Tag: reading

Margerumalia – Angel’s Birthday

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – August 9, 2024

We had to say goodbye to our beloved dog, Angel, about two-and-a-half years ago and we still miss her dearly. In my biography on the back of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles I said that we lived with two cats—now one— and “the ongoing presence of a dog named Angel, who really truly was an Angel.” She would be eighteen this month and I want to tell you about how she appears on the cover of my book. 

In chapters 10 through 12, there is a dog in Eveningwhere that Leah and Vanessa refer to as Yin-Yang because of the tag on her collar. Angel often sat with me as I wrote MAMLA so I described her: “The dog appeared white in the twilight, but its short fur had a light tan shade that gave it a soft and warm feeling.” If you look at the picture above from the corner of my book cover, you’ll see that light tan and if you zoom in on the collar, you’ll see the Yin-Yang symbol.

Here’s the thing. 

When I sent my description of the book’s visual elements to BookBaby I only said there was a dog with a Yin-Yang tag on the collar. I didn’t say she was part yellow lab with a sleek runner’s body (part whippet, perhaps) but when I saw the cover design I immediately knew it was Angel. What a gift! She made her way into the book just as she had made her way into our hearts.

Tuesday morning I came across my neighbor around the corner who was with his son, walking an old chocolate lab who was huffing and puffing his way down the sidewalk. This was the end, my neighbor said, the tumor was blocking his breathing passage and they had to say goodbye. He wiped a tear from his face as he told me about it. There wasn’t much I could say except “I’m sorry.” So few words for such deep emotions. 

About an hour later on my way home I saw a woman in scrubs standing on the sidewalk in front to their house. She was filling out paperwork on a clipboard. As I got closer I saw my neighbor at the back of his pick-up truck stroking the body of his beloved family pet. I stopped long enough to rub his shoulder a few times. I had no words, but he said thank you and I walked home. He was in tears and mine started soon after.

They say our pets—our fur babies—teach us how to love and how to deal with loss. I suppose they do, but couldn’t they stick around just a little longer? I sure do appreciate you and what you bring to my life.

Be safe. Be well. 

Ta-Ta For Now, My Friend.

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If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com

Margerumalia – Remembering Bob Newhart

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – August 2, 2024

Photo Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Newhart

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Bob Newhart last week. Besides enjoying both of his TV shows, listening to his record, and seeing him appear on everything from “Elf” and “The Big Bang Theory” to late night talk shows—he subbed for Johnny Carson 87 times—I got to spend a few minutes talking to him in the early 90’s.

Working as a bartender at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood I met several celebrities who came to see offerings like the national tour of “Peter Pan” (not great for bartending) or a New Year’s Eve concert by Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry (great drinking crowd, great tips).

On this particular day I had seen Newhart on the KTLA Morning News and was telling my fellow bartender about the interview as Newhart came strolling through. The show would be starting in seven or eight minutes and the bar was empty so I said, “Hey, I was just talking about you.” He smiled, walked right over and asked what I had been talking about. 

“You were on the Morning News talking about creating another Bob Newhart Show.” 

“Yeah, I was. And I think it looks promising.” 

“That’s great,” I said. “I loved watching both the other shows. It’s the perfect time to do another one.” 

It was so easy to talk to him. I didn’t feel like I was facing a celebrity, I was just chatting with the guy next door. And he seemed to genuinely enjoy the conversation. We talked for a couple more minutes before I reminded him that the show was about to start. He thanked me and went in to see the performance. 

I would’ve shook his hand but it was sticky with beer, wine, and soda so we just nodded at each other. My pal Bob and me. 

Do you think he knew about the Bob Newhart drinking game that was played in college campuses across the nation? Students would gather in the common room of the dorm to watch “The Bob Newhart Show” and take a drink whenever anyone on the show said “Hi Bob!” It happened a lot and both the episode and the commercials got hilarious by the end of the half hour. I can just hear him chuckling about it.

It’s a shame that third series was never produced. Who knows, maybe there’s an unseen pilot hidden in the vaults of MTM. I’d raise a glass for that! 

