Bryce’s Comments (group member since Jun 14, 2009)

Bryce’s comments from the Bryce Anderson group.

Hello all.

I wanted to post a link to the newly published "Finding Reason" (formerly published as "Body of Knowledge") in time for everyone to order some for presents for Christmas, should they feel so inclined. The link below has an offer in the lower right hand corner that will allow you to purchase a [signed, if you wish:] copy for $11.00 - which is $1 less than in bookstores, and shipping is free.

Here's the link:

http://www.bryce-anderson.com/Finding...

Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas.

Bryce

Yup!

My pleasure, and I've been wondering the same thing.

Most of the kinks have been worked out, and I'm still awaiting the publisher's official 'coming out' party. (Thank you for asking).

:)

I'm not sure where to put this, but I feel like it somehow belongs here. I just posted it on my profile (under Bryce's Writing), and also on my Facebook page. I'll place it here too.

The Clothesline

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that you will find it worth your while. I'll try to make it brief and to the point.

As many of you know, I spent this week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was really the first time I've ever left the borders of our own country. I was very struck by both the differences, and the uniqueness of what our country has to provide.

The streets of Sao Paulo (the world's 4th largest city) are not wide. Most are three lanes in each direction, but an abundance of motorcycles (constructed in the 70's) monopolize the 'lines' between the lanes, so what you're really dealing with is a 5 lane free-for-all, where, for some reason, motorcyclists believe that they ALWAYS have the right of way. I was told that Sao Paulo averages one cyclist dead per day. - I was personally impressed that this number was not near as high as I expected it to be.

Every day, I commuted roughly 8 miles, through the most rat infested, smelly, poorly maintained neighborhoods I have ever seen. I was told that "The Government takes care of the front of everyone's door to the middle of the streets"...I think you get the picture.

Running through the middle of Sao Paulo is what they call 'The River'. It is only a river in the sense that at one time it used to be liquid. It is a foul, horrid conglomeration of human waste, industrial waste, dead animals, and Lord knows what else. It's only color (besides a sludgish black) are the frequent blobs of yellow-brown foam that float on top, due to companies dumping their waste in it enough to churn the sludge into foam. Again, I think you get the picture.

As is typical of all major U.S. cities, homeless congregate underneath bridges, and often live there as they provide shelter from the elements.

On my final commute Friday morning, I noticed that, underneath one of the muck-infested graffitie'd bridges, wedged between a chain-link fence and the river of sludge, was a clothesline. On this clothesline were several pair of tank-tops, shorts, and underwear, hanging out to dry. The reason it hit me so hard was that the clothes were not that of an adult - most could have fit my four year old daughter Kyra.

For some reason, I had [ignorantly:] assumed that the homeless of the city were all adults.

I think we can all get the 'gist' of what I am grateful for this Independence Day.

How ironic it is that I returned on the 4th of July.

God Bless America.

Bryce

After carefully considering my agenda, I have decided this would be well worth my time, and I have decided to attend. :)

Totally agreed Jason - I'm not technically savvy enough to do that - but we are definitely getting it done very soon.

Thank you for that input Jason...I think...

{crying here} - great post Jason.

Bring it.

Laura - can you work out the details?

Thank you Wanda.

LIKE.

Very much my intent, Jason. (I like messin' with people's heads.)

I don't know if this counts as a 'spoiler' or not, but I want to answer one question that just about everyone asks me after they finish BoK: "Is it true?"

The fact of the matter is that almost everything in the book has happened to me at one time or another in my life. So, in that sense, this is somewhat of an autobiography. (There are a few exceptions.) The only thing in the book that is 100% fiction is that JP was never my neighbor, and I never knew him. In a very real way, he is the accumulation (mentally) of the five or six people I give credit to at the end of the book. They were really the ones that I 'interviewed' to find out how a genius would answer my questions. Feel free to get more specific if this didn't 'nail down' a specific scene in the book that you have a question about.

(I have a sly, irresistable sense of humor that no one seems to enjoy.)

Thank you for asking - and the answer is really quite simple: This is a very personal work to me. It is easiest for me to write about my own personal feelings. I many ways, this is an autobiography. As far as character names, the original text contained ALL my family's original names (again with the personal thing), and at the last moment, someone recommended changing the names of my kids for their own protection / privacy. And yes, this book was written pre- #4 -- which is kind of a funny story, but not really appropriate for this forum.

Removed from who I really am?? NEVER. (seriously). As Popeye stated: "I YAM WHAT I YAM." -- and to that I add: "...And I'm proud of who I yam."

I'm Bryce. I'm new here. What do I do now?