MacBlog – Words & Music by . . .

Spectral Geoff & Me

SPECTRAL GEOFF: Did you know that giraffes are, like, 30 times more likely than people to get struck by lightning?

ME: Makes sense, I guess. They’re generally closer to the source. They always told us not to stand under a tree in a thunderstorm. Maybe the same should be said about giraffes—as in don’t stand under ’em.

SG: And did you know that with this Inauguration, Donald Trump has the unprecedented opportunity to become the two worst presidents in U.S. history?

M: I hadn’t thought of it that way. Quite an achievement if he can pull it off.

SG: And did you also know that a chicken once lived 18 months without a head?

Spectral Geoff’s first and third facts from
“101 random fun facts that will blow your mind”

What They’re Saying . . .

According to Mountford Writing, a blurb is “the effusive (and sometimes elusive) praise you see on book jackets — ‘Brilliant debut…’ — enticing readers to pick up a novel or memoir and take it home.” And according to Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer’s Fiction Courses newsletter, blurbs fall into the category of “love ’em, hate ’em, gotta have ’em.”

I don’t know if blurbs sell books or not, but I’ve been fortunate to land some prize ones for Streets of Nashville. This seems a good place — and time — to share what they are saying about the novel (“they” being fellow authors). See below in alphabetical order.

C.W. Blackwell is author of Song of the Red Squire and Hard Mountain Clay:

Michael Amos Cody does a fantastic job creating interesting and empathetic characters, especially his protagonist Ezra, a budding songwriter whose perilous odyssey through the streets of Nashville is much more than grist for the mill—it’s also a heart-rending exploration of music, violence, and the power of friendship. STREETS OF NASHVILLE is an intelligent, heart-felt novel with plenty of authenticity to make it sing. Cody is a talented new voice in Southern fiction whose stories will appear on bookshelves for many years to come.

Rick Childers is author of Turkeyfoot:

From the opening chapter of STREETS OF NASHVILLE, Michael Amos Cody’s prose is packed with enough stopping power to send the bullets flying off the page. Dialogue and storytelling ring together like the chords of a song . . . and what a chilling song it is.

Christy Alexander Hallberg is author of Searching for Jimmy Page and creator and host of the Rock Is Lit podcast:

In STREETS OF NASHVILLE, aspiring songwriter Ezra MacRae is on the brink of success after years of struggle—until he becomes a witness to a brutal triple homicide on Music Row. Though the masked killer spares Ezra, he doesn’t leave him in peace, haunting and threatening him at every turn. As Ezra balances his dreams of writing songs with a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, the mystery deepens, pulling him back to his North Carolina mountain roots. With rich detail and gritty suspense, Michael Amos Cody delivers a haunting tribute to the resilience needed to survive—and thrive—in the heart of Music City, solidifying him as one of the region’s most compelling voices—a talent I’ve admired since I read his debut novel, GABRIEL’S SONGBOOK.

Alex Kenna is author of What Meets the Eye and Burn This Night:

An elegantly written, mysterious and electric crime novel. Michael Amos Cody’s experience as a Nashville songwriter and encyclopedic knowledge of country music bring STREETS OF NASHVILLE to life.

Kirkus Reviews “has been an industry-trusted source for honest and accessible reviews since 1933 and has helped countless authors build credibility in the publishing realm ever since.” Kirkus says:

An aspiring songwriter in the late 1980s finds himself at the center of a string of Nashville murders in Cody’s thriller.

Ezra MacRae is originally from small-town Runion, North Carolina, and moved to Nashville to be a professional writer of country songs. In the small hours of Easter morning in 1989, however, he finds himself a witness to a shooting on Nashville’s famous Music Row. To his surprise, the killer leaves him unharmed; later, however, the murderer develops a preoccupation with Ezra, harassing him with phone calls and other behavior that escalates to outright stalking. The shooter, Hugo Rodgers, is a former record promoter with a violent and traumatic past. Ezra spends the next week trying to aid local police and protect Benny Jack, an unhoused street singer who caught a stray bullet during the shooting. With the police hot on his tail, Hugo lures Ezra back to Runion for a final confrontation. An epilogue provides a cliffhanger that allows for a continuation of the story. Overall, this is a fast-paced, sometimes coarse, thriller about how desires can become twisted when repressed. The decision to include Hugo’s point of view is a bold but successful move that builds rather than lessens tension. Cody establishes an earthy, authentic sense of place through his prose; there’s an authentic Southern flair to the settings and characters that can feel homey or seedy, depending on the scene. The narrative is interspersed with lyrics to songs Ezra is writing, bringing an elevated lyricism to the page. . . . Ezra is a likable protagonist, as well—sensitive, ambitious, and down to earth, with enough hidden depth to make readers want to spend time with him. Rodgers, meanwhile, is the perfect foil—a despicable killer who becomes even more chilling as his violence spirals out of control.

