Scary Halloween Treat Now At Amazon. 

Get Halloween Horror for $1.99 at Amazon starting 10/28. Click

and get an eBook (Kindle) you can send to trick-or treaters or

just get a kick yourself. 

 

Jonathan Escoffery Reads at FIU Writers on the Bay OCTOBER 24 2024

 This is an event to mark on your calendar. Jonathan Escoffery at FIU-North is a kind of homecoming. The young man actually slept in his car while taking MFA classes there, and went on to have his first book, If I Survive You, nominated for one of Literature's highest honors, the Booker Prize. I'll see you there!

From Bookshop.org    If I Survive You

                         

New eBook      Click to buy

My latest is a short bio eBook now available at Amazon. It is part of a series, Part 1 in fact, that will let me reach out beyond what fiction offers. So many of us are dealing with disasters and disease and the downward trend life takes as we move on. But don't despair. If we weren't all crazy we would go insane.

 

10 Questions for Tom Fillion

Buy here from Amazon

 

1.      It seems like you have been writing and self-publishing for years now. I started around the same time, when you had to use CreateSpace to make a print book and cover. Tell us about your first efforts with Amazon and Smashwords.

 Yes, I’ve published 7 books on Amazon now called Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP. I’ve done 5 novels and two collections of poems. I’m old school as far as the goes and was primarily interested in print books, but all my stuff is available as an e-book also.

 2.      You are republishing The Dream Mechanic with a hot-looking new cover. Will you renew other titles as well?

I’d give myself an F+ in marketing so I’m trying to improve on that.  New book covers are part of that. When I originally did the books I used Amazon’s cover creator, but let’s face it, readers do judge a book by its cover. That’s why I’ve used a professional designer for a new cover on THE DREAM MECHANIC.

 3.      Have you always been a writer? What jobs have you worked, especially any that contributed to your storytelling?

I started writing in second grade inspired by The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Hardy Boy novels by Franklin W. Dixon, Beautiful Joe by Margaret Saunders, and Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. I still have my copies of Beautiful Joe and Misty of Chincoteague!

I’ve had many jobs and that’s probably contributed to my writing being very eclectic. The most notable are from 16 – 20 in the summers I worked at Mt. Washington Cog Railroad in New Hampshire.  My grandfather had worked there for 30 years as an engineer so even though I lived in Tampa at 16 my brother and I and a friend rode a Greyhound up the east coast to Mt. Washington. During the 4 summers that I worked there I washed dishes, base clean up crew, switchman at Waumbek, brakeman and fireman on the trains. As a fireman I shoveled a ton of coal to get up Mt. Washington. Truly a unique experience and I keep in touch with some of those friends from that period.

After graduating from the University of South Florida with a degree in English, I was kind of burned out and directionless which resulted in a few flunky jobs one of which was a waterbed setup man and that is the basis of THE DREAM MECHANIC oddly enough. Some of my friends went to graduate school, but I didn’t.  I’ve always said this job was my graduate school because I dealt with people from all levels of American society. Besides that, it was fun getting stoned and drunk with some of the customers!

In 1980, I began teaching at Hillsborough County Adult High School in Tampa. I got married that same year to June who was from New York City and she had gone to Manhattan School of Music as a voice major. I was certified in English, Mathematics 6-12, and Gifted, so I taught various classes at the Adult High School: Math, Computer Applications, and English as a Second Language. There was a huge program there for foreign students to learn English. Wherever there were trouble spots in the world and refugees, some would end up at the Adult High School.

And that’s how I ended up in Saudi Arabia in 1991. I took a job with Lear Seigler Inc, a defense contractor, as an English Language Trainer for the Royal Saudi Air Force in Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My experience there is the basis of my novel, HUBBLY BUBBLY. I lived on a US Airforce compound out in the high desert about 50 kilometers from Mecca. There were F-16 and U2 pilots, British Air, and McDonnell Douglass personnel on the compound. We all traveled to King Fahd Royal Saudi Air Force base every day. My wife and daughter flew met me in Frankfurt that summer and we drove up to Norway where she had relatives. June’s father grew up in Norway.

