Caleb J. Ross's Blog, page 91

And I like you, Artifice Magazine.

A bit more praise here for the Oprah Read This >> Oprah, Read This project.

Disclaimer: I am far from a career author. I've made enough money to buy a few fifths of whisky and some diapers for my baby, so needless to say I've got a long way to go. The following plan reflects this outsider (re: possibly ignorant) perspective.

The idealized author spends his time alone, churning out typewritten manuscripts to meet constant deadlines. He drinks. Probably smokes. He's respected. He vacations in tropical seclusion, but still, even with the changed view, he ...

As far as meeting this goal, I failed. I did not reach 5,000 print-quality words in one day. However, I did learn something very important. I am simply not meant to write all day. I am glad that I can no longer blame my non-productivity on time constraints. In fact, I actually work better given 2-3 hour windows. As you can see by the time-line below, the day started off quite well.

When my lovely wife asked what I wanted for Father's Day, I replied quite simply: a day to myself. Fearing that the request may imply that my primary desire was to spend the day away from my family, I quickly explained that I wanted the day to write. I've been spoiled by the frantic life of parenthood, being able to blame my lack of productivity on the burdens of being a father. "Why haven't you finished the first draft of your world-changing novel?" my non-existent editor...

Jose Saramago, who quickly became one of my favorite authors after I read Blindness just last year, has died. But damn, he had a fine run, producing some of the most amazing novels I've ever read. There truly is no writing like Saramago writing.

I am lucky enough, however, to still have a robust back catalog of his work to dive into. In fact, just yesterday, I started The Stone Raft, and already, just 10 pages in, I'm hooked.

Even stranger is that I began work on a novella a...

(this is more of a rant than a cohesive post. Also not a cohesive post: an ionic neutral road sign…oh, I went there, sirs and mams)

When I say that best-selling doesn't mean best writing I understand the hipster ditch I dig. It sounds whiny and pretentious, all the more so when one realizes that nothing of mine is even close to best-selling. I'm not sure the word "best" could be put in front of any word and used to describe my work. Best tinder, maybe. Best use of paper bound b...

I've been asked a few times lately about my infatuation with cigars, specifically regarding my pairing them with reading and writing. Though I will likely be forced to continue defending my obsession, I feel laying it out in a blog post may curb the questions. Or it may rouse a group of like-minded gourmets, in which case, Welcome, Friends!

I have never been a cigarette smoker. In fact, growing up, I routinely took a dramatic exit when my mother lit up in the living room (she d...

(This interview is crossed posted at Outsider Writers Collective)

Full disclosure: I'm writing this intro after having imbibed a few pints of Guinness at a downtown KC Irish pub called O'Dowds, which, as a nod to authenticity, has been given my grandmother-in-law's seal of approval, all the way from Ballyshannon, Ireland. The inebriation is all the more fitting, considering Alan Kelly's Dublin area connections.

Alan first contacted me, years ago, by the invitation in one of my f...

I bring you #2 (heh) of a hopefully long-lived series: Kansas City Reading Coves.

When I can, I like my reading retreats like my collection of chained basement mimes: varied and quiet.

Homer's keeps bringing me back, yet rationally, it should not. The black coffee only is okay; the coffee drinks are adequate at best (they have a powdery, grainy texture); the pastries taste like grandma's…if...

*neither James Patterson nor Stephenie Meyer wrote this book**

**Thank fucking God***

***though I wouldn't mind their sales. Get to it, asterisks readers.