Monday, June 15, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Monday, June 08, 2015
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Tuesday, May 05, 2015
Heaven Enough: Finding stories on the PCT without going "Wild".
With the success of Cheryl Strayed's "Wild," authors are finding their inspiration along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Since the 1920's, the idea of the Pacific Crest Trail has inspired people from around the world to achieve more and to be more while connecting to the western crest of the United States and the Earth from which they were born. Before its completion in 1993, the Pacific Crest Trail (or PCT) saw thru-hikers from around the world. Then, in 2012, Cheryl Strayed popularized the PCT with her dynamic memoir, Wild.
Strayed's is not the only story on the PCT, however. There are, in fact, thousands.
Recently, the PCT has also begun inspiring novelists to place their stories amongst the switchbacks and water caches of the trail. One of those writers is Ken La Salle, who placed his romantic tale of lost souls in the first stretches of the trail, giving it the name Heaven Enough. The title refers to a poem left by the wife of the story's protagonist, after she suffers an untimely death. "What would it be like if I had Heaven Enough," it reads. When Matt, now a widower, takes to the trail to leave the ashes of his wife, he is met by a woman just as shattered by life as he. Her name is Heather.
Without the crucial ingredient of the PCT, this might become just another love story. But it is the PCT that tests them, that breaks them down even more, that takes from them everything but who they truly are. That is, after all, the power that the thru-hiking experience provides, a method of stripping away all the nonsense of everyday life. Novels placed in this environment benefit from this power in an environment as uniquely American as the Pacific Crest Trail.
Heaven Enough has been called "a strong narrative of redemption and hope" and "the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day" by reviewers. One reviewer wrote: In a journey of self-reflection, Ken La Salle asks the one question we never really ask in marriage: do we really know the person we love most? In the heart-wrenching and sometimes comical journey of Matthew (Matt) Murphy, Mr. La Salle shows us through tragedy, anger, remorse, and grief one can find their soul and true purpose in life in the least likely places.
La Salle is an avid hiker and the author of several books including The Wrong Magic (WiDo Publishing, 2014), the forthcoming memoir, Climbing Maya (Kal-Ba Publishing, 2015) and Dynamic Pluralism, a revolution in ethics (Kal-Ba Publishing, 2015). As a lifelong resident of Southern California, he has hiked sections of the PCT and looks forward to undertaking his own thru-hike very soon.
You can find Heaven Enough in ebook and paperback from Limitless Publishing (http://www.limitlesspublishing.net). Ken La Salle can be reached through his website at www.kenlasalle.com.
Strayed's is not the only story on the PCT, however. There are, in fact, thousands.
Recently, the PCT has also begun inspiring novelists to place their stories amongst the switchbacks and water caches of the trail. One of those writers is Ken La Salle, who placed his romantic tale of lost souls in the first stretches of the trail, giving it the name Heaven Enough. The title refers to a poem left by the wife of the story's protagonist, after she suffers an untimely death. "What would it be like if I had Heaven Enough," it reads. When Matt, now a widower, takes to the trail to leave the ashes of his wife, he is met by a woman just as shattered by life as he. Her name is Heather.
Without the crucial ingredient of the PCT, this might become just another love story. But it is the PCT that tests them, that breaks them down even more, that takes from them everything but who they truly are. That is, after all, the power that the thru-hiking experience provides, a method of stripping away all the nonsense of everyday life. Novels placed in this environment benefit from this power in an environment as uniquely American as the Pacific Crest Trail.
Heaven Enough has been called "a strong narrative of redemption and hope" and "the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day" by reviewers. One reviewer wrote: In a journey of self-reflection, Ken La Salle asks the one question we never really ask in marriage: do we really know the person we love most? In the heart-wrenching and sometimes comical journey of Matthew (Matt) Murphy, Mr. La Salle shows us through tragedy, anger, remorse, and grief one can find their soul and true purpose in life in the least likely places.
La Salle is an avid hiker and the author of several books including The Wrong Magic (WiDo Publishing, 2014), the forthcoming memoir, Climbing Maya (Kal-Ba Publishing, 2015) and Dynamic Pluralism, a revolution in ethics (Kal-Ba Publishing, 2015). As a lifelong resident of Southern California, he has hiked sections of the PCT and looks forward to undertaking his own thru-hike very soon.
You can find Heaven Enough in ebook and paperback from Limitless Publishing (http://www.limitlesspublishing.net). Ken La Salle can be reached through his website at www.kenlasalle.com.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Nestor...
This morning, I learned about the loss of someone I haven’t
spoken to since possibly 1983. And yet, this was a person who had at times been
my closest friend, my mentor, and the only other person who knew what I was
going through.
His name was Nestor Tajalle. He was one year older than me
and one grade higher.
