Travel Archives - JE Gurley

In A Daze I glanced up from my keyboard and realized it is almost June, the middle of the year! Time flies when you’re having fun, or even if you’re not. Since I retired to a life of music and writing (Ahh), I keep track of time differently. I go to bed when I’m tired, get up when I awaken(or the kitties get restless), and know what day it is by my desk calendar. Kim goes to Re-fit classes on Tuesday night, garbage is picked up Tuesdays, I meet friends for dinner on Thursdays, re-cycle goes out Thursdays. My band practices whenever we can. We play out on Friday or Saturday night. Kim is off weekends, so we might do something, but most of the time we just relax. Unless an event arises or my wife tells me, I’m not sure what day it is. It could be the first signs of dementia, but I think it’s just that I don’t care any more.

Anything I care to watch on television, and the lists gets shorter each year, I tape to watch whenever I feel like it. I write a while, practice guitar or keyboards, do research for novels, research songs, social media, all in short sessions repeated throughout the day and night. I could be a hermit; I’m not a social animal, but Kim and I interact throughout the day. She works from home, but her day is half over by the time I usually wake up. Afternoons are free for errands or naps. We try and watch some television together, but she’s in bed by 8:30 and rises at 3:00 a.m. to start work.

I never imagined retirement when I was a chef, or any of the numerous other jobs and professions I’ve worked at: lab technician, sales, factories, oil field worker, demolition, trucking, lawn care, etc. Work seemed the be-all end-all. It’s sweet revenge for all the time lost to earning a wage, and then scrambling for recreation on weekends.

June. It seems it was just January. Of course, I live in Arizona. It’s 100 degrees out now. In January it was only 80. I sit at my desk with a view of the Tortilito and Catalina Mountains and the desert. I see bob cats, birds, javalina, roadrunners, pack rats, ground squirrels, lizards, quail, owls, bats, and hawks outside my window. It’s like living on a nature preserve. You can’t beat it, except maybe on a sandy beach with a view of the mountains.

Taking it Easy. I’ve learned to take it easy. Writing or playing music is relaxation personified. It has never been a job. I don’t sweat the little stuff and don’t worry about the big stuff. If I can fix it, I do. If not, worrying doesn’t help. I worked hard to take it easy, and I’m not about to blow it at this stage.

Oh yeah – Time. Half the year has slipped by, mostly unobserved. I’m sure I missed a few things. I remembered my birthday, my wife’s birthday, and our upcoming anniversary. Other things probably slipped through the cracks. I’m cancelling most of the upcoming writers conventions so KIm and I can take a ten-day Caribbean cruise next spring. Small, local events and book signings are still on the planner, but the big ones take time and money I can better spend on a sandy beach, a cruise ship balcony, or sipping on a cold Pina Colada.

June, and my wife, Kim, is already planning Halloween. It’s a big event at our house. Lots of decorations, spiders, monsters, fog machines, lights and eerie sounds. The 150-180 kids that drop by each year love it almost as much as we do. I call it practice for my next novel.

So far, 2017 has been a great year. A new novel out, The Last Marine, two more almost finished, and the band is really cooking. God willing and the NSA or Homeland Security doesn’t come after me for my internet research, the remainder of the year should be just as good.

Summation. Grok in fullness. Live long and prosper. Don’t sweat the little stuff. Eat more bacon. Love one another. Or, don’t forget that life is for living. Use it wisely. It’s the only one you’ve got.

This year my wife Kim, and I attended Stoker Con 2017 on the Queen Mary. It was the second Stoker Con by the Horror Writer’s Association. We were also at Stoker Con 2016 at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. Somehow, the idea of a con on a retired passenger liner seemed like a great idea. In some ways, it was.

The Queen Mary was launched in 1936, a modern luxury liner. Her ballrooms, salons, passageways, and cabins were decorated in rich wood and brass fittings. Unfortunately, she has fallen on bad times. Rust, missing and cracked tiles, chipped and water-damaged wood panels, and rotten decking make her look older than she is. The walls are paper-thin. Every sound carried. Our shower head sprayed 360 degrees and the toilet dripped. The chairs in my cabin were horribly uncomfortable. Surprisingly, on deck there were few places to sit and enjoy the breeze. A few chairs near the shops, a handful of old and weathered chairs and tables on the port side deck, four tables near the ubiquitous Starbucks, and a few scattered benches were the only offerings. As a museum, the Queen Mary was a piece of history, but as a hotel, she left a lot to be desired.

However, Stoker Con 2017 was a success. Kudos to the HWA officers and volunteers whose hard work made it possible. My bad knee was giving me trouble. The stairs didn’t help. I used a cane and sounded like Captain Ahab stalking the deck at night. In spite of this handicap, I attended several panels, a workshop on building an author’s platform by my old friend Jonathan Maberry, a workshop on using fewer words to say more by my new friend Patrick Frievald, and several book signings and readings. As usual, I came away with more knowledge than with which I arrived. That is one goal of a con.

I also renewed old friendships, met acquaintances, and made new friends. That is the true heart of a writer’s con. Networking is the key to success, in writing as it is in any other business, and make no mistake, writing is a business. Writing can be fun and therapeutic, but to reach an audience, every writer’s goal, one must be a salesperson. Selling ideas or completed novels is every bit as difficult as selling a used car or a timeshare in Miami. The pitch sessions are one way to seek a publisher or an agent. They are a ten or fifteen-minute golden opportunity to speak face-to-face, one-on-one, and make your case. This year I had nothing to pitch, but I have sold several novels through them. I heartily suggest a pitch session when the opportunity arises. The pre-pitch panels allow you to hone your presentation and gear it to the best representative for your work.

As usual, I came away with too many books (Well, no such thing really). All were signed copies with a special place on my limited space bookshelves. Meeting George R.R. Martin was a special treat. A reading I attended by Paul Dale Anderson and Nicole Cushing revealed the darker side of horror fiction.

The real reason for the event, the Stoker Banquet and awards, highlighted the achievements of those who stood out in the horror field in 2016. Because of my health, I did not attend, but I applaud the winners of the 2016 Bram Stoker Awards.

Novel – The Fisherman by John Langan

First Novel – Haven by Tom Deady

Young Adult Novel – Snowed by Maria Alexander

Long Fiction – The Winter Box by Tim Waggoner

Short Fiction – “The Crawlspace” by Joyce Carol Oates

Fiction Collection – The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates

Anthology – Borderlands 6 by Olivia and Tom Monteleone

Non Fiction – Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Poetry Collection – Brothel by Stephanie M. Wytovitch

Graphic Novel – Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allen Poe

Screenplay – The Witch

Travel

In the Middle

Sailing on the Queen Mary