Thanksgiving, ISIS and "Us vs. Them"

"I get so tired of this 'Us versus Them' mentality."

I overheard this statement while sitting at a sports bar surrounded by other men in a variety of team jerseys all rooting for their teams to defeat one opponent or another.

"God do I hate the Cowboys."

"The Packers suck."

"Why does Jacksonville even have an NFL team."

So much for hating "Us vs. Them" eh?

From our formative years we are taught to pick sides and compete in an "Us vs Them" format.  Whether it be Pee Wee sports or video games or a simply backyard football game on Thanksgiving day, we are conditioned to identify some other group as our enemy and to attack them based solely on this "Us vs. Them" way of thinking.
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While I can't disagree with hating the Dallas Cowboys or the Green Bay Packers, I did have a moment of harsh realization as another television set buried in the far corner of that same sports bar displayed yet another terrorist attack overseas.

The ultimate "Us vs. Them."

Given a few days to consider all of this I have come to the following conclusion:  we as a people don't really want "World Peace."

Let that sink in for a second.

Sure we all say that we want to see World Peace in our lifetimes...then we take our children to their youth football or soccer leagues and coach them from the sidelines to destroy the opponent.

Now don't get me wrong, there are many positives to youth sports...this post is not an attack on organized athletics.  My point here is that as a society we often perpetuate this "Us vs. Them" strategy into every walk of life.  I've seen it in the workplace, at clubs and social gatherings, heck even at your own church.  Our competitive natures get the best of us and the next thing you know friendships are damaged or even worse.

We all have that relative we try to avoid for this same reason.  That may not seem like a competition but too often it is one.

So I say to each and every person who is reading this blog, let us take this coming Thursday, this Thanksgiving to truly be thankful for each other and set aside our competitive differences and just enjoy our loved ones.

Let's all take a day off from "Us vs. Them."

Or...at least until kickoff...

Laziness, Donald Trump and my morning walk.

A year ago I committed myself to losing weight.  I weighed 265 pounds, the most I had weighed in several years (for the record, my official high was 280 ten years ago.)

After several months, I was down to 240 lbs and felt better than I had in YEARS.

Fast forward to yesterday.

Yesterday I had my annual med check with my allergist.  The nurse asked me to step on the scale.

257.5 lbs.

Not quite 265...but close enough to give me a moments pause.  I immediately began to think of all the reasons I had put the weight back on.  Then it became clear to me that my list was not a list of reasons but a list of excuses.  There was only one reason.

Laziness.

A few days ago a coworker asked if I could ever see myself voting for Donald Trump.  While I consider myself to be politically active and informed I realized that I could not answer my coworker's question because I had no idea where the Donald stood on several key issues.  I knew all the soundbites from recent weeks and all of the commentators and reporters that Trump was feuding with but I had no idea where he stood on issues other than immigration and other hot button topics.  In the information age there was only one explanation for my lack of knowledge.

Laziness.

Almost a year ago I completed the first draft of the sequel to my detective novel The Worst of Times.  That first draft remains unedited.  I have written and self published three other books since.  None of which, in all honesty, sold a tenth as many downloads as The Worst of Times.  It seems clear that the adventures of Patches O'Brien and friends has a much wider audience than anything else that I have written.  Yet the sequel, Stranger Times, remains unedited.

Laziness.

I wish I knew the solution to my problem.  I wish I had all the answers.  I could easily blame my day job.  That is if my day job began before 3 pm and I didn't have the majority of my mornings entirely to myself.  When I look back over the past week I realize that I have spent hours upon hours watching preseason football and random baseball games on cable.  While I have always enjoyed sports, there is more than a bit of irony in the fact that I sat on a couch and ate pretzels while watching athletes in top physical condition perform.

Laziness.

This morning I forced myself to walk around my neighborhood, not just once but twice.  Now I stand in front of the kitchen table typing this post.  I have two and a half hours before I have to clock in.  I wish I could tell you that I was planning on doing something earth shattering that would change the course of human history.  The truth is I'm planning to boil some chicken for a chicken salad.  Not the worst thing a person has ever put into their body, but nothing to be proud of either.

I write this today for myself as much as for anyone who might be reading these words.