When I entered Valley High in 1980, he was already
established prominently on Valley’s stage. He had a voice too large for the school’s
theater. He possessed a talent too large for the entire school. There was
something great about him, even in our little corner of Santa Ana, a magnitude
that was undeniable. Yes, he was physically large but that’s not what I’m
talking about.
Nestor embodied all the qualities that make theater great.
Sure, his performances were huge and his voice clear as some perfect bell but
he also possessed a terrific generosity of spirit that I’ll never forget. When
I was cast in my first play, in November 1980, I worked right alongside with
Nestor. I remember him telling me to remember that nobody else knew anything I
didn’t know. They were guessing, too. He would share with me my best qualities,
always the ones I was too embarrassed to embrace. When I made a misstep, in
theater or in life, he would let me know – always very gently – where I went
wrong.
I needed Nestor because I needed someone to believe I could
be great, too. As I rose on our school’s stage, Nestor and I found ourselves
working together often. And there was no one better. He made me better, and I
needed that because I wasn’t all that terrific.
We spent three years performing together, and there is
something of those three years that anchors the core of who I became. Those
years were invaluable; it just took me 30+ years to understand it. It took
Nestor’s death to understand it.
When 1983 came, so did Nestor’s Senior year. His sadness
over losing the most plum spot on Valley’s stage took the shape of what I
misinterpreted as hubris. I won’t kid you; I thought it was ego. Nestor had an
ego nearly as large as my own. He had every right to it. We had both been
chronic scene-chewers but when his Senior year came and Nestor took every opportunity
to milk every moment out of every performance, I am ashamed to say I thought he
was showboating.
And we got into a fight.
And Nestor wasn’t the kind of person to do anything halfway,
so our fight got ugly. And this person who meant so much to me, I allowed to
pass out of my life because I was too embarrassed to do anything else. I spent
more than 30 years in that embarrassment, in that shame. I wish I could tell
you that Nestor and I spoke before he died but that was not the case.
When I screw up, I tend to allow my regret to isolate me. I
isolate myself. Hell, I screwed up so much at Valley that I still don’t talk to
most of the people I knew there. I never dared show my face at a class reunion.
Maybe, if I had, I would have met Nestor. Maybe, if I had, we would have
realized how silly our distance really was and I would find myself, today,
thinking not about the wasted years after that stupid fight. Instead, I would
find myself thinking about the friend I had found once again.
One day, perhaps, I’ll find it easier to show my face in a
world where I feel so much shame over so many trifling nothings nobody but
myself even remembers.
Nestor’s death reminds me that I should. His loss reminds me
that I must.
Nestor will always be an inspiration. He will always be the
person who believed in me. I am grateful to have that much.
Monday, April 06, 2015
The Ultimate Triple-Feature...
Tonight, I sat down and enjoyed what may be the most
original triple-feature of films ever conceived by man. It ran as follows:
- The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!
- Before Sunset
- The Human Centipede
Drawn Together – comedy. Before Sunset – drama. The Human
Centipede – horror cheese. I really believe you can combine these three to make
nearly any film out there.
You’re got the inanity of Drawn Together to kick it off.
After a few seasons and subsequent cancellation, the creators decided to put
out a final “Fuck You” to wrap up the show. It doesn’t get any weirder and funnier
than this.
That is followed by the natural romanticism of Richard
Linklater’s Before Sunset. This is my favorite romantic film of all time. You
just can’t go wrong.
And you wrap up with one of the dumbest of all possible
films: The Human Centipede. The Human Centipede shows just how stupid film
characters and writers can be and still get paid.
Each film clocked in at about 90 minutes so it didn’t even
take too long! Now to go have some fucking nightmares!
Friday, April 03, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The Most Amazing Book You've Ever Heard In Your Entire Life...
... is NOW AVAILABLE! You can pick it up today on Audible and iTunes.
But, if I were you, I'd get it for FREE by joining Audible today. It is truly like nothing you've heard before.
Click this link to see more!
Take a journey unlike any you've taken before with Illiturature Books. When has a book ever showed you the view from the top of Mount Everest or accompanied you to the moon or picked up lunch? But you'll find all of that and much more in the first title by Illiturature Books: The Most Amazing Book You've Ever Heard in Your Entire Life...just make sure you're worth it.
Take a trip across our known world and beyond! You'll not only experience the highest point on Mt. Everest (nearly), the depths of a live volcano, and even the surface of the moon; you'll also learn a few secrets along the way. You'll discover why ownership isn't as possible as you've been told, why straight lines never are, and why there aren't as many new masterworks from the Renaissance as there probably should be. Discover the pitfalls of aesthetic judgments while somehow also learning the meaning of truth and beauty. And learn how it's not always the lies we are told that cause us problems. Sometimes it's the truth you don't see right in front of you.
