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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Goodreads Author

Born

San Francisco, The United States

Website

http://www.jeffreymanderson.com

Genre

Fiction, Mystery, Music

Member Since

November 2014

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Jeffrey M “Jeff” Anderson was born in San Francisco, California and spent his childhood just north of there in San Rafael, playing baseball, riding his bike and trying to avoid going to Russian school on sunny Saturdays—and in California that was most Saturdays. Jeff’s mother, a registered nurse, was born in Harbin, China to White Russian parents, hence Russian school. His father was a first generation Swedish/Norwegian businessman. As a youngster Jeff learned to hide his Russian background: this was the height of the cold war, the evil Russkies had their missiles aimed at us and several homes had bomb shelters with tell-tale breather pipes poking up from their front lawns. But occasionally his all-American mask slipped. Like the time he go Jeffrey M “Jeff” Anderson was born in San Francisco, California and spent his childhood just north of there in San Rafael, playing baseball, riding his bike and trying to avoid going to Russian school on sunny Saturdays—and in California that was most Saturdays. Jeff’s mother, a registered nurse, was born in Harbin, China to White Russian parents, hence Russian school. His father was a first generation Swedish/Norwegian businessman. As a youngster Jeff learned to hide his Russian background: this was the height of the cold war, the evil Russkies had their missiles aimed at us and several homes had bomb shelters with tell-tale breather pipes poking up from their front lawns. But occasionally his all-American mask slipped. Like the time he got laughed at for saying “moo-stash” for mustache. Or the meat pies, called piroshski, that were in his lunch box—one no doubt emblazoned with some all-American theme.
Teenagerhood in San Rafael was almost out of American Graffiti. In fact George Lucas started to shoot that film there. (Problems with the city forced Lucas to relocate 20 miles north to Petaluma). Jeff worked all sorts of odd jobs, watering, gardening, then shipping and receiving. Bought his first car and went off to college, not before the family relocated to what was to become known as Silicon Valley.
After college Jeff went to Europe. Lived in Paris at a Russian Institute, travelled extensively and met and fell in love with London and his future wife. Jeff got a lowly admin job in London but quickly worked his way into sales and marketing jobs in the shipping industry, first in London and then back in San Francisco. Throughout this time Jeff continued writing, mainly on long plane flights and spare nights in hotels. The ideas were bottled up inside but he could not find a controlled outlet for them that didn’t have the entire dam crack open and inundate the plot.
Jeff, his wife and two sons moved back to London in 2001 and Jeff started his own corporate finance company (he still runs it today). Still writing, but dissatisfied with the dense foliage of his prose, Jeff hit on writing a mystery and everything clicked. The forced discipline of keeping the plot plates spinning and the logical order in which characters are presented acted as a natural brake on his usual effusion of ideas. The first novel in the Jim Shalabon series developed slowly over many iterations.
Currently Jeff has two projects working their way toward publication. Black Widow Blues picks up the one strand of Little God Blues left unresolved. The core of BWB was originally part of an expanded version of LGB but the double climax and the book’s length—always a challenge for a first novel—meant a second novel made more sense. The other project is a departure, a bicycle trip through a mildly dystopian US. It sprouted up from a short story and refused to stop sprouting. Its working title is Devil May Care and it is out to beta readers. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Jeffrey M. Anderson There's different kinds of writer's block. If it happens during the writing of a novel the way forward is always with the characters. I like to write …moreThere's different kinds of writer's block. If it happens during the writing of a novel the way forward is always with the characters. I like to write a scene from the point of view on a different, often minor, character.That usually sparks ideas. The characters will find a way.
I have been lucky to always have plenty of ideas for stories. My challenge is mainly with short stories, probably because I don't live with the characters as much. There I can get stuck for a concise what forward. I get around this, partly, by having several stories in progress at any one time.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Jeffrey M. Anderson My favorite writing advice is from Ray Bradbury: "don't think, write". What that means really is to write mainly from your subconscious. There is stuf…moreMy favorite writing advice is from Ray Bradbury: "don't think, write". What that means really is to write mainly from your subconscious. There is stuff going on down there that you don't know about, that you can't plan for or outline. This is what makes writing a voyage of self-discovery. You start to learn how your conscious mind is only part of your story. My other main advice to is write copiously, get feedback, then write more. Only through tons of writing can you find your true voice, and only through feedback can you learn the craft. I liken the entire process to a golf swing. If you've ever tried to learn golf you will know the twenty or so keys to a good swing--left knee flexed, balanced at the top, one-piece take-away etc.--that all has to be in muscle memory so you can worry about the creative factors like shaping your shot, the wind up in the trees, the grain of the green. Those latter factors are what you need to concentrate on in writing and that takes tons of practice. (less)

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Combine Editions
Jeffrey M. Anderson’s books

Average rating: 3.73 · 132 ratings · 40 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Little God Blues (The Jim Shalabon Playlist Book 1) 3.61 avg rating — 57 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Devil's Divide 3.73 avg rating — 30 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Black Widow Blues (A Jim Shalabon Mystery #2) 4.38 avg rating — 21 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Los Sueños Blues 3.46 avg rating — 24 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Jeffrey M. Anderson's Blog

The Slick and the Dead

There you are relaxing in the velvet cushions of your coffin when there’s a knock on the lid. Who? Never heard of you. What? A Lawyer? Damn, one of your dying thoughts was, Thank god, no more taxes, bureaucracy, call waiting, bullshit errands, spam, robocalls, doorstep mendicants and proselytizers. No more shrill demands for your attention; no more selling of anything, not even your soul to the de