Hello there!
Welcome to the new folks who joined last month!
April was a month of emotional highs and lows.
Sadly, our cat of seventeen and half years, JoJo, passed away.
I adopted JoJo in January of 2008. He was just a few months old, found by a young boy in Columbus and given to Pets Without Parents in Clintonville. My friends J and Cortney went with me, I’m sure what compelled me to adopt a cat at the time, but I can take an educated guess. “JoJo” was named by the kid who found him, so I decided to keep it, but officially name him Joseph Josiah Minneci.
The band I had been in since 1999 was all but done. We would play one more show in February before going on permanent hiatus. I had a job at the time I with zero emotional or professional attachment, and I had been single for a long time. Add the stress of having just purchased a condo at the top end of my budget and watching the economy implode, you could say I wasn’t feeling great.
When I picked him up as kitten, he fit in my hand and purred non-stop. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but at that moment I needed something or someone to care about, and told him as much. We became best buds quickly, and always looked forward to him sleeping on my chest or stomach as I laid down or watched TV.
I met my future wife that March. At the time, she had two small dogs, Kyra and Zeke. She was also (and still is) allergic to cats, but made it work. Never once did she say, “I think we need to find a new home for JoJo,” even though touching him would cause an allergic reaction. Unlike a lot of cats, JoJo wanted to be around people and receive pets. He could be very chill, letting me trim his front claws or hold him like a baby, but he was also a fighter.
There are lots of stories, too many to tell, about JoJo getting out of the house, about tracking down mice in the basement, about smacking the crap out of every dog he ever met. As my wife would say, JoJo “didn’t suffer fools.”
At the end, we knew it was coming. His last vet visit was confirmation he only had a few weeks left. I’m glad we got those last few weeks, he spent many days laying in my lap as I worked. Since his passing, I miss those moments, and get a tinge of sadness every time I walked down the stairs to the basement were JoJo would sleep throughout the day.
To quote Lazlo from What We Do In The Shadows, “He was my home-boy, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good-time boy.”
Onto the rest of the month…
I’ve been working with my SWFA mentor on Sol Omerta, and the notes and feedback have been great. I’ve never had the opportunity to take a novel or screenwriting class, so this is really my first educational opportunity beyond reading books on writing.
One of the things I’ve realized is that I’m not a pantser when it comes to writing, meaning I can’t make it up entirely as I go along. I had been relying on my creativity to carry the load, but without a basic road map I’ve been flailing for far too long. Part of the mentorship is figuring out what’s the best way for me to write and brainstorm. It’s been fun, it’s been challenging, and most importantly it’s been a very impactful experience for me.
RECENT DIG ME OUT
Here are the April episodes of the Dig Me Out Podcast:
Superchunk - Foolish
Muse - Showbiz
INXS - Full Moon, Dirty Hearts
Interview with Monique Powell of Save Ferris
Supergrass - In It for the Money
Badlands - Badlands
Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat
RECENT READS
Sunshine State Mafia by Doug Kelly
Florida is an interesting part of the 20th century mafia story. At times it was considered open territory, meaning any family from any city (usually New York and Chicago) could set up shop, even though the Trafficante family were present. The mob ran numerous legitimate business as fronts to wash money from the various illegal activities. There was the added bonus of Florida being a perfect entry point for illegal drugs from all around the world, but especially Central and South America. Kelly has an interesting perspective, having been a private investigator and security consultant, including services like eavesdropping detection.
Double Cross: The Explosive Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America by Sam Giancana, Chuck Giancana, and Bettina Giancana
Books written by former members of the mafia can sugar coat certain aspects, even when they claim not to. This book on Sam Giancana, the longtime head of the Chicago “outfit,” was written by his family, including his brother and godson. There is no sugar coating here, Sam “Mooney” Giancana is fully exposed a vicious, violent teen before developing his street smarts, then his organizational smarts, in rising to the top of the mafia food chain. But what makes this book fascinating is the length and number of tentacles Giancana had around not only the country but the world. It lays out a plausible series event that lead to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the death of Marilyn Monroe, and much more.
RECENT TV/MOVIES
THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER, Seasons 1 & 2 (AppleTV)
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (Hulu)
HOT ONES, Season 23 (YouTube)
3 BODY PROBLEM (Netflix)
I really enjoyed the 3 Body Problem on Netflix. For me, it had the right combination of science fiction nerdy stuff and human drama. Benedict Wong is a delight as the weary smoking government agent, and overall the cast is very good given some of the material is pretty heady and strange, even for sci-fi.
RECENT MUSIC
Pearl Jam - Dark Matter (2024)
Sponge - Planet Girls (The Lost 1999 Album) (2024)
A few reminders before you go:
Help spread the word - leave a book review at Amazon or GoodReads!
All previous newsletters are archived. Lots of stuff to check out including a link to the original 2011 screenplay of THE BLACK SKY, hints and helps to get started on the real work easter egg hunt teased at the back of the book, and more
Spotify Playlists! I made them for when I was writing THE BLACK SKY, THE RED SKY, and there is also a special one for “The Dank” bar that is in THE BLACK SKY.
If you like instrumental electronic music, I have soundtracks for THE BLACK SKY and THE RED SKY available at most streaming services, along with several other releases.
Stay Safe!
Tim