A bold thriller, set in the music world, that leaves the door open for a possible sequel.

Heather Levy is author of Walking Through Needles, Hurt for Me, and This Violent Heart:

Cody’s STREETS OF NASHVILLE is a lyrical love letter to the musicians who built the city as well as a powerful exploration of friendship and brutality. With his authentic, empathetic voice, Cody is a welcome addition to Southern crime fiction. I look forward to more Ezra MacRae stories to come!

Meagan Lucas is author of Songbirds and Stray Dogs and Here in the Dark and founding editor of Reckon Review:

Ezra MacRae is on the precipice of accomplishing a long sought dream when he witnesses a gruesome murder and becomes the target of a psychopath who will make your skin crawl. Cody’s insight into the songwriting world and late ’80s Nashville brings a richness to this story of ambition and greed. STREETS OF NASHVILLE glows with authenticity and heart.

C. Matthew Smith is author of Twentymile:

At once an absorbing crime story and an insider’s love letter to a bygone place and time, STREETS OF NASHVILLE grabs ahold of the reader and doesn’t let go. Michael Amos Cody has written a murder ballad to make the bards of Music Row envious.

Susan O’Dell Underwood is author of Genesis Road, Splinter, and The Book of Awe:

What a rollicking narrative! Here in Michael Amos Cody’s novel is not only a page-turning murder mystery but also a love song to Nashville’s not-so-distant past, a time raw with possibility. While the setting grounds the narrative, the characters—especially our man Ezra—are riveting. With attention only a musician could mark so brilliantly, Cody has put flesh on characters by turns creatively stricken, comfort-yearning, seedy, and dangerous. STREETS OF NASHVILLE is not just powerful. In all the best ways, it is provocative, a wily rounder of a novel.

Thanks to all these terrific writers and new friends!
Thanks as well to Madville Publishing and Kim Davis!

Merry Xmas to the Xians

Merry Xmas to the Xians, the majority faithful to the American brand of Xianity

What is an Xian? Formerly known as Christian but now without considering Christ, his life and teachings, as part of their faith. In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the Ghost of Christmas Present describes what I call Xians to Scrooge in this way: “‘There are some upon this earth of yours . . . who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kiln, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.”

The “us” referred to are the 2,000 and more Spirits of Christmas Present that have walked upon Earth since the birth of Christ.

On This the 1,039th Day of A TWILIGHT REEL

A friend wrote just this week:

I’m looking forward to Streets of Nashville. I’m confident I’ll spend some time on a top-drawer Whiskey review for that one if it’s even in the ballpark of your previous work. I still recommend A Twilight Reel every chance I get.

This book of stories was more than twenty-five years in the making. I began it while working on my Master of Arts in English at Western Carolina University under the direction of Rick Boyer (before Ron Rash landed at WCU). Three stories–“The Wine of Astonishment,” “Overwinter,” and “A Poster of Marilyn Monroe”–appeared in my WCU master’s thesis in 1995. The work continued until I finished the final story–“Witness Tree”–in May 2019.

Many of the stories were published as stand-alones through the intervening years:

“Overwinter” (Yemassee 1997)
“The Wine of Astonishment” (Short Story 2000)
“A Poster of Marilyn Monroe” (Pisgah Review 2005)
“The Flutist” (Yemassee 2014)
“The Invisible World around Them” (The Chaffin Journal 2014)
“Two Floors above the Dead” (Tampa Review 2017)
“Conversion” (Still: The Journal 2021)

Thanks to Andy Reed, Pisgah Press, and all who have supported A Twilight Reel over it’s 1,039 days in the world through review, purchase, reading, and on and on. It means a lot.

Coming in January 2025, the (Un)Expected Season Two of THE KAKISTOCRACY!

It isn’t like The West Wing or Veep or Designated Survivor. So, what, you might ask, is The Kakistocracy about. Well, if you somehow missed Season One, you didn’t miss much . . . except some of the most royal screw ups ever pulled off at the highest levels of government! Season Two promises even more of the same. Some are expecting a catastrophic level of more of the same.

That first season of The Kakistocracy went by the simple tag: “Government by the worst people!” The second season’s tag makes promises:

More government by the worst people . . .
only more so!

So that it’s not just a remake of the first season, Season Two promises not even to pretend legitimacy or seriousness and start with the most unqualified buffoons available—from the cold opening! That’s a laugh riot, right there!

And in what industry insiders are calling something of a SPOILER ALERT, The Kakistocracy will be rolling out an extended tagline after the first 100 days:

Join us on a laughable, embarrassing, chaotic romp toward The Idiocracy!