. I was with Hillsborough County Schools from then until I retired in 2019.  I taught various levels of Mathematics and coached track, golf, and tennis during that time period.  In the mornings before school, I wrote and self- published 5 novels and 2 collections of poetry. Now that I’m retired, I’m focusing on growing an audience for my writing!    

4.      Has Tampa always been your home? Tell us about yourself.

For the most part, I’ve lived in Tampa.

I went to Catholic and public schools here in Tampa grades 1 – 12. My novel, GIUSEPPE’S AWARD, is about Catholic school and the Florida State Fair!

Before I graduated from USF in 1975, I split in my 1962 VW bug and went to Vermont and lived in the woods where I made fiberglass canoes.  I brought a bunch of philosophy books with me to read. Of course, I didn’t read any of them, but I did watch most of the Watergate hearings!

1991, the year I spent in Saudi Arabia is the only other time I haven’t lived in Tampa.

 

5.      You write poetry as well as fiction. Are your poems collected or more random events?

 

The poems are very eclectic and cover a range of thoughts, observations, and subjects, some serious, some funny, and some satiric and sardonic.

 

The cover of ARCHIPELAGO OF MYSELF is a picture of Slieve League in Donegal, Ireland that I took in 2007 when my wife and I visited Ireland.

 

The cover of THE SKY’S THE LIMIT is a picture I took in Albuquerque, New Mexico where my daughter lives.

 

I have enough poems for another collection. I just haven’t put it together yet.

 

6.      I found seven titles available. Are any of the books related by character or settings? Tell us about each title.

 

The Dream Mechanic is a Southern Gothic journey back to the Me Decade of the 1970s when credit card debt was tax deductible and businesses that lost money were profitable. After graduating from the University of Urban Failures (UUF), Wilbur Dobbs takes a job as a dream mechanic setting up waterbeds at Wetbedders, a small business and tax write-off for Dave and Margo Hamilton, so that he can pay back his National Defense Student Loan from UUF and the Record Club of America for three hundred copies of In The Court of The Crimson King, his favorite album. Wilbur is fed, clothed, liquored, stoned, entertained, loved, hated, and abused by a variety of people from the Me Decade as he enters the inner sanctums of their bedrooms for several hours that make indelible impressions on his overactive mind. The reader is in for a real treat as Dobbs meets weird and wonderful characters from up and down the social ladder reminiscent of John Kennedy Toole's, A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, and James Purdy's, MALCOLM.

 

Giuseppe’s Award: He’s Robinson Crusoe. He’s an imaginary cowboy. He’s a cigar-smoking paperboy of the month. He’s friends with Clarence, Graveyard, and Chipper. He and his brother, Frankie, have a go-cart with no brakes. He has a dog named Ginger and a duck named Elroy. He’s out of uniform at a funeral mass. He’s friends with Agar the Giant, Baby Flo the Fat Lady, and Cash McCain star of the Florida State Fair. He’s Giuseppe Fieri, a fourth grader at Our Lady of Perpetual Hell and sits in the fourth row, fourth seat according to his GPA. Nobody past the first row ever wins the community improvement essay contest, but he does.

 

When The Moon Is In The Seventh House: Billy narrates the story of his best friend, Flint Dupree, and Ellie Windows who met in a Sex and Violence in Southern Literature class that also describes their relationship. Join Billy's wild ride through astrology's seventh house associated with friendship, partnership, competitors, enemies, and marriage. Billy gets through his own 'midlife crisis' with a little help from his friends at St. Christopher's Crazy Eights Factory, including his own personal gynecologist.

 

New England Book of the Dead: In New England Book of the Dead, Robert Fortier escorts his legally blind, eighty-eight year old father, Roland, from Florida to Vermont to see his father's sister, Alma, before she dies in the hospital. It's the longest time he has spent with his father since growing up and traveling the world.

 

Hubbly Bubbly: For months Jim Tierney sent out his resume with no results. An economic recession in 1990 raged. A home addition he started languishes from lack of funds. His self- esteem is in the crapper. One day he receives an unexpected phone call offering him a job that comes with a villa and a houseboy. What? He accepts the job immediately because he’s lost and has to find his way in the world again. He accepts the job before telling his wife and daughter that the job is in Saudi Arabia and there’s a war right around the corner.