If you listen to podcasts, NPR’s Fresh Air dedicated an episode to his career including past interviews with Terry Gross. I laughed out loud several times listening to it on my morning walk. Here’s the link: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/26/1197972896/bob-newhart 

He’ll be missed.

* * * * *

I see I picked up a couple of reviews on Amazon, thanks for those. The more, the merrier. 

Amazon’s website is a bit persnickety about who is allowed to write those reviews. I had to use my wife’s Amazon Prime account to post my review of Effacement because I don’t use my own account enough. Ah, well, that’s how the game is played. 

TTFN

Margerumalia – Cartoon Humor & Book Review

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – July 26, 2024

I’ve always said that if I had the ability to draw I would have been a cartoonist. Especially the one-panel variety. “The New Yorker” has been emailing cartoons without captions for several years and, as you can see, the one here is my submission from a few years ago. It still makes me chuckle when I read it so I thought I’d share it with you. 

I’ve done a few more, but their new rules for submitting includes signing up for a free trial that evolves into a full-blown subscription. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of great articles and tons of terrific cartoons in that magazine, but I have so much to read I just don’t have the time to devote to it. 

When I was growing up I discovered that my parents had a big coffee-table-sized collection of New Yorker cartoons covering about fifty years of politics, culture, and life in the Big Apple. I think it taught me more about Twentieth Century history than anything I ever learned in school. In fact, some of my ah-ha moments in college were related to cartoons that I suddenly understood in context. (Picture 20-year-old Eric at the back of the room grinning at a remembered cartoon published decades before he was born.) 

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Speaking of devoting time to reading, I recently finished reading a book by a friend of mine and posted my review on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. I recommend his book and encourage you to seek it out. Here’s what I wrote:

Effacement by Hieronymus Hawkes

“Exciting and Ingenious Story”

In the near future, humanity is steeped in internet connectivity, where everyone wears implanted chips as required by law. A disconnection from the lifelog is punishable by a fine and jail time. When Cole, who works for the company that writes the software, is assaulted, drugged and disconnected, he wants to find out who was responsible. And find out why people are dying from the latest lifelog upgrade. Was his life just splintered or saved?

This exciting and ingenious book does a marvelous job of bringing the reader into Cole’s altered reality, challenging us to examine his experience of effacement—like our current reality—and consider our own future. We wade with him through a tangle of relationships and a cluster of trust issues as he attempts to stay out of jail and prevent the software from harming anyone else.

* * * * *

Reviews are like tip jars for authors. It’s only spare change for you, but it adds up to something important for the author. Most books are only accepted as legit when they reach 100 reviews. Even low scoring reviews are part of that total because they lend legitimacy to the top scoring reviews. 

If you’ve read The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles you’d be doing me a big favor by writing a short review and posting it on one or more of the websites I mentioned above. Amazon, of course, is the 600 pound gorilla in the room and carries the greatest weight in the U.S. Thanks in advance for your time. 

TTFN

Margerumalia – Creative Hobbies

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – July 19, 2024

The book signing at Main Street Books went very well with lots of people coming in to get out of the heat and get their passports stamped for finding the hidden Waldo somewhere in the store. I gave my elevator pitch to several parents who bought my book, and I gave away free mazes and bookmarks to every child who wanted one. Every maze asks, “Can you find your way out of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles?” with my URL ericmargerum.com on every page. Kudos to my wife for coming up with that strategy! 

 * * * * * 

I had an email conversation with my friend, Michael, whom I met recently—another local author—and here’s what he wrote:

Do me a favor, Eric. I want you to be deadly honest with me about my book,… unless you absolutely love it. In that case, go ahead and review it on Amazon.

No hurry on the coffee. I can do it anytime.

I’ve always said, if I never sell a single book, it’s okay because the experience has been fantastic. I feel differently now though. I just need to stop spending money on this hobby.

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I wrote the following and then asked his permission to share my reply in this newsletter:

Hi Michael, 

I can see you walking the line very cautiously. Timidly, perhaps?

On one side of the line you want brutal honesty from someone you barely know to justify laying down the pen. On the other hand you’ve written an intriguing premise for a second book and have been thinking about how to link it to the first one. Clearly you carry the creative spark and yearn to keep creating.

