W.Z. SNYDER, #167 Dad

THE SEMESTER REVIEW PLAYS THE MAY 19 TIRE SHOP BOOK SIGNING

2012-05-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

The second Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son tire shop book signing event took place at Chandler Auto and Tire on Saturday May 19. Why two tire shop book signing events? Why not? Besides I gave the newspaper the wrong date.

Dickey "Tom Jones" Imburgia couldn't make it. My faithful English Student Josh the Rocket came to the rescue with his outstanding punk pop band THE SEMESTER REVIEW. I'm. tellin' you the boys were good. No cover songs for THE SEMESTER REVIEW. They write all of their own stuff.

This is my friend and colleague Ian Johnson.

Here I am with future educator Johnathon Powell.

We sold books, signed books, ate dogs, hula hooped the hula hoops, rocked to the punk pop and just about every body seemed to have a good time.

The Semester Review are Eight Fingered Criminal's Son Fans. Of Course The Eight Fingered Criminal's Son is a solid Semester Review fan.

Three daughters, a niece and a granddaughter handled the cash.

Arizona boys play that funky punk pop...

It's getting harder and harder to get all five of beautiful daughters together for a picture but here they are. How can I help being proud of this crew?

Brett White is the only tire shop owner in America who sells a book in his tire shop.

A whole mess of people helped me pull these two tire shop signing events off.

Thanks again to photographer Clif the Lawyer for the fantastic pictures. I owe a heart felt than you Bryan and Dellis Frank, Keith "Rocket Man" Boyd, Joel and Amy Frickey, The Powell family, Geege and and E'nor, Lindsey and Mario, Russell, Cassie, Josh and THE SEMESTER REVIEW, Brett and Julie White, Jayden and Layton, Brian and Lisa Daniels, Macaulay, Scout, Barit, Sophia, Cruz, Rylyn , Harper, Valerie, Anna and Lily, Dan and Mrs. K, Ian "Young Blood" Johnson, Derek, Dickey, Shelly and Taylor Imburgia and my incredible wife Gail.

I really dig tire shop book signing events!

MAY 12 TIRE SHOP BOOK SIGNING - CLIF THE LAWYER'S PICS

2012-05-24T18:56:00.003-07:00

These photographs were taken by Coolidge, Arizona's own renaissance man and all around good dude Clif the Lawyer.

As far as I know the first tire shop book signing in the history of the world went down on May 12th at Chandler Auto and Tire.

That's me signing a book for Derek. Derek is one of my all time favorite former students. Signing a book for a an all time favorite student is a very cool experience. That's my gorgeous wife Gail sitting next to me. She handled the cabbage. Gail always handles the cabbage.

This is Dickey "Tom Jones" Imburgia. He kept the crowd entertained with lines like, "It's not unusual to buy this book, just get in line."

My good friends Joel and Amy Fricke put together an Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son bouquet of hydrangeas with visual representations of events and characters from the book.

Dickey discusses transmissions and Tom Jones with Brett "Chandler Auto and Tire Repair" White. I might point out that as far as I know Brett is the first man in the history of the world to sell his brother-in-law's book at is tire shop.

My old college pal and fellow former stand-up comic Keith Boyd picked up a few books for his fellow Rocket Scientists. Kieth and his smart guy buddies put a rocket into orbit this week.

This Bryan Frank, KCAL videographer and photographer. Bryan, his wife Dellis, and Kieth the rocket man flew out from L.A. to lend some home town support.

Here's Bryan and his lovely wife Dellis. Dellis is also an old college pal. As a amtter of fact Bryan, Dellis, Keith and I all attended Cal State Long Beach together.

Here's part of the Chandler Auto and Tire family (Layton, Yours Truly, Jayden, Brett and Julie)

This my father-in-law Wayne. He built the fabulous book display case that can be seen in the showroom of Chandler Auto and Tire. He also cooked hot dogs and hauled everything out to the tire shop in his truck. He fixed out toilet last week. Wayne is a most excellent father-in-law.

Here's my mother-in-law Elenore and Dellis. I love my mother-in-law.

Mario here is my son-in-law. He helped out with kid wrangling hot dog slinging and anything else that needed to be done.

