by Sam Juliano
After what has seemed liked an endless delay over many months, the publication of Paradise Atop the Hudson will be happening over the next few days. The exact date will be Wednesday, two days from the appearance of this Monday Morning Diary, as I needed to enact some last-minute additions to the massive acknowledgment section, an appendix that has morphed into a book itself. That multi-pronged section includes past and present Fairview and Cliffside Park luminaries, friends, relative and associates living and deceased, and the many online friends and arts colleagues that I’ve connected with over the past two decades. I want to again thank Valerie Clark and Tony D’Ambra for their help and enthusiasm and to the seven people (including Valerie and Tony) who have left astounding book blurbs for the novel. The others are my prime editor, Bill Kamberger; Professor Andrew Hunt, a Canadian author of six books; Jay Giampietro, my longtime friend and director of the shorts I’ve appeared in; my artist Andrew Castrucci; and my longtime friend, the author and playwright Peter Danish. After the book materials and the cover art is surrendered to Amazon – a process that could be way less complicated than I am anticipating – the site normally takes between 24 and 48 hours to post the sales link to the book. What this means is that Paradise Atop the Hudson will most likely appear on Amazon this coming Thursday (December 9th or Friday, December 10th). After the book is published and made available I will attend to all my promises to the friends in my inner circle on the matter of copies, and then resume writing the book’s follow-up novel, Irish Jesus in Fairview.
The Latin American film polling concludes today (Monday, December 6th). Voting Tabulator Bill Kamberger reported to me this morning that forty (40) ballots have been cast so far, which makes this venture another impressive effort. Next up with be the films of the “Former Soviet Bloc,” which includes Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Romania. (note: East Germany is excluded as it was part of the completed German poll) The “Former Soviet Bloc Poll” will be underway tomorrow (Tuesday, December 7th) at 12:00 noon.
Lucille and I watched Jane Campion’s brilliant The Power of the Dog on Friday night, via Netflix. This was surely one of the very best films of 2021, and when I can spare some time, I want to say more. I am undecided on the rating which will either end up at 4.5 or 5.0.
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Wonderful news, Sam!! Thank you for sharing your excitement with all of us at Wonders in the Dark!
Thank you so much my dear friend, and thank you to Valerie, who has been so motivational and incredible supportive all along!!!
I’m so excited for your book!! Congratulations, it’s a long game, and a worthy one.
Thank you Jamie, my wonderful friend, I am deeply appreciative for your sustained friendship and kindness over years!
Congratulations, Sam. What a great achievement!
Congratulations, Sam. What a great achievement!
(Please delete the comment from alumnisocialmedia. It’s another account I use.)
Also, do places like Estonia, Georgia, and Uzbekistan count in the next list?
Marilyn, if I delete the comment from your other account, the follow-up comment you just left will disappear. 🙂
But YES, Estonia, Georgia and Uzbekistan do count. Bill said they never counted when we did the Russian poll, so they MUST count here. I didn’t include any in my 20, but several do push close methinks. I will be posting the poll within five minutes here at WONDERS IN THE DARK.
Thank you as always for your kindness, support and positive energy my great longtime friend!!
This is so exciting, Sam, and I love the cover. Remember these feelings and keep them near to tap in downtimes. You’ve achieved something many dream and hope for but few put in the long hours and commitment to achieve.
The Power of the Dog: Joe and I watched it this past weekend and I keep thinking about it. I want to read the book sometime and have put other titles by Thomas Savage on my list. Shadowy twists, a subtly seeded plot, and full, sympathetic characters – even the demon spawn brother – leave me thinking from beginning to end, over and over again. I love Jane Campion. Long, long ago when I was single and dating I used her as a kind of litmus test. “Did you like, The Piano?” I would ask, and, “Do you like cats?” If I got a yes, we’d go out. A no to cats brought a second question, “Why?” but a no to The Piano, and the date was probably off. Ha!