Ken La Salle takes his own brand of twisted humor and the shattered remains of what you once thought of as an audiobook to bring you The Most Amazing Book You’ve Ever Heard in Your Entire Life. Enjoy the view.
But, if I were you, I'd get it for FREE by joining Audible today. It is truly like nothing you've heard before.
Click this link to see more!
Take a journey unlike any you've taken before with Illiturature Books. When has a book ever showed you the view from the top of Mount Everest or accompanied you to the moon or picked up lunch? But you'll find all of that and much more in the first title by Illiturature Books: The Most Amazing Book You've Ever Heard in Your Entire Life...just make sure you're worth it.
Take a trip across our known world and beyond! You'll not only experience the highest point on Mt. Everest (nearly), the depths of a live volcano, and even the surface of the moon; you'll also learn a few secrets along the way. You'll discover why ownership isn't as possible as you've been told, why straight lines never are, and why there aren't as many new masterworks from the Renaissance as there probably should be. Discover the pitfalls of aesthetic judgments while somehow also learning the meaning of truth and beauty. And learn how it's not always the lies we are told that cause us problems. Sometimes it's the truth you don't see right in front of you.
Ken La Salle takes his own brand of twisted humor and the shattered remains of what you once thought of as an audiobook to bring you The Most Amazing Book You’ve Ever Heard in Your Entire Life. Enjoy the view.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Monday, March 09, 2015
Sunday, March 08, 2015
Friday, March 06, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Heaven Enough - available now!
Heaven Enough
Is a poem about longing, about wishing for something more. "What would it be like if I had heaven enough?" it reads.
Matt Murphy reads these words for the first time at his wife's funeral. After a death shrouded with mystery, it is the first time he learns that she wrote poetry. He and Diva were married for nearly twenty years, yet he did not "know" her. A poet and lover of culinary delights, she is struck by a car and killed instantly—randomly—on the wrong side of town.
When her brother, the "monk," appears for the funeral, Matt is set on an unprecedented course. The two find Diva's computer filled with preparations to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada...and she was leaving without her husband.
Matt takes it upon himself to hike the trail and sprinkle her ashes along the way. What happens in the first two hours is dumbfounding.
What happens next changes his life forever…
Heaven Enough is available now for the Kindle and in paperback!
Is a poem about longing, about wishing for something more. "What would it be like if I had heaven enough?" it reads.
Matt Murphy reads these words for the first time at his wife's funeral. After a death shrouded with mystery, it is the first time he learns that she wrote poetry. He and Diva were married for nearly twenty years, yet he did not "know" her. A poet and lover of culinary delights, she is struck by a car and killed instantly—randomly—on the wrong side of town.
When her brother, the "monk," appears for the funeral, Matt is set on an unprecedented course. The two find Diva's computer filled with preparations to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada...and she was leaving without her husband.
Matt takes it upon himself to hike the trail and sprinkle her ashes along the way. What happens in the first two hours is dumbfounding.
What happens next changes his life forever…
Heaven Enough is available now for the Kindle and in paperback!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Waking up and leaving the world of dreams behind...
You ever have a dream that feels incredibly vivid, and you
meet someone in that dream with whom you form a very close bond? And the whole
dream feels like it lasts a long time, such as a weekend? And once the dream
ends you marvel at how great your imagination is and this terrific relationship
that your imagination created from scratch…
… until you realize you’ll never see that person again.
Maybe it’s all thanks to this imagination I’ve developed as
a writer. I don’t know. But this happened as I woke up this morning and now I
find I miss that person terribly – and I really hope I’m not alone in this,
that it happens to others as well.
Has this ever happened to you?
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Monday, February 09, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
On tomorrow's episode of the Monday Morning Show...
"Anyone who uses a gun is worse than a coward in my book, as is anyone who resorts to violence. They’re terrified that humanity might possibly transcend our childish notion that there’s nothing better than killing. They refuse to face the fact that all this killing brings us no closer towards working together to solve the very real problems that face us – a dying planet, a human family split into competing and downright warring groups, and much worse. All they do is bring pain and death."
Monday, January 19, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Monday, January 05, 2015
Monday, December 29, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
Saturday, December 06, 2014
The Wrong Magic launches in just 10 days!...
Good relationships take a certain kind of magic to succeed. But all Alex Petroya seems to have is the wrong magic.
After his wife Stephanie leaves, Alex has one place left to go: the pink house his parents left to him in Cambria, California. After moving in, he discovers a box filled with unfinished stories Stephanie had written during their marriage.
Could finishing them win her back? Alex decides to try but finds writing is harder than it looks. With help from his brother-in-law, Conner, he learns a simple incantation to increase focus. As Alex writes the stories, they come true, creating strange, unnatural events. Then he gets another idea: he will manipulate the stories further to make Stephanie return to him.