Here's Julie "Mrs. Tire Man" White. She is responsible for Chandler Auto and Tire Shop's cleanest restrooms in Arizona.

THE FIRST EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON BOOK SIGNING EVENT

2012-05-14T19:26:00.002-07:00

The first EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON book signing event went off without a hitch at CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE. Friends, family, students and former students braved the 100 degree weather to be part of my big day.

Dickey "Tom Jones" Imbugia (above center on one knee) gave the real Tom Jones a run for his money.

Those who purchased a book received a hot dog and a ten dollar off a tune up coupon from Chandler Auto and Tire.

The book selling at the tire shop idea might not be so crazy after all. It's nice to hold the distinction of being the only author in America, as far as I know, to sell a book at a tire shop, but owner Brett White reports that the books are selling quite nicely. I had to restock the display case after the first week

A BLOG BOOK REVIEW OF "THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON" BY BRYAN FRANK

2012-05-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Bryan Frank, a ridiculously talented writer, photographer and blogger, posted this blog review.
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Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Next Big Thing

My lovely wife Dellis and I flew to Arizona yesterday to attend a book signing of "The Eight-Fingered Criminal" by William R. (Buzz) Snyder.

I actually have a few friends who have gone the extra mile and put down into words the thoughts that have been swirling around in their heads. I'm going to try to mention them all on my blog in the next several weeks, but while it's fresh in my mind, here's a quick look at the cover of my good friend's collection of short stories.

The eight-fingered criminal was his absentee father and the short story collection focuses on Buzz's growing up in the South Bay section of Los Angeles during the late sixties through the early eighties.

His book will make you laugh and has the kind of heart that I think everyone can appreciate.

"The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son" is available in print and as an e-book through Amazon.
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You can find Bryan's blog at this link: http://coolshots.blogspot.com/2012/05/next-big-thing.html?spref=bl

THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON GETS A LITTLE LOVE FROM LOCAL PRESS

2012-05-06T13:31:00.002-07:00

Chandler man pens knee-slapper

William Snyder, a Chandler resident for more than 22 years, will sign his new book "The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son," from 3 to 4 p.m. Sat., May 19, at Chandler Auto and Tire, 440 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler.

The book is a collection of personal antecdotes that capture the essence of growing up in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. According to reviews, it includes the gritty reality of living in a working-class neighborhood to the heartfelt experience of family life, with tales that are "whimsical, humerous and sometimes unbelievable, but always entertaining."

Books will be available for purchase and visitors will enjoy hot dogs discounted oil changes and entertainment from a Tom Jones impersonator. the book will be available for Chandler Auto and Tire until all copies are sold.

For more information about the book, visit www.williamsnyder.biz .

The story above appeared in the May 5 issue of the Chandler San Tan News. This constitutes my first example of media coverage. There was a miscomunication over the date. The signing was scheduled for May 12. Since the paper has a circulation of some 100,000 people. I will be signing books at Chandler Auto and Tire May 12 and May 19. If you happen to be in the area, come on by.

A Story by William Snyder

2012-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Adventures with the East Valley Screaming Eagles

The Gila River Indian Community - 1993

I drove the white school district van to the headquarters of the Gila River Indian Community. The building reminded me of an old Elks Lodge. It was tattered and worn, with large chunks of paint peeling from the trim. Ominous black clouds loomed over the Estrella Mountains.

“You guys wait here while for a minute while I find out where the heck we are,” I shouted to the boys in the back.

“Hey coach, did it ever cross your mind to get directions before we left the school?” David bellyached.

The kid was squeezed into the back row of the van. At six-five, he didn’t have a whole lot of leg room.

“I did get directions, David. We’re there and I don’t see a gym. Do you see a gym? Let me know if I’m missing something here, Dave.”

The kid wasn’t even listening. He was wearing headphones and bouncing his head up and down to the beat. I walked through the front door of the tribal headquarters. The place smelled of old wood, pipe tobacco and coffee grounds. An old Indian man was reading the sports page with his feet propped up on a gigantic empty desk. Garth Brooks was playing on Camel Country Radio. The Indian was wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses, Wrangler jeans, a blue flannel shirt and an expensive pair of snake-skin cowboy boots. The man did not react when the wooden screen door crashed shut behind me.

