TJ Sullivan in LA

Remembering Hank

2010-03-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

Photo by Sophie Bassouls/Corbis Sygma

The poet and novelist Charles Bukowski died on this day, March 9, in 1994.

In his memory, an excerpt from his poem "Old Man, Dead in a Room," first published in "The Outsider" magazine in 1961:

"... and as my grey hands
drop a last desperate pen
in some cheap room
they will find me there
and never know
my name
my meaning
nor the treasure
of my escape."

Roger Ebert has a nice online memorial to Bukowski set up at the Sun-Times Web site. Check it out.

(Twitter Me)

More information about TJ Sullivan's debut novel "Boon" is available at WhatTheBoon.com.

My iPod, March 2010

2010-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

Figured I'd try posting iMixes for a couple of months and see how it works. Click this link, or the box above, to visit the first of my monthly iMixes at iTunes.

As always, I welcome your thoughts in either the comments section, or via email.

(Twitter Me)

More information about TJ Sullivan's debut novel "Boon" is available at WhatTheBoon.com.

Detroit 2010

2010-02-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

A brief slideshow featuring a few of the photos I shot with my Google Phone camera during a recent trip to Detroit.

Also, view photos individually in the Darkroom.

(Twitter Me)

More information about TJ Sullivan's debut novel "Boon" is available at WhatTheBoon.com.

Journalist To Novelist In One Step

2010-02-03T18:31:00.001-08:00

Six years ago I quit my job as a newspaper reporter to go write books.

No. Not just books.

I quit my job as a journalist to go write novels.

Fiction.

Now, given the current condition of the newspaper industry, that probably makes me look like a genius to some, as though I ought to be waxing rhapsodic on the eve of my debut novel's publication. ["Boon" is available in stores and online. View the trailer at YouTube, read an excerpt, or visit WhatTheBoon.com.]

Indeed, several newspaper friends have inquired in recent weeks as to how they might do the same thing. How, they ask, does a journalist becomes a novelist?

"How?"

I've written and rewritten the answer to that question at least 100 different ways in the past week, all of which amounted to very poetic piles of steaming horseshit.

You want to know how? My answer is "no."

No.

Few journalists have ever accomplished anything worthwhile without first hearing "no" -- No, you can't talk to him ... No, you can't have that document ... No, you aren't allowed -- so that's my answer.

No.

When I started down this road, back in 2004, my life was good. I'd been a journalist for 15 years, more than half of which I'd spent writing for a growing, mid-sized newspaper in suburban Los Angeles. It was a dream job, well, as close as I was going to get to a dream job in journalism anyway, and the only job I wanted at that particular paper, a position that allowed me to spend weeks at a time researching and writing in-depth stories, but with enough flexibility to also dive into bigger news events as they occurred -- murders, manhunts, wildfires. Sure, if The New York Times had rung me up and invited me to come work for them, I'd have gone, but the only reason anyone from that paper ever called was to pitch a subscription special, and, well, I was OK with that.

The trouble was, I never intended to spend my life working for newspapers.

The only reason I got into it was because newspapering was the route most of my favorite writers took -- Twain, Hemingway, Thompson. Journalism was a way to see the world, or, at least, more than I would have seen otherwise. Writing for a newspaper provided me the kind of access no amount of money could buy, not that I had any money to begin with. I met heads of state, royalty, saintly people, and heartless scoundrels. I heard tales of tragedy, loss, and redemption straight from those who'd experienced it, and sometimes I even saw an injustice put right because the newspaper published a story about it. My experience was no more remarkable than any other reporter's, but I loved it, all of it, even the hate mail and the threats, which I quickly learned to interpret as indicators that I was doing the right thing.

But, then, one day I just woke to the realization that I'd stayed too long.

The newsroom reaction to my departure was mixed. Some of my colleagues were very supportive, while others treated me like a silly heart, as though the pressure had finally gotten to me, their well wishes the sort of sweet nothings you'd expect to see inscribed on Valentine candies.

"Good luck."

"You're brave."

My sources in government circles shared with me the wildest explanations they'd heard, gossip about how I'd finally stepped on the toes of some pol powerful enough to demand my dismissal. A few even offered to speak to my boss on my behalf, in defense of my job. A book? Even they could have made up a better excuse than that.

