Wow. Think about this. This means that over the last few years, my wife and daughter have had to visit this site at least five times a day!  I am not really sure about the math but am grateful for them both.  And, do the rest of you, do better!

Okay, get ready, get set…too late! Black Friday has come and gone, and we are now officially into the Christmas season. Santa is making appearances in your local mall and a new strain of Covid variant is debuting in South Africa and slowly making its way to you. I give it about two days before somebody starts blaming Joe Biden.
 
As I write this, I am listening to the soundtrack to Licorice Pizza (the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson), and if the soundtrack is any indication, it’s going to be so great. Of course, I am already a huge fan, so I may be going in with some prejudice. But who cannot love a film that features Bing Crosby, Nina Simone, Sonny and Cher, and Taj Mahal.
 
If anyone is interested, my guitar lessons are going well. I feel by the time I am 77, I will be musically something to reckon with. 
 
Working on a new project that I am very excited about. I will tell you more when I can. Until then, you will just have to purchase a copy of SON OF RAVAGE (both hard copy and Kindle), stream AXE TO GRIND, or watch some of my decade’s old stand-up comedy. Sorry, but that’s’ the best I can do right now.
 
Recommended podcasts for the month of December:
 
Love is a Crime (Karina Longworth and Vanessa Hope)
You Must Remember This: Dino and Sammy (Karina Longworth)
Stop Me if  I’ve Heard This (Susan Rice and Art Krug)
 
Okay, I am exhausted, and I haven’t taken my walk yet. See you next week!

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​Nothing says Thanksgiving better than a cornucopia of worthless self-effacing diatribe better than another edition of potpourri. The special time of the year when I throw a hodgepodge of worthless opinions your way, in lieu of a present.
 
So, with that being said, let’s get started.  Christmas is just around the corner and if you have not started your holiday shopping yet, what better way to celebrate than to send your loved ones a copy of SON OF RAVAGE. In anticipation of Black Friday, Amazon has dropped the price of both the print and Kindle editions. So, why not save a buck or two and give the gift that keeps on giving.
 
Okay, so there are a few new releases out there that we can talk about.
 
First and foremost, Dune. Visually stunning as well as an accurate interpretation of the literary material, this is something worth seeing on the big screen. The acting is first rate, the pace never seems to waiver and as stated previously, the SFX are both creative and awe-inspiring. The end of part one does not entirely work for me and seems to be a is a bit haphazard. Seems to me to be a bit random, reminding me of the cutoff of Bakshi’s animated Lord of the Rings.
 
Red Notice is an amusing waste of two hours, the performances of Gadot, Rock and Reynolds all elevating mediocre material to a higher level. Ho-hum. 
 
The real surprise for me is Army of Thieves, the Matthias Schweighöfer heist movie set in the word of Zack Snyders Army of the Dead zombie franchise. The well-executed international heist movie is written, directed and performed by an enthusiastic crew of artists and actors and despite a lukewarm predecessor, builds anticipation for the next film in the trilogy. 
Okay, I am exhausted. Have a great turkey day and we will be back next week.
 
And now a special treat in anticipation of your holiday feast/

​Less than 2 weeks to Thanksgiving. What the hell happened? That went by all too quickly. I was once told that everything in business shuts down between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, so keep that in mind if you are querying. In the meantime, what else is new.
 
Well, for me, we have the J.P. Linde Memorial Christmas Guitar Concert. Yes, one special day and one special song. I am preparing as we speak. This year’s set list promises to be a real doozy. Silent Night, followed by Deck the Halls. Here is a brief sneak peek at the former selection. Ready?
 
G-G-G-G  G-G-G-G  D-D-D  G-G-G
 
Okay, that is all you are going to get but it promises to be really something.
 
Have another video meeting coming up with a very nice group of people. Hopefully, I will be given the opportunity to pitch something I am sort of excited about. I am working on it as we speak.
 
So, with all that in mind. I will leave you with a Happy 12 Days before Thanksgiving. 

And now, some real guitar

​Wow. November. To be honest, not sure how I feel about it. I hope everyone is attempting to keep busy. I have several projects on the burner and spend a good portion of my day working on those and generating new opportunities, which brings up this week’s topic: Generating Leads.
 
I think Mother Superior, Sound of Music MS and not Trouble of Angels MS, summed it up best: “When God slams a door in your face, he sneaks around to the side of the house to break a couple of windows.” Or something like that. I may have paraphrased. The point is, opportunities are all around. You just have to look for them. It may be in the form of some sort of writing completion, a chance to work on a fellowship, or hell, even a side gig of stealing cars for Nicholas Cage. But, trust me, they’re out there. Even Linkedin can spotlight a job or two that very well maybe in your wheelhouse. 
 
And a word of caution. Try not to pay for them. I know that there are a few sites out there that will basically tease you with one or two free leads, hoping that you will pay for a whole page. I’ve done it. But here’s my take. The odds are about the same. Paid or otherwise, for every hundred leads, you get one or two interested responses.
 
There are a few things you can do to be ready. Have some writing samples polished and ready to send.  Have a readable resume that is both concise and accurate.  Occasionally go deep and look for something that you may not be all that comfortable with just to mix things up. And keep trying, for god’s sake. Be persistent. 
 
Dedicate specific time for searching. If you do not have a blog, start one. It is a good reference for any interested parties.
 
Kenny Rogers said it best.  “The more cards you have in your hand, the more chances you have for a hand worth betting on.”  Or  something like that. I may have paraphrased a bit.