Opening to A Magic Life

Cross posted from The Juggling Writer.

About a month ago, I posted about working on a rewrite of something while starting a new book I didn’t plan to start until next year. (Sometimes the urge for something new hits and you just have to run with it.)

While I wanted to get another e-book out there before the year’s end, the new thing (called A Magic Life), has taken up most of my writing time.

I have a pile of things I want to blog about, but the new book has my attention. If I’m a bit quiet the rest of the year, you now know why…

* * *

1934

June Mangione was born shortly after her mother was cut in half. Her first trick was an escape: slipping free from the soft grasp of her mother’s womb like handcuffs, untangling herself from umbilical chains—writhing and contorting as she made her way through the birth canal as though she were shedding a straight jacket—she kicked and fought until being delivered two months early into the hands of a waiting clown. Her arrival was a surprising appearance in a world where most things disappeared.

“That don’t look right,” the clown said.

June’s mother tried sitting up on the hay bales covered by two horse blankets emblazoned with BARNES BROS. CIRCUS serving as a delivery bed. “What’s wrong?”

“She ain’t much bigger than a yam, Angie.”

“She? Is she breathing?”

The clown put his ear to June’s face. “Shit!” He rolled June over, cradling her in his large hands, the umbilical cord dangling between his fat fingers. He worked his pinky into June’s mouth, checking for blockage.

June’s mother got her first look. “She’s blue!”

“I’m trying, Angie!” The clown rocked June back and forth in his hands, but she still wasn’t breathing. “Where’s the damn doctor?!”

Angie sat up and grabbed her leg. “Ow!”

“What’s wrong?” the clown said.

“Leg cramp. Happened in the ring.” She reached out for June.

Moments before June’s arrival, her mother climbed into an illusion cabinet and was sawed in half by her husband before a crowd gathered beneath a circus tent on a hot summer day. The initial tinges of birth came shortly before the show, small contractions that let Angie know the baby was coming sooner than planned, but it was a performer’s job to go on no matter what. She had hid June well. She was still able to wear costumes without the crowd noticing from a distance that she carried with her more than just a smile and moves to redirect their attention, but it was clear to those in the know that a backup assistant would soon be needed. Angie could only dance, gesture, and contort into illusion cabinets so long before the weight of her husband’s regret grew too big inside her to remain concealed.

The cramps came as June’s father slid two blades on either side of the cut he’d just made with a large saw and separated each half of the box to show the audience that he had just cut his wife in half before their eyes. June’s mother felt the warm rush of amniotic fluid between her legs as the two pieces of the cabinet were rejoined and the blades removed. When the cabinet was opened and Angie’s husband offered his hand to help her out, she sat up in the cabinet and waved to the audience, smiling through the pain. It was enough proof  that she’d survived, and they burst into applause. Beneath the clapping, Angie said, “The baby’s coming.” She was wheeled away and taken back stage.

“She’s bleeding!” one of the aerialists said. She pointed to the mess spilling from between Angie’s legs.

“Angie, we need to take care of you,” the clown said.

“No!”

“We need to cut the cord.”

“Not yet,” Angie said. She didn’t care that she was bleeding. “Let me hold her.”

“She’s still not breathing, Angie.”

“I know.”

“Angie, listen to Hank,” the aerialist said. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

“Give me my daughter.”

Hank the clown handed June to her mother. Angie lied back, cradling June to her chest. She cooed in a reassuring tone as she gently patted and rubbed June’s back. “Come on, honey. Breathe.”

Nothing.

Angie’s trembling hands traced the contours of June’s back
. “Breathe.”

Nothing.

“Angie?” Hank said. “Let us help you.”

“We need to help her,” Angie said.

Hank looked at the ground. “There’s nothing more we can do.”

Angie shook her head and pulled June closer. She kissed the top of June’s head and whispered something to her; then she closed her eyes, exhaled one last time, and loosened her hold on her daughter. Moments later, June’s first breath—a cry that could be heard all the way out to the audience—let the world know that a magic life had just begun.

A Recent Juggling Video

With cooler weather in the mornings, I’ve been trying to get out to juggle.

Here’s a video I made a couple weeks ago — I hope you enjoy it.

It’s Been Awhile

I almost forgot how to log in to my main site
. It’s been so long since I’ve been here. I always update The Juggling Writer, but I’ve let my personal page gather dust.

I’ve been letting more personality spill over on The Juggling Writer, but I still miss something even more personal/thoughtful, like I used to do with my LiveJournal account. My goal is to start doing more with this site.

What I’ve Been Up To

I’m starting a new book. I meant to start it next year, but it’s one of those things you go with when it hits. I’m shopping around my recent book, hoping to find representation.

Other than that, just working and having fun.

With weather cool enough for juggling, having fun’s an easy thing to do.

LinkedIn Traffic Tip

This is from an entry I recently wrote on The Juggling Writer.

