The Blogger's Update

Well, it’s been a busy few months here at Stolen Moments world headquarters. I retired from my job at the Government Printing Office (GPO) at the beginning of July and was almost immediately hired back as a contractor, working three days a week to continue the Government Book Talk blog. Since it ramped up at the end of March, Government Book Talk has had almost 80,000 page views and acquired more than 900 subscribers. It’s also won a Silver Inkwell from the Washington DC chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

Then there’s the comic book. Last fall, our Managing Director asked me to create a script for a comic book about the history of printing. To me, it was just another writing job, but the results have gotten a lot of press:

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/09/21/meet-a-local-comics-writer-a-chat-with-the-gpos-jim-cameron/ (From DC’s weekly paper on culture, politics, etc.)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/09/book_of_the_week_gpos_squeak.html (The Post’s comics blog)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/09/squeaks_the_mouse_channels_gut.html
(Ed O’Keefe’s Federal blog at the Post – he was kind enough to post the YouTube video done by GPO)

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=15&sid=2058315 (radio interview with me and Nick Crawford, who did the terrific art work.)

Well, enough shameless self-aggrandizement. Molly and I are expanding (we hope) our freelance editing and writing business, so “retirement” is not quite the word, at least not yet. We’ve been really busy for the last few months. Her major back surgery (scheduled for November 19) may slow us down, but we’re not looking at it from that angle. If it goes the way we think, she will be pain-free after years of increasingly difficult back problems and trying every other treatment under the sun.

Okay, end of sermon, as my 8th grade science teacher used to say. I have lots of jazz reviews planned, including a look at some of the great reissues of music recorded by the Japanese Why Not label in the 1970’s, a bunch of Prestige mainstream and soul jazz, and more. Keep looking at the skies!