At a LIVE Reading/Signing ... at World Famous Danceland, Manitou Beach, SK.
(left to right: Me, Matthew Grandguillot, August Grandguillot)
Later, towards the end of my second book (Again, the LIVE LINK) "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved" there is a lucid recollection of my eldest brother telling the story, that he heard from a cousin, of the G-G-G-G-G-G-Grandfather So-and-So Gaudet who hooked up with a Mi'kmaq woman, and the rest . is. history!
"Vision"
Here is a sneak preview of the artwork created in collaboration with First Nations' Medicine Man and close friend the late Douglas Severight. This artwork (called, simply, "Vision") and its story loom large in "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved".
Saskatchewan-based Story-Teller (and host of Shaw TV "Lit Happens") holds copies of book 1 and 2.
When you hear the recently taped "Lit Happens" segment (once it comes out) you will hear the host Danica Lorer refer to me as a "Proud Metis Man". Now that the oral history referred to above will be in the public domain, my claim to my proud Metis heritage is official.
Standing with the "Dancing..." banner...
About the Artist/Author: To Read More, Please Visit mrgaudet.com
Holding a copy of my first book "Dancing with Rejection".
While this in itself is nothing extraordinary... though I deeply appreciate EVERY SINGLE book sale (more on that later) ... the reason why I am pointing this out to my readers is that in this case, the books are destined to be button-holed into the hands of BOOK CLUB MEMBERS.
My friend (Best-Selling Author) Carey Rigby-Wilcox holds a copy of my second book "A Work in Progress".
Do you know what this could mean? According to the lady from Boulder (who shall remain unnamed) her intention is to FAN the FLAME under these two books. Not literally of course, that would NOT be a good thing.
In my patron's words, " You've sold a hell of a lot of book and you only have 4 reviews?!?! Well, that's un-American and probably un-Canadian! The book is incredible by the way. I am shocked you couldn't get it published. They are fools to have passed up the chance. It's brilliantly written."
Thank you for that! However, I must add, that I did not approach traditional publishers with my manuscript(s). I am REALLY ONSIDE with the self-publishing phenom. That is another whole different post!
In case you, dear reader, are empathizing with the part about REVIEWS, please feel free to rectify that situation by logging on to my Amazon.com landing pages for book 1 and book 2. Any and all reviews are always welcome.
Now, back to the EXCITING PROSPECT of my books landing in the hands of BOOK CLUB MEMBERS in Colorado. That potentially EXPLOSIVE development has left my head swimming, I won't lie.
You can rest assured that I will let you know what, if anything, comes of this in the coming weeks!
About the Artist/Author: Please Visit www.mrgaudet.com to Read More.
There are certain things you, as an author (or wannabe author) can do to BUILD BOOK BUZZ. Of course, every case is different. There is no cookie-cutter solution. Having said that, I want to share my own experience.
You might say, I was over-eager to create some excitement around my new love-child... so I rushed into a very small book-reading at a tiny book-store in Saskatoon. About 10 people attended. Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, this was a strategic mistake. A couple of months later I expressed my desire to hold a reading at a larger book-store in the same city.
The person in charge of this took extra care to explain that since I had already held my "launch", they could not accommodate me. My feeling at the time was, I never called it a "launch" and also, she could have invested her energy in welcoming me with open arms, versus spending such an inordinate amount of time pushing me away with her long, drawn-out explanation.
My point is... do NOT rush into a less than favorable situation in a small venue. Wait for your cards to line up in a venue that will serve your purposes. It's probably a good idea to generate some advance media coverage and online buzz prior to a live reading. That way, your chances of attracting a fair-sized turnout of fans, supporters, friends and admirers will be greatly enhanced.
Here is a good example of a pre-launch (or live reading) article, that appeared on the front-page of a Nova Scotian newspaper:
Mural painter and author to hold public reading of memoirs in Truro
Michael Gaudet has painted murals across Canada since the 1970s. He recently released his second book, ‘A Work In Progress’, which he will be reading from at the Truro library on Wed., Dec. 13.SUBMITTED
TRURO, N.S.
