The 'Vibe'

So much to do, so much to say, but not all of it right now...

A week ago today, I was headed to Arizona for the Tucson Festival of Books, hands down the best festival experience I've had in my career. But this ain't about that (I'm saving it for the newsletter, and you should subscribe if you don't already).

This is about something I came across in my decompression from travel and a little head cold I brought home with me.

I'm listening to the album Chappaquiddick Skyline, which I've known note by note for more than 20 years but only recently bought in vinyl. It's almost a whole new sonic experience. And as I perused the liner notes by Joe Pernice, I was struck by what he had to say from the vantage point of two decades on from making the album:

The haphazardly circled part there—sorry, kids, but my hands aren't so steady now, even less so with a mouse—is, to me, just about the most on-point description of the creative sweet spot as I've ever read. I don't know squat about making records or painting frescoes; those art forms are for my enjoyment and enrichment, not my indulgence as a practitioner. But I know a thing or two about creative writing and what it feels like when the work sings. I wish I knew more about how to make that happen, again and again, but I suppose the game lies in chasing it, sometimes coming up short, and occasionally capturing it.

​Which brings me to Jane...

---

Jane, Divided, which I read one final time in the past week, sings. She does. I'm fairly flabbergasted, because I spent 10 years writing her, and those 10 years brought profound changes to my life and, I presume, to the manuscript I kept returning to. Somehow, I kept the beat with her.

This isn't to say she'll be a hit. She probably won't. She'll be widely available* but not widely known, a byproduct of the limitations brought on by her small-press launch. But she'll be out there, and discoverability can be forever. I'll give her the best push I can. I'll be proud of her, always. I'm proud of everything I've put out there, my one hedge against the vagaries of popularity, interest, critical esteem, apathy, etc.

And for the rest of my days, I'll be able to look at her and say, "You know what? Sometimes, you find the vibe. And it feels awfully good when you do."

*—paperback, ebook, audiobook. Details coming soon. Hang in there.

---