… ARE YOU MAD?

Being a writer, I constantly overuse “…” in my drafts in order to get across a point about the dialogue of a scene. This, of course, extends into my emailing, texting and social posts. It wasn’t until one of my daughters responded to an ellipsis and asked if I was mad at her did I realize that she had a completely different meaning for the punctuation mark.

To younger generations, “…” means that you are… ANGRY!!!

… MAD! Not crazy mad, but angry, Angry Bird angry, pissed off or just plain upset