Michael Gaudet has been painting murals across Canada since the late 1970s, in his words, to ‘leave his mark on the world.’
Now, he is coming back to his hometown to give a reading from his memoirs ‘Dancing With Rejection’ and ‘A Work In Progress’ at the Truro library on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
“The first book, ‘Dancing With Rejection,’ a lot of it is set right in Nova Scotia so I want to read some passages that were reminiscent of the province,” said Gaudet.
Next, what is the meaning of "LAUNCH"? When will you know you are ready? Is it really a one-time thing that cannot be replicated over and over again? Be careful using that word... it has a definite meaning and finality to it.
Back to my strategy... There is a local TV Show on Shaw Cable here in Saskatchewan that is dedicated to the literary scene called "Lit Happens". I made a special effort to meet the host (Saskatchewan-based Story-Teller Danica Lorer) to present her with complimentary copies of BOTH my books. ("Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality" and "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved") She graciously agreed to send me a picture of her holding her acquisitions. This picture has become a staple of my social media promotion.
"Lit Happens" host Danica Lorer was gracious enough to send me this beautiful photo.
A couple of years ago, I was interviewed on "Lit Happens" by the former host, the late great Wes Funk. Here is that interview:
Also, Sasktel Max TV created a wonderful short film that features some of my best artwork, as well as a live reading from my first book:
Now, I am excited to announce that Danica Lorer will be conducting a fresh new interview to build on all of the momentum. You might say, I have done all of the legwork required to EARN more high-profile publicity, in order to create a real BUZZ around my first two books, and also my career as a mural-painter.
Happy Trails, fellow authors. I hope I have communicated a little of what it means to build momentum, and to grasp the opportunity when it comes your way. You have heard the expression "Strike while the iron is hot", right? Well, I am here to tell you, you must come up with creative ways to HEAT IT UP in the first place. You have to come up with a strategy to stand out from the milling crowd. The good news is, with a little perseverance and insight, it is totally possible. You might even say, INEVITABLE. Remember, all it takes to rise above the primordial muck is to show the world that you have something a little special. And oh, it also helps if you have the ability to write a RIP-ROARING good tale!
Following the success of his first book, Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner’s Guide to Immortality, the Canadian artist, author, and kidney health advocate Michael R. Gaudet brings us the second part to his captivating trilogy of memoirs. A Work in Progress: The Life My Brother Saved picks up where book one left off, chronicling Gaudet’s arrival in Saskatchewan with his soon-to-be first wife. Still reeling from his near-death experience as the result of kidney failure, the loss of his father, and the launch of his ambitious career, Gaudet finds himself diving into new projects and experiences on the prairies. His daughter Pearl arrives to the world, born with a congenital kidney condition that puts great strain on Gaudet and his already-troubled relationship with his wife.While navigating the struggles of his daughter’s illness as well as his own, Gaudet continues his personal journey towards healing and success. His spiritual experiences include a life-affirming vision quest alongside his dear friend, a First Nations Medicine Man, as well as the creation of a magnificent mural in a church that brings him closer to God. Enduring various phases of love and loss, Gaudet eventually discovers his soul mate with whom he traverses the vast provinces of Canada.In this fascinating life story, Gaudet offers us glimpses into his bohemian lifestyle and rise to fame as a distinguished Canadian artist. Writing in the style of magical realism, he seamlessly weaves mysticism into his prose. He also speaks with fearless realism of what it means to live with kidney disease, bringing awareness and attention to this insidious condition. As a survivor and an artist, his narrative voice pushes through hardship to bear a wider message about living a fulfilling life and pursuing one’s dreams.
I finished your book and I absolutely loved it. It was thoughtful and inspiring, and all around an excellent read. I've just recommended it to my friends. Wonderful work - you deserve to be very proud of it. I hope it gets the attention it deserves.
Dylan Loewe, White House Writer, Washington, D.C.