“Excuse me,” I said.

“Oh hey,” he folded and tossed the newspaper on the desk and stood. “You’re the coach.”

“Yes I am. Bill Snyder,” I said, extending my hand.

He took my hand softly, barely gripping it with the tips of his fingers. I had encountered that soft handshake with other Indian guys I’d come across since moving to Arizona. I don’t know if it was a sign of disrespect or respect or just the way Indians shake hands. Never thought to ask.

“Hello young man. I’m Ned, and I’m the tribal chairman.”

“It’s an honor,” I said.

I had never met a tribal chairman before.

“Hey…a Bill, the gym’s undergoing some repairs. You and your boys wouldn’t mind playing the game outside would you?”

“I guess not. Can’t be much worse than our gym.”

“Yeah, I was at your gym for the last game. You’re right Bill, our gym’s not anywhere near as bad as yours.”

The East Valley Gym was a disgrace. Students were allowed to use the gym during breaks. Hundreds of them crowded in each day leaving cigarette butts, chewing tobacco, spilled soda, and gooey candy squished and scattered across the badly warped wooden floor. There were dozens of holes in the roof. When it rained, and it rained a lot that year, there were puddles from one end of the court to the other. I talked to the maintenance guy, who was the second laziest person at the school, about fixing the roof.

“Can’t do it,” he told me.

“Why’s that, Brad?”

“It was built wrong.”

“The gym was built wrong?”

“Yep.”

“And that’s why the roof leaks?”

“That’s right, Bill.”

“And you’re not going to fix any of the holes in the roof.”

“Nope.”

“Someone could get hurt.”

“Want some advice, Bill?”

“Why not, Brad?”

“December, January and February are excellent months to schedule away games.”

“That covers the whole season.”

“Yes it does, Bill,” Brad said, seething with sarcasm.

The tribal chairman snatched his keys from a nail on the wall and sauntered over to the door.

“You and your boys follow me.”

The chairman climbed into his expensive looking pickup and we followed him along a dirt road and over a couple of hills to a basketball court in the middle of absolutely nowhere. The court was naked. There were no buildings in sight, just sage brush, tumble weeds and a few ghostly mesquite trees. On one side of the cracked and worn basketball court was a scorer’s table with a flip-card score board. On the other side were three benches for the two dozen or so Indian spectators. Many of the people were overweight, some morbidly obese. They gave us a friendly round of applause when we climbed out of the van.

“Hope you boys don’t mind playing outside,” one of the men shouted to us.

There was laughter from the crowd.

“You boys’ll want to adjust your shots ‘cause there’s a wind comin’ in from the west, eh,” added a man with long hair and a t-shirt that read Fry Bread Power.

More laughter.

“Where do we sit coach?” One of my players asked.

“On the dirt - or stand, I guess.”

Estrella Mountain had just the five players and I don’t think those boys ever sat down. They had already gone through their warm up drills and they were engaged in a game of twenty-one. I approached the coach. Appearing to be in his forties, he was a tall white guy who with too many broken blood vessels on his nose.

“How you doin’, coach?” I asked

Nothing. He looked at me and then my team. The five rez boys had beaten us by two points three weeks earlier.

“The old outdoor court on the rez trick. Nice move coach.”

There was no outdoor court on the rez trick. I was trying to be funny, make conversation. This guy was having none of it.

“You better get your boys warmed up,” he said before literally turning his back on me.

“Does this mean we’re not meeting for beers after the game?” I said to the coach’s back.

Nothing.

I thought it was funny.

We won the opening tip and David Thomas got things started as he soared across the murky desert sky to throw down a monster of a dunk. Everyone out there responded with cheers and celebration. One of the opposing players patted David on the back as he ran by. The Indian boys really got a thrill out of David’s dunk. Then the rez boys kicked it into fifth gear and never looked back. We were down by twenty at the end of the first quarter. During the second quarter a couple of crooked-walking, half-bald rez dogs wandered over to assess the situation. My entire team retreated from the court as the Estrella Mountain boys scored an uncontested lay up. The crowd erupted with laughter. During the third quarter, the ball bounced into the sage brush. It was our ball but my players were afraid of the possibility of being attacked by snakes or the rez dogs. They started arguing over who was going after the ball. One of the Indian players disappeared into the brush and reappeared with the ball. He dropped it in front of my five bickering players and got back on defense. The crowd loved that one and let loose with more laughter, slapping their knees and wiping tears from their eyes. We were down by fifty when Josh Rogan threw up a fake, blew past his defender and flipped the ball over to Gary Smith. Gary took the ball in for the first dunk of his life. It was a beautiful play. The crowd cheered with appreciation of the sheer athleticism. The ref blew his whistle and signaled Gary for traveling.

