Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This fight is for everything.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Bark louder, little dog.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You cannot shame the shameless.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Bleg / Open Thread: Readership Capture

Open Thread: Readership Capture

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First the happy news, from commentor BGinCHI:

I have been keeping this close to the vest for a year since I sold it, but my debut novel comes out today… It is also, by very happy coincidence, Juneteenth!

The end of slavery is no guarantee of freedom. When Clayton McGhee journeys north with his parents and grandparents in search of a new life, they must build a homestead with their own labour and defend their right to own land from powerful vested interests and deep rooted prejudice. Thirty years later, Clayton is still forced to defend his livelihood and his family’s safety from racism and greed. But life is more complex now, as the men of influence in this increasingly mixed community find to their cost. When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed is a riveting adventure story about fathers and sons and the difficult moral choices which resound down the generations as America moves slowly towards freedom and equality after the death of Lincoln.

Here is a link to the publisher and the book at their site, in separate links.

It comes out today simultaneously in the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada (despite the date on Amazon which is incorrect). It is available as a paperback and an e-book.

Next, on the “All knowledge is contained in fandom blogdom” principle, commentor Muddy has a literature question:

I read this story as a kid, and as it took place in the South Seas or such, I thought that maybe it was Robert Louis Stevenson. But I can’t find this story from him.

It was a short story about a British (or similar) guy, living a totally drunk life on some island. One night he is kidnapped by some local tribesman, and taken to sea. He goes though terrible travails sobering up of course, is really sick and etc. Wants the native to just kill him. I forget the details except that there was a lot of suffering.

But finally he comes through it, and he is back to himself. He doesn’t know why this guy has done it, but he’s saved his life! Turns out the native tribesman wanted him to get his soul back before killing and eating him, as it would not be a good sacrifice else.

I have searched high and low for this, but my internet finding skills are not the best. I wondered if you could ask this in an open thread to see if anyone from Balloon Juice knows the story, if you don’t know it yourself?

I’ve looked for this in a desultory way previously, but I really need to find it now because my Russian Blue tuxedo cat Ailill is suddenly gone, and it immediately made me think of this, it reminded me of him.

Finally, via a number of commentors, Jim Henley at High Clearing could badly use some financial assistance:

As part of my GoFundMe campaign (note: recent updates to summary and dollar goal) to underwrite exploring and now undergoing treatment at the University of Chicago for my recurrent tongue cancer, I offered blogging-to-specification as one of the rewards: donor picks the topic; I pick the opinion. So far many more people donated at that generous level than have redeemed the claim, which makes me worry that people no longer care what I think about things. But then, who’s fault is that?…

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  1. 1.

    dmsilev

    Today in “a fool and his money are soon parted”, I give you this: http://washboard.co/

    “Wearing dirty underwear? We provide 2-day shipping on every shipment of quarters.”

    For $14.99, they’ll send you $10 in quarters.

  2. 2.

    Lyrebird

    Massive congrats to BGinChi, WOOO HOOO!!!

    and to those laundry-desperate folks… anyone here tried a “breathing washer” before?

  5. 5.

    EriktheRed

    The story in question is similar to one I read in school called The Price of the Head. In it a drunk on an island is kidnapped by a native and made to sober up because the native wants his head, which is bearded and as such will bestow status on him among his people when he brings it to show them.

  6. 6.

    Summer

    Congratulations to one of my favorite commenters! And I love the cover too! May it sell and sell and sell!

  7. 7.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    BGinCHI, congratulations! Looking forward to the day that I can say, “I knew him when he was just a commenter on Balloon Juice.”

  9. 9.

    PhoenixRising

    Congrats! Looks good.

    Quick question: Do I need to pre-read before the kid gets her mitts on it? 14 yr old is a historical fiction fan, and I’m jammed right now with (shh) pitching essays that meet with my own publisher’s specs for “marketing”. (Which is a horror and don’t do it.) But…is there graphic violence depicted?

  12. 12.

    ranchandsyrup

    Congrats BGinCHI! Will check it out.

    Wife has been out of town for a week but coming back tonight. Much respect for single parents. We have been having fun though.

    Funny read on pittsburgh And going to a terry Bradshaw concert. Typos and poor grammar are part of the author’s act.

  13. 13.

    srv

    MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors allege that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate — took part in a scheme to violate campaign laws by coordinating fund-raising with conservative groups, documents unsealed Thursday show.

    The activities took place in 2012, as Walker battled to survive a recall election.

    No charges have been filed against Walker or his staff.

    Prosecutors said Walker, his former chief of staff Keith Gilkes, top adviser R.J. Johnson and others discussed illegal fund-raising and coordination with a number of national groups and prominent figures, including GOP strategist Karl Rove.

