Joel Frey

Fan mail from Michigan

Back in April, I received a letter from Dianne Felsing, who lived next door to my grandparents for a number of years on Hardin St. in Saginaw, MI, right across the street from Michigan Lutheran Seminary. Two years ago when Grandpa Frey died, I wrote (see archives June 2007) that I was sad that he'd never have the chance to read Cypress Walls. Dianne's thoughtful missive helped fill that void

I truly think Grandma and Grandpa would have been very proud of your book and of how well it was written. Grandpa had such a great sense of humor - I'm sure he would have had more than one laugh...I'm really happy that FedEx and Hardwoods Monthly are behind you, but you must admit there are a world of experience's that you'll always carry with you.

Thank you Dianne for taking the time to write. I hope you're right...

Blu Skies Smilin'

About six months ago I realized that I needed help. The three cartons of books resting on my office floor that greeted me whenever I strolled in were not getting any lighter. Instead, they remained at rest, probably wondering if I was ever going to unpack them. I was also somewhat haunted by the fact that there were several more boxes just like them in a warehouse at Post Printing in Memphis, equally inactive.

I thought about my quandary. It was plainly apparent that I had neither the time nor the connections to place Cypress Walls into retail outlets. Not only that, I didn't have the patience to let the boxes remain motionless. If I wanted Cypress Walls to gain greater notoriety, I knew that I needed those books to get into circulation.

This led to a day last fall when I began researching book distributors. Google directed me to Bookmarket.com and I quickly found several candidates, including one in Murfreesboro, TN, home of my alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University. Geography rather than fate intervened. I downloaded a submission form for Blu Sky Media Group and carefully filled it out. A day or two later, I shipped it and a copy of the book via FedEx to their office and wondered how long it would take before I received the rejection letter.

On Nov. 13, an intriguing email from Cissy Tiernan, the company's vice president of business development, landed in my in-box. The subject: "Blu Sky Media Submission - Two Sides." I figured this was "thanks, but no thanks" and opened the email, steeled for such a likelihood.

"Thank you for sending your submission for distribution for Two Sides of a Cypress Wall to Blu Sky Media Group. I will be reviewing your book and information to determine if we can offer our services, and will be back in touch within the next few days."

 

Woo-hoo! Over the next couple of months Cissy and I exchanged a few more notes and one day in January we spoke live. As I mentioned previously, she was gracious with her time and offered me several tips and suggestions. After we hung up, I had a good feeling about Blu Sky Media. On Feb.18, she arranged a call for me with the firm's president, Greg Snider. They were interested in signing me on as a client.

 

 

Ticket Stubs 11/18/01

Who: Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints

What: National Football League regular season

When: November 18, 2001

Where: Superdome, New Orleans

Seating: Section 423S, Row 4, Seat 2 (Suite)

Ticket Price: N/A

A couple of months before this game, on a lark, I shot an email to an old family friend, Kim Crozier, and asked what the chances were of him getting a couple of tickets. It was a tall order, but I knew that if anyone could pull off the feat it was my pal the petrophysicist whose ties to the Gulf Coast oil industry date back to the '70s. In less than two hours, Kim replied with assurances that he had two tickets for me and a guest and that we'd be joining him and his wife Barb in a suite owned by one of the oil services companies he conducted business with. My response was reminiscent of one of those "sweeeeets" that Peyton Manning now throws off with aplomb in his MasterCard spots.

With tickets secured, I contacted Dad to see if he wanted in on some overdue father/son bonding. We hadn't been to a Saints game together since a fateful Monday Night affair versus the Jets in November, 1983. The Saints were up 28-17 late in the game, but ended up losing in heartbreaking fashion (I must've been so upset I threw the stub away), a calling card that any true Saints fan wearily understands the franchise has carried since the day it was born. Eighteen years removed, our wounds from the Bum Phillips era were healed and we were ready to join in the chants of "Who Dat!" once again.

While both teams were in a dogfight for a play-off birth, most of the buzz surrounding the contest involved the homecoming of Archie Manning's son. Since breaking into the league in 1998, Peyton had justified his status as a #1 draft pick, resuscitating a Colts franchise that was almost as moribund as the Saints. While there was a certain amount of respect the Saints faithful were willing to afford Peyton, there was also little doubt that his "welcome home" would not last beyond the coin flip.

Once we arrived to the suite, it took about ten seconds for Dad and I to figure out that it was our lucky day. First, we noticed the stylish gentleman tending bar, equipped to round up any libation we could imagine. With drinks in hand, we sauntered over to food stations serving up classic Cajun cuisine like jambalaya and etouffee. We mingled with Barb and Kim, placed a friendly wager on the host's game of squares, refilled our glasses and a few minutes before kick-off took our seats. The view was panoramic.

On the first play from scrimmage, Peyton wiped away our pre-game buzz. He hit his tight end, Marcus Pollard, in stride and 70 yards and 20 seconds later, the Colts were up by a touchdown. I looked at Dad and visions of Saints games gone awry quickly began flashing through our minds. Was this another painful Saints memory in the making?