“That’s bull s---!” Gary shouted at the ref.

The ref whistled Gary for a technical foul.

“Oh my God!” Gary shouted, throwing his arms into the air.

Members of the crowd mocked Gary, throwing their arms into the air, collectively shouting, “Oh my God!”

At that moment Gary lost it, turning to the crowd and shouting, “F--- all of you!”

They loved it. Half a dozen people were still throwing their arms in the air, looking at each other and shouting, “Oh my God.”

The ref whistled Gary for a second technical and tossed him from the game.

“I walked over to the referee and asked exactly where my kid was supposed to go, taking into account that we were in the middle of the desert. The ref said that Gary would have to stand over by the van. I looked at Gary and tears were streaming down his face. He had been totally humiliated. I put my arm around his shoulder and led him over to the rear end of the van where he was cut off from the vision of the merciless spectators. Thunder began to rumble in the distance and lightening exploded across the mysterious gray skies.

“That was f---ed up coach,” Gary said through his tears.

“Yeah it was, Gary, but your dunk was nothin’ less than magnificent.”

“It was my first dunk.”

“I know. How’d it feel?”

“I don’t know, I guess I felt like I was really flying for a minute there.”

“That’s good Gary. Just wait here for ten minutes and we’ll get the hell out of here.”

I felt like I should have said something inspirational, but I had given him everything I had. The game had resumed without me. I threw in my JV players and let them finish out the last few minutes. After the game, the opposing players offered handshakes and walked my guys to the van. Rain drops began to spit against the pale desert floor. I looked for the opposing coach. He was already in his jeep and driving away. We were definitely not meeting for beers.

After the game I spent three hours navigating the rain soaked streets of the East Valley to drop every single player off at their respective door steps. One kid complained the whole time because he was last. When I finally dropped him off I reminded him that I was last. After driving back to the school at the old Air Force base, I parked the van and drove my car home. I was tired and beaten. As I emerged from the car, my three year-old daughter Macaulay ran out into the rain and leapt into my arms.

I held my girl and let the rain fall and everything was good.

GUERRILLA

2012-04-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

The big news is THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON is now in stock behind the parts counter at CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE REPAIR SHOP. Owner Brett White is really offering a book and an oil change deal.

I planned to have my kids set up a BOOK AND A CUP OF LEMONADE STAND across she street from the park today. Now I know what you're thinking. You would make your children sweat it out on a 100 degree day at a book and lemonade stand as part of a cheesy promotional campaign?

YES I WOULD.

The book and lemonade stand didn't get off the ground this morning and I'll tell you why. It all started when I drove my kids and a carload of their friends to THE ICONIC BOYZ HIP HOP DANCE CREW show last Friday night. I stayed in the back of the hall with the other parents and my second grader. Bein' the good dad that I am I hoisted my girl up on my shoulders so she could see better. Bad idea. I tweaked my back and wasn't able to run or exercise this week. This was a bad thing because I committed to participate in THE PAT TILLMAN RUN this morning. The last time I ran 4.2 mile was a year ago today at the 2011 Pat's Run. Strangely enough, I woke up this morning with my back feeling great. The first mile was smooth as silk. The second mile included a hill and my calf muscle tightened up on me. I did finish and I never stopped running. Long story short, I'm laying on the couch with my left leg propped up and my calf on a bag of frozen peas - dammit.

I'll turn my kids into cutting edge guerrilla marketers next weekend.

My author website launched yesterday. Check it out.

http://williamsnyder.biz/

Chandler Whiskerino Beard Growing and News on the THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-04-14T12:25:00.004-07:00

Here is the latest shot of the Sun Lakes Pest Control Chandler Whiskerino Beard Growing Team. Not only are Bobby and Dickey growing fantastic beards, but they're also getting really good at looking, mean, dangerous and maybe a little crazy.