Michael R. Gaudet is a renowned Canadian artist known for his monumental murals and activism in promoting knowledge about kidney health and disease. He is the survivor of a near-death experience and kidney transplant that occurred in 1979, when he was only nineteen. He began his artistic career that same year, painting a seminal mural that led him to his life’s calling. Since then, he has painted vibrant, large-scale murals across Canada in both public and sacred spaces. He also works in the challenging genre of high-fidelity portraiture, seeking to immortalize the precise likeness and essence of a person on canvas. In 2001, he was awarded the “People’s Choice Award” for best public artwork by Planet S Magazine in Saskatoon. His first book, Dancing with Rejection, was published in 2015 to great acclaim. A Work in Progress is the second installment in his trilogy of memoirs, with book three forthcoming. Gaudet currently lives with his wife Sharon at the Resort Village of Manitou Beach in Central Saskatchewan, where they operate their seasonal business, “Gibson & Gaudet Gallery & Gifts.”
Remember Book 1 of the Trilogy? "Dancing with Rejection: Beginner's Guide to Immortality" ? (A "cosmic joy ride" of a read) www.mrgaudet.com
After painting a wide swath of over 60 large murals across Canada over the past 30+ years, Canadian artist/author Michael R. Gaudet's latest mural (of monumental proportions) has been installed just outside the Village of Young, SK. "Forever YOUNG" is twenty feet high and eighty feet long, mounted ten feet above the ground on a huge steel frame that is engineered to withstand gale-force winds. The mural is claimed to be the "World's Largest Free-Standing Mural".
This stunning photo shows the massive scale of "forever YOUNG" as the panels are installed.
Gaudet says, "I always use professional-quality artist's acrylics for my paintings and murals. These paints are considerably more expensive than exterior latex, however they are the superior product for murals. I usually shy away from painting directly on an existing wall, because a mural is only as good as the surface it is painted on. Instead, I use a specially engineered painting panel that gets installed on the wall. In the case of the Young project, we opted to build a structure on which to install my mural."
"I will begin a mural project by collaborating with the stakeholders in order to come up with an authorized design. Once this happens, the rough sketches are upgraded to a scale drawing that is suitable to be replicated as a limited edition print. The print can then be marketed in order to raise funds for the mural. This is a formula for success."
The mural "forever YOUNG" faces the busy #2 highway just south of Young, SK.
The "forever YOUNG" mural features thirty-one images in a "montage" style design. All of these scenes and people are recognizable. They are sourced from the Young history book and also from private photograph collections from the community. In the coming days, a "legend" will appear on the left-hand side of the mural. This legend will feature an outline of every aspect of the mural that will have a number designating its meaning. Below this will be a list of all the pictures that will allow viewers to identify all of the images.
"This huge mural was very challenging to paint," continues the artist. "Not only was it a lot of physical work, at one-thousand six-hundred square feet, but the images themselves were very detailed and rigorous painting. My technique calls for about fifteen glazes over the entire surface, so in all, the painting entailed about twenty-four thousand square feet of application to finish. That's a lot."
Plans are underway to celebrate the completion of the "forever YOUNG" mural with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 26th, 2017. Everyone is invited to attend. Come out to lend your support to this astonishing accomplishment, inspired by the never-quit attitude of the planning committee.
About the Artist/Author:
Taking a pause for the cause while working on the "forever YOUNG" mural.
Creativity is what saves me as a person who lives with chronic disease. When I say "creativity", I mean painting and writing. When I was initially diagnosed in 1979, at the tender age of 19, with End Stage Renal Failure, it changed my creative path forever. Suddenly, I was painfully aware of my mortality. Indeed, this spelled a harrowing "Near Death Experience".
As soon as I was feeling marginally better, thanks to the powerful "dialysis" therapy that I was soon to undergo, I decided that I must paint a mural called "Recovery". This was my "visual prayer" for my own recuperation from the insidious disease that I was battling at the time.
The seminal mural "Recovery" was a "visual prayer".
Fast forward to 2017... by this time I have designed and painted over 60 large murals in a swath across Canada. But I am getting ahead of myself! Only 7 months after I started on dialysis, my loving brother Steven stepped up to donate a kidney to me. This miraculous Gift of Life saved and sustained me for over 34 years!