With the incantation and the stories, Alex seems to have tapped into a magical combination. But in the end, he finds there is no magic stronger than that of the human heart.
You have just 10 days left to pick up The Wrong Magic in paperback for just $12.70! Click this link to buy a copy - or buy two or three! Christmas is almost here!
And, don't forget, you can download The Wrong Magic for your Kindle! Click this link to pick it up at the special price of just $1.99!
And thank you for your support!
After his wife Stephanie leaves, Alex has one place left to go: the pink house his parents left to him in Cambria, California. After moving in, he discovers a box filled with unfinished stories Stephanie had written during their marriage.
Could finishing them win her back? Alex decides to try but finds writing is harder than it looks. With help from his brother-in-law, Conner, he learns a simple incantation to increase focus. As Alex writes the stories, they come true, creating strange, unnatural events. Then he gets another idea: he will manipulate the stories further to make Stephanie return to him.
With the incantation and the stories, Alex seems to have tapped into a magical combination. But in the end, he finds there is no magic stronger than that of the human heart.
You have just 10 days left to pick up The Wrong Magic in paperback for just $12.70! Click this link to buy a copy - or buy two or three! Christmas is almost here!
And, don't forget, you can download The Wrong Magic for your Kindle! Click this link to pick it up at the special price of just $1.99!
And thank you for your support!
Monday, December 01, 2014
Monday, November 24, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Wrong Magic is coming soon...
Don't forget to order your paperback copy early for just $12.70!
http://widopublishing.com/the-wrong-magic-by-ken-la-salle/
http://widopublishing.com/the-wrong-magic-by-ken-la-salle/
Friday, November 21, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
indian paintbrush - the full-length trailer...
With so much of indian paintbrush coming straight out of my own childhood, it seemed only fitting that I include one of my favorite Thanksgiving stories from so long ago. I hope you enjoy it and pick up a copy in ebook, audiobook, or paperback (coming soon).
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Puppies: Best in Stew... new on Audible...
You may have been asking for a book that combined time travel, political commentary... and puppy killing... sometime when you were really drunk, perhaps.
Well, now it's here! And it's an audiobook!
Pick up a copy from Audible by clicking this link. Or you can find it on iTunes and other online e-tailers!
Well, now it's here! And it's an audiobook!
Pick up a copy from Audible by clicking this link. Or you can find it on iTunes and other online e-tailers!
Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, November 03, 2014
Friday, October 31, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Brown people...
When we see scary people in the middle east, our armed forces carpet bomb them indiscriminately.
When we see scary people in Ferguson, Missouri, our police forces shoot them indiscriminately.
When we see scary kids in hoodies, our Zimmermans murder them.
... and they are all brown...
If you really believe in the commandment, Thou Shall Not Kill... what's the difference between these?
When we see scary people in Ferguson, Missouri, our police forces shoot them indiscriminately.
When we see scary kids in hoodies, our Zimmermans murder them.
... and they are all brown...
If you really believe in the commandment, Thou Shall Not Kill... what's the difference between these?
Monday, September 29, 2014
It's the Monday Morning Show for September 29, 2014...
It's the Monday Morning Show for September 29th, 2014! Join me as I talk about young people changing the world and the old people who are trying to stop them. Young people are on the streets in Honk Kong and in Colorado while we're busy wondering if our iPhone's going to bend.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Just another sign of corporations having too much power…
So, I was out on my morning jog this morning when I passed
by a local concrete foundry pumping out tons of toxic smoke. The smoke was so
bad, I had to stop jogging because I was coughing so hard. I was coughing so
hard, I nearly threw up!
The smell was pretty bad where I lived, a couple of miles
away, too.
Vicky suggested I call the AQMD (the Air Quality Management
District) to register a complaint, which I did. What I didn’t expect, though,
was the lesson I received in just how powerful corporations are in relation to
how much they can pollute.
Here’s what I found out.
In order for the AQMD to even speak with the foundry and ask
them to please cut down on their smog, they need to have six different homes on
the same block all register complaints within the same hour. Then, they have to
remain at their home for an AQMD representative to come to their home and
verify the smell. This AQMD could take as much as three hours to get there, by
which time the wind could shift and the smell could move on.
Can you imagine how difficult that would be to pull off? Six
residents from six different homes all have to call at about the same time.
Then, they can’t leave their home. They have to wait there – not go to work –
and hope everyone else stays put as well. They have to wait for hours, all in
the hopes that the wind doesn’t shift!
And this won’t even get them definite action. The foundry
could ignore the request. When I asked the AQMD rep what the requirements were
for them to take definite action, such as a fine or a court order or anything,
she just shook her head and said, “Well, let’s try to get this first. This is
hard enough.”