I'm not exactly growing an impressive beard, but I am to develop a pretty realistic bum look. Last week there was free cake in the faculty room at the high school where I teach. I wandered out to the benches where the students were eating lunch, still muching on my king

sized slice of cake. One on the security guards wandered over.

"Oh, it's you, Snyder," he said, "We were watching on the security cam and we thought you were some homeless guy that wandered on from off campus and was eating the food from the students' tables."

Yeah, the contest ends May 19th, which is the same day I'll be doing the first EIGHT FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON book signing at CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE. DICKEY "TOM JONES"IMBURGIA will be performing. We'll be offering an unbelievable book and a hotdog deal as well as a once in a lifetime book and a tune-up deal.

Stay posted for details.

The book available in print and e-book form at the link below.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-William-Snyder/dp/1468142585/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

ERIN AND LES ROACH'S KIDS TO SELL THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON AT CHICAGO LEMONADE STAND

2012-04-07T16:25:00.001-07:00

It feels pretty good to hold a copy of of my book in my hand. I've been carrying it around since it arrived in the mail two days ago. Okay, I admit it, I've been sleeping with the book under my pillow.

It's time to create some book buzz and do some guerrilla marketing. I guess I could rent a gorilla suit and switch things up with some gorilla marketing.

Les Roach of Chicago offered to have his kids set up a book and lemonade stand in his neighborhood. I accepted. So look for the book and lemonade stand if you live in Chi-Town. I think I'll have the crew in the picture above try the same thing here in Arizona.

In case you have trouble finding the book and lemonade stands in Chicago and Arizona you can purchase the print version of THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON by clicking on this link: https://www.createspace.com/3746672

I'll keep you folks posted on the book sales progress. Thanks to those who read the book and extra thanks to those who posted reviews on Amazon.com. If you read the book and liked it, let someone know, will ya?
And please let me know if any of you have any cheese whiz book marketing ideas.

THE BOUND VERSION OF EIGHT FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON IS NOW AVAILABLE!

2012-04-06T11:27:00.002-07:00

I was hoping to have the print version of THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON available for Christmas. I didn't quite hit the mark.
The waiting is over.
THE BOUND VERSION OF THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON IS FINALLY AVAILABLE AT THE LINK BELOW!

https://www.createspace.com/3746672

Tee Ball is Cool

2012-03-25T15:15:00.001-07:00

Pictured above is my grandson. The kid had a blast playing tee ball yesterday. But there's no way he had more fun than I had watching. Watching four year-olds play baseball is hilarious and it's uplifting too. Every kid wore a cap that was two sizes too big. Every time the ball was hit every player on defense bum rushed and dog piled on the ball. Each time my grandson made a play he gave us a confident thumbs up. After a particularly good play a beetle caught his attention, prompting him to a sit down, mid game, on the grass and observe the bug in absolute wonderment. The most entertaining moment of the game involved a cute little squirt who wanted to take his bat out with him to play second base and the coach had to wrestle the bat away. There was a single girl on the team. She had long brown hair with flowing ribbons. After a pounding out solid double she decided to wander from second base to have a conversation with the center fielder. One might think the entertainment would be over when the time came for the two teams to line up after the game and shake hands. The little guys just couldn't get the whole single file line concept down. They were forming figure eights and circles, bumping into each other and falling to the grass. Man, it was beautiful. Nobody cared who won and everybody had fun.
Tee ball is cool.

Did I mention that I wrote a book? It's called THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON and it's a mostly true collection of quirky stories about growing up in 1970s Southern California.
You can download the e-book for a measly 5 bucks by clicking on the this link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4
The print version is in the works. Given the speed at which my printer is working, I feel somewhat safe when I say the bound version will be available some time in the next 75 years.