 

Archipelago of Myself: Archipelago of Myself is a collection of whimsical and eclectic poems. The topics and titles include a kaleidoscope of modern life: Slow Dancing In Hell, Hunger Games In Texas, I want To Be a Kardashian, Twerking In The New Year, Orchestra Seats At Armageddon, Chapel of Continuing Basketball Re-Education Camp, Dreaming In Swahili, Get Your Sorry Ass Up And Go To Work, etc.

 

The Sky’s the Limit:  This collection of 121 eclectic poems from 2015-2018 covers a range of topics and absurdities of modern life. These are some of the topics and subjects in this new collection that are sure to entertain, enlighten, anger, and amuse.

 

 

7.      What are your marketing plans now and how are they different from when you started writing? 

 

I queried agents and got read by some top agents which considering the publishing landscape was a plus. I’ve even had an agent, but nothing ever happened. That’s when I started self-publishing my writing, but not really promoting it.  Now that I’m retired from the teaching profession and the emotional baggage that carries, I am more willing to work on the back end of the self-publishing enterprise. Answering these 10 questions is a big step in that direction! 

 

8.      What writers influenced your thinking and style? Have you always loved books of a certain time or place?

Lots of writers!

Seeing this is primarily about The Dream Mechanic, there are two writers that I kept in mind while writing this novel. One was Sherwood Anderson who wrote Winesburg, Ohio, a collection of interlocking stories. The other writer is James Purdy who wrote novels, plays, and short stories. Malcolm is my favorite novel of his.  Gore Vidal called him “an authentic American genius.” I was fortunate to have known James for many years through a friend of my wife’s from New York City. I included his comments about The Dream Mechanic on the back cover.

 

9.      Do you attend any writers groups or seminars?

Yes, I recently joined Tampa Writers Alliance.

I’ve attended a couple conferences with agents and authors. One was some years ago at the Algonquin Hotel in NYC. The other one was recently 2024 Florida Writing Workshop here in Tampa.

 

10.  Are you writing something new? Tell us about your latest projects.

 

As I mentioned earlier I have enough poems for another collection. On the fiction side, I have two novels that are basically finished.  Spirit Week deals with homecoming at a high school and a secret of a powerful political family.   The other novel is The Year of Broken Glass dealing with the Covid pandemic. Also, I’ve been writing a free-for-all that I call Bayshore Chronicles about my bike travels along Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard and  other things that come up.

 

Email: TomFillion@gmail.com

X: @dreamechanic

FB: dreammechanic

http://dreammechanic.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 Feeding America drive is now on!

I've joined Team Feed to help end hunger in America. No one should go without a meal, yet more than 47 million people in America face hunger. I created this fundraiser to help provide these much needed meals to our neighbors through the Feeding America network of food banks and I'm asking you to join my in my cause. 

Every $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals. It only takes a little to make a big difference. Will you help in my fight to end hunger?

I will be donating funds from book sales by sharing funds through Writers4Relief, my new organization to help writers make meaningful contributions to help those hit by hurricanes this year. Team Feed is the first charity I've chosen, because of its great reputation for getting things done.

Contact me at neilcrabtree7@gmail.com to help. And donate here as well.

Click on the Donate button above and let's end hunger together!

Join in and donate here:

Feeding America

My review of John Dufresne's My Darling Boy at Goodreads

"I received from WW Norton an Advanced Reading Copy of this incredible book. We read about opioid addiction every day. In this novel, John Dufresne takes it down to the personal level. Olney is a modern-day father whose son Cully becomes addicted after an injury. Cully likes being addicted, something that's hard for his family, indeed, for any straight people to understand. The numbness of the drugs can actually seem an improvement to the numbness and despair of living in these troubled times. Read Burrough's book JUNKY to see this from another angle. Olney struggles to save his son, now grown and on his own going from one fix to another. Olney's quest is America's quest, to rescue our children from the turning away of love and understanding. In the wonderful Dufresne fashion, we encounter normal environments full of crazy people, often hilarious, sad, and endearing. Treat yourself to a novel you'll always remember. Available in January 2025. Pre-order now."

 

Interview Anita Mitchell

Welcome home, Abbas Karimi. Read about him in Anita Mitchell's book, and in this interview we did before the Paralympic games.