Something has to give...something has to change.

I'm not happy with what I see when I look in the mirror.  And being overweight is just the tip of the iceberg.

I hope this post will serve as a wake up call both to myself and to others.

It's time to stop being so damn lazy.


It's time to do something better.

Lessons from Baltimore

Almost 7 years ago a friend of mine made a comment that has stuck with me to this day.


"I think this Barack Obama guy is by far the best candidate but I just can't bring myself to vote for him."

Okay...I'm sure most of you have had a similar conversation about one political candidate or another.  It wasn't the comment that caught my attention, it was his reasoning.

"You just don't understand how bad race relations will deteriorate if he wins this election.  Right now things are quite because it's all under the surface.  You have no idea what will boil over if a black man wins the presidency."

That was said to me in the summer of 2008.

Before Ferguson.

Before Baltimore.

 Now before anyone gets too upset, let me assure everyone that I am not blaming the president for the situations in Ferguson or Baltimore.

Others have already done that.  Too much time and effort has already been spent on playing the blame game.  That doesn’t help anyone.

It is time to have an honest, serious, forthright discussion on the state of racial relations in this country.  One word stands out from my friend's comment though: "deteriorate."

I would say he hit the nail on the head with that one.

I have had a wide variety of different jobs over the past twenty years and I have worked with a wide variety of people.  The cultural and racial differences between these people were always evident, but as my friend said they were also below the surface.
That is no longer the case.  I witness arguments on almost a daily basis that digress into racial tension.  The arguments very rarely start off that way, but they always seem to devolve into something racial.

 These experiences have led me to one very blatant conclusion: the concept of a post racial America is still far from our grasp.

Some believed we as a nation would achieve this goal the minute we elected a president that was anything other than white.

They were wrong.

Others believe that we can achieve this goal within the next generation.

That is not looking good either.

The bottom line is that race is still a hot button issue within the United States of America, even more so since the 2008 presidential election.  The problem isn't going away.  As my friend put it years ago, the situation is "deteriorating."

I wish I had all of the answers to this problem.  I wish any of us did.  But the truth is that only by opening ourselves up to an honest discussion about race relations can we ever begin the process of healing.

Cultures have differences.  It is those differences that make each culture unique and special.  It is time to embrace and celebrate our differences rather than carry irrational chips on our shoulders.

Something has to change, and soon, if we as a country have any chance of ever achieving any real sense of balance and harmony.


John Eric Buckley is the author of Disgruntled, Elsewhere and The Worst of Times.  He is currently working on the sequel to his detective series The Worst of Times, tentatively titled Stranger Times. His latest novel, Disgruntled, is the first entry into a new series of semiautobiographical romantic comedies. The second installment, Sunny Side Up, will be published later this year.  He is also currently editing a new short story collection. Buckley’s books are available in paperback or for download to all Kindle and Nook devices.

All of Buckley’s books are available at http://www.amazon.com/John-Eric-Buckley/e/B00F7MLT3I

John Calipari and the Price of Success

Like many of you I have spent a ridiculous amount of time watching college basketball over the past few weeks. While I have enjoyed that time I also openly admit that I have been less than productive during the phenomenon we all refer to as March Madness.  Even advertisers have poked fun at the average basketball fan’s lack of productivity in a series of ads directing viewers to "play hookie" at one restaurant or another.

There is at least one person, however, who is very proficient and productive during March Madness though.

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

I realize that Coach Calipari is a very polarizing figure as I write this post.  Fans either love him or hate him.  It seems that fans love him as long as he is coaching their team but hate him if he is coaching any other team.

Even Kentucky fans were asking for his head just a few years ago when their beloved Wildcats missed the NCAA tournament and were then ousted in the first round of the NIT.

Oh how quickly we forget.

It has been said that time heals all wounds.  Apparently so does a national championship.

As we approach yet another Final Four I find myself reflecting on what really makes a man like John Calipari so successful.  After giving this considerable thought I have come to one simple conclusion: Coach Calipari simply does not care what you or I think about him.

Let that sink in for a moment.

We all pretend not to care at one point or another.  We are told not to read or believe our own reviews.  But how many of us can honestly say that we are completely unaffected by what others say or think of us?