THE CHANDLER, ARIZONA CENTENNIAL WHISKERINO CONTEST AND THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-03-13T13:15:00.001-07:00

The Sun Lakes Pest Control Whiskerino team poses for a photo on day 28 of the 100 day Chandler, Arizona Centennial competition. Dickey and Bobby are pretty good beard growers. I told Dickey and Bobby with beards like theirs they ought to be coming down from a mountain dragging stone tablets. I guess all I can do is keep not shaving and see how things pan out.

Here we are on day one of the competition.

BOOK NEWS: While I had hoped the print version would be available for Christmas, we are still patiently working through the process. I guess the book will be ready for Christmas - 2012. Hopefully, we're be up and running somewhat earlier.
In the mean time the e-book is available at Amazon for a measly 5 bucks. Just lick on the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Bookmans Does Book Dominoes

2012-03-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

The Chandler Arizona Centennial Whiskerino Contest, Griggits and THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-03-03T13:39:00.001-08:00

This is a Griggit. I created him. Creating Griggits has failed to yield me one red cent. Maybe some day...

The majority of my free time has recently been spent grading 150 five-page research papers and babbling incoherently to myself about the iniquities of banks and oil companies.

The most interesting thing that has recently happened to me involves the crop of hair that I have been cultivating on the lower half of my face. Me beard growing team is just about a fifth of the way though the 100 day Chandler, Arizona Centennial Whiskerino Contest. My beard is feeling a bit scratchy and looking a lot scruffy. As a matter of fact, earlier this week I was standing in front of the local supermarket with an empty coffee cup in my hand when a passer by dropped ten bucks in my cup and said, "Here you go, pal. Go get yourself a shower and something to eat."

In case your new to this blog, I am promoting my new book THE EIGHT -FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON, a quirky collection of mostly true stories about growing up in 1970s Southern California. You can download the e-book for a measly 5 bucks at http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/185-4488470-4163824
The bound version will be available sometime before 2040.

Why are oil companies charging so much for gas?
Because they can.

CHANDLER ARIZONA'S CENTENIAL WHISKERINO CONTEST, THE SUN LAKES PEST CONTROL BEARD GROWING TEAM and THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-02-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Ladies and germs, I give you the Sun Lakes Pest Control Beard Growing Team. From left to right is Dickie "Tom Jones" Imburgia, yours truly, and Bobby. I don't know Bobby's last name but he has a big motorcycle in his garage. Bobby's hog adds greatly to the macho appeal of Team Sun Lakes Pest Control. As I stated in an earlier post, my two team mates are of the Italian persuasion, making me the obvious weak link. Rest assured, I'll make up for any facial follicle short fall with good old fashioned grit and - chutzpa.

The Whiskerino Beard Growing Contest is part of the Chandler, Arizona Centennial Celebration. The duration of the contest is 100 days. I believe today is day 6.

I hope to use the Whiskerino contest to market my book THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON. By the way, I just okayed the final mock-up and the bound version should be ready any day. The book will be available at THE BOOK FROG in Palos Verdes, California, CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE REPAIR in Chandler, Arizona and on Amazon.com.
The e-book is available for 5 measly bucks at http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4

MONEYBALL, BEARD GROWING, and THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-02-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

Micro Movie Review
Had the chance to watch Moneyball this week. Cool movie. Brad Pitt did was good. Brad Pitt's always good. If you're not baseball ethusiest, this movie may not be for you. Pitt annd Moneyball are up for some Academy Awards. I guess this has been a weak year for the picture business.

Beard Growing News
I'm gearing up to compete as part of the Sun Lakes Pest Control beard growing team. Quite frankly, I've never been very good at growing a beard but I'm planning to make up for my lack of talent with hard work, grit and determination.

The Latest on THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON
The book should be in print and available for purchase at THE BOOK FROG, CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE AND AMAZON.COM by March 1st. While Brad Pitt and George Clooney have probably not read THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON, there is a slight possibility that Rick "Ghostbusters" Moranis has.
A second collection of stories will be available as an e-book in October.
You can download the e-book for a measly 5 bucks by clicking on this link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4

GEORGE CLOONEY and THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-01-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

The mock-up of the entire text has been approved. Now I'm waiting for a mock-up of the physical book. We're on track to have bound copies of THE EIGHT FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON available at a few California and Arizona bookstores, AMAZON.COM and CHANDLER AUTO AND TIRE REPAIR in March.

