JJ Thorpe gets published

It's true. I'm published. (And on my first attempt...crazy lucky, I am.)


Papirmasse Postcard Issue

Thanks, Kirsten, for liking my work...and for being willing to publish a story about dog pee.

My work in upcoming Papirmasse summer vacation issue

I am honored to have a story featured in Papirmasse's "What I Did On My Summer Vacation" issue, which is out in September and features postcards with art and stories.

What is Papirmasse? "For only $60 a year, our subscribers receive a new art print in the mail every month, with an image on the front and writing on the back. We showcase an exciting range of emerging talent from around the globe. There are no hidden fees, no added shipping charges, no tricks: $5 each for 12 art prints."

Pretty great stuff. I also recommend their Facebook page for short, entertaining bits.

Honored, I tell ya.

Getting rid of family, Thanksgiving, and the virtues of writing under the influence

Writing under the influence! Like that's never happened before (in time immemorial, not in my writing experience, though that's true as well). If Hemingway could, I can--good god, you know it's bad when I compare myself to Hemingway...like a playwright comparing himself to Willie S.

The family had to go. I host family early on Thanksgiving, which makes them easier to kick out early. (Hence my 5:30pm post.) Sound unlikely? You invite them over late and hope wine with 6pm dinner will make them tired and ready to leave, but you're doing this all wrong. Allow me to suggest an alternative: early.

Early works for me. I get to drink early (during the past hour, a lovely Spanish cava whom I might meet again later tonight) and boot out annoying relatives before lethargy, the real enemy, sets in. We don't watch football, so peeling them away from the TV mid-play isn't an issue. In my family, it's dessert coma which complicates things.

One dessert per person, at a minimum: That's our rule. If you're not careful, that level of sugar intake can immobilize people on couches for hours. If you're smart enough to put pitches of water on the coffee table, within close reach, you will force an occasional bathroom break, which, with careful planning and timing, can turn into an exit opportunity.

It's all in the wrists.

I'm quite sure this Thanksgiving sets a record. Family arrival 2:23pm, family departure 5:12pm to 5:21pm (Great-aunt Ethel doesn't move as quickly as she used to). And not a moment too soon. May you be so fortunate this Thanksgiving day.

Begin the begin: writing, novels, and Salman Rushdie

After many years publishing in small ways, I'm now going to be publishing in a big way. In a big, novel way.

Yes, I'm talking about a novel.

Will I be on Oprah? Not interested. (Though I'm sure she's a lovely woman.)

Will I hang with Salman Rushdie? No. (But I'm pretty sure we shared a patio one spring at a fancy Montreal hotel. Springtime in Montreal means spiders. Big ones. All over. Just so you know.)

And yet, publish I will, not for the perks, but because I just have to tell this story.

Mental illness. Running away. Being a really bad mentor to someone who needs you. (But who you really don't like.)

Stay tuned.