In mid-May of 2014, my kidney function had once again deteriorated, which meant, I was forced to return to thrice weekly dialysis treatments. Over the years, I had been working methodically on hand-written notes... the story of my life and the fascinating people I have met over time. I thought, if I fail to write down these stories, they will be lost forever.
My first act upon returning to dialysis (4 hours per session, so 12 hours every week) was to run out to purchase a laptop. I would make the most of a shitty situation! Within about a year, I had published my first book, called "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality". Follow this link to acquire your copy now...you will be joining a worldwide community of hundreds of readers.
Now, I am combining my writing and painting to live a full, rich life... and in fact I am just about ready to publish my second book, called "A Work in Progress: The Life my Brother Saved".
Cover art for my 2nd book...
On top of this, I have just been commissioned to paint another "monumental" mural in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. This is early days and I have not yet started the design...however as soon as I fire it up, I will be sharing the process. Please stay tuned, I am not going anywhere!
This wall is the site of my next mural. Might not look like much now, but just wait!
Chronic disease and creativity might seem at first blush to be unlikely bed partners, but let me tell you... they feed off of each other. There's nothing like the specter of ones own mortality to light a fire in the heart and soul. Put simply, realizing the precarious nature of life and death on a weekly basis is a helluva powerful way to stimulate a driving creativity!
Till next time,
To read more and to purchase a copy of "Dancing..." please visit www.mrgaudet.com
Now, after the brief departure to SHARE some GOOD NEWS for PLANET EARTH, how about getting back to GaudetArt? Here is a recent painting... created in 2017...that recreates a "nostalgic" image that hearkens back to circa 1950. My wife Sharon showed me this photo that pictures her nervously holding the family rooster, named "Chico", in her outstretched hand.
"Chico" was so heavy that Sharon's grandmother can be seen stage right...helping bear the weight.
"Chico" was too heavy for Sharon to hold up on her own, so her grandmother can be observed helping her. Or at least, her hand protrudes into the picture frame from the right.
I enjoyed painting this whimsical image, based on the vintage black and white photo furnished by Sharon. I think her mom gave this, among others, to her. Or possibly, Sharon raided the family photo album. I'll have to ask her about that.
Even as a painter (of some repute in Canada) of monumental murals... the writing and publication of my first book was a daunting task...perhaps the most challenging project ever!
After a (wildly successful) kidney transplant that sustained me for over 34 years, I arrived full-circle back on dialysis in mid-May of 2014.
One of the 1st things I did after returning to dialysis was to purchase a laptop. I wanted to put my time to good use and this is what I have done. After a long simmering process of writing and thinking, I decided that there was much more urgency to finish and publish my book. After all, if I didn't do it, it would NEVER get done and that was simply not an option! Within about one year my ambition was honored by the universe and I was treated to the thrill of holding the first "copy proofs" of (what we'll call) Book 1 in my hands. There are a lot of moving parts to a project of this magnitude so I am sure you can imagine what a huge rush it was to finally materialize such an ethereal pursuit! "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality" was squeezed out of the ether and into the material world. Now, the 1st book of the trilogy is out and receiving VERY positive reviews from some highly respected sources. Check my website to see for yourself. Point your search engine here for that. I wish I had boundless energy to convince you to pick up my book...to join the hundreds of readers who are part and parcel of a growing, vibrant world-wide community. Last week, for instance, readers from California, England, Nova Scotia, Ohio and Ottawa acquired a copy!
Daniel Bushman of the Watrous Manitou Newspaper photographs the artist, standing with the official banner trumpeting www.mrgaudet.com.
Not to put too fine a point on it...however it must be said that certain acts of creativity can be achieved through the "art of writing" that are pretty impossible in any other medium. Even as an accomplished visual artist (of some repute) I can say with all honesty that the nuances, color, contrast and vividness of "magical realism" in writing has the power to evoke subtle changes in the emotional make-up of the reader. I'd even go so far as to suggest, when done extremely well, the impact can be PROFOUND!
Here, I am going to share a link with you...the 1st 90 pages of "Dancing..." This will carry you right into the thick of the story, so hang on for the ride!