As far as I know, George Clooney has not read The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son and has absolutely nothing to do with the book. However, Rick Moranis is following me on Twitter and there is a possibility that he has read the book. Okay, it's a minute posibility, but I'll take all the hope I can get...

The e-book can be dowloaded for a measly 5 bucks at
http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1326594616&sr=1-1

THE DESCENDANTS

2012-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Word on the street was The Descendants was a little on the blah side, not exactly a stinker, but nothing to write home about. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I am not in the primary demographic group for which the studios make their films, but I honestly can't remember being more disinterested in a list of movies at a multiplex theater. Armed with movie passes and a couple of hours on our hands, my wife and I chose to see The Descendents because it was the least uninteresting film at the theater.

I guess it's always helpful to walk into a movie theater with absolutely no expectations.
Getting to the point, I was pleasantly surprised. The Descendants is a pretty good movie. Set against the breathtaking music and landscape of Hawaii, the story follows a wealthy patriarch as he struggles to lead his family in the midst of tragedy and betrayal. To sum things up, the film is terribly sad, uniquely funny and undeniably real.

New to this blog? I'm promoting my new book THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON.

You can read an excerpt or download the entire e-book for a measly 5 bucks by clicking here:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4
The print version will be available soon at The Book Frog, Chandler Auto and Tire and Amazon.com.

Courderoys, Printers, Hungover Snails and THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-01-18T17:35:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I wrote a book?

I just recieved the mock-up of the first 15 pages from the printer. It looks fantastic. We're now awaiting the mock-up of the complete text. I guess you could say my printer has gone from moving at the pace of a hungover snail to moving along at the pace of a hungover snail that's had a glass of Alka Seltzer.

Did I mention that I am a high school teacher?

Today some wisenhiemer kid told me he liked my courderoys. They were making a zipping noise as I was running to the library.

I stopped and waved my finger at the modern day juvenile delinquent and cautioned,"Listen here, bub, I realize that was a sarcastic remark. I know you were making fun of me."

To which he replied, "Did you just call me bub?"

"Hah!" I snapped back, my finger waving back and forth like some kind of out of control windshield wiper. "You're doing it again. You're making fun of me. You're being sarcastic again."

The kid was left speechless. On the other hand, he may have been a little freaked out.

Satisfied, I made my way to the library and went about the business of teaching. The point is the day is coming when I won't be able tell that they're making fun of me.And I'm afraid that day is right around the corner. I'm not getting any younger, man. I'm telling you I can't see myself still teaching ten years from now.

This is why I'm asking you to read The Eight Fingered Criminal's Son. In case you haven't heard, the e-book is available at http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4 for a measly 5 bucks. And the print version will be available as soon as the hungover snail of a printing company prints the thing.

RICK MORANIS AND THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON

2012-01-14T13:59:00.000-08:00

We have hired Create Space to print The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son. Create Space is in possession of the text and they are rocketing along at the speed of a hungover snail to facilitate the release of the physical, non e-book version.

In the mean time, I set up a Twitter account in order to promote the book. I haven't exactly figured out how to use Twitter, but I do have 15 followers. Interestingly enough, and I am not kidding, I'm pretty sure Rick Moranis is one of my 15 followers. If Rick Moranis is following me, I'm thinking I just might have myself a fist full of marketing dynamite. If I can get Rick "Ghostbusters" Moranis to read The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son and he likes the book, good golly Miss Molly, this thing is on. I could sell, I don't know, 130 - maybe 140 books.

You can follow my rather confused Twitter campaign that seems to include Rick "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" Moranis by clicking https://twitter.com/#!/GriggitSnyder

If you know someone who recieved a new Kindle for Christmas, please tell them about The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son. The book can be downloaded for a measly 5 bucks by clicking on http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4

The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son - Clif the Lawyer and Various Other Book Mojo Makers

2012-01-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I met for breakfast with my old amigo Clifton Batchelor, also known as Clif the Lawyer. I call him Clif the Lawyer because he's a dentist. Actually, he's not a dentist; he's a lawyer, but it would be so much more ironic if I called him Clif the Lawyer while he was actually a dentist. The point is it was Clif the Lawyer who convinced me to team up whim him to compile and publish a collection of my stories. Clif spent countless hours working with me, editing, revising, researching publishing options, formatting text, and working on the cover design. If not for Clif, The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son would not exist. I want to take the opportunity to publicly thank Clifton Batchelor.

