Saturday, December 30, 2017

Author Interview: Dan T. Cox


Indie author Dan T. Cox grew up in Oregon, using his journalism degree for a career in creative advertising. His collection of short stores, A Bigger Piece of Blue, is his first book.

Dan recently answered questions for Rose City Reader.



How did you come to write A Bigger Piece of Blue?

The elements of the book have been in the works for nearly two decades. The stories just began flowing back then, often in crude and uncalculated form. It wasn’t so much that I set out to write a story collection along a certain theme. Rather, the stories seemed to cluster together naturally over time. In some instances, I was probably working out a personal problem or challenge by assigning it to a character, or a scenario. In other cases I explored topics or characters simply because they were interesting to me. The notion of an actual book took hold in more recent years. The hard work of re-writing stories until they’re good enough to share took a long time, and was only possible after I had lived long enough for my perspective to crystallize.

What is your work background? How did it lead to you writing a collection of short stories?

I began thinking of myself as writer in the 8th grade, when I realized my aptitude for writing exceeded my aptitude for basketball. That feeling persisted through high school and powered me through college. Dr. Willis L. Winter at the University of Oregon School of Journalism steered me toward a career in advertising on the strength of my knack for writing ad copy, and I’ve remained in that field ever since. The ambition to switch careers from ad man to author has been thrashing around for a long damn time. A Bigger Piece of Blue is the first tangible step in that direction.

Who are your three (or four or five) favorite authors? Is your own writing influenced by the authors you read?

I admire the work of so many outstanding authors. Leading the pack for me is John Updike for his short story collection called Pigeon Feathers. Next up is a guy named Hemingway for his posthumous short story collection titled The Nick Adams Stories. And then there is the Pacific Northwest’s own Raymond Carver, arguably the best ever American short story writer, who died too soon. My favorite non-fiction writer is the awesome David Halberstam, who also died too soon. Finally, I am fascinated by the unusual language of Cormac McCarthy, and the grit of Annie Proulx.

What kind of books do you like to read? What are you reading now?

Here comes the counterintuitive part of my story as a writer—though I write short format literary fiction, I mostly read nonfiction material. Sure, I was inspired in the early days by the work of a few literary giants and mostly by Updike. But today I favor the work of David Halberstam and those who write (or wrote) with a sort of fierce clarity couched in graceful language. On my nightstand right now are Hamilton by Ron Chernov and The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill.

You have a great website and are active on Facebook. From an author’s perspective, how important are social networking sites and other internet resources to promote your book?

It was clear from the start of the book marketing effort that it would be easy yet unwise to throw money at this. The first and best avenue for book promotion is to take full advantage of the amplification characteristics of digital and social media. It is free, if you don’t factor in the time and work necessary to get traction for the book. It began with my official author site, supported by my personal Facebook page, which I converted to be mostly about my book. Indie authors absolutely depend on digital and social word-of-mouth to propel interest in the book. Reader reviews on the book's Amazon page are huge. The same is true for well-trafficked websites such as Goodreads and Readers’ Favorite. Geez, and I thought writing a book would be the hard part!

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as an author?

Write tight, courtesy of Mike McClain.

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

Active writing phases tend to last for months or even years. At least that’s how things have unfolded for me. I tend to write on weekdays and never on weekends, which is to say I hold myself to a regimen, though not quite a schedule. I write best in the early morning hours, when the house is still, before other demands on my time and attention kick in. A hot cup of coffee is mandatory. As is very low light. I work on a MacBook Air. I rest my fingers on the keyboard. My left-hand fingers touch the keys for A, S, D and F. My right-hand fingers rest on J, K, L and the semi-colon. My thumbs are on the space bar. Then I begin. On days when I just don’t feel like writing, I force myself to write one sentence…even if it’s crap. Usually that’s all it takes to get going. As a former friend once told me, if you write a page a day for a year, you’ve got yourself a book.

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

There are two more books planned for release now that A Bigger Piece of Blue is out there and available, both short story collections. The next one in line has a working title of Canyon Stories, though that’s likely to change. This second book is more keenly focused on the lives of people living in Oregon’s North Santiam Canyon, where I grew up. A strong sense of place has always factored heavily into my work. In fact, the reader wouldn’t be out of line to think of this narrow river canyon as a character—one whose impact permeates throughout. Still another way to think of the canyon is as a crucible that contains everyone and everything in its own particular and unforgiving way.


THANKS, DAN!

A BIGGER PIECE OF BLUE IS AVAILABLE ON LINE,
OR ASK YOUR LOCAL BOOK SELLER TO ORDER IT.




Thursday, December 28, 2017

Book Beginning: Auntie Mame

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING


It has rained all day. Not that I mind rain, but this is the day I promised to put up the screens and take my kid to the beach.

-- Auntie Mame. What a perfect book for this holiday week! Which is why I paired it with my vintage magazine cover of naughty Santa lighting the guy's cigarette.

The beginning is a little awkward, because it is just a set up for the adult narrator to tell the story of being raised by his irreverent and racy Auntie Mame. But once the story finds its legs, it takes off!




Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



Thursday, December 21, 2017

Book Beginning: Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING


The year was 1921. The month was May. The city was Paris. And I had just bought a new hat that I remember to this day: an exquisite, wide-brimmed straw hat trimmed with an enormous silk violet.

Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet, edited by Ruth Reichl. I love every minute spent with this book.

This is the beginning of the first essay, "Paris in the Twenties," by Irene Corbally Kuhn, written in 1988.



Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




4 Days to Christmas!




Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Teaser Tuesday: A Certain Justice by P. D. James




"You have stated on oath that you recognized the defendant at 20 feet on a dark night and by the light of overhead street lighting. Can you be absolutely sure that you weren’t mistaken?"

-- A Certain Justice by P. D. James.