Meanwhile, the foundry owners sit back and laugh at us
little people. They’ve made us powerless.
And the sad truth is, so many of us defend our corporate
overlords despite all that. And, in the grand scheme of things, this is
nothing.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Monday, September 08, 2014
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
I give you the Breakfast Shake!...
I was out driving around this morning and came to the
realization that plenty of fast food restaurants give you a breakfast menu but
none of them – not a single one (that I know of, at least) offers a Breakfast
Shake!
Why is that?
It’s not like they have to resort to something as disgusting
or nutritious as putting eggs or sausage in their shake. They don’t even have
to resort to putting a frittata in your shake.
Listen: I’ve actually had a Cap’n Crunch Shake at a Carl’s
Jr., many moons ago. They have the template. Now, they just need to take it to
its next, logical step. Hell, make me a Franken-Berry Shake or a Boo-Berry
Shake. Make me a Waffle Shake with real waffle bits and syrup. Make me a
Pancake Breakfast Shake with bits of pancake and bacon! It can be done!
It can be done!
It must be done!!!!
… then again, maybe I’m just really in the mood for a shake…
Monday, August 25, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Friday, August 08, 2014
We bomb at midnight... or whenever...
This morning's headlines keep reading - or, at least, I do - that we're bombing Iraq again to help save lives.
Now, you might find this cynical but look at the bright side. We're one of the few nations in history ever to save lives with high explosives, and we're certainly in the minority as far as thinking we can.
You can't solve every problem by throwing money at it, the Republicans have told us all these years but as it turns out you can solve them by throwing bombs... or dropping them. I say, let's solve more of our problems. Bad transmission? Drop a bomb on it! Melting glaciers? Drop a bomb! Heck, I think we should fix Congress right about now. Don't you?
(This rant brought to you by the Peoples Who Ain't Been Bombed Yet For the Bombing of the People not there anymore because we have...)
Now, you might find this cynical but look at the bright side. We're one of the few nations in history ever to save lives with high explosives, and we're certainly in the minority as far as thinking we can.
You can't solve every problem by throwing money at it, the Republicans have told us all these years but as it turns out you can solve them by throwing bombs... or dropping them. I say, let's solve more of our problems. Bad transmission? Drop a bomb on it! Melting glaciers? Drop a bomb! Heck, I think we should fix Congress right about now. Don't you?
(This rant brought to you by the Peoples Who Ain't Been Bombed Yet For the Bombing of the People not there anymore because we have...)
Saturday, August 02, 2014
Busy at home at work at home together apart together…
I’m sitting at my desk on a muggy, summer afternoon, thinking about my marriage and what a strange place we’re in.
And I thought, What the hell! Let’s write about it!
We have so many friends and people in our families who live “traditional” lives… you know, the marriage, the house, the kids, the crap… I know Vicky likes it because she gets to enjoy it on a “visitor” basis but it’s downright annoying to me. I don’t know why but I’m not that keen on the traditional setup.
Vicky and I don’t have kids and I have grown comfortable like that. Not only is it okay, it’s just fine by me. I don’t think Vicky will ever be completely comfortable and that makes me sad but that’s not how things have worked out and I, personally, am happier going with the flow, accepting what is rather than wishing for what isn’t.
In a way…
You see, as much as many of those we know have gone the traditional route, Vicky and I have surprisingly… not.
We don’t have kids. We’re not really big joiners. We aren’t especially attracted to material objects.
The two of us found what we love long ago and recently – in the past year, at least – things have really begun to take off with what we love. In case I’m being too vague, I’m talking about our jobs.
Yep.
Vicky and I are workaholics.
We both love what we do. Vicky loves running her company’s paralegal team and teaching college courses, etc. etc. etc. I love writing books and recording audiobooks and creating new videos and hosting my podcasts, etc. etc. etc.
I don’t think either of us have ever been so fulfilled in what we do.
… and yet, I’m sitting here at my desk on a muggy, summer afternoon… and I’m considering all of these things… and what does not escape me is the fact that Vicky is about 10-15 miles across town right now, doing her thing.
This strikes me as so weird because there’s no one I love being with more than Vicky. I love taking adventures with her. I love laying in on a weekend morning with her and watching a race. I love going to Target with her to buy Q-tips. I don’t know why this is. I’m just smitten.
And, all the same, we’re spending our days apart. We spend many of our days apart. Because we love what we do.
And we love each other.
I suppose it’s not “traditional.” It may not even be healthy.
But I’m proud of her and she’s proud of me and though I hate when she’s away I love when she comes back. It may sound strange to say we love our lives spent working most of the time without kids and without each other that much… but we do.
And I probably wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Saturday, July 05, 2014
We're halfway through the year!