While I'm at it, I'd like to thank my old pal Robert Sanchez for personally financing the bound version. When the book was released on Amazon, my daughter Lindsey Hernandez and my sister's childhood friend Mandy Treckman Martes took it upon themselves to spread the word and between the two of them, they were probably responsible for 50 e-book sales. Pete Ledesma, co owner of The Book Frog, has offered to carry the book. And Brett White, owner of Chandler Auto and Tire, has also agreed to carry the book. How cool is that, selling a book at a garage. Bryan Frank, John Marciolonis and Tony Frink were kind enough to help out with the editing. Finally, John Baker is plugging the book on Cougar Town, the Hawthorne High School Website http://cougartown.com/feedback.html.

Countless old friends and family members have supported this venture. I realize that 126 e-book sales is a far cry from the Times Best Seller List, but it's a nice start. And it's pretty cool to have the support and encouragement from so many people. It feels a little bit serendipitous. Wait, I'm not the kind of guy who uses words like serendipitous. I'm the kind of guy who says something like it feels like there's some serious good mojo connected to The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son and I'm feeling like a pretty lucky schlep.

Awe heck, I forgot to thank Brady "Cat" White, Dickey "Tom Jones" Imburgia, Ian "Moon Doggie" Welch, Joel and Amy Fricke, Jayden White, and Wayne "Geege' Mossbarger for the 3 whacked out promotional videos.

The Latest scoop on THE EIGHT FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON and THE MIAMI HEAT

2012-01-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot, taken in 1985, of yours tryly with the eight-fingered criminal himself, William "Cash" Snyder.
Over 100 e-books have been downloaded from Amazon.com. My goal was 100 so I'm calling this book making venture a success.

The cover design is finished and the text has been formatted for the printer. I've been told the print version will be ready to rock in 2 to 3 months.

For starters, the print version will be available on Amazon.com, The Book Frog in L.A., and Chandler Auto and Tire Repair. Selling the book at an auto and tire repair shop is supposed to be funny.

Thank you to all who have downloaded the e-book and I'll keep you posted on the release date for the dead tree version.

You can download the e-book for a measly 5 bucks by clicking on the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Eight-Fingered-Criminals-Son-ebook/dp/B005NWH8L4
Happy New Year
And the Miami Heat have absolutely nothing to do with The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son.

THE ROUNDERS - Bill and Wayne's Excellent Adventures in the World of Film

2011-12-28T15:39:00.001-08:00

Wayne Mosbarger, the Mr. Miyagi of quirky cool old movies, recently turned me on to The Rounders, a 1965 comedy western staring Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford. Fonda and Ford cut it up with bigger than life character actors Denver Pile, Chill Wills and Edgar Buchanan. They honestly don't make actors like these guys any more. Set against the gorgeous backdrop 1960s Sedona, Arizona, the film follows the escapades of a couple of middle-aged, hard luck cowboys.

The quirky coolest aspect of this old western is Henry Fonda's love interest is played by the old gal who portrayed “The Penguin” in The Blues Brothers. And here's where it get's even quirky cooler in a Kevin Bacon kinda way: I was an extra in The Blues Brothers.

Bottom line, The Rounders with Hank Fonda and Bill Holden gets a thumbs up.

Hank Fonda cuts the rug with "The Penguin."

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

As Adam said to his better half, it's Christmas, Eve!

Sorry, I honestly can't help myself. I've always been a sucker for bad Christmas puns.

THE EIGHT-FINGERED CRIMINAL'S SON - The First Royalty Check

2011-12-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

The e-book verison of The Eight-Fingered Criminal's Son is moving quite nicely on Amazon.com. The first Royalty check arrived in the mail recently. I suppose this is a milestone of sorts. Thanks to all who purchased the e-book. The bound version is in the works. One thing of learned about this book business is making an e-book is a lot easier and a lot faster than making a physical book.

Did you hear about the depressed elf?
He had low elf esteem.

Merry Christmas