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Rather late in life, I'm trying, to develop a reputation as a writer. There are already too many writers publishing under the name David Collins: just search "david collins" (quotes included) on Goodreads to see what I mean.
When iUniverse and I published A Small Town for Its Size, they neglected to include my middle initial "B." on the cover, and I neglected to notice it. A search on Goodreads reveals a single title by children's author David B. Collins. I rejected the notion of using a pseudonym to publish The Earthworm That Blows No Trumpet, even though it might be a good idea. There are plot and character elements in Earthworm that may piss some people off. I'm going with my full name this time, which the cover proof a received last Friday includes. David Bruce Collins it is, and I am. I could add the "Jr.," but it's not as if I need to distinguish myself from my father in the field of writing. I have also made a slight, superficial change on this site, expanding "B." to "Bruce" at the top of each page. The name Bruce was not something you wanted your friends knowing about, especially guy friends, when I was growing up. Despite Bruce Wayne and Bruce Springsteen, it was not considered a manly name. There was even that "Big John" parody we heard on The Dr. Demento Show, "Big Bruce." In my youth, I had no problem with diverse sexual orientations (except my own stubborn ignorance). I talked trash about disco music because it was mostly repetitious and shallow, not because it originated in Greenwich Village. However, defending oneself against anti-gay slurs just because of one's middle name was more trouble than I cared for. In honor of my Aunt Sheila, I also toyed with using my childhood nickname "Peel" as a middle name. David Peel Collins. Sheila gave me that nickname because of something I said about banana peels when I was a pre-schooler during a game she started to try to put my busy mind and me to sleep. Instead of sleeping, I just kept saying "Banana peel!" and giggling. However, I have a lot of friends who affectionately call me "DBC," and I might have to explain frequently that "Peel" is short for "Banana-Peel"—or something like that. My current plan is also to republish Small Town with my complete middle name added and a few dozen minor copy errors repaired. So I'm feeling kinda prolific tonight, posting twice after about two weeks of silence on this blog. Once upon a time, after the 12-year nightmare of Reagan and Bush the First, I voted for Billy-Jeff Clinton. At the time, consummate politician though Mr. Clinton was, I thought I'd rather see his smart-lawyer wife Hillary elected. This was before I knew of her connections to Walmart and Wall Street. It was long before her senatorial votes to give Bush the Second a blank check for war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the whole litany of Blue Dog positions she staked out in the Senate and as Secretary of State. Ms. Clinton has expressed some liberal and feminist positions with which I agree. But she's no liberal, certainly no progressive. Her feminism is the kind that insists women should have the same right to exploit people and planet from the corporate board room as men traditionally have. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, besides having short and easily digestible names, have tremendous amusement value. They make Jeb Bush look reasonable in comparison. Also, because the hard-right base emerges to vote in primaries, they drag the whole party rightward. And the corporate sugar-daddies love it. The Koch Brothers and their kind invest their millions mostly in Republican candidates, who turn those millions into policies that generate billions in profits. Democrats feel the need to chase some of the same dollars, which drags that party rightward as well. This is why historians and other analysts place Barack Obama slightly to the right of Richard Nixon. Hillary Clinton is at the center of that Democratic rightward drift. This is why I greet the news of her official candidacy with greater dread than that of Cruz and Paul the Younger. A Burner friend mentioned on Facebook that he has no great love for Hillary Clinton, based on direct experience with the Clinton family, and will very likely not vote for her in the primary or the general election. Friends of his chimed in, to the effect of: The Republican contenders are all so evil, we have to vote for the Democrat, whether it's Hillary or not. Consider my buttons pushed. I replied: Dose of reality for Texas voters: I've got an Electoral College sez your vote for President doesn't mean diddly. This afternoon, Harris County Green Party co-chair alerted me to the fact that at 5:30 Durrel Douglas would be throwing his City Council campaign kickoff at the Ensemble Theatre, just a mile and a half from my HAUS.
At that moment, in light of my soccer game being canceled due to last night's heavy rain, I was ready to fill the void with a nap. I set my alarm for 4:30 pm, drifted off for a bit, woke up at 4:27, put on shirt-slacks-necktie, and then cycled over to the Ensemble. I'd like to introduce my friends in H-Town to Durrel. He is a candidate for At-Large Position 5, which means he must campaign across the entire city. He has worked with the Texas Organizing Project (TOP) in Dallas and Houston, doing the vital work of community organizing for which candidate Barack Obama took so much heat from right-wingers who can't fear the prospect of communities of poor and dark-skinned folks getting organized. Among Durrel's positions: fundamental reform of law enforcement practices, ending the school-to-prison pipeline. He proclaims, loudly and proudly, that Black and Brown Lives Matter, and that Houston must afford all its citizens equal rights and dignity. Position 5 is currently occupied by West Houston chiropractor Jack Christie, who defeated previous incumbent Jolanda "Jo" Jones in a runoff in 2011. About 6% of eligible voters showed up for the runoff. Here's the Chronicle's half-hearted endorsement of his re-election bid in 2013. UPDATE: Here's a laudatory mention of Durrel's campaign launch, as well as a tribute to new Federal District Judge Al Bennett, from PDiddie on Brains and Eggs. PD has some harsher words for incumbent Councilmember Jack Christie than I used. ...including the cover, with photos by the author. I've got a lot on my plate over the next few weeks, but you can bet that I'll be devoting some time to checking the proof.
The Earthworm That Blows No Trumpet will weigh in at 320 pages, with an estimated retail price of $19.95. That right! $19.95!! But wait...there's more! Suggested price for the e-book is $3.95. If I remember correctly, I get about the same amount whether somebody buys the paperback or the e-book. All for now. |
Blogging Sporadically since 2014Here you will find political campaign-related entries, as well as some about my literature, Houston underground arts, peace & justice, urban cycling, soccer, alt-religion, and other topics. Categories
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