With all the buzz in our global media about the near and present dangers facing the ubiquitous bumblebee, I thought it was a fitting tribute to portray one of these magnificent creatures in a work of art. Fittingly, my Facebook feed popped up a painting this morning from 2012 called "Homage to the Humble Bumble-Bee". Take a look:
"Homage to the Humble Bumble-Bee" painted in 2012.
This painting was posted on my Facebook feed just after I finished it and it created quite a buzz! In fact, the very same day, it was snapped up by a dear old friend in Nova Scotia. I quite like the vivid colors of the flower that are nicely offset by the soft focus, imaginary background. But the star of the image is the humble bumble-bee, one of my favorite of Mother Nature's creations.
About the Artist/Author:
Posing with Daniel Bushman of the Watrous/Manitou Newspaper with my book and banner "Dancing with Rejection"
In 1979 at age 19 I was admitted into the ER at Sunnybrooke Medical Center in Toronto. The diagnosis was "End Stage Renal Failure". Without emergency "dialysis" treatment I would be dead in a matter of hours. It was a full-blown "Near Death Experience". It was hastily decided that I would require surgery to initiate a "Shribner Shunt" that would allow immediate life-saving dialysis. It was do or die!
Emergency surgery to initiate a "Shribner Shunt" allowed immediate life-saving dialysis therapy.
Despite the gravity of the situation, it was the best news I could have hoped for that day. Sure beat the obvious conclusion of any further procrastination. It would NOT have been pretty. Once I was feeling marginally better a couple of months later, I designed and painted a mural called "Recovery 1", which I donated to the hospital that saved my life. Talk about grateful. My desire with the mural was to inspire everyone who saw it to strive toward their own recovery in whatever form.
"Recovery 1" designed and painted at age 19 in Toronto.
Only 7 months after being admitted (though admittedly if felt like an eternity) my brother Steven stepped up with incredible courage and generosity to donate a kidney to me. This Gift of Life sustained me for over 34 years, a longevity record in Western Canada! It was in mid-May of 2014 that my transplanted kidney finally gave up the ghost and I was obliged to return to thrice-weekly dialysis treatments.
It was a glorious time. Other than twice annual check-ups and diligent compliance with my anti-rejection medications, it seemed like an ordinary, healthy life. Having said that, the contrast between living dialysis free and dialysis dependent could not be more marked!
I decided at the time of my Near Death Experience...at age 19...that I would not leave this planet without creating a lasting impression of my time here. The concept of mural-painting as a way to accomplish this was rather self-evident...so mural-painting it was! This link will steer you to my mural-painting portfolio.
Three times a week for 4 hours each time...dialysis is a life-saving intervention as I await a 2nd Gift of Life.
Fast forward to 2015. Once I realized that my fate was sealed to return back to dialysis, I began to contemplate a revised design for my notorious "Recovery" motif. Thus, "Recovery 15" was created. This time around, I specifically included a kidney embedded into the lower right abdomen of the final figure on the far right and that figure is striding energetically off the canvas. My vision for this latest mural is for it to stand as a powerful "Visual Prayer" for my own (eventual, God willing) second "Gift of Life" aka a second kidney transplant! I also want this image to be a source of inspiration for EVERY dialysis warrior who is on that challenging quest for a "Gift of Life".
In "Recovery '15, the figure on the far right strides off the canvas with the "Gift of Life".
As another bid for "immortality" I was compelled to write my memoir that would chronicle my Near Death Experience and my triumphant kidney transplant. The book would also track my rise to become one of Canada's most successful painter of monumental-scale murals. The book explores the bohemian times of the 60's through to the 80's in cities across Canada. Titled "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality", please visit www.mrgaudet.com to read more about this project and to purchase a copy. It's only one click away.
It was a natural, organic decision to incorporate the image of "Recovery '15" as the cover art for my 1st book. What better way to spread the "Visual Prayer" across the globe to be a catalyst for the millions upon millions of dialysis warriors to continue on their harrowing quest for that elusive Gift of Life that has the potential to lead to a healthy, robust life, freedom from the machine?
"Recovery '15" was the natural choice to become the cover art for "Dancing with Rejection..."