Very few indeed.

But that is what makes Coach Calipari special, unique and quite honestly the best at what he does.

He lets his results speak for themselves and leaves the haters to be damned by their own words.

I often find myself struggling with the daily frustrations of striving to do something that matters.  While there are moments of great encouragement (thank you to all of the people who read this blog, buy my books and have written me with encouraging words) there are also moments of great discouragement.  I am blessed with some very encouraging people in my life but I also encounter some very negative, critical and miserable people as well.  I have made an important decision in my life to silence the voices of this second group and instead focus upon those who have worked to build me up instead of trying to tear me down.

In this way, I empathize with Coach Calipari.  It seems that every day there is one news story or another criticizing his methods, recruitment or coaching abilities.

Yet each and every day he stuns his critics by continuing to be successful on the largest of stages.

I hope that one day the same can be said for me...and for each of you.  I hope that one day we can all silence (or at least learn to ignore) our critics and finally appreciate all of the wonderful experiences that this life has to offer.

I have often been told that success comes at a high price.  Well, to those who say that I offer the following:  so does failure.

I don't know about you, but I think I will take my chances and hope to someday deal with the complications and the price of success rather than the failure that comes with complacency.

John Eric Buckley
Author of Disgruntled, The Worst of Times and Elsewhere

 http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4

Visit my Author's Page at:

http://www.amazon.com/John-Eric-Buckley/e/B00F7MLT3I

KINDLE FREE EBOOK PROMOTION

SPECIAL FREE EBOOK PROMOTION!

My Scifi book Elsewhere will be available for FREE from Amazon ‪#‎Kindle‬ starting tomorrow March 12th!

The promotion will run for 5 days. If you haven't already, then be sure to download ELSEWHERE for FREE during this 5 day promotion!

Also look for my newest novel DISGRUNTLED also available for your Kindle for only 99 cents!

Here is the link to ELSEWHERE...remember the free promotion begins tomorrow March 12th!

http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-John-Eric-Buck…/…/B00QAS3SCS

As always KEEP READING!!!!

My new novel Disgruntled

Today I am offering a preview of my newest novel DISGRUNTLED.


For several years I was a divorced bachelor living in a crummy run-down apartment in Louisville KY.
Those years were simultaneously some of the best and worst years of my life.  My new novel, Disgruntled, tells the story of one particular summer when everything seemed to be going wrong.  Then there was a girl.  There's always a girl, isn't there?  Well the real conflict in this story is that there wasn't just one girl.  There were three.  Three very different women from three very different paths of life.  They say hind sight is 20/20 but sometimes even in hindsight the right choices aren't always made obvious to us.  This novel is about struggling to make the right choice when you've spent years making the wrong ones.

I hope everyone will enjoy the new book.  It is my first semi-autobiographical novel so this story is a bit more personal to me than the others.  I have tried to be as open and honest as possible while still telling a memorable story.

Thanks again for your continued support!  It means the world to me!

And as always...keep reading!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Disgruntled-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00U7W3BX4

Dakota Johnson, SNL and the ISIS Skit

Some people need to go out and buy themselves a sense of humor.

The current outrage over last night's ISIS skit on SNL has completely been blown out of proportion.  The skit was funny.  Period.  Honestly such a small percentage of modern day SNL skits are even laugh worthy.

It's a comedy show people.

NOTHING should be off limits.

Seriously...lighten up and learn to laugh.

Hemingway's Shotgun and the Price of Success

Within the past 24 hours I have encountered two cultural references to the unfortunate suicide of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway. While the writer's death by his own hand is common knowledge, I was taken aback by one of these references, while I feel the other must be taken into context to be fully understood.

The first reference to "Hemingway's Shotgun" was in a recent episode of the FOX sitcom Family Guy. In this particular episode three of the characters (Stewie, Brian and Chris Griffin) travel back in time to learn about famous moments in history. Why the writers felt that Hemingway's suicide qualified as such an event seems a bit forced, but that is a topic for another day. The "writer" among the group, Brian, is thrilled at the chance to meet Hemingway and begins pandering to him the moment they meet. In the cartoon Hemingway then brandishes his famous shotgun and takes his own life rather than listen to Brian.

