I was singing a nonsense song I’d written, which had a line about a stream of consciousness, when I mis-sang the line and made it even more nonsensical.
But then I had a further thought: What would a scream of consciousness be, if there was such a thing?
And I realized it was the perfect phrase to describe those moments when you’re so caught up in the moment that you scream, “Holy cow, I’m alive! This is real life, and it’s pretty fabulous!” or some such.
I started expanding on that thought, and the next thing I knew, I had written a book called A Scream of Consciousness. Hard to believe, but this year marked its 10th anniversary. I reread the book from time to time, and it holds up pretty well. It’s about hanging onto that moment and remembering to live your life, paying attention. I was a pretty wise guy when I was writing that thing.
Speaking of anniversaries, today is the ninth anniversary of The Imaginary Revolution, a novel I released on Bill of Rights Day, because I wanted it to mark the day we celebrate one of those moments when people triumphed over government instead of the other way around, when people said, “Hey government, here’s a list of things YOU CAN’T DO.” Of course, government has done stuff on the list anyway, time and again, since that fateful day, but at least we have the list to remind us all of its crimes.
Marketing and self-promotion don’t come easily to me, and so I can go weeks without reminding you that I have books for sale out there, either books I have written or vintage books I have dressed in modern clothing and sent out to find a new generation of readers. Let this moment be one of those rare reminders. And hey, just in time to seek one or more out as the perfect Christmas gift for your loved one.