This is shaping up to be a crazy year, as you’ll see, and be
sure to check out my website, my Facebook page, or just
drop me a line for updates as they occur!
For now, here’s this…
A slew of new releases! It’s going to be a big year for book
releases and here are just a few from this quarter:
Cookies: Sluts of the
Snack World (Book1 in the “Fun To Grow On” series) (Fiction/humorous)
(Look for it in paperback coming soon!)
Last Ditch
(Fiction/thriller)
(Look for the paperback coming soon!)
Dreaming With Open
Eyes (Non-fiction/motivation)
But that’s not all! Have you caught my new podcast: The Monday Morning Show? Each week, I
talk about the news of the day and the news in my head for 10-15 minutes. It’s
provocative, entertaining, and I also respect your intelligence. Imagine!
You can download
The Monday Morning Show from PodcastMachine at present and look for it soon
on iTunes!
As most of you know, July is the month I put aside for the
sole purpose of claiming that I’m taking a vacation… (I’m working on it!)
I’m also working on a new series on my YouTube channel,
which I call “So, you want to be a writer.” Join me each week as I take on tech
writing, copy writing, playwriting, and novel writing… And I can assure you,
each episode is assembled without a hint of sarcasm…
You can also look forward to a few new titles in the next
few months. Such as:
Indian Paintbrush
(Fiction/literary)
To a Dreamer
(Non-fiction/motivation)
And, Puppies: Best in
Stew (Book 2 in the “Fun To Grow On” series)
Each book will be available for ebooks, in paperback, and in
audiobook formats.
But that’s not all…
Look for The Wrong
Magic (Fiction/fantasy) coming from WiDo Publishing around Christmastime. I’ve
also signed a contract with Vagabondage Press to release my zombie horror
novel, Wormfood Island, in 2015.
The fun has just begun.
Stay tuned!
Until next time, I wish you nothing but the best.
Ken La Salle
Follow my writing career at www.kenlasalle.com
And, on YouTube
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
It's a choice...
Just a few happy statistics. These are conservative estimates...
The seas will be dead within 30 years.
We will have killed all the coral reefs in 20 years.
We are living in the time of peak oil.
Global warming is now.
... This was all man-made. Our responsibility is to ameliorate the devastating consequences. Or, we can keep making things worse for your children...
It's a choice.
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Monday Morning Show...
My new podcast, called The Monday Morning Show, begins this Monday!
For a few words on how that came about, check out the most recent episode of my other podcast, So Dream Something...
For a few words on how that came about, check out the most recent episode of my other podcast, So Dream Something...
Friday, June 20, 2014
The best 1st date of my life…
On this day, ten years ago, I had the best first date of my
life.
I can tell you it was the best first date of my life
because, ever since that day, I have wanted nothing more than to be with that
woman.
The date lasted seven hours. Seven hours! We met at 4pm and
did not go home until 11pm.
The date ended with the best “first date kiss” I had ever
experienced. I don’t know if the kiss was made superior by her or me but I can
still remember it. (Yes, I’m a romantic that way.) I can still remember how
beautiful she was. And she just keeps getting more beautiful.
I know that’s a lot to ask of you, the reader, to believe
that she just keeps getting more beautiful. But it’s true. Oh, sure. She’s not
perfect. She has her moments when she’s human. But there’s so much more to her
than that. She’s really funny and very kind. She’s smarter than I am sometimes –
actually, she’s smarter than I am far too often. It’s really kind of annoying,
actually…
It was the best first date of my life because I want it to
be the last first date of my life.
The date I’m not really describing is my first date with
Vicky. You can find a complete description in my book, A Grand Canyon. It wasn’t
really Love at first sight but it was certainly Like plus a lot of Lust at
first sight. When the love came, the like and lust stuck around as well.
Vicky is downstairs right now, coughing her lungs out.
You see, we were supposed to go out on our first date again
tonight, reliving it in as much detail as manageable. But then, our dog Suki
got sick. And then, Vicky got sick. And I guess our first date it not to be…
again… We’ll just have to leave it in the history book.
But I suppose our disappointment is a sign as well. We both
wanted to do this because we both have a connection with that night ten years
ago.
As for myself, I’m just happy I’ve had these ten years.
Vicky quite literally rocked my world.
Happy Anniversary, my love. Let’s do another ten.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Kristallnacht down the street
I saw something this morning while I was out on my jog,
something that will take me some time to shake off.
You see, under a local overpass a small community of
homeless people recently sprang up. They spring up just about every few months
or so but they don’t leave voluntarily.
This morning, I saw why they leave. I saw two dump trucks
and four police cars pull up. The police moved the homeless over to one side.
And the garbage men took all of the belongings – the few belongings these
homeless people had – and threw all of their things into the garbage trucks.
The homeless weren’t arrested. They were just shoed away like dogs.