  14. 14.

    2liberal

    congrats to BGinCHI – I have been looking to finally expand my read list past schlocky sci-fi and took a flyer on this book -why not? Good luck with your sales.

  15. 15.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    Well, you said pretty much exactly what I was going to say about Whitman and Hindemith. I am incredibly excited for (and proud of, I’m not sure why, I had nothing to do with it) BGinCHI. What an incredibly talented bunch we have here at Balloon Juice. (Even the trolls tend to be semi-literate, if annoying as hell.)

  17. 17.

    gogol's wife

    Congratulations, BGinCHI. I’ll check it out.

    I’m sorry about your cat, muddy.

  18. 18.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Congrats to BG! I ordered a copy at Amazon. I sent a little to Jim as well. Fingers crossed for a successful treatment.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  19. 19.

    A Humble Lurker

    Congrats! You should have suggested it for book club and then gone ‘oh by the way, I wrote this’ after every one was done. We have a few authors here, somebody should try that at some point.

  23. 23.

    Loneoak

    Congrats BG! I’ve been meaning to write to you for awhile now—been a crazy year and a half since we met and I never have time to comment on BJ. Gonna read your book and drop you a line soon I hope!

  24. 24.

    Hal

    Yeesh. I was just reading some story on Independent Journal Review about the Redskins patent decision, and some of the comments attached, and apparently President Obama himself has personally rescinded the team patent. I’m not surprised that so many people in this country are clueless about Government processes, and I realize Obama is responsible for everything in the universe, but conservatives are damn scary people when it comes to just basic facts. They are, however, masters at straw man arguments and non sequiturs.

  26. 26.

    skwerlhugger

    @gman: not Typee, as I recall the protagonist never figured out why the natives kept him captive, and he wasn’t a drunk. In public domain, or at least available for free.

  27. 27.

    lamh36

    Watching I Love the 2000s on VH1…2004.

    Real Talk, I’ve never seen The Notebook. Was it really that good?

    Also too, never seen a episode of Entourage…was it really that good?

  29. 29.

    Hal

    @efgoldman: Doh! I missed the window to edit, too. Maybe the team can invent something and patent it, then Obama can personally order the immediate expiration of that patent! Benghazi!!

    Also,

    Terry Bradshaw: Benghazi Answers to Haunt Clinton

    I just have to repost Bradshaw’s quote to demonstrate his master class level grasp of Benghazi:

    “When that…When the lady came out and said that, uh, triggered all of this. What was it, uh? The…the music? What was it?” (He’s referring to U.S National Security Advisor Susan Rice.)

  31. 31.

    Jordan Rules

    Cheers to BGinCHI! Wishing you much validation for this offering. Looking forward to reading it.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    But then, who’s fault is that?

    Teeth set on edge at anyone seeking pay for prose who cannot properly differentiate usage of whose and who’s.

  36. 36.

    SiubhanDuinne

    BGinCHI’s book is in my Kindle, and I have also pre-ordered the paperback format for whenever it comes out (Amazon says August 28th, BG says that’s wrong). Really looking forward to reading it, and I love the Juneteenth synchronicity!

  40. 40.

    Jewish Steel

    Well done, BGinCHI!

    How long before your story is Hollywood options your story? You’re gonna be rich! Can I consult on the soundtrack?

  44. 44.

    TheMightyTrowel

    BGinChi congratulations! I’ve purchased it! Book depository seems to think the paperback will ship to australia in 48 hours.

    woo!

    ETA: BG you should be intrigued to know that the bookdepository “other books in this category” list of things like your book that someone might want to purchase include Cloud Atlas, the Luminaries and Wolf Hall. Sounds like a pretty big endorsement to me.

  48. 48.

    Genine

    Congrats, BGinCHI! This news inspires me to keep plugging away at my own work. Woo hoo!

  51. 51.

    Patricia Kayden

    Wonderful to hear good news about BGinCHI’s debut novel. Hope it does well. BJ seems to have attracted a lot of accomplished folks.

  52. 52.

    BGinCHI

    For anyone checking back, thanks for all the nice comments and good wishes. We are in London now, heading up to Scotland tomorrow to do some publicity events. Not much time to get here and comment right now due to the sightseeing I mean drinking I mean exploring I mean work, but I’ll try.

    If anyone has questions about the book or anything related, drop into a thread and ask. Anne Laurie has my email address too if you want it.

    I know there is an issue with iBooks right now but that should be resolved very shortly. As far as getting a physical copy from Amazon, there might be a slight delay. That should come right soon as well.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @BGinCHI: Congratulations! I’ll bet that year of waiting for the book to come out seemed to last forever.

    For all the BJ writers out there, I can only imagine the thrill of holding your (!) published book in your hands for the first time.

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