The most frank assessment came from one of my favorite editors, who, I'm glad to say, is still a good friend. She called the move "a mistake."

It was the most wonderful thing anyone could have said to me.

"A mistake."

It was the same as saying "no."

No, you can't have that. No, you can't go in there. No, you're not on the list.

So, how does a journalist become a novelist? There's not much in the how-to realm of writing that hasn't already been said so many times in so many books that bookstores dedicate entire sections to the issue. About all I can add is what you're bound to hear thousands of times before, during, and after writing your first damn book:

No.

No, you can't do it. No, you'll never do it. No, don't even try.

No.

More information about TJ Sullivan's debut novel "Boon" is available at WhatTheBoon.com.

An excerpt of "Boon" is online at TJSullivanLA.com.

Official 'Boon' Web Site Now Online

2010-01-31T21:21:00.001-08:00

The official Web site for my novel, "Boon," went live Sunday night.

The new site offers readers an opportunity to learn more about the book, its characters and setting (be sure to check out the character profiles). There's video and audio, as well as events listings, and press info.

Check it out at: WhatTheBoon.com.

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

'Don't Ever Tell Anybody Anything ...'

2010-01-28T11:19:00.001-08:00

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I died and what my lousy adult life was like, and how I could turn away from writing and all before you were even born, and all that Harper Lee kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth ...

RIP J.D. Salinger.

The New York Times obituary.

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

Boon: A Novel, and Playlist

2010-01-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

When I was outlining my novel "Boon," I created a playlist of songs with themes similar to those in the story, or that I identified with particular characters. This is that playlist.

Also ... I'll be the guest at tonight's SPJ-LA Mixer in Downtown LA. More info at LAObserved.com

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

First Book Signing Set for 'Boon'

2010-01-20T11:06:00.001-08:00

The first book trailer for "Boon" is online [short version above, full-length version at right]. Although the concept of book trailers may seem odd to some, it's becoming more common in the book industry for both fiction and non-fiction. I'm interested in hearing what you think about the concept.

Also ... I'll be making my first official appearance as the author of "Boon" on Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Society of Professional Journalists - Los Angeles Chapter Mixer in downtown Los Angeles.

The mixers are very casual, so I expect to keep it brief, a Q&A perhaps, more of a conversation than a "talk." The focus of the discussion will be the journey from journalism to fiction. I initially referred to it as a "road" from journalism to fiction, but changed my mind as the word "road" implies that there is a distinct path between the two worlds, which, in my experience, is not the case.

There will be no reading. I learned long ago to never read aloud in a bar. But, I will gladly sign a few books.

THE LOWDOWN:

WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: The back room at the Redwood Bar and Grill, 316 W. 2nd Street in downtown LA; 213-680-2600. Street and lot parking is available in the area. The bar is close to the Civic Center Red Line Metro stop.

COST: It’s free fun for all! (You’ll have to buy your own drinks. Happy hour ends at 7 p.m.).

SPJ-LA asks that you let them know you’re coming by sending an e-mail to: spjlosangeles@gmail.com.

More info is available in the SPJ press release on the event. Download it in pdf format. Or, view it online at the SPJ-LA Web site.

Hope to see you there.

More information about "Boon" is available on the Books page.

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

Can This Machine Save Bookstores?

2010-01-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Will bookstores become extinct?

I don't think so, and here's just one reason why: The Espresso Book Machine.

The ability of the EBM to create books on-demand at the point of sale not only makes it possible to greatly reduce the amount of real estate that bookstores have to lease (shelving one sample book of every current title takes a lot less space than shelving dozens), but it also eliminates shipping costs, and ensures that no bookstore will ever run out of a particular title. In green terms, it means far less books will be returned to publishers [to be destroyed] since books will only be printed on-demand.

Pretty cool stuff.

The EBM was in the news again this week with the announcement of a new agreement with Xerox. As the LA Times Jacket Copy blog highlights in its January 14 post, the EBM is expected to show up at seven new venues this year (mostly university libraries and bookstores). Bookstores have so far been slow to embrace the EBM, both because of the cost (about $125,000 per machine, says Jacket Copy) and concerns about digital files and piracy (the EBM makes it possible to print more than 2 million books in Google's public domain catalog, which has been the focus of much legal wrangling).