It brought to mind something from a long time ago. It brought
to mind Kristallnacht.
Now, I understand that some people might get offended by
this, by my comparing our local police to nazi thugs.
But what happened on Kristallnacht? On that night, so long
ago, police came around and destroyed the property of a group of people they
didn’t want to have around anymore.
That was exactly what happened this morning.
And it troubles me that we can do this and not feel at all
ashamed or in any way bothered by what we do. We’ve given up on finding a
solution to the problem of homelessness. We just shoe them away like dogs and
throw away their stuff.
Leaving them to start again.
Leaving them worse off than before.
Leaving us… appeased. Out of sight. Out of mind.
We should hang our heads.
I’m probably going to talk about this next month, in my
final episode of 5 Brief Minutes but, for now, I just had to say something.
Because it makes me sick.
Saturday, June 07, 2014
Monday, June 02, 2014
Why have rules for life?...
As I continue to analyze the rules for life, I ask an appropriate staring question, "Why should we even have rules for life?"
You can read all about it by giving this link a click!
You can read all about it by giving this link a click!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Something you usually only see on TV…
So, I was out on the river trail this morning for my morning
jog when I saw something I could have sworn I would only see on TV.
Passing me on the trail, two beach cruiser bicycles came
along my right side.
I could see the two riders very clearly in the cool, morning
sunlight, a fat, bald, white guy and a beautiful woman with grey to white hair.
The man wore beige trousers, a short-sleeved shirt, and a blue/green vest of
some kind. The woman wore a long, white dress and a white hat with a wide brim.
Neither wore helmets. Both looked incredibly out of place and terribly
overdressed to be on the trail.
But then, as they pulled ahead, I realized nobody else was
anywhere nearby. And I could watch them ride off through the dappling shade.
I stopped.
And I said, because this had to be said out loud. “Oh, my
God. I just got passed by a Viagra commercial.”
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
So Dream Something gets a little fishy...
This month's episode of So Dream Something is a little fishy.
I talk to James Krause, co-founder of Rivers to Reef, about aquaculture and The American Dream.
I hope you enjoy it.
I talk to James Krause, co-founder of Rivers to Reef, about aquaculture and The American Dream.
I hope you enjoy it.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Friday, May 02, 2014
Two for the sofa…
This was a week I saw coming a mile away.
You ever have one of those weeks? The kind that you’ve been
predicting for some time, saying things like, “One of these days, we’re going
to have to…” and then you do?
That was this week.
For months now, I’ve been saying to Vicky, “We’re going to
have to start keeping Suki downstairs at night. She just can’t take the stairs
the way she used to.” Suki is our Shiba Inu. She’s about 14. (This is the point
where Vicky will correct me. I’m terrible with these things.) Where she used to
be able to trot up and down our stairs several times each day, recently, she’s
been slipping and sliding. Her back legs have been going out on her. She
stumbles.
It’s just not pretty.
So, this was the week. Suki moved downstairs.
And though I hadn’t been mentioning this next bit to Vicky,
I knew what would go right alongside that – right alongside Suki, I mean. Me.
That’s what would go alongside of her. Me.
I had to move downstairs, too.
Because Suki did not like moving downstairs at all. Not one
bit. She would begin crying and the only thing that put her at ease was another
person with her. And Vicky needed the bed. Vicky works a real job.
So, downstairs I moved. Suki took her dog bed. I took the
sofa.
And, let me tell you, my back is not built of solid steel,
the way it once was. Nope. Now, when I sleep on the sofa, my back kind of
conforms to its horrible curves. I wake up feeling like a dingbat font.
But this is what you do. You know? If we had kids, I’d be up
with them. If we had an elderly parent living with us, I’d be… you know what, I
don’t want to think about that. Anyway, Suki is like an elderly parent. And she
needs me.
She’s stinky and she sheds. She’s standoffish and never
listens. But she needs me.
This is what you do.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Heroes of the PCT…
As much as that title sounds like it belongs in the old
west, I’m actually writing today because the big kickoff for this year’s
Pacific Crest Trail expeditions (north to south) begins in less than a week!
You may ask yourself, “Why are you excited about this?” And
you’d have every right. After all, I’m not hiking the PCT this year. Hell, I
haven’t even gone on a hike this year.
(I suck!)
But, see, the thing is I really want to do the PCT. And my
goal is to do it within the next five years or so. To do that, I’m learning what
I can, getting my body into shape, and most importantly I’m getting my career
off the ground so I can afford to do the hike. (Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiking
ain’t cheap!)
In the meantime, I watch and learn from those who go before
me. I read blogs. I watch YouTube videos and I am intensely envious of those
who are doing it. You gotta admire someone who makes that kind of commitment and
puts in that much effort.
