Shane Jones / Features / Untitled Books

"I just stopped typing this to check my Amazon sales ranking."

Shane Jones

Shane Jones meets Garrison Keillor, watches some TV and heads back to the office.

Wednesday

Today is the first day where I can relax a little. The last two days have been busy and strange. Monday I was invited to a literary party by Garrison Keillor at the Tribeca rooftop in NYC. Me and my editor were the only men not wearing a suit or tuxedo. Garrison Keillor said hello and told me "thanks for wearing a tie." We ate fancy meals and Garrison Keillor didn't speak much at the table but his wife did. His editor offered me and my wife to stay in her Brooklyn apartment during a summer vacation she is taking. That was very nice. Garrison Keillor gave a brilliantly dark speech that made people feel so uncomfortable they had to laugh. The next morning I took a train back to Albany (7am departure after sleeping 3-4 hours) and went to my day job for the day. I answered phone calls, blasted off emails, and tried to stay awake with coffee. It was one of the busiest days of the year. And now it's Wednesday and things are a little slower. It's hot and I'm not writing or reading.

Thursday

Tuesday was the official release date of my novel Light Boxes, but it didn't really feel like anything. There wasn't any big party or grand ceremony with a cake. I was at work until 8:00 and went to bed two hours later. Some people said nice things on Facebook. But today was my first reading to support the book. The reading was in Albany and almost everyone that showed up was a family member, close friend, or day job co-worker. If they didn't show up, maybe 4 people would have been there. I had fun. It was like reading at a family reunion, or birthday party. After the reading I sat on the couch with my wife and watched television before falling asleep.

Friday

I'm taking my co-workers out for lunch today. It's beautiful outside and I want to sit outside eating Mexican food. I've been doing more thinking about writing than actual writing. I've been checking my Amazon sales ranking and I know it's an insanely silly thing to do. I just stopped typing this to check my Amazon sales ranking. It says #12,101 which doesn't really mean anything. Yesterday it was #55,000. I'm sitting here drinking coffee. I've been thinking about Borges a lot. I've been thinking about the upcoming World Cup which is one of the most beautiful and exciting events. I just checked some Amazon sales rankings for Borges. It's early, so I might write more for this entry.... (Morning update: didn't add anything to this day).

Saturday

Today is a three day weekend here in the US and I plan to do very little which means the next few entries will be pretty embarrassing. It's been a pretty strange week and today I'm going to sit and read and maybe write a little. It's sunny and warm outside. Me and my wife have been watching LOST. We need to go grocery shopping. It's a lazy day and it feels good.

Sunday

This morning I did an interview with Dazed Digital. I rambled a lot - something I'm guilty of doing when asked questions that could probably be answered with Yes or No. After the interview, me and Melanie went shopping and then to her parent's house for dinner. We ate hamburgers and hotdogs and salad. I thought a lot about the book I'm working on, which is what I've been doing for months - just thinking and not writing. The weekend is what I imagined - relaxing/being lazy. After we get back from Melanie's parents house I sit in the backyard and read for a while.

Monday

Today we went to a birthday party for a three year old. The three year olds mother, Erin, is a good friend and was recently in a bicycle accident. I'm not sure how she hosted a party, she could hardly stand. The theme of the party was princess and king. I was the king of plaid. There was a little boy named Henry who was a true terror. He shot me with a water gun, laughed, and ran away. Oh, Henry. After the party me and Melanie went home. I tried to start a fire with some kind of organic charcoal, but it didn't work. I read for a little while and we watched LOST. I thought more about writing. I've pretty much fallen into a trap of fear about writing. This happens to me. I spent a whole year just thinking about writing. But it's so easy, you just sit down and type some words.

Tuesday

Back to work! I think sometimes people are surprised I have a full-time office job. I'm not sure why. How do writers make money? I doubt many make enough to live on from book advances and sales. Some do. Today I will sit at my office job and answer emails and phone calls and be a business man. I'm currently wearing a pink shirt and tie. Looking back at the last week it feels pretty uneventful. Or maybe I feel like I'm going to come off as extremely lazy. I feel like most of my time is spent either at work or sitting at home - spending time with Melanie and cats. I want a simple life and tend to push away drama. So I'm sitting here just thinking and daydreaming and there is probably a lot going on in the world right now.

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Light Boxes is published by Hamish Hamilton.

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Thursday, 24 June, 2010