The second reference was in a short story I recently read by one of my own favorite authors, Charles Bukowski. While this story was written fifty years before Family Guy ever existed the punch line concerning "Hemingway's Shotgun" was much the same. Bukowski makes multiple references to his friendship with Hemingway throughout his writing. The fact that he knew Hemingway before his death gives him some room for comment. The way Bukowski quips about Hemingway's choice of weapon (a shotgun) might give the casual reader the impression that Bukowski didn't like Hemingway. As a fan of both authors, I feel that it is clear that Bukowski actually admired Hemingway greatly. He ever refers to Hemingway as "the best among us" on more than one occasion. Anyone who is familiar with Bukowski's work is also familiar with his rather blunt and often intentionally offensive sense of humor. Despite this fact, Bukowski seems to have been more deeply affected by the Nobel Prize winners death than he is comfortable admitting.

While both references were clearly made in jest Bukowski's comments, however comedic, seem to have some actual heart and sympathy behind them. The unnecessary and poorly scripted joke on Family Guy, however, had no such heart. Seth MacFarlane and his contemporaries seem to feel they have dramatic license to mock Hemingway and other great authors. In terms of sheer freedom of speech these comedy writers certain have that right. Charles Bukowski, on the other hand, was a contemporary of Hemingway's. He actually KNEW the man, the author, the artist.

While both jokes seem similar, their intentions are very different. Despite what one might think of Bukowski his writing has a blunt honesty to it. The bottom line is that if anyone has dramatic license to make such comments it would be the man's contemporary, Charles Bukowski not a comedian who never knew the man.

http://www.amazon.com/Worst-Times-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00F5BVSFU
http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00QAS3SCS

Raymond Carver, Birdman and the Academy Awards

I never cared for Raymond Carver.

I can't really explain why, but as a younger man I was required to read Cathedral (held by many to be his best work) for purely academic purposes.  Perhaps that is why I didn't care for the story.  Possibly because someone in a position of authority (in this case a professor) told me that I had to read it.  I did as instructed.  I even wrote a report on the piece.  I don't recall what grade I received on that particular report, but as a solid A/B student in college it is safe to say that it was a decent grade.

Good grade or no, I didn't care for Carver.  I read that he had a drinking problem (hell what literary great didn't).  I read that he died tragically at too young an age.  Not of that phased me. I still dismissed him as run of the mill.

That changed this year when I saw Birdman.  Now I know what you are thinking.  Birdman was not written by Raymond Carver.  Only the short story that Michael Keaton's character has adapted into play (What We Talk About When We Talk About Love) was actually written by Carver.  And you are right.  But the basis of this film digs much deeper than the story of a washed up actor who is trying to make a comeback on Broadway.

While Birdman itself was not written by Carver, Birdman does not work without Carver.  It cannot work without Carver.  This film could not work without Carver's short story serving as the foundation for the entire theme of the movie. 

I loved Birdman.  I think Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone should all win in their respective Oscar categories.  I also think the director should win for Best Director and that it should be named Best Picture.
It won't be though.  American Sniper will steal a number of awards from it.  As might The Imitation Game and Selma.

That will be a shame.

Even if Birdman wins nothing during the Academy Awards it has accomplished at least one thing:  it has given this reader (and many others) a new appreciation of the work of Raymond Carver.

If Carver were still alive today, I would write him a letter apologizing for giving up on his work when I was in college.  Or perhaps he would have a Twitter account (I know some of you just cringed) so perhaps my apology could be sent in the form of a "tweet."

In any case, I will be rereading Cathedral as well as several other Raymond Carver short stories.

I hope that many of you reading this article will do the same.

Writer's Block, Bukowski and the Post Office

Today I would like to suggest yet another tip to becoming a better writer. Today's tip actually has more to do with not writing than actually writing, as odd as that might sound.

BALANCE.

This topic occurred to me while reading Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski. In one particular piece Bukowski attempts to explain a bout of writer's block that he once suffered and indirectly attributes his problems to the existence of daily mail delivery.