I recently did one little thing that increased traffic from LinkedIn to my websites almost three fold: I customized my link descriptions.

Before and After

My link descriptions used to read “Personal Website” and “Blog” — the standard LinkedIn defaults (along with “Company Website”).

Also, I never used the third slot LinkedIn allows for links to user websites.

Instead of “Personal Website” and “Blog, ” now it looks like this:

The Importance of LinkedIn

Since I started freelancing, LinkedIn has become more important than ever to me. By customizing links (and using the third slot LinkedIn offers for websites), more people are coming to my sites through LinkedIn and seeing that I can produce regular Web content.

How To

This is how I customized my website links:

1. While logged into LinkedIn, select Profile > Edit Profile

2.Under Websites, click Edit.

3. Change the websites dropdown from the default settings (“Personal Website,” “Company Website,” “Blog”) to Other.

3. In the center column, enter what you’d like viewers to see for your LinkedIn website links
.

4. In the right column, enter the site URLs.

5. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

Use All Three

Even if you only have one or two websites, use all three fields available to you.

Link to an about page, or another page you’d like people to see. (I have a link to the main Juggling Writer page and a link to my About page to fill all three fields.)

The slots are there — why not use them?

There’s Still More You Have To Do

Simply changing the look of your website links on Linkedin won’t drive traffic to your website — you have to be active on LinkedIn.

If I only wrote fiction, I wouldn’t go to this effort, but since I pay the bills writing Web content and as a technical writer and editor, LinkedIn is where I’ve been finding work.

In my case, I answer questions on LinkedIn, post useful information instead of just collecting contacts, and reply to people there.

I didn’t change any of my LinkedIn habits before making these simple changes to my website links; once the changes were made, though, I saw traffic to my websites increase.

If you’re active on LinkedIn, hopefully this will work for you, too.

(And if you’re on LinkedIn and want to add me as a connection, feel free.)

The Hell Comes With Wood Paneled Doors Podcast

The Hell Comes With Wood Paneled Doors podcast is live!

Hell Comes with Wood Paneled Doors is the first novel I ever wrote
. It’s a humorous coming-of-age story about a family traveling cross country in a possessed station wagon.

In episode 1:

When Michael O’Brien’s father, James, buys a new car just in time for the family vacation, he signs away more than his old ’74 Gremlin as a trade in.

I hope you’ll come along on this 21-week ride. Think of it as summer vacation dragged out through the cold months coming up.

If you like the Hell Comes With Wood Paneled Doors podcast, I hope you’ll tell your friends about it.

Looking Up

I’ve bumped into quite a few down people lately.

When we chat about it, they feel bad for venting because — with the exception of one month — I’ve been unemployed since December, 2009..
.

They know I’m uninsured and essentially pay the equivalent of another rent for medication each month…

They know I have a pituitary tumor that leaves me feeling dizzy and cruddy…

Some of the people I’ve chatted with feel like they have no reason to be down, but it’s not a contest.

If they hurt, they hurt…

*          *          *

When I look at the last year of my life, maybe I should be down.

I’ve watched the emergency fund disappear and I don’t know when I’ll find my next job.

My wife isn’t working, either — we’re a zero-income household. (I’m sure we’re not alone.)

When I look at things, though, all I see is a good year.

Here’s why:

  • I see more friends than usual, and I’ve made new friends.
  • I attended two conferences I scheduled while employed.
  • I go for walks whenever I want.
  • I swim.
  • I juggle.
  • I write.
  • I edit.
  • I write some more.
  • I’m about to start podcasting.
  • I’m back to pitching articles.
  • I spend a lot of time with my wife, which has been the best part of this past year.

I have less security than I’ve had in years, but I’m happier than I’ve ever been.

I wish I could help the people I know who are down. I’m sure I’d be very down if I wasn’t doing things I love in between job hunting and taking care of responsibilities. The best I can offer to anybody who’s down is to not just do something you love, but do it consistently!

Doing something you love on a regular basis is the best way I know to avoid the blues.

I can look at my feet and feel sorry for myself, or I can look up knowing I’ve been having the best year of my life because I’m working on things I love, even though they aren’t yet making any money.

Podcast

I’ve wanted to podcast my first novel for a couple years. I’ve wanted to do a bi-weekly podcast for The Juggling Writer since I started the blog almost a year ago.

My first novel, called Hell Comes with Wood Paneled Doors, is a humorous coming-of-age story about a family traveling cross country in a possessed station wagon. Check out the podcast here.

I’m still knocking around ideas for the The Juggling Writer podcast, but it’s something I’d really like to do.

I just found myself unemployed [again] after working for a month following a 7-month bout with unemployment
.

Hopefully this time around with no job won’t last more than a week or two, but while I’m looking for work, I may as well put the time to good use and start figuring out how to get the best sound for podcasts.