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

LA TODAY: First Sunset of 2010

2010-01-01T18:21:00.001-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

The first sunset of 2010, as seen from Santa Monica, CA.

Captured this one with the Google Phone (G1) camera.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

The Beach, 2009

2009-12-30T16:34:00.000-08:00

Just a last look at one of the last mornings on the beach for 2009. Looking forward to 2010.

Happy New Year!

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

TJ's Top 5 Xmas Movies

2009-12-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

In reverse order of preference, I give you my top five Christmas movies, and wish you all a very happy holiday:

5. A Christmas Story (1983): Inspired storytelling by any measure, and probably the only Christmas script to ever contain the term "electric sex."

4. The Matador (2005): Often overlooked as a holiday movie, the second half of this tale does indeed occur during the holiday season. Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis. (Kinnear delivers a line that writers have no doubt wanted to say to their friends at least a thousand times: "Please tell me you know you mixed two sports in a metaphor.")

3. The Ice Harvest (2005): Guns, tinsel, strippers, John Cusak and Oliver Platt. Nuff said.

2. Elf (2003): This movie could have stopped after the first few minutes and still have made this list. Will Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart's lap! Funniest ... sight ... ever.

1. Bad Santa (2003): This movie is for those who've seen It's a Wonderful Life a few too many times, at least enough to root for George Bailey to hurry up and jump before Clarence the angel shows up to ruin the show. Seriously, if hearing Jingle Dogs gives you a nervous tick, or if just the thought of Bob Dylan's Christmas In the Heart prompts you to ponder violence against yourself or others, just put the kids to bed, then go wrest that fifth of Old Grand Dad from the cushions of the foldaway couch downstairs, and pop this bit of adult holiday bliss into the DVD player. Billy Bob Thorton, Tony Cox and Lauren Graham are truly hilarious, but the best bits are those with John Ritter and Bernie Mac. Sad to say that Ritter died not long after Bad Santa was made, and Mac passed away in 2008.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Go (1999) and Die Hard (1988), both of which are set in Los Angeles during the holiday season. Die Hard II (1990) is also set during the holiday season.

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

Thank You, 'Editor and Publisher'

2009-12-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

Editor & Publisher is closing.

I know this because it was reported by The New York Times.

So far, The New York Times is still in business. But Editor & Publisher isn't going to be for much longer, and, ridiculous and sappy as it seems to get emotional about a trade publication, well ... I am.

Like a lot of journalists, I wouldn't be where I am without Editor & Publisher. I'd still be a journalist, of course, but I definitely wouldn't have followed the same path, which means many of the important stories I fought to report might never have been reported. I might not have met the same friends. I might not have even met my wife.

No joke.

I'm in Los Angeles today because E&P sent me to Idaho ... and then New Mexico ... and then ...

I'll explain.

As I approached graduation in the late 80s, the classified section of E&P Magazine was the most valuable item in the newsroom. It was to me, and every other journalism grad hoping to land a job at a newspaper, the only link to our future, the only publication that listed what few jobs the industry had to offer.

Unlike most of my friends, I applied to all of them. Regardless of whether I met the qualifications, I wrote each and every newspaper that placed an ad.

In addition, I tapped the E&P Yearbook for the addresses of newspapers that didn't have jobs posted, but which were publications that I respected, and hoped to someday join.

I must have typed more than 60 letters on my Remington portable typewriter that spring, and maxed out my credit card on photo-copied clip sets, 9x10 envelopes, and first-class postage.

Thanks to E&P, I received five jobs offers, including one on the British Virgin Island of Tortola. The editor of that one apologized for not being able to pay my moving expenses, but, by way of consolation, she assured me that both rent and rum were very cheap. Needless to say, I didn't take that particular job.

But, the job I did take also resulted from an E&P classified. It was in Ketchum, Idaho, a weekly with an editor who let me crash in a spare room at his house for a few days until I found a place of my own.

Less than a year after that, still in Ketchum, I received a phone call at work from an editor in Santa Fe. He said he'd kept my letter of application for a job they'd advertised in E&P long before I took the job in Idaho. He'd tracked down my whereabouts by calling the references I'd listed. He said they'd already filled the investigative reporter slot, a post for which I clearly wasn't qualified, but they had an opening in sports and wanted me to fill it.