Anyone who has read anything that I have ever written knows how much I love Charles Bukowski. I have always been drawn to his direct no holds bar way of writing. The reader never has to wonder what Bukowski is thinking. Make no mistake he is going to tell you and in no uncertain terms. He has been called a bully, a hack, a womanizer and worse. Regardless as to what you or I may think of the man he is clearly one of the most influential writers of the last century.

As a former postal employee, Bukowski has every right to criticize the postal service. He worked for that organization for a decade first as a mail carrier and later as a postal clerk. To put it bluntly, the man paid his dues in that organization and has every right to criticize his former employer.

Despite this fact, I have to wonder if the distraction of daily mail delivery is really a legitimate excuse for writer's block. In this particular exert, Bukowski admits that he became obsessed with reading and responding to his readers' correspondence. At the outset this sounds admirable. He later admits that he usually only responded to the women, and more often to the attractive female readers who included photos of themselves in their correspondence. These admissions lead the reader to question whether the interruption of his daily mail carrier was really the cause of his struggles with writer's block.  Instead, allow me to suggest that the contents of those deliveries and his obsession with certain female fans might actually have been the root cause.

While I doubt that many of us have had this same exact experience we have all experienced writer's block. Whether we write novels, poetry, short stories or even something more technical or business related each of us has stared at a blank screen or sheet of paper in frustration at some point.

May I suggest that rather than blame arbitrary events and distractions (such as daily mail delivery) for our problems that we should all learn to lead a more balanced life. We cannot afford to become our own creations. Balance is the key to everything. If you write in the mornings then by all means write in the mornings. But do something else in the afternoon and evening. If you write in the afternoons or evening by all means be true to your routine but find something different and more social to do during your mornings.

Despite certain stereotypes not all great writers are antisocial recluses.

I hope that together we can continue to grow as writers and as human beings.

It is essential to find a good healthy balance that will allow each of us to become a better writer every day!

Thanks again for reading and as always...

KEEP WRITING!

http://www.amazon.com/mn/landing/B00F7MLT3I
http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00QAS3SCS

My favorite moment of the Superbowl....

Today I take a break from my ongoing blog series to share some thoughts on last nights big event...namely the Superbowl.

My favorite moment by far did not happen on the television screen.  While trolling through Twitter and reading all of the reactions to the morbid Nationwide commercial (I'll let you look that one up if you happen to be the ONLY person on the planet who hasn't seen it or any of the memes it produced) I came across a very simple tweet from a reader.

This intelligent young woman simply stated that while the rest of her family was watching the Superbowl she was enjoying a book.

At first this might not sound like much but let the implication sink in for a moment.

While the rest of us (including me, I freely admit) were engrossed in a ballgame this young woman was reading.  The significance of this may not be obvious but allow me to expand.

In a world filled with handheld and online video games (not to mention YouTube and what not) this young woman prefers to read.  I am both shocked and encouraged by this admission.  I myself love reading and prefer it to most forms of media.  If I have learned anything by tracking my book sales these past few years it is that more readers use an electronic device (aka Kindle or Nook) to read books than actually buy paper books these days.

I am a bit of a dinosaur, I'll admit, in many ways.  My preference for actual books further alienates me from the average American.  I still like to hold a book in my hand and I rarely go anywhere without one type of book or another in hand.  (Right now I am reading Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski.)

It was refreshing to see this tweet from someone significantly younger than me during the Superbowl.  Now I can't be sure whether the tweeter (is that even a word?) was reading a paper book or on an electronic device.  The truth is, it doesn't really matter.

What matters is that she rejected the social norm to stare blankly at a screen all day and she chose to read instead.

I hope that all of you find this anomaly as encouraging as I do.

Until next time...

KEEP WRITING!  (and reading!)

New Series: Writing Tips for Potential Authors

Hello friends and fellow readers!

Today I begin a series of writing tips that I have collected not only from my own experiences but from interaction with other authors. I hope that each of you find something new and positive that will encourage your own writing.

#1:  STAY POSITIVE

This may sound like a no brainer but doubt can be a killer.  There are going to be periods of rejection in each of our lives.  An independent author is going to face a lot of rejection.  I recall my first rejection came as a form letter from Dark Horse Comics.  I had submitted a storyline for a potential comic book that I titled "The Worst of Times."  Anyone who has dealt with the comics industry knows that the big boys (Marvel and DC) do not accept unsolicited submissions...but the smaller imprints do!  Thus my submission to Dark Horse.  Dark Horse sent me a very polite yet firm letter stating that while they appreciated my submission they had no interest in my story "at this time."

