Merry Christmas

Wanted to wish everyone in cyberspace a Merry Christmas and a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year.
God bless.
Joe

Blogging hasn't been a top priority of late. I've been writing a third book, working on a treatment for Flight of the Hopper and supplying notes on a treatment someone wrote for Measure of a Man. So I'm wondering, do I blog once a week? Month?
I have no idea if anyone reads them. Anyway, felt like I had to post something, though. Maybe it's the negative atmosphere in the city, the economy. I don't know. I saw a girl in Ann Arbor wearing a t-shirt that read, "No One Cares About Your Blog."
Maybe that says it all.

Dave Coulier in Romeo

Went and checked out Dave Coulier at Youngers in Romeo on Saturday. Amazingly funny show, and not one expletive. It's hard to imagine in today's culture that someone could be so entertaining and not use racial epithets, curse words or salty language to make everyone laugh. It was a really fun night, and I had an opportunity to talk with Dave for about 20 minutes after the show to talk about future projects he's working on and what I'm trying to do. He's a local guy that made it big and hasn't let success spoil him. A great guy that I love to see doing well. Check out his website at Cleanguys.

Traverse Magazine Interview/Bow Season

I had the recent honor of being interviewed by Traverse Magazine's Emily Tyra. She first did a piece on the book last November, when she recommended my story, Measure of a Man to be excerpted in the magazine. I was introduced to Emily from a good friend, writer Patty LaNoue Stearns. Patty hooked me up with Emily and fortunately for me, she liked the story. Now I'm excited to say that in addition to the interview, the online version of Traverse, www.mynorth.com is posting the entire short story, Bow Season as well. The story has been edited for "strong language". I know, hard to believe, but totally understandable! Anyway, my thanks to Patty, my thanks to My North, but a heartfelt thanks to Emily Tyra, for continuing to believe in me and support my work.

Aunt Agatha's Bookshop Review

I'll be there today, from 1:30-3-ish. If you're around Ann Arbor, come on by.

NaNo WriMo at Schuler Books & Music

I've been invited to be a participant in the NaNo WriMo Boot Camp Author Series at Schuler Books & Music in Lansing. The event is this Wednesday, October 22nd. Here's what Schuler's web posting says:

Join us for the second in our series of author panels leading up to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. The Fiction Author panel will feature Joe Borri (Eight Dogs Named Jack); Colleen Gleason (The Gardella Vampire Chronicles); Jill Gregory, award-winning author of over 30 novels; Jim Hines, (Goblin Hero series); and Karen Tintori (Unto the Daughters, co-author with Gregory of Book of Names).

From what I've been told, there will be a discussion held regarding the publishing experience from an author's standpoint. I believe there will be a Q&A session followed by a book-signing.

ADDRESS:
2820 Towne Center Blvd.
Lansing, MI 48912
888-612-6657 (Michigan only)
517-316-7495

Hope to see anyone that may live in the Lansing area.

Aunt Agatha's Bookshop Review

Robin Agnew and her husband Jamie own Aunt Agatha's, a bookstore in Ann Arbor that is a favorite among crime fiction and mystery lovers. While my book isn't necessarily full of mysteries (except how it ever got published! HEY-O!), there's enough Michigan in it for her to have been kind enough to give it consideration. Here's what she said:

Eight Dogs Named Jack, Joe Borri, Momentum Books, $24.95.

Joe Borri is new to writing — or published writing, anyway, I doubt he's new to writing — he's instead long worked as an artist. His collection of short stories, Eight Dogs Named Jack, are illustrated as well as written by him. The black and white illustrations look very much like woodcuts, but I encourage you to ask him the actual process, which he explained to me and which, like the man himself, is both original and unique. The stories are set either in urban Detroit or in the wilds of Michigan, and all seem to include some kind of life defining moment for the character as well as a real richness of tone, atmosphere and character detail. These are very Italian stories, and their very specificness lends them an extra air of originality.
The opening story, "Honest John", is set in the Detroit of 1968, and told from the point of view of a seven year old boy, who gives the nickname "Honest John" to his uncle, a nickname that, to judge by his family's reaction, is an entirely inappropriate one. Borri doesn't deviate from the understanding of events that a seven year old would have, so while uncle John's lack of honesty may have been apparent to an adult, to a child it's vague. What isn't vague are the details of the Italian neighborhood in Detroit where Richie lives, and the catholic school he attends, with this classic description of the nun who is his teacher: "The nun was an evil, broad-shouldered woman just shy of six feet with ringlets of oily, jet-black hair. She looked like a man in a habit..." The rest of the story is equally vivid.

The title story, "Eight Dogs Named Jack", is just as distinct, though it's told not from a child's point of view, and rather than being set in Detroit, it's set in the thumb. Two friends, Tom and Mike, take Tom's new dog, Duke, out for his first attempt at hunting. Mike, who has eight dogs named Jack (it's a perfectly good name, after all), razzes Tom about naming his dog after Duke Ellington. By the end of the story, both men and the dog have come through a life changing event of sorts for all three. It will stay with you after you finish it. While these aren't mystery stories, they are terrific and memorable stories, and the Michigan setting couldn't be more vivid.