I decided to add this image to my Fine Art America portfolio so now, it is readily available as a museum-quality replication. Steer your search engine here to see all of the available formats. I am doing my part with this image to continue, as a working artist, to raise awareness of kidney health. It is an undertaking that looms large in the world, as millions of everyday people...your brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, loved ones and friends...continue to grapple with kidney disease and its fallout every day. God help us all.
The producer of Bamboo Shoots Inc. provided me with a Premiere Pro Time-line Screen Shot for social media, predating next week's release as a sneak preview.
Time-Line of Bamboo Shoots Inc.'s Sasktel Max TV film.
The whole point of this exercise is to shine a light on the everyday people of Saskatchewan for the world to see. Bamboo Shoots In. is a socially savvy firm, that routinely shares its television content with the online community. Readers of this blog will recollect that this is is a film that hops in time and space; capturing the image-rich painter's studio, the poignant setting of the dialysis unit and the "magnificent", soaring mural -a feminist manifesto as it turns out- at Sacred Heart Church in Saskatoon.
I'm especially looking forward to watching the "live" chapter reading from Book 1 of "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality". It will be very interesting to see how the editors deal with that scene, considering I read two chapters: a very gritty one and another that erupts in a bloody mess.
Last week I decided for sure, after scouring the planet for the best fit, to "take the leap" with FriesenPress.
This fine group of humans inspire confidence at FriesenPress, a great Canadian company.
Not surprisingly, I decided on the great Canadian company FriesenPress to take in my manuscript into its very capable hands. Already, after the first two points of contact with the staff there, I am impressed with their professionalism, friendliness and courtesy. They are sticking meticulously to their claims, which means everything to me.
Whilst juggling countless moving objects, they all remain in the air...
Thanks to all of the love and support of about 40 "Contributors"toward the production, editing, formatting and finally publishing and global marketing of Book 1 of the "Dancing with Rejection" trilogy, I have now bit the proverbial bullet to charge ahead!
Obtaining early Copy Proofs, a valuable asset.
Now that we have "Copy Proofs" to point at, the last editorial sweep will be simplified. One of the pressing questions my publishing consultant asked me during our tele-conference was to provide a "synopsis". I had written a one-sentence version that reads, "A romping,adventure story that goes from Near Death Experience to altered perception of the world's beauty and its magnificently flawed cast of characters." After complimenting me on that sentence, she urged me to continue. In brief, this is what I came up with... "Dancing with Rejection: A Beginner's Guide to Immortality"...gritty medical drama meets paranormal thriller, meets cosmic joy ride, meets erotic romance..."
My LOL moment, or possibly my WTF moment this morning. After I posted an image update on my "Dancing with Rejection..." GoFundMe campaign of my fistula (the "Gold Standard" for dialysis) in action, I was informed that the image was unacceptable and it was removed. They wrote: "We are reaching out to let you know that we have removed and image you posted in a recent update to your GoFundMe page. Images used on GoFundMe must be suitable for all audiences and cannot contain blood or other graphic content." I mean, they were nice enough about it, but I was surprised that this daily reality for millions of dialysis patients worldwide could be deemed unsuitable.
This image was deemed to be "unsuitable" by GoFundMe.
When I got home last night after my latest dialysis treatment (which went well, thanks for asking) Id had some time to think about and realized...it must be the "color" of the blood that is so unsuitable. So, after fiddling around for a minute I came up with an alternative image.
Hoping this green-blooded version is less offensive.
Surely to goodness, this slightly altered version of the image would be less offensive. What do you think? It's just sad (and very revealing) that this daily reality, that keeps me (and millions of other dialysis patients worldwide) ALIVE to fight another day, as we hope and pray for the Gift of Life (a kidney transplant), is censored and taken down by GoFundMe.
While I appreciate the amazing response to my GoFundMe campaign, and also the very fact of its existence as a powerful platform for raising awareness, I also would humbly suggest that they should revisit their policy of "graphic content" in light of our reality.
At the dialysis unit on Friday , January 16th, 2015. "Stayin' Alive!" is my mantra and theme song.