We’ve been wondering when we would have a spinoff, and now it’s looking like we won’t have to wait more than four years to see what the “minds” behind The Kakistocracy have in “mind” for the former greatest nation on Earth.

Stay tuned!

from Rosanne Cash (11/6/2024)

November 6th, 2024

This might not be the moment to quote one of the white, slave-holding “Founding Fathers,” but in spite of those marks against him, he wrote these prophetic thoughts during the Revolutionary War:

I doubt whether the people of this country would suffer an execution for heresy, or a three years’ imprisonment for not comprehending the mysteries of the Trinity. But is the spirit of the people an infallible, a permanent reliance? Is it government? Is this the kind of protection we receive in return for the rights we give up? Besides, the spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may commence prosecutor, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated, that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest, and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of this war, will remain on us long, will be made heavier and heavier, till our rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion. (emphasis added)

This is from Notes on the State of Virginia, published in 1787.

“From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill” — Have we hit rock bottom two hundred forty-eight years after July 4, 1776? We can only hope this–and the few years that follow–are the bottom. In the years that come after Donald Trump and his MAGA nightmare are dead and gone, will we rise again to strive toward living up to our founding ideals?

Garbage Man

(with apologies to sanitation workers)

An Indigenous author I admire wrote this about Garbage Man (and nobody has more right to criticize such a white-orange, Euro-American legacy-immigrant than a Native):

Trump is the embodiment of refuse–self-interest and disregard wrapped in decay, like something abandoned in a dumpster. His legacy is a reminder that not all waste is disposable, nor without lasting impact.

The Idiocracy is upon us!

I’m disappointed in US, and I’m embarrassed for US. We have become the village idiots of the world

Looks like liberty has given up on us and moved to . . . Scotland maybe?

The Government We Deserve

Back in the mid-1980s, Don Henley put out a great album titled Building the Perfect Beast. For that project, he wrote a song titled “A Month of Sundays,” in which an old man thinks back on his life and work as he watches life in Reagan’s USA pass in front of him. At one point in the song the lyric goes like this:

My grandson, he comes home from college.
He says, “We get the government we deserve.”
My son-in-law just shakes his head and says,
“That little punk, he never had to serve.”

These lyrics keep playing over in my mind as we approach Election Day 2024. Like the kid coming home from college (I would’ve been about that kid’s age, maybe a little older, when that song came out), I’m thinking we get the government we deserve.

Veterans from the “son-in-law” in this lyric to my father and my friends who served, swore an oath to the U.S. Constitution. Not to the flag or the national anthem. Not to the president. Certainly, not to a man like Donald Trump, who had said that he would like to get rid of the Constitution, undermining and devaluing all the sacrifices made and lives lost. And still, I’m guessing that most of the veterans I know will vote for Trump.

Now, I know many will say that they can’t abide this or that about the liberals, the Democrats, Kamala Harris, and I’m sure I don’t know everything about what she might do as president and might not like everything she might do.

But one thing I feel in my bones is that nothing–NOTHING–Kamala Harris might propose or do threatens the very existence of the United States of America. If any actual Republicans remain out there, a Harris win will be like it’s always been: you live under it for four years and then you get to vote again to try and put your political ideology forward.

I feel just as strongly that if Donald Trump wins, the United States of America will not exist–not as we have known it for going on 250 years–by the time his four years are up. (His four years, I fear, will never be up until he’s passed away.) But the Trumpers (actual Republicans seem no longer to exist in any significant numbers–or they’re all in hiding, hoping that the Trump nightmare will go away), I say, the Trumpers care about nothing but winning. And if he wins this vote, the end of voting is in sight.

If a third world war is brewing with Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran as the aggressors, then Trump is the worst leader we could have. He’s weak and doesn’t know it. He follows after Putin and other dictators like a 12-year-old boy with a crush on the high school football captain. He’s ignorant and doesn’t know it. He’s without talent or savvy and doesn’t know it. Obviously, he’s without any leadership skills. In short, he is without one redeeming quality beyond the common humanness we share that’s buried beneath all of his bullshit.

If the USA actually elects Donald Trump in two weeks, we who made/let it happen will get the government we deserve.

How Will the Boomer Survive?

Ye Boomers so afraid of electing a woman of color and so attached to the teats of Trump, how will you survive if you lose your social security benefits (for which you’ve worked for years and years)? Forbes magazine included an article, just a day or so ago, I think, “Trump’s Views On Social Security And Medicare—As Group Warns Funds Could Run Out In 6 Years Under His Plans.”

Are you banking on the belief that he won’t mess with your money and healthcare? You know good and well he will if your benefits will benefit him. He neither cares for nor considers you. (Then a year or so beyond the election he’ll die of old age and cheeseburgers and leave us in the hands of JD Vance.)