WSVN did this story Sunday. Click on his name to get there

Abbas

Back in March, I interviewed Anita Mitchell about her amazing book on the Paralympic swimmer Abbas Karimi, who has no arms. I'm happy to report he has win two Silver Medals for Team USA.

Abbas  Click here for an update.

10 Questions for Anita Mitchell, whose new book came out April 17. It's the incredible true story of a man born without arms who became a champion swimmer. Click on the link to buy at Amazon.

God Took My Arms But He Gave Me This Gift

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK: The future looked bleak for Abbas when he was born. With so many other problems in Kabul, people with disabilities are a low priority. If Abbas wanted to excel with his unusual skill as a swimmer, he knew that he had to leave his large and close family. How he left, how he traveled through Iran, how he petitioned the UNHCR to come to the United States, how he made the Tokyo refugee Paralympic team. How he became a US citizen and what complications ensued in his life is a beacon of triumph and a salute to the human spirit.  Abbas is a role model not only for people with disabilities, but he is also a role model for anyone with a lofty goal that comes with detours along the way.

 

WHAT DOES THE TITLE  “GOD TOOK MY ARMS BUT HE GAVE ME THIS GIFT” MEAN?  When I first did a short blog piece about Abbas, he told me this  line and I said, "Abbas, that could be the title of your book”…and it is. Abbas is an observant Shiite Muslim and although he was born without arms, he believes that he was given the gift of becoming a swimmer.

 

HOW CAN SOMEONE WITHOUT ARMS BECOME A SWIMMER?  Abbas was soothed by the water as a kid growing up in Kabul. He says he is reborn every time he swims.  Strength in swimming comes from abdominals and legs..and mostly from your desire to do it. Although Abbas was born without arms,  through expert professional coaching, he has learned how to propel through the water at a championship level. A winning mentality is something Abbas always had, whether it was  how he played marbles,  performed martial arts or eventually excelled to world class levels in Paralympic swimming.

WHERE DID THIS STORY COME FROM?  I am also a member of  Swim Fort Lauderdale (SFTL) masters swim team .  In our weekly newsletters from Coach Marty Hendrick, he told the team that we were getting a new swimmer. This new swimmer was training for the Tokyo Paralympics,. He was coming from Portland Oregon where he had lived and trained for four years.. Abbas was brought to the United States  by the  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).  He was from Kabul, Afghanistan and spoke very good English . He lived in Turkish refugee camps before being chosen to emigrate to the United States.  

      I had just retired from 26 years at WSVN7 as a field producer and assignment editor.  I knew that this was  an incredible story.  I underestimated just how special this story and this person is. 

 

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK: The future looked bleak for Abbas when he was born. With so many other problems in Kabul, people with disabilities are a low priority. If Abbas wanted to excel with his unusual skill as a swimmer, he knew that he had to leave his large and close family. How he left, how he traveled through Iran, How he petitioned the UNHCR to come to the United States, how he made the Tokyo refugee Paralympic team. how he became a US citizen and what complications ensued in his life is a  beacon of triumph and a salute to the human spirit.  Abbas is a role model not only for people with disabilities, he is a role model for anyone with a lofty goal that comes with detours along the way.

 

WHAT ARE THE PARALYMPICS:  The Paralympic Games are a series of multisport events with disabled athletes. The games are held immediately following the Olympic Games in the same host city.  

 

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND:  I have been a Broward County high school English teacher,  a field producer/assignment editor at WSVN7, a blogger, a book editor and now an author. I graduated from  Michigan State University.

 

ADVICE FOR THOSE STARTING THEIR LITERARY CAREERS  Write whatever you can that people will see;  you never know where that will lead.  Keep writing what you love every day: you will get better and faster.  I  have written restaurant menus, event programs, wedding toasts….anything that let people know that I write. Through this, I was approached about this book

 

WHERE CAN THE BOOK BE PURCHASED? Amazon.com, soon Barnes&Noble

 

WHAT I DO WHEN I AM NOT WRITING  I am swimming, training in the gym for better swimming, cruising garage sales, talking to people who are important to me and relaxing at my keyboard with my cat.