Good and Bad News

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven… After years of hard work, including writing, rewriting, and querying, I am proud to say that I now have literary representation.  Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group in New York will be my agent.  This is a type of dream come true.  Needless to say, I’m very excited.  Trident Media Group is one of the biggest agencies in the country.  Their clients include Marilynne Robinson, Daniel Woodrell, Russell Banks, Larry Heinemann, and celebrities such as Ann-Margaret, Buzz Aldrin, and Stephen Colbert.  And now William Jensen.  Mark is a young guy like me so I look forward to years and years of working together. 

 Here is a link to his profile at Trident:
 http://www.tridentmediagroup.com/agents/mark-gottlieb

Sadly, I also have some bad news.  Over the weekend someone crashed into my pick-up truck and messed her up something awful.  My truck was parked.  I was inside my apartment.  This is the third time someone has rammed into my truck while parked.  I guess it has a bull’s-eye on it.  Right now the truck—or Rocinante as I call her—is in the shop and I’m driving a rental.  My truck is a 2005 Ford F-150 and I’ve driven her to just about every place in the country.  Rocinante and I have seen all of South Texas to all of South Dakota.  She’s helped me move several times, and she’s helped me move a lot of other people, too.  She’s been a good truck and it pains me to see her busted up like this.  Luckily, the guys at Service King are working on her and I’ve got insurance to cover my ass. 

Rocinante isn’t my first truck.  That would be a 1985 Ford F-150 with dual fuel tanks.  I liked that truck a lot.  She had one of those old school bench seats you just don’t see anymore, and she had a shell over the bed so I never had to worry about hauling stuff in the rain.  

I like pick-ups because I get a simple joy from hauling stuff and helping people move.  I know.  It’s weird.  But there is a type of freedom knowing I can load up all of my belongings and hit the road if I need to.  I also like knowing I can help people move mulch, sod, or couches if they need a friend.  I like sitting high up and cruising with my windows down while the radio plays some classic rock or maybe some Johnny Cash.  There’s a certain victory in knowing what you enjoy.  And after all these years I still enjoy trucks, dogs, weather, horses, and the ache in your back when you bring in a big fish. 

Old Rocinante, I’ll see you soon.

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