Nope! The Saints quickly recovered and ended up whipping Peyton and the Colts, 34-20. We left the suite euphoric and enjoyed a celebatory dinner with Barb and Kim near their home in Slidell. Dad and I drove to Memphis the next day where we'd celebrate Thanksgiving with family later in the week. Kim the Petrophysicist and his friends in the oil industry helped us get a jump on the festivities. 

Twitterin'

When I first heard about Twitter I didn't understand what all the buzz was about. But then people started using the service to voice their opinions - good, bad and indifferent - about Travelocity and I quickly saw its power. And now that I've thoroughly gotten my feet wet, my opinion of micro-blogging has changed. It's quick, easy and the ideal application for a self absorbed society afflicted by attention deficit disorder. Of course, such critical assessments don't hold much weight coming from a guy who wrote a memoir about his early twenties. Regardless, I now view Twitter as another way to make connections to new readers. And that's good for a guy who self-published a memoir about his early twenties. Check out the Twitter widget I've installed on the left column and if you're on Twitter feel free to follow me @cypresswalls.

Sleep tight and have a highly productive Thursday! Oh, and a happy birthday shout out to Ruston, one of my homies who gets frequent mention in my book. Rus, I hope you did not receive a surprise visit from a Cuzin' Eddie impersonator this year!

Ticket Stubs 1/1/81

I'm sure there are a few dorks out there like me who have saved the tickets stubs from each of the events they have been lucky or unlucky enough to attend. And while I gave up on collecting stuff that requires storage - baseball cards, Star Wars toys, etc. - the first part of this decade, I still hang onto stubs. For me, they are the perfect memento - tiny, factual, some more colorful than others.

Why do I bring up stubs here and now? As I've sifted through my own stubs this week, I thought it might be fun to share some of my memories from the array of sporting events, concerts and other random happenings I've witnessed. And by doing so, I'll be working on that "write more" resolution Heather, Meg and I talked about at the airport a couple weeks ago. As always, if the writing sucks, please let me know.

*******

Who: Georgia vs. Notre Dame

What: 47th Annual Sugar Bowl Classic

When: January 1, 1981

Where: Superdome, New Orleans

Seating: Section 110, Row 32, Seat 17

Ticket Price: $17

If memory serves, this was the first big-time college football game I ever attended, five months shy of my seventh birthday. I was with my dad, one of his buddies from work (I think) and a father and son from our church who sat near us, but not next to us. We rooted for Georgia mainly because of their affiliation with the Southeastern Conference and their stud running back Herschel Walker who would win the Heismen Trophy the following season.

The details of this game in my mind are long forgotten, except the final score: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10. There is one point unrelated to the field of play, however, that has stuck with me. From almost the moment we stepped into the Dome, I begged, pleaded, and cajoled Dad to buy me one of those over-sized, foam fingers sporting the Bulldog logo. I was pre-occupied with owning one from the opening kick-off until the final whistle sounded. As we made our way to the exits, he finally plopped down $5 at one of the vendor stands and I was a happy little camper.

I'm not sure what happened to that foam finger. It probably had a place in my closet for years before being tossed out. As for the Sugar Bowl, that's the only one I've ever gone to. The Superdome, however, has been a mainstay in my life ever since.

Writer's Digest Awards

Earlier this year, I entered Cypress Walls into the 16th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards sponsored by Writer's Digest in the non-fiction category. I was hopeful that this might be an outlet to gain notoriety, but I was also grounded in the reality that there was a ton of competition and that literary judges are not exactly my core audience. The winners were notified in October and when no one called me with congratulations, I didn't think much more about it.

On Saturday, the mailman delivered a packet from F+W Publications which contained a standard rejection letter, a semi-lame "Certificate of Participation," an even lamer set of "Book Marketing and Promotion Tips," and a commentary sheet from the semi-mysterious Judge #40. The commentary proves that someone actually read my book and, honestly, made the $100 entry fee worth it. Here's the breakdown from Judge #40:

On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 meaning "poor" and 5 meaning "excellent,"please evaluate the following:

Structure and organization: 2

Grammar: 4

Cover design: 3

I think a 9 out of 15 is respectable. Kudos to Gar and Kristin for their editing and proofing skillz and to Tyra for her artwork. I did find the lower score for structure and organization puzzling especially after I read that Judge #40 found "the writing clear and to the point." That was part of the answer to "What did you like best about this book?" The second half was "you make excellent use of sardonic humor."

Thank 'ya, Judge #40, thank 'ya very much. I'm glad you at least got a few laughs from Cypress Walls.

Now on the flip side, "How can the author improve this book?" Here's Judge #40's take: "The book is so self-involved it's a little off-putting. There are many, many unnecessary details."

I see Judge #40's point on the latter. Gar would have preferred if I had cut some of the more scatological scenes. Other readers have expressed similar opinions, but I kept the potty humor in mainly because my core audience is early twenty-somethings and it's a cold hard fact that young men of this age, especially, love potty humor. All right, all right. All men love potty humor.

