Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, August 20, 2017, 5:40 p.m.

What a week.

My new novel, Life Gets Complicated, is out, weeks ahead of expectations. The 2016 western, Cowboys Come Home, joins Lightning in a Bottle in audio production, meaning that you will soon be able to listen to those two novels while driving your car, or doing yardwork, or … possibilities are almost endless.

Life Gets Complicated, a sequel to Lightning in a Bottle, gets released in conjunction with a total eclipse of the sun. I’ll be strolling downtown to cover the eclipse from the public square in town. The print version is out at the CreateSpace online store now. It will probably be about a week until I get some copies delivered. It’s available in Kindle on Amazon.

Here’s the CreateSpace link: https://www.createspace.com/7475752

Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Complicated-Barrie-Jarman-Adventures-ebook/dp/B074YN5FC2/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Jerry Lewis died. I met him once. A friend and I were waiting to be seated at a Las Vegas restaurant. A photo of Lewis was on display. I pointed this out, and my friend thought I was talking about Jerry Lee Lewis. I was explaining the difference, and, to demonstrate, I imitated the comedian.

Hey, laaadyyyy!

I looked up, and he was standing about five feet away. He made a funny face and wiggled his fingers as he waved at us. Then we shook hands. I was so taken aback that I never thought to ask for an autograph or pose for a photo.

It was a while back, before everyone had a cell phone for such duties.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 10:35 a.m.

A few observations regarding the total eclipse of the sun.

Had circumstances been different, my view, literally and figuratively, would have been different. I “covered” the eclipse. It went right overhead. I wouldn’t have felt any particular desire to go anywhere beyond my front yard. When asked if I wanted to write about the local celebration, I said, sure. It’s what a free-lance writer does. Otherwise, I might have mowed the lawn during the eclipse. I told my mother that on the phone last night, and she said the neighbors would have thought I was crazy. I replied that I didn’t mind it if they thought I was crazy.

But … fate intervened. Fortunately.

The wonder of the eclipse was just as significant in watching the people watch as it was watching the eclipse itself. I would not have appreciated it fully had I experienced it in solitude.

The local celebration, Total Eclipse on the Rails, was scheduled for 1-5 p.m. The eclipse occurred in all its glory at 2:41. I drove uptown at about noon, and, since I know what happens when the square is blocked off, I expertly drove several side streets so that I could reach an area only one block away. There I parallel-parked my truck rather well, I thought, and killed an hour talking in the air-conditioned bonhomie of L&L Office Supply, which is a hangout of mine on those rare occasions when I hang out.

I took my camera, a notepad, two pens, and the fold-out seat I normally use only at athletic events. I got parched. The actual eclipse gave me a brief, mild headache. I chatted with many attendees, fascinated by the sudden convergence of some people from thousands of miles away to this simple town.

It was perfect. It was big but not too big. Clinton didn’t make a big deal out of drawing tourists, but it did provide a wonderful experience for those who showed up because they found the town on a map and didn’t want to go through the hassle of Greenville, Columbia, and other larger cities.

They had food tents, a high-definition TV screen, on-site coverage from the local radio station, and old-time rhythm and blues, a.k.a. “beach music” in these parts.

Most people drifted away after the skies brightened again, and there was a collective realization that it was hot as hell. I had several errands to run, and I was happy to get back home, where I drank about a quart of ice water and went to work writing.

Here’s what I wrote for the county website: http://golaurens.com/news/item/27416

If you’d like me to mail you a signed copy of Life Gets Complicated, or any of my other novels, you can find my address and instructions at montedutton.com. (montedutton.com/blog/merchandise)

I’ve written seven novels and a collection of short stories. I’ve also written a number of books about sports, mostly about NASCAR. You can find most of them here.

The Kindle versions of my books, where available, can be found above. Links below are to print editions.

Lightning in a Bottle is the story of Barrie Jarman, the hope of stock car racing’s future. Barrie, a 18-year-old from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is both typical of his generation and a throwback to the sport’s glory days.

Cowboys Come Home is a modern western. Two World War II heroes come home from the Pacific to Texas.

I’ve written a crime novel about the corrosive effects of patronage and the rise and fall of a powerful politician and his dysfunctional family, Forgive Us Our Trespasses.

I’ve written about what happens to a football coach when he loses everything, Crazy of Natural Causes. It’s a fable of life’s absurdity.

I’ve written a tale of the Sixties in the South, centered on school integration and a high school football team, The Intangibles.

I’ve written a rollicking yarn about the feds trying to track down and manipulate a national hero who just happens to be a pot-smoking songwriter, The Audacity of Dope.

I’ve written a collection of 11 short stories, all derived from songs I wrote, Longer Songs.

Signed copies of Lightning in a Bottle are on sale at Emma Jane’s (see ad above). Signed copies of all my fiction are also on sale at L&L Office Supply in uptown Clinton, South Carolina.

Follow me on Twitter @montedutton, @hmdutton (about writing), and/or @wastedpilgrim (more opinionated and irreverent). I’m on Facebook (Monte.Dutton), Instagram (TUG50), and Google-Plus (MonteDuttonWriter).