Reading one’s own obituary: P. T. Barnum

P. T. Barnum

I’ve written in the past about the profession of obituary writing. My interest is rather simple: I wrote a story years ago about an obituarist (kindly published by North American Review) and I’ve remain interested in the vocation since. It strikes me as a unique field of work to compress a person of note’s life down to six or seven informative paragraphs without simply being encyclopedic.

More interesting to me is that most obituaries are written while the subject is still alive. If newspapers are going to stay in the business of publishing timely work, they have to be. Who wants to read the obituary of a one-hit wonder or has-been star six weeks after their death? The magic of the obituary is to be at once timely and timeless.

One danger in the obituary business is premature publication. It turns out there’s a history of notables who had the pleasure of reading their own obituaries, from Axl Rose to Abe Vigoda to Alfred Nobel. I won’t bother quoting Twain about exaggerated reports, but Rudyard Kipling may have topped it with his letter to an editor: “I’ve just read that I am dead. Don’t forget to delete me from your list of subscribers.”

Mindful of current events in the United States, I found myself reading over Wikipedia’s entry on P. T. Barnum. The man’s life was surprisingly varied. While he’s most famous as a huckster and a showman, I didn’t know one of his first ventures was publishing a crusading newspaper (which might explain his later skill of manipulating the press) or that he didn’t get into the circus business until age sixty, when his greatest exploits and promotions were well behind him.

And then there’s this tidbit about his life and death, as told in the New York Times:

In ill health in 1891, he persuaded a New York newspaper, The Evening Sun, to publish his obituary while he was still alive so he could read it; he died days later at the age of 81.

In my short story, the obituarist remarks that writing one’s own death notice stands outside the bounds of professional decorum. But to bless one’s obituary be published while on death’s door, all for the pleasure of reading it before you pass—P. T. Barnum was quite a man.

New covers for Bridge Daughter and Hagar’s Mother

I’m pleased to announce new covers for Bridge Daughter and Hagar’s Mother! As much as I liked the old covers, these better reflect the concerns and characters of the books and the series overall. They also point to the aesthetic direction I want to take for the next book—or books!—in the Bridge Daughter Cycle.

Kindle editions with these covers should be available shortly at Amazon. Paperback versions are on the way. (Go here to download a sample of Bridge Daughter and here for Hagar’s Mother.)

I’d like to extend my thanks to Debbie at The Cover Collection for her tremendous taste and talent in producing these covers!

Audio

Interview with Sarah Meckler of GSMC Book Review

Sarah Meckler of GSMC Book Review recently interviewed me for their podcast. We discussed Bridge Daughter, its sequel Hagar’s Mother, and some of the background behind both books.

One (pleasantly) unexpected curveball: She also asked me what’s up with Edward Teller Dreams of Barbecuing People and how a book with that kind of title might tie in with my other work. What can I say? That’s my sense of humor.

You can listen to the interview here. It’s also on iTunes and YouTube if that’s easier for you:

It was great talking with Sarah—she was a wonderful host and made me feel comfortable from start to finish. I hope you enjoy the interview as well!

Hagar’s Mother free this holiday weekend

In case you missed it on my Twitter or Facebook feed, the Kindle edition of my latest novel Hagar’s Mother is free this holiday weekend—no strings attached. The giveaway ends after Cyber Monday, so pick it up now!

This is a great chance to get both copies of the Bridge Daughter Cycle (Bridge Daughter plus Hagar’s). You can pick up both books for a total of USD$2.99 (which is kind of a steal).

If you do pick up the free book, it would be greatly appreciated if you submitted an honest review to Amazon once you finish reading it. Amazon reviews are gold to independent authors like myself for many reasons (which I may blog about one day).

Pick up Hagar’s Mother for free here.

Happy holidays—

Jim

Hagar’s Mother now available for pre-order

Mark your calendar for November 15th!

Hagar’s Mother is now available on Amazon for pre-order. Buy now and have a digital edition of Hagar’s Mother delivered to your Kindle, Kindle Fire, or phone on November 15th, the first day of sale.

As a thank you for supporting my work, Kindle editions of Hagar’s Mother are available for pre-order at a sale rate of $0.99. The price will raise after November 15th, so please take advantage of this rate.

For those of you waiting for a paperback edition, I’ll be putting it together soon. My current plan is to have both editions ready on the same date, but it’s possible the paperback version will slip a bit.

Pre-order your copy of Hagar’s Mother now

Hagar’s Mother coming soon

Alas, Kindle Press took a pass on Hagar’s Mother (although their editors did pass on to me some rather complimentary and constructive comments).

No matter—I’ll be putting together Hagar’s Mother on my own and publish it soon on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions. Keep watching this space (and/or my Facebook and Twitter feeds) for news and updates.

Thank you for your support and patience with me over the past month during the Kindle Scout campaign. Book Two of the Bridge Daughter Cycle is on its way!

– Jim

Author Q&A with Bookies: Monday, October 2nd

I’ll be leading a Q&A on Bookies’ Facebook page this Monday, October 2nd, from 5pm to 7pm (Pacific time). The event is part of Bookies’ #Authorberfest, their yearly October event giving independent authors a chance to meet readers and answer their questions.

This year I will be discussing Bridge Daughter and its upcoming sequel, Hagar’s Mother. I’m also working on a giveaway as part of the Q&A, so come and check it out!

More information about the event is on my Facebook page. Learn more about #Authorberfest at Bookies. If you like and share their announcement, you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a $10 Amazon gift card.