All I can say to Judge #40 on the "self-involved" comment is that Cypress Walls is a memoir and that, well, memoirs are all about me, me, me. Plus, I would argue that at no point in your life are you as self-involved as you are in your early twenties. 

After I submitted the materials to the contest, I realized there was a sub-category for "life stories." I didn't recall seeing that as I put the packet together and I can only wonder now how a different judge would have sized up Cypress Walls had he/she read it as a life story versus straight non-fiction. Considering how wildly subjective contests like these are, I doubt it would have made any difference. But, overall, the experience has left me encouraged heading into 2009.

Before wrapping up I wanted to give a quick shout out to Christian, a rep at my local CHASE bank. She helped me get a business checking account set up for JAF Publishing this morning. The first check from Barnes and Noble has finally been deposited!

May your time with family and friends over the next few days be blessed, travel safe and, as always, rock on.

Discovery

At times I wonder, "Is anyone reading Cypress Walls right now?" On Thursday, a couple of emails confirmed that, 15 months since publication, there are readers out there still discovering my little book.

An old MTSU friend, Christina, wrote to inform me that her sister Meredith absconded with her copy while visiting her over Thanksgiving.

"She was so consumed by it that she would pick it up every free moment she could steal for herself," Christina wrote. "She would even bring it into the den at night (after the kids were in bed) so she could 'technically' be with the rest of us AND still indulge herself in your words. Honestly, on more than one occasion it was quite distracting, because she would be on the couch while we were all trying to watch TV and then we'd hear her get engulfed in her own laughter only to discover her reading your book....again!"

I'm pretty sure this is the first time that Cypress Walls has semi-disrupted a family get-together. Thanks Christina for passing along the story and thanks to Meredith for taking the book back home to finish up!

The second email I received was from a recent college grad, Joseph. A few years ago, he and I played together on a Travelocity softball team with his dad, Tony. Since then, Joseph has earned his degree from Texas Tech and spent this past summer interning with the Quad City River Bandits, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I got a lot of good experience out of the internship, including writing press releases, doing play-by-play, and even dressing up as the team's mascot on occasion," Joseph wrote. "It was a great summer, but unfortunately the season came to an end and so did my internship, so I moved back home have been living with my parents since the beginning of September.

"It wasn't until I got back home that I was able to start reading your book, and it really hit home," he continued. "I could definitely relate with most of what you went through and it was really cool to be able to know that I wasn't the only one that graduates college and then moves home back with mom and dad. haha."

Joseph is currently balancing part time work at an Apple retail store and substitute teaching. He also attended the baseball winter meetings and applied for a couple of minor league broadcasting jobs. His short term goal, however, is "moving into my own place." Don't worry Joseph. It won't take too long.

Thanks for taking a few minutes to check in. Look for one more post before we go into our holiday hibernation. Cheers everybody.  

Payday

I forgot to update you all on a recent JAF Publishing Inc. milestone. Last month, I received a check from Barnes and Noble for its first order last summer.You gotta love 90-day payment cycles. Just in case you think I'm telling a whopper, I've attached a pic. And, good news, I should be getting another one in the next few weeks.

Since no one has sent me a "Hey Joel, where's self publishing tip #8?" email, I'm going to abandon that idea and focus my future posts on ones that are more literary. Since Cypress Walls was published, several kind readers have asked me about my plans for writing a second book. The standard response to that question has been along the lines of "Not until I'm finished paying for the first one." Even though I'm still whittling down the debt I incurred in getting Cypress Walls to press, I have had a number of ideas and themes floating around in my head lately that I'd like to expound upon. This forum seems like a logical place to begin recording them. They may not be any good, but I know I can rely on ya'll to tell me if they suck. Expect to see the same diary-like format I used in Cypress Walls.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend. It should be a quiet one here in El Paso. Oh, and a happy early birthday to Sister Kristin. She celebrates tomorrow. Hopefully Aaron and Lucas won't forget to bake a cake.

KAAL-TV

Congrats are in order to my friend/recent college grad, TJ Werre. He's landed a job in the sports department at KAAL, the ABC affiliate in Austin...Minnesota. The new gig will involve work on and off camera so hopefully it won't be too long before he makes his first YouTube-worthy blooper for all the world to see. And while it might be challenging for a lifelong Packers fan to be moving to Viking country, TJ is currently more worried about finding a good winter coat. Best of luck Bro!

Have a safe Halloween everyone! I may or may not pick up the tips next week.

Tuesday night football

Cypress Walls has been re-stocked in Barnes and Noble's distribution center in New Jersey. If you don't believe me, just click on the link to your right. Go ahead, I dare you. And then I double dog dare you to write a review. I don't even care if you tell the Internet that my book sucks. Just embraceyour inner Roger Ebert and do me a small favor. I'm saving my triple dog dare for some other time though.

Happy October everyone. A quick congrats to the MTSU football team for stealing a sweet victory from Florida Atlantic last night. I haven't exuded that much joy at a TV set in a long time.