A Better Brain

The October issue of Ellipsis just arrived. It marks the end of The Whopper Strategies being published by this fine ensemble. I thank Richard, Perry, and all the editors and staff at Ellipsis for bringing my work and so many others to the mainstage. It was a thrill to be a part of the magazine. Thank you. I wish your publication continued success and an even wider readership.

For those of you who read The Whopper Strategies and are curious about "Enlightenment in a Box" I did notice a missing element to the last installment - the secret itself. I will put it below for your viewing pleasure. Just remember not to let Enlightenment go to your head.

In other news, I have taken Jim's advice and checked out online teaching opportunities as an option to my burgeoning producer career. If I am offered the opportunity, I will let you know of its pros and cons.

As of this moment, I have compiled a list of independent publishers who might take an interest in the various novels loaded in my arsenal. Top among the list is Manic D Press, Soft Skull Press, and David R. Godine. I will query all 3 with different pieces. My guess is that they will be curious enough to see a complete manuscript.

The other publishers that I am on the fence about are Chronicle, MacAdam & Cage, W.W. Norton & Co., and City Lights. I will definitely query the first 3, but City Lights has become more of a poetry publishing platform, so it may be wasted postage.

As far as my decision to remain in Los Angeles and continue to be a producer, only time will tell. Several of my friends have gone the route of teaching and whatnot, and I am not opposed to that path. Still, I like the weather here. (I am not one for jackets or hoodies. Believe me. 4 years in Boulder, Colorado was enough.)

In the dating scene, I have lost another girl to my whimsical leanings for confusion and mental instability. For some reason, I have the propensity to freeze up at the mention of commitment and leave myself wide open for stakes through the heart, followed by garlic, and a sad cacophony of 80's music led by Cindi Lauper & friends.

My brother says I am an idiot. "When it's there, it's there," he says.

I didn't argue with him. He could be right. Who knows? My father helped me find solace, when he complained that the brain was at fault and could use a better design.

"This brain," he said with the utmost conviction, "it needs to be improved."

I must have laughed for 10 minutes. I love his scientific approach to matters of choice and heart.

Right now I am wishing there wasn't a bag of Snickers on the coffee table. I am also quite thrilled about it at the same time.

FYI: I will document my submission process and the company's replies. My hope is that by making my queries public and discussing choices, I will make the process creative enough to hold my interest, and possibly benefit others in their searches. If anyone knows of an independent publisher whom I've overlooked and you feel would be a nice match for my work, please let me know.

Until Tomorrow,

P.