P. D. James's Adam Dalgliesh mystery series is one of my favorites. This 10th book is set, like all the AD mysteries, in a closed community -- this time the law chambers of a group of in-fighting London barristers.



Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.



6 Days to Christmas!




Thursday, December 14, 2017

Book Beginning: A Certain Justice by P. D. James

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING



Murderers do not usually give their victims notice. This is one death which, however terrible that last second of appalled realization, comes mercifully unburdened with anticipatory terror.
-- A Certain Justice by P. D. James. This 10th Adam Dalgliesh mystery is set, like all P. D. James mysteries, in a closed community -- this time the law chambers of a group of in-fighting London barristers.



Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING





2018 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE: WRAP UP PAGE

The European Reading Challenge
January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019


THIS IS THE PAGE FOR WRAP UP POSTS.

TO LIST YOUR REVIEWS, GO TO THIS PAGE.

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE, HERE,
OR CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE.

If you have finished the challenge at whatever level you signed up for, please do a wrap up post and enter a link to your post here. Please link to your wrap up post, NOT the main page of your blog.

If you do not have a blog, please leave a wrap up post in a comment on this page. Tell us the books you read and, if you reviewed them in comments on the review page, tell us that so we can go find your reviews.

LINK YOUR WRAP UP POST HERE:






11 Days to Christmas!




Wednesday, December 13, 2017

2018 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE: REVIEW PAGE

The European Reading Challenge
January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019


THIS IS THE PAGE TO LIST YOUR REVIEWS.

IF YOU HAVE FINISHED, WRAP UP POSTS GO ON THIS PAGE.

TO SIGN UP, GO TO THE MAIN CHALLENGE PAGE, HERE,
OR CLICK THE BUTTON ABOVE.

When you review a book for the 2019 European Reading Challenge, please add it to this list using the Linky widget below. Please link to your review post, NOT the main page of your blog.

If you don't have a blog or other place where you post reviews, so don't have a way to link your review below, just post your review in a comment on this page.

NOTE: There is overlap in January 2018 between the last month of the 2017 challenge and the first month of the 2018 challenge. If you participated both years, only count books read in January in one of the years, not both.

Please put your name or the name of your blog, the name of the book you reviewed, and the country of the book or author. For example: Rose City Reader, Doctor Zhivago, Russia.

LIST YOUR REVIEW HERE:







12 Days to Christmas!




Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Teaser Tuesday: A Bigger Piece of Blue by Dan T. Cox




Lilly loved trilliums. She knew that when they finally appeared, there would be no going back to the hunker-down days of winter

--from "Splendid Purpose" in A Bigger Piece of Blue by Dan T. Cox.  That phrase "hunker-down days" is terrific!

Cox's debut collection of short stories bracingly honest and sometimes pretty raw. I like the back-of-the-cover description that says:

"The stories touch on love gone sideways, love rediscovered, and love everlasting."

A Bigger Piece of Blue got a good early review on Kirkus.

I mangled the opening sentences in my recent Book Beginning post, so please go back to here and read what the opening really looks like!




Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.



13 Days to Christmas!




Monday, December 11, 2017

Mailbox Monday




I was showing off Powell's Books to out of town friends last week, so got a few new (to me) books for myself. What books came into your house last week?



Today Will Be Differentby Maria Semple



The Red and the Green by Iris Murdoch



My Enemy's Enemy by Kingsley Amis

And one book I saw on Instagram and had to order because they didn't have it at Powell's. I got my copy from Book Depository.



Britain by the Book: A Curious Tour of Our Literary Landscape by Oliver Tearle




Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.




14 Days to Christmas!




Sunday, December 10, 2017

The 2018 European Reading Challenge is Available for Sign Ups Now!

The European Reading Challenge
January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019


The 2018 European Reading Challenge is ready now! Find the challenge page with information and the sign up list in the pages bar above. Or click the picture in this post, or here.

Tour Europe through books. And have a chance to win a prize. Please join us for the Grand Tour!

THE GIST: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour.

15 Days to Christmas!




Saturday, December 9, 2017

A Little Weekend Poetry



My friend Geoff Budden hit a poetry trifecta this month, with three poems published in Other Terrain and Backstory, the literary and history journals put out by Swinburne University.

My favorite is "Remembering Robert" because it packs a whole novel into a few short stanzas, starting with this one:

At home in taverns, not in homes,

you left when your daughter was four years old.

Your own final home was a needle hotel:

Skid Row, Vancouver; 1962.

Worth reading the whole thing. As are the other two, "Remembering Bridget" and "Urn." Many of Geoff's poems are drawn from "what he has come to believe" about his family history. What a wonderful way of describing how we think of our families.

I am so glad I have talented friends like Geoff, Kirsten Rian, and Don Colburn, who nudge me to read more poetry (theirs and others') and get me out of my deep prose rut.

16 Days to Christmas!




Thursday, December 7, 2017

Book Beginnings: A Bigger Piece of Blue by Dan T. Cox

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING


The name is Creighton Bliss. I'm comfortable dust and practical as gravel.

--from the title story in A Bigger Piece of Blue by Dan T. Cox.  Intriguing way to describe yourself!

This roughly interconnected collection of stories is fresh and honest. It is like watching people in their real lives, only their lives are interesting. Like the description says:

"The simple, unpretentious storytelling turns an honest eye toward the grit and grace of ordinary people making decisions in the context of their relationships, good and bad and in between."

A Bigger Piece of Blue got a good early review on Kirkus.





Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING





18 Days to Christmas!




Friday, December 1, 2017

24 Days to Christmas!


I love Christmas and I love traditions. My favorite Rose City Reader tradition is this advent calendar of vintage Christmas cards.

Enjoy! And Merry Christmas to my fellow Christmas celebrants!

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