Sports? The closest I'd ever come to sports reporting was to take agate while working the late-night shift on the sports desk at the Lexington Herald-Leader. I wasn't a sports writer. I was an investigative reporter, or, well, I was going to be.

The editor didn't care about that. "You don't belong in Idaho," he said. "You belong here."

Two weeks later, I was again packing everything into my little, gray Chevette and driving hundreds of miles to live in a place I'd never been, all because of a job I'd found through E&P.

Like many of my colleagues, I continued to refer to E&P's classified section many times in those pre-Internet years, usually in response to some newsroom nonsense that had pissed me off. At one newspaper the editor eventually took to hiding the company copy of E&P, an apparent response to the many pay raises he was forced to offer to keep his best staffers on staff.

But E&P has always been far more than a collection of classified ads. As my experience in this industry increased, so did my appreciation for E&P's reporting, and its role as a watchdog of the industry. E&P has been the first place many journalists turn to report unethical behavior in their own newsrooms, situations that would probably never get dealt with were it not for the watchful eye of E&P.

Times change. Life goes on. There are now and will continue to be watchdogs to keep the journalism industry honest. But we owe a lot to E&P.

I don't know where I'd be without it.

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

Cross posted at LA Observed

Trackbacks:
Fitz & Jen
Romenesko
Los Angeles Times

'Boon' Available Online Now

2009-12-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

My novel, "Boon," won't be released officially until early next year [Feb. 16, 2010], which, as I've been told by many a bookstore manager, means you can't make an over-the-counter purchase of it yet. However, both the paperback and hardcover editions are already available from several booksellers online, including Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

"Boon" is also available as an eBook, including formats for Kindle, Microsoft Reader, and Adobe eReader.

Google Books offers a preview of the paperback edition, as well as links to more sellers.

Book signings will be held starting in February. Updates will be posted on my books page, at the official Boon Web site, and at Facebook.

(Twitter This)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Rain and Rainbows

2009-12-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Rain in Los Angeles is national news ... but we actually saw just enough sun today for a couple killer rainbows.

Captured this one with the Google Phone (G1) camera.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Soup, Soup, Soup ...

2009-12-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan --

I found a recording I did in 1997 of the poem "Soup," one of the pieces I often read at poetry readings in LA during the late 1990s -- places like The Midnight Special bookstore, which, sad to say, has long since closed. I uploaded the "Soup" audio to the Web site, along with the text of the poem.

(Twitter Me)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Sunrise Shadows

2009-12-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's sunrise ... as seen on the wall of a sound stage at Fox.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: A Green One

2009-11-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's sunset ... as reflected.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Westside Sunrise

2009-11-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Shot with the Google Phone G1 --

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Beverly Hills Adjacent

2009-11-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Shot with Google Phone G1 --

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: The Breakfast Club

2009-11-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Sunrise today, Santa Monica Bay.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

The Sire of Wilshire Returns!

2009-11-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

— Photo By TJ Sullivan —

Steve Jones, the self-proclaimed Sire of Wilshire (a nod to the physical address of his former home at Indie 103.1 FM), is back on the air!

The former host of Jonesy's Jukebox is now hosting a two-hour program every Sunday at BBC 6, according to both MusicWeek and the BBC 6 Web site.

His first show, to which you can listen online, aired Sunday, Nov. 1. The show's title is "A Month of Sundays with Steve Jones."

You'll recall that Indie 103.1 went off the air in January, when pretty much all we heard from Jones appeared in a press release from MSOPR, the public relations company that represented Jones' group, The Sex Pistols. See LA Observed, Variety, LA Weekly and OC Weekly for more background.

(Twitter Me)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Same Old Story ...

2009-10-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

— Photo by TJ Sullivan —

Sorry to say it, but we all knew this was coming.

As reported a few minutes ago over at LA Observed, the Los Angeles Times appears to be in layoff mode again.

Same story on the other coast, at The New York Times.

Have to wonder how these publications can hope to retain subscribers while letting go the talented folks who produce the content.

Wishing the staffs of both newsrooms all the best ...

(Twitter Me)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Umbrella Watch 2009

2009-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Disclosure: I shot this photo in December 2004 ... which is just about the last time we saw any rain in Los Angeles. But, if what the forecasts, and the skies, are saying is true, we're in for a storm.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Road Trip to SB Mission

2009-10-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA