Michael Juge

I just had a deep thought. The only person qualified to write your autobiography is you.

5 out of 5 things

Kellie Doyle’s “War Between the States” follows Georgia Stevens, a young lady from the landed gentry of Virginia who, through a series of circumstances, cloaks herself as George Stevens to fight for the Union. Doyle wrote an engaging story that skillfully synthesized a personal journey of the main character with the world she lived in. Doyle’s attention to detail captured not only the harsh realities of civilian life during the Civil War, but also the strict codes to which both men and women were drawn into. I found Doyle’s transitions from present to past to be particularly brilliant as she used subtle and unexpected props to bridge into a flashback. It’s seamless and gives continuity to the overall journey Georgia makes from a Southern lady to a Union soldier. Doyle was able to also convey the Southern mindset, as atrociously wrong as they were, without demonizing the Confederacy yet she avoids any romanticizing either side of the conflict. In the end it is a human story, one that stuck with me for several days after I finished reading it. You can always tell a good story when a story does that.

http://www.amazon.com/Between-States-Kellie-Warriner-Doyle/dp/1466360631/ref=cm_rdp_product

I knew the 90s. The 90s was a personal friend of mine. When I am gone, I hope to have my ashes flown back into the 90s. That being said, it doesn’t hurt to have a consultant to make sure I’m not on crack and that the 90s as I remember them are relatively close to the 90s that was. That’s why I have my good friend and indie music expert Brandon on the job. Rest assured, when The 90s Austin story (title to be released) comes out, it will be wildly entertaining as well as chronologically accurate.

Okay, this won’t make any sense until you read the 90s Austin story (title to be released). But suffice it to say, all existence is pretty much like a quivering multi-colored jello mold, whereby the different hues represent the various realities. Confused? You won’t be when the 90s Austin story is published.

I’m in the middle of editing the 90s Austin story. Also, Culpeper Arts Council invited me to speak about self-publishing on May 4th during the State Theater grand opening weekend in Culpeper, VA. I owe some serious thanks to a fan of the Shift trilogy. I’ll talk more on this later. Back to editing.

I am now over 50,000 words into the 90s Austin story. I can’t tell you how stoked I am about this one!

Okay, I’ve been holding back, but I’m now 30,000 words in. Here’s the synopsis:

It’s the new economy. Enron is a reliable energy company, Pets.com has a bright future ahead of it, and the world is chirping with the sound of modems handshaking across the World Wide Web. In the heyday of the dotcom boom, Chris Jung moves to Austin to find himself. Unfortunately, between his useless philosophy degree and lackluster tech skills, he finds himself to be a bike messenger while startups are throwing weekly beer bashes, talking about going IPO and spending wads of capital though they can’t quite say exactly what it is they do.  When Chris is assigned to run deliveries for an obscure tech firm, he learns that the fate of all existence hangs in the balance. But not to worry. It’s the 90s and anything is possible.

I am withholding the title for a later date.

I am happy to say that I am over 10,000 words into my next project. Too scared to say what it is until it is done.