Joe repairs homes. With each job, he enters the bathroom, crawlspace—and the soul. Revealing a life. Or changing it.
New Year’s Eve in 2010, on an impulse I started a blog called "365 Jobs: Notes from the building trades, in search of the humane…”
New Year’s Eve in 2010, on an impulse I started a blog called "365 Jobs: Notes from the building trades, in search of the humane…”
To my delight, a small community began following the blog. Now I’m hoping to expand that community by publishing a book that will reach a wider audience. I hope you’ll join me in the endeavor. The book will consist of 99 "tool belt tales" from the blog—rewritten, improved, buffed to a shine.
Here's a sample chapter: Screwdriver, Melted.
Here's a lighter sample: Marmalade.
Here's another sample: Woodpeckers.
I’ve been self-publishing since before it was cool—starting in 1973. After two self-published novels and one book of poetry, I had six novels with major publishers through the 1980's and 90's. Now I’m indie again, right back where I started, and it feels like home.
A couple of blogs have described this 99 Jobs project as "blue collar writing," which might be a put-down in academic or literary circles, but it's a label I'll wear with honor. To me, "blue collar" means craftsmanship, tough labor, and taking pride in what you make.