The grim reality of hemodialysis...which is a fact of life for over 3 million Canadians (translates to over 30 million Americans) is this: one needle (attached to a tube) allows the dirty blood out, then passes through the machine (with kidney filter), then back...(cleansed of toxins that build up between therapies in the case of "kidney failure") through a second tube to be returned into the bloodstream. This 3x a week treatment is sustaining me and all the millions of dialysis patients, keeping us alive! Precarious maybe, but it's the best chance we all have to stay alive while awaiting our second chance at a "normal life"...which is a kidney transplant. .
I was in Montreal the day John Lennon was assassinated, on December 8th, 1980.
When I read the headline "John Lennon Assassine" it took me a few seconds to mentally translate the dreadful news. I think I must have gone into shock, as I was dumbfounded that my hero was gone. I'd always fantasized about actually meeting him, but now, it was impossible.
All I could do was cut my trip short, to head back to Halifax to try to come to terms with this gaping maw in my psyche. On the way back, on the train, I stayed up all night and scribbled furiously in my sketchbook.
One of John's last acts on planet Earth was to sign an album cover, depicted here.
My visceral reaction to my hero's shocking demise was to capture him paint. In my own small way, I wanted, needed, to "immortalize" him by this sacred act of creation.
After I finished the painting "Last Act", my mind just went blank. I could not stop grieving though. I had to keep busy, and tried to reflect my feelings the best way I knew how.
After I painted "John's Last Act", my mind went blank.
This morning I woke up at about 4:30. Before I went to sleep last night, I wrote a note to remind myself to contact Yoko Ono, if possible. Turns out she is on Facebook, if it's really her. In chapter 34 of "Dancing with Rejection", I chronicle that awful day in 1980, including some lyrics from a couple of John's songs that were swimming in my head. Now I'm like, oh yeah, I need Yoko's permission to include these in my book. The lyrics are not gratuitous in any way; they are crucial to the story-line. Wish me luck getting through to Yoko.
I am rapidly discovering that the key to huge progress is making face-to-face contact with certain power-brokers who are in a position to help with the "Dancing with Rejection" project. This morning I met with Kathi Lewis, Head of Volunteer Services at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon. She was extremely enthusiastic even BEFORE I read her a sample chapter. After the reading, I could sense her excitement growing.
The key to garner support to reach out to certain people for face-to-face contact.
What started out as a simple request for a public book reading seems to be blossoming into a full-blown sanctioned "Event". To paraphrase Kathi, "This is much bigger than that".
Late in December 2014, I was interviewed on "LIT Happens" by literary darling Wes Funk. Wes is the notorious author of "Dead Rock Stars", "Cherry Blossoms" and "Baggage".
Here is the interview:
This was a great exercise, and a warm-up for all the TV interviews to come. Max TV is next on the list. I think of this first interview as a social experiment, and a very helpful way for me to learn to relax behind the TV camera.
On Friday, I met with the sales rep from a printer in Saskatoon. This company has specialized in all the commercial printing jobs you would expect, along with a cutting-edge book printing service. I was assured that if I decide to go ahead with them, I would have a 100% finished interior formatting within one-two weeks.
After that is all sorted out, in another scant one to two weeks, they would have as many copies as desired printed and in my hands.
After repeated broken promises from my former "editor" (I fired her) I got a very reassuring reality check from a professional printer in Saskatoon. Take-away? For best results, make it face-to-face.
This news was a great relief, as for the past couple of months, I have been basically held hostage by an alleged "editor" who continued to jerk me around with repeated broken promises and missed deadlines. Man, I felt so helpless as I waited in vain for concrete results.
Here I thought getting the first copy proofs in my hands would signal a rapid chain of events towards publication. Maybe so, with dependable colleagues. With screw-ups, not so much.
It was only after several weeks of discouragement that I realized that I did not need the stress and bullshit. On that fateful day, I decided to launch the GoFundMe campaign that, after a short three weeks, has generated over 30% of the budget needed to self-finance the production and publication of Book 1 of the "Dancing with Rejection" trilogy!
Just as important, over 115 people have generously decided to "SHARE" the link. So now, thousands and thousands of people have laid eyes on my story.
Please, copy this link and share it with your friends.