So, bravo heroes of the PCT! You’re all doing something
majorly kick-ass! And I’ll be watching and hoping for the best.
Maybe I’ll be out there very soon…
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Saturday, April 05, 2014
A Tale of Two iPods…
A few years back, I cancelled my gym membership because I
realized I could do everything I did at the gym much closer to home. Actually,
at home! I could jog and I could cycle and I could exercise and all without the
stink and sweat of horrible people all around me. I could do all of this
without having to watch Fox News, which 24 Hour Fitness seemed to love putting
in front of me. And I could do it all to the beat of my own drum… er, iPod.
I didn’t have to listen to the same crappy music they played
at the gym over and over and over and over again.
And that’s what I did. I started jogging and cycling and exercising,
all to the tunes I had on my iPod Nano, which clipped right onto my shirt. I
was saving money and getting a better workout as well!
… all until the day when I lost my iPod.
That’s the problem with the Nano, you see. It’s small enough
to clip to my shirt – well, the Gen 6 version I had – but also small enough to
MISPLACE! And that’s exactly what I did about a week ago.
And lengthy, intense search commenced… and I found nothing.
Damn!
Worse still, Apple has discontinued the good Nano (Gen 6)
and replaced it with some oversized, overweighted, big, fat, stupid looking…
Gen 7. The dummies… Seriously. Have you seen these things? They’re hardly small
enough to be considered “nano” at all!
What to do?
Well, as it turned out, Vicky had picked up a Gen 6 Nano at
about the same time as me – lo, those many years ago. She’d never loaded hers
up with music. It was fresh. It was (dare I say) virginal!
And it was mine! (Once Vicky generously offered to let me “borrow”
it.)
And I learned something interesting about iPods. It was
something I hadn’t really suspected.
You see, I had loaded up my previously Nano a little at a
time. Whenever I purchased some new music, I would throw some of it on the
iPod.
Now, faced with a fresh iPod, I had to load it all up from
scratch.
This took me two days! In the end, I had – nay, have – 1.7
days of music, over 700 songs!
… some may consider this overkill.
But I like having plenty of music to choose from, as I set
the Nano to shuffle every single time… That sounds positively boring. But I
promise you, it’s not.
In fact, I’m electrified, dying for a chance to take it out
for a jog or a bike ride!
… tomorrow. First thing tomorrow.
Vicky bought donuts.
(Not the ending you were expecting, was it?)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Had a great morning on the Indie Books Show...
This morning, I had a lot of fun speaking with Will Willson on the Indie Books Show. I'm including it here and I hope you enjoy it!
Popular Books Internet Radio with Indie Books on BlogTalkRadio
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Monday, March 03, 2014
Rainy Days and Mondays…
So, I couldn’t sleep last night… I know. Old news.
But I couldn’t sleep last night and got to thinking about
how it was going to be Monday and about how it has been raining and… no, it
doesn’t take much to keep me awake at night.
Anyway, this reminded me of the old song: Rainy Days and
Mondays. And I thought about what a random list of things that is. Rainy days
and Mondays always get you down? Really? How more random can you get?
“Gusty evenings with late night and early morning low clouds
and the third Saturday of each month gets me down.”
“Slightly overcast days – not cloudy or smoggy but just
slightly overcast days and hard boiled eggs that aren’t actually hard but only
slightly approaching hard – I mean like just about thirty or so seconds
underdone always get me down.”
“Red and black get me down. Red and black. You have any idea
how much red and black there is in the world? I wanna blow my fucking head off
whenever I see an apple… at night!”
I’m just saying… it gets you thinking.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Keeping all these balls in the air…
Hello and welcome to the Ken La Salle blog…
Oh. Wait. Sorry. Wrong blog.
But I thought I’d talk about my writing a bit over here just
in case the people in this neighborhood didn’t want to go all the way across
town.
With the end of 2013, I had hoped that 2014 might be a bit
busier. That more things might be going on. Because 2013 was like a tomb – by which
I mean it was quiet and not that I was living with dead people.
Well, here we are in 2014 and I recall the words of the
person who said, “Be careful what you wish for.” Now, I have two staged
readings going on – one this weekend at Wild Rumpus in NY, if you’re in the
area. I’ve been offered a couple of contracts. I have new work pouring out of
me. I’m so busy, in fact, that I’ve been forced to put some projects aside. My
YouTube videos, for instance, are going to be off for about a month.
I feel like an amateur juggler, wondering how I’m going to
keep all those balls in the air.
But please don’t think this is a complaint. Heavens, no!
This is exactly where I wanted to be and, while it’s not the
fulfillment of all of my dreams, it certainly goes a long way towards putting
my neuroses at ease.
Not all of my neuroses, of course.
This might sound strange but – it looks like I’m becoming a
writer. That’s so cool!
(I will never get used to this.)
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