For all of you who have expressed an interest in reading Waiting for Spring in an actual book form (yes, I’ve actually had requests…from people who aren’t related to me by blood or marriage, even), I’m excited to announce that is now available in paperback. That’s right, you can actually hold it in your hands and turn the pages while you read it. It’s available HERE.

For those of you who are reading it on Mr. Sid Leavitt’s Readers and Writers Blog, Chapter 12 is now up, along with Chapter 24 of Mr. Gerard Jones’ Ginny Good.

On a completely unrelated note, my beloved Red Sox were victorious against the Team From The Bronx That Shall Not Be Named…seven to nada. Jon Lester pitched an excellent game and my man, Captain Jason Varitek, hit an RBI single. I’m not going to gloat, though. I don’t want to jinx the next couple of games…

Writers love feedback!! So do mothers!!

/ R.J. Keller / Leave a comment

I have joked in the past about the thousands of emails I receive each week from readers of this blog. Today, though, I speak the truth when I say I’ve gotten four different emails from four separate readers (none of whom are related to me by blood or marriage) in the past week with lots of feedback, and some questions, about Waiting for Spring. I’ll be honest…I’m wicked excited about that.

So far, the most commonly asked questions have to do with the characters; namely whether or not any of them are based on real people. The answer is a resounding NO. I especially want to make it clear, for the record, that Tess’ mother in no way resembles my own mother, who is the very model of a modern supportive Mom. She’s had a copy of a poem I wrote about banana bread hanging on her refrigerator since 1984. Or, to be more precise, she’s had the poem hanging on three consecutive refrigerators since then.

Another common question: Are New Mills, Brookfield, and Westville real towns in Maine? Again, the answer is No. Struggling mill towns are a sad reality up here, so it wasn’t difficult for me to create this fictional world, but Portland and Bangor are the only real places visited or mentioned in my novel.

Finally, a rather touchy subject: Yankee fans. I don’t hate them. I have a very good friend who happens to like…that team. We simply choose not to talk about baseball. This makes for very long and silent summers…

Stay tuned for more Q & A, and feel free to send me any of your feedback and/or questions. You can either email me at rjkeller.wfs@gmail.com or you can put ’em in the comments section of this post. Just one request: As a courtesy to those who are in the middle of the novel, please don’t post anything spoilerific here at the blog. Thanks!

Stuff and junk and more stuff.

/ R.J. Keller / Leave a comment

Well, it happened on Sunday: I hit 50969 words! Naturally I’m not even close to being done with the novel. I know that Mr. Chris Baty’s No Plot, No Problem recommends that words 49,999/50,000 should be, “The End,” but Verbosity is my middle name.

Mike Lowell Update: Three more years with the Red Sox! You were right, Rob. Sorry I doubted you.

Tooth update: Still hurts like hell.

Hubby update: He made it back to work this morning after 7 weeks of recuperation. He says that from now on he’s going to don a HazMat suit before clearing brush. You all should, too.

Favor time: If your local theater is showing I’m Not There, please go see it. Then come back here and tell me all about it. Looks like I’m going to have to wait until it’s out on DVD, since I live in the boonies.

[Shameless Plug] Click the link over yonder to the right to read a few excerpts from this year’s NaNoNovel, The Wendy House, at my NaNo profile page. (Rated R for language and junk.) Click the other link to read the prologue from my recently completed (not yet published) novel, Waiting For Spring. (Rated…oh, I’d say PG or PG-13.) [/Shameless Plug]

Every writer needs a cave…

/ R.J. Keller / 1 Comment

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a married man who is stuck in the house with nothing to do for weeks on end must be in want of a kick in the ass.

Now, don’t get me wrong; I love my husband. I love him a lot. He’s a handsome, smart, funny guy, he knows how to fix my dishwasher, is an awesome kisser and he even remembers to close the lid on the toilet seat. Now that the Red Sox have won the World Series–twice!–I wouldn’t trade him for anything. However, like my Visa, he’s everywhere I wanna be. At least while I’m trying to write.

You see, he’s been laid up for the past month with an injured leg–in fact he spent a few weeks in the hospital–so his daily exertion consists of trips to the powder room. Other than that, this typically active man (he’s climbed Mt. Katahdin no less than twelve times) spends his days holding down the couch. Oddly enough, in spite of my feminist nature, I don’t mind waiting on him. He’s a good man who’s in some pain and needs my help…what could be hotter than that? So, that’s not the problem. The problem can be best illustrated by the following recent conversation:

Hubby: Hey, Kel. What’cha doin?
Me: I’m revising chapter 16. [insert detailed description of said revisions here.]
Hubby: Oh.
Me: Why? Do you need something?
Hubby: Nope.
Me: Pain meds? Water? The remote con–
Hubby: Nope.
Me: Okay.

[Eight minutes later]

Hubby: Hey, Kel. What’cha doin?
Me: Still revising.
Hubby: Oh. Well…I’m bored. Wanna play cards or Yahtzee or something?
Me: Can you give me half an hour?
Hubby: I guess…

[Three minutes later]

Hubby: Hey, Kel…

Obviously, my computer and I will be hiding in a cave during NaNoWriMo.