That was 2010.

Five years later I'm not even sure if Dark Horse is still around but if they are they still have no interest in my story lol.

As some of you already know, I later expanded this storyline into my first novel also titled The Worst of Times.  I am proud to report that we are fast approaching our one thousandth download of The Worst of Times for Amazon Kindle!

My point is that just because a story or idea is rejected by one format or publisher does not mean the death of that story.  Only your own self doubt can truly destroy the potential success of your creation.

I hope that this first tip proves useful to all of you.  I plan on offering many more in future posts!

As always...

KEEP WRITING!!!

Short stories verses novels

Hello friends and fellow readers!

Today I would like to talk about reader preferences.  I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me that he wishes he could read more.  After asking several questions I came to the conclusion that my friend has plenty of free time in which to read but that he is intimidated by the size of most modern novels.  Anything over a hundred pages scares the pants off of him (not literally I hope). 

I gave this problem some thought and came up with what I think is a possible solution.  I suggested that my friend start of with a short story collection rather than read an entire novel.  He commented that even those are intimidating because of the number of pages and the sheer size of the novels.  I can't disagree with either statement.  My suggestion was that he focus on the table of contents and start with some of the shorter of the stories and work his way up.

To be clear, my friend is not new to reading.  He actually has an associates degree and is and educated man.  He simply is used to reading for more technical purposes and not for pleasure.

I wonder how many other potential or past readers feel the same way?

Does word count and book length chase away the casual reader?

As always I welcome any thoughts, suggestions and comments.

Thanks again for reading and I hope that many of you will join me in setting time aside to read everyday.

As always KEEP WRITING (and in this case KEEP READING!)

Today I would like to talk about my recent experience with a local bookstore here in the Louisville KY area.  I will spare that company from using it's name since my experience was a negative one.

Some time ago I was walking through my favorite part of old Louisville and came across a local bookstore.  I entered the store to browse and noticed that in the far back corner there was a "Local Author's" section.  I decided to ask about offering my books on that shelf and the young man behind the counter was very polite and helpful.  He provided me with both an email address and a phone # for the store manager and suggested I contact said manager.  I thanked the young man and went about my day.

A few days later I emailed the manager.  There was no reply.  I waited a week later and emailed again.  This time I also called.  Still no reply.  I decided to take a chance and make a second phone call.  This time I got through to the manager.

I wish I could tell you that the conversation was a pleasant one.  It was not.  We discussed pricing and the store manager told me that the store would have to mark up the list price of my books since I sale them at the minimal price allowed by my publisher.  In case you are wondering, my publisher has set $12.99 as the minimum price for my detective novel The Worst of Times (which is almost 400 pages) and $9.99 for my science fiction book Elsewhere (which is 200 pages).

I expressed my concern that marking the price up to the suggested in store price of $19.99 (for The Worst of Times) seemed counter productive.  My goal has always been to make my writing as available and affordable as possible...not to make the largest profit.

The manager informed me in not uncertain terms that I had no idea what it took to stay in the bookstore business and preceded to lecture me about overhead, distributor costs etc.

Long story short (too late, right?) my novels will not be appearing on the shelf at that particular bookstore anytime soon.

I hope that my experience with this particular store manager was the exception for my fellow authors rather than the rule.

As always I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions you might have...and thanks again for reading!

Keep Writing!

Elsewhere now available in paperback and for Kindle and NOOK!

As of today my new scifi book ELSEWHERE is available in the following formats.

Here are direct links to purchase ELSEWHERE in paperback or for Kindle or Nook:

Prestige Paperback:  http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-John-Eric-Buckley/dp/1505440157

Kindle:   http://www.amazon.com/Elsewhere-John-Eric-Buckley-ebook/dp/B00QAS3SCS

Nook:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/elsewhere-john-eric-buckley/1120966159

Thanks again for all of your kind words and support!

John Eric Buckley