Mackinac Island Novels

SOMEWHERE IN CRIME

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 21:04:33 -0700

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REVIEWS

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 01:11:28 -0700

One of the most interesting aspects of this entire self-publishing journey is learning the ins and outs of the Amazon platform. It's a mind-blowing experience. There is another perfectly legitimate conversation to be had about their business practices and their founder.

But that's not what blows my mind.

What blows my mind is how much creative freedom it allows.

I come from the world of video and film production, where you need 10-50 people and a dump truck full of cash to express your idea. I've spent a good portion of my career waiting for the answer from someone with the money, power - or both - to make a project happen. Looking back, I believe that many of the most unhappy people I've known in the entertainment business got that way because of the enormous time they spent waiting for answers. It's not like any other business.

Self-publishing, on the other hand, is almost exactly the opposite. You do all the creative work yourself. You take on all the responsibility. You have limited support. You are the writer, director, strategist, producer, production designer and publicist. You have to learn about things like keywords and categories. There is no budget. You beg for help when it comes to proofing and feedback.

But you don't have to wait. You can simply make it happen.

This brings me to reviews.

We need 'em ...

Truth is, we want the book to succeed so we can buy time to write more of books. We are committed to creating a world of stories connected to The Dockporter. Prequels. Sequels. Sidequels. Think Marvel Universe, only with no special superpowers and lots of horse crap and fudge.

The one aspect that does need scale is the "word of mouth" that can only be created by vocal fans. Yes,...Read More

BACKSTORY #3 IN MY LIFE

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 23:22:46 -0800

The belief that stories and songs grow with you and their meanings change with life experience, rings true. We all have a memory bank of people, places, and eras we sometimes consider at the playing of a particular song.

"In My Life" by the Beatles does this for me. It contains key themes, truths, and observations about life, rendering it a classic.

When I was a kid I listened to it, paying less attention to lyrics, moved more by the immediate beauty of melody. Of course, with the passing of age and experience, things do change.

The people, the moments, the events from the past aren't merely memories; they are part of who I am. For me a memory-bank standout will surely be Mackinac. Call it serendipity. Luck. Good fortune.

I call it a blessing.

The island imprinted an indelible, emotional tattoo on my soul and seeing what the dockporters have done on the MIDPA Facebook page, there's a shared enthusiasm, a commitment to remembering the joy of "yesterdays" in every unfolding "today."

It is in this spirit I believe Dave and I write. Not of our own lives per se, but fictionalized versions of the people, and the place whose sidewalks the soles of our shoes gladly trod, streets and roads our bikes rolled over, lives seasoned with a spice called "better."

"There are places I remember…"

Always. Mackinac.

"Tonight we drink; tomorrow we ride."

Jim Bolone

BACKSTORY #2 THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ARTICLE

Sat, 19 Dec 2020 02:35:39 -0800

This was an article published in the Chicago Tribune way back in 1991, two years after I hung up the bungee cords and moved to Los Angeles. I thought the dockporter scene might be an interesting idea for an article and I needed money so I "blind queried" the editor of the travel section and told him I had written an entertaining article with a "midwest travel angle." He wrote back a week or so later (yes, kids, he wrote back) and said "let me see the article."

Since I hadn't actually written it, there was a tense week or so, but I knocked it out, pulling quotes (okay fine, making up quotes) from my buddies, including my future co-author Jim Bolone whose name I misspelled (BA-lone).

Three weeks later I was sent a check for 1,500 dollars and a proof of the article. It ran in the paper shortly after. The publication of the article probably planted the seed that this was a subculture worth exploring and led me eventually to writing a script, which was then adapted into a novel.

It just took awhile.

MILDLY INTERESTING TRIVIA: we've decided as former dockporters to make the job name one word and that's how it appears in the novel. But back then I was going with the two-word approach, which is grammatically correct but, according the MIDPA Facebook Group, boring.

BACKSTORY #1: ALL HAIL THE MENTOR!

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 21:26:35 -0800

There's no doubt that anyone who has made anything, from a book to a movie to the addition of a bathroom in the spare bedroom, believes the story behind said creation is utterly fascinating

I am among those people.

The Dockporter novel, which is releasing on March 1, 2021, is a work of fiction. But it is inspired by a real occupation and a real brotherhood formed on the docks of a real place: Mackinac Island. I've been blessed with incredible friends, from grade school to this very moment. But for reasons beyond comprehension, the bonds created during the years on the ferry boat docks of Mackinac Island remain as strong as a steel Schwinn with a reinforced basket. Totally indestructible.

Why is this? I'm not totally sure. But part of the reason may be mentorship.

Perhaps the most unique aspects of hauling luggage on the island is the old-school system that likely continues to this day. It's a big part of the novel and a big part of the actual writing of the novel. Mentorship also bonds my Mackinac buddies for life. It's a shared experience, even 30 years after we all first met. Much like a sports team (only with no coach and no curfew), we taught and learned from each other.

As many young men are in their late teens and early 20's, we were absolutely wild. I was lucky enough to have a cottage on Mackinac (Brigadoon) but most of the guys were away from home for the first time, living on an island with no cars, too many bars and smart, fun-loving female counterparts who were just as wild. It could have gone off the rails. But amazingly, it only rarely did.

Mackinac Island somehow creates its own kind of order and discipline. It happens by osmosis, the moment one gets off the boat. It's in the air up there; impossible to capture in words. Perhaps it's the side benefit of an island that's only 8.2 miles around with no cars.

Yes, we had fun.

But we also wanted to...Read More