"Easter, 1956, Richmond, Virginia" (c) 2013 Stuart Jenks, Sr., and Jr.
Me at 16 months. Nice photo, Dad. Nice bunny too.
(Author Photo by Jeff Smith at www.jeffsmithusa.com
Step Zero, the novel, has been launched.
So where can you buy it?
For those of you with tablets and digital devices, you can buy Step Zero as an iBook from the Apple store, for your iPad and iPhone, or you can obtain it as an ebook for your Amazon Kindle device, via this link. (The Nook version is pending.) You can also purchase the soft-cover first editions at the Barnes and Noble online store and at the Fezziwig Press online store. And locally, you can obtain the soft-cover book at Tucson Touch Therapies at Pima and Alvernon and at Betty Blue's Junk Shop on South Plumer. Lastly, on, Saturday, November 10th, 2012, from Noon to 5 p.m., I'll be at my studio at 549 N. 7th Avenue, for an imformal book signing, in conjunction with the Tucson Open Studio Tour.
And as a special free treat to those who buy Step Zero, I'll send you a pdf of The Lost Images of Step Zero, a hundred plus images that didn't make the final edit, but are a nice adjunct to the Step Zero experience, whatever that means. Just send me a Facebook message or an email at stujenks@gmail.com and I'll send the PDF right to you.
So push those buttons and buy those books, boys and girls, for baby needs a new pair of shoes.
From The Lost Images Of Steps Zero PDF:
Top to bottom, "A Rose For Chessie, California", "Matt Antone's Ginger, Arizona", "The 41 Nights, Arizona", and "Michael and Chessie's Moon, California".
Cover design by Gail Cross of Desert Isle Designs. Cover photograph by Stu Jenks.
Update: October 7th, 2012.
I'm suspending the sales of the book book until I get the second printing. We are halfway through the final final proof of Step Zero now. There are just too many typos for us to sell this product. We have the names and addresses of everyone who bought the first printing, minus one name. Expect a cleaner, better, second printing book in the mail, or delivered by hand, as soon as we get the new printing done. We insist. All of us at Fezziwig Press are very sorry for the less than adequate quality of the first printing. But no worries. The second printing will be much better, and we'll have those books to you as soon as we have them in our hot little hands. And we'll let you know, through the StuBlog and Facebook, when everyone can buy the second printing of the book book of Step Zero. And, of course when you can buy it on the iPad, Nook, and Kindle.
It's less than three weeks to the official rollout of Step Zero: A Sober Love Story in 2076 by Stu Jenks. The first printing of this 500 plus page novel has already occurred, but we, at Fezziwig Press, are not happy with the number of typos we missed in that printing. So, a second printing will be available at or before the planned November 1st release of Step Zero. And the typos will be fixed in the upcoming eBooks that will available for purchase at Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and the other digital platforms. Again, official rollout is November 1st or before. I'll keep you posted.
But if you wish to buy a flawed first printing of Step Zero, you can buy it now, via Paypal, using my email, stujenks@gmail.com to log in. Price for $17.95 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. After we get the second printing, I won't be selling the first printing anymore. I'll just throw them in the dumpster outside of Studio BR-549 and keep a few copies for myself. Bottom line: Quality is very important to Team Fezziwig and we are in the process of fixing the typo situation.
And I'm very sorry to those of you who have already bought the flawed first printing. When we get the second printing at Fezziwig Press, we will gladly exchange your first purchase with a second printing copy, free of charge, and no charge for shipping either. That goes for those of you who buy the first printing now as well. I'll send you a new fixed, second printing, at no charge to you. And you don't need to return the first printing book.
And here is a blurb that Annie Gordon wrote for the back cover. I hate writing blurbs myself. It's a sad dog that won't wag its own tail, as my Dad used to say. But thanks, Annie for writing a great promo for Step Zero.
The time is 2076. The setting, a hopeful post-apocalyptic America. Much has changed in the world since 2060, but the resilience of survivors and those born since is strong and family means more than ever. Meet Artie, and get to know his girlfriend Georgia and their friends as he takes a road trip to reconnect with his grandmother in San Francisco. Mormon Tea is now the drug of choice and powerful gangs seek to addict and control the population. Support groups and a strong U.S. Marshall Service fight back. Loss, love, sex, music, hope and recovery are some of what you'll find in Step Zero along with fast paced action and several surprises.
That's all for now. I'll let you know when the ebooks are up on the platforms and when the second printing of Step Zero has arrived at Fezziwig Press and is available for sale.
Love and light,
Stu
"Penny as a design project..." and "Penny's Footprint" (c) 2012 Stu Jenks
Taking more iPhotos with my iPhone today, of what Leigh Anne calls "the magical baby." (Yes she is.) She's put on some weight and it looks like Penelope Anne gets to go home tomorrow. Today's miracle is Penny fell asleep in my arms. I know, babys do that all time, but it was...well...magical.
And David and I laughed about the above photo: "Penny as a design project..." Notice the hemisphere of a head, the triangles and planes, the lights, darks and midtones, the asymmetrical design. "Like a beginning design class project in college," said David. We all laughed, except Penny, who was asleep.
And at the bottom is one of Penny's footprints at birth.
Pray for Penelope Anne, Leigh Anne and David. They are almost out of the woods. Almost.
"Penelope Anne Delray Crowell, born on the Fourth of July" (c) Leigh Anne Delray Crowell & Stu Jenks 2012
Little Penny has had a tough time as have her mom and dad. Little Penny lost weight after she was born. She's four pounds today. Her mom's c-section had its complications. Dad has been a rock. But Penelope Anne is getting stronger each day and may leave NICU next week. David and Leigh Anne may soon be able to take their daughter home.
I fell in love with Penny yesterday. I was just going to hold her for a few minutes but 45 minutes later, I was still in the rocking chair, still listening to her breathe in her sleep, still feeling her four little pounds against my chest.
Little Penny is a little bit of heaven.
"Thornton Beach Pelicans, San Francisco, California" (c) 2012 Stu Jenks
Mom died a year ago today. Pamela, two weeks before Mary. Dad, ten years ago. My family is gone. Sure, I feel them from time to time. And all this spirituality stuff helps some, but I still wish I could give all three of them a hug. But I can't.
"The Saum Children, Virginia" (c) 1930?, 2012, Earl Saum?, Stu Jenks
From left to right: Mary Saum Jenks, Courtney Saum, Nan Saum Haddad, Virginia Saum Edmonds.
Thanks to Becky Edmonds for find the photo and for her friend for image-capturing the original photograph. I desaturated, cropped, cleaned and fiddled with the file I recieved from my cousin.
This was taken at the Saum Farm outside of Alexandria, Virginia. From what my mother told me, this was not a happy time. Earl Saum, her father, was a violent alcoholic who would beat poor Courtney to an inch of his life in front of the entire family. Often. Very Often. The Saum kids were not happy or maybe just Mom wasn't, but I'm guessing everyone was scared.
My mother would occasionally exaggerate. Her unhappy childhood I don't believe was something she was hyperbolic about. Notice how all the children are standing at attention, how only one is smiling, how none are holdling hands. They were frightened of the photographer, their dad. A striking photograph of my family.
Mary Jenks died a year ago on July 7th, 2011. Rest in peace, Mom. Your ashes rest beside your husband's and behind your daughter's. And your son's ashes will be there someday.
The first draft of the novel is done!!! It came in at 149,000 words, 552 pages in my document. Yeaaaa! I can't tell you how good it feels. The ending made me cry, as I hope it does you. (Last word in the novel, which won't change in revision: Sighs.) I want to jump right back to the beginning and start revisions, but Mary Ann suggests I take more than just a couple days off. OK. I'll take off three or four days. LOL. But then it's fixing this and revising that, then off to the editors. And I have ideas for the next novel in this series, too. I have some pretty great characters, I think, and I want to see what they will do next. But first things first. Get this novel to print.
One serious note: It took about a year to write this novel, but it almost didn't get done. With Mary and Pamela dying and all, I didn't work on it for about six weeks and it was so hard to get my momentum back. But I did. But it was difficult. If you are working on a novel or a large work, I recommend you plow through, even if the field is frozen. I've been told I'm very lucky to have gotten back on track.
Speaking of track, good luck to Danica Patrick tomorrow in the Daytona 500 and in the rest of Sprint Cup and Nationwide races this season. I might just have to go up to PHX next Saturday to watch her race.
By the way, did I mention I finished the freaking first draft of the novel?
Yeaaaaaaaaa!
"The Jenks in 1971" (c) ???, 1971 and Stu Jenks, 2012
Found this in my mother's wallet. Was taken at some photo studio in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1971. I was 16 or 17, Pamela was around 21, Dad was 49ish, and Mary was in her early 40's.
I put this up on the StuBlog primarily to show that my sister was once quite the pretty woman. Those horned-rimmed glasses though don't help my parents' looks, and sweet Jesus, did I have terrible teeth back then with the braces and such or what? Yikes. And my long hair just drove my Dad nuts. This was 1971 in the South, you know. And no, I don't know exactly why I decided to part my hair on the right, making a big blob of hairishness. My guess it was I knew if I parted it in the middle, my father and I would come to blows.
But wasn't Pamela a pretty girl?
And i did fiddle with this image a little, but I don't believe in photoshopping away the cracks and lost paper in old photos. They are the lovely scars of time in pictures. And yes, this once was a color photo. Guess it wasn't printed on archival paper (chuckles).