I can tell you from many years of auditions both as an actor and a director, one person’s disinterest or praise is not that of the guy standing next to him. Everyone has their own preferences. Your book moved someone to tears. Any artist would say that’s a great achievement in and of itself. The next reader may not be moved and that’s okay.

As for spending money on a hobby, I was just watching an episode of That 90’s Show (sequel to That 70’s Show) and Red is spending time in his garage with his model trains. Do they mean anything to anyone else? No. Is he spending money on this hobby? Yes. Does he think it’s a pointless expense? No. Do I think so? Yes. Who’s right? 

At least your “hobby” elicits emotions. One might look at Red’s train table, watch the choo-choo run the circuit a couple of times, nod and offer a vague compliment and leave. But your book, your work, is an art form. As a creative with a capital C, I see great value in that. It makes the world a better place, generates empathy, brings a unique perspective. I don’t see how that could be dismissed as a mere hobby.

Are there ways to improve on the generation of income? Doubtless there are. I’m looking for them, too. Are there ways to decrease the expense side. Probably. It’s worth looking at. That’s the whole business side of writing. If you’re hurting for income you may need to address that balance sheet. That’s practical. Separate that from the art form. 

Okay, enough preaching from me. I just don’t want to see you sabotage yourself. And, of course, I need to hear all these things, too. We have to develop our inner coach to give us a pep talk now and then, right?

Coffee soon. 

 * * * * * 

He said he really needed to hear that. Don’t we all? Guess what he showed me on his phone when we met for coffee? His model train set. The train table had mountains and ponds, flora and fauna, buildings and roads…the whole shebang…and filled one end of his basement.

Here’s the kicker. He had recently decided to pack it all up and put it away because it had just been collecting dust. I had no idea about that, but I do believe in the significance of coincidences, and that was a strong one. 

He’s writing his second book. I’m getting ready to read his first book and I’ll let you know more about it. 

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Fun fact. That line of asterisks between sections of text is called a dinkus. In MAMLA the interior designers gave me a small maze wherever I indicated a need for a dinkus. Isn’t that cool? I love working with creative folk! 

TTFN

Margerumalia – Barnes and Noble Book Signing

Eric Margerum

Newsletter June 14, 2024

First, I’ve heard that a good newsletter needs a good name so I invented another new word: Margerumalia. It’s a portmanteau combining Margerum with marginalia (notes in the margins). SO that’s two new words I’ve added to the English language. Look out, Shakespeare, I’m catching up!

Second, the book signing last Saturday at Barnes & Noble was very enjoyable, with a steady stream of customers who bought about as many books as I sold the previous week at the library. 

I’ve got to tell you something I overheard from a 30-something couple passing by. The man pointed out the person at the service desk and said, “She’s like a liberrian.” Fortunately they weren’t facing me when I broke out into a big grin. That’s where I got the idea for the lie-berries in “Plot Holes” and MAMLA! It’s the common mispronunciation of library. I loved hearing that. Felt like a confirmation.

A friend in my writing group told me Piers Anthony also had lie-berries in his Xanth novels. I had no idea. I’ve read several of his other books but haven’t tackled that series—47 of them so far! Sounds like I need a new TBR shelf for his books alone. I recommend his writing and his storytelling, by the way—it doesn’t hurt that he has my same love of puns and wordplay.

I hope every local author is treated as well as I was at Barnes & Noble. They were so friendly and considerate, a few employees even bought copies of their own! They invited me to return in August for the Back To School rush and I’m looking forward to it. Meanwhile there are a set of signed copies on their shelves with my bookmarks inside. 

Tomorrow I’ll have a table set up at my neighborhood Fresh Thyme Market where they also like to support local authors. I’ll wear something warmer, though, because the last author I saw there was seated in front of a table of refrigerated food. Good organic produce, by the way. That’ll be from about 11:00 to 2:00 pm. Local friends should note that this is the West Lafayette store, not the one in Lafayette. 

A former student suggests that I also set up a book signing in Naperville, Illinois. Maybe I can line up a few stops in that area. It’d be fun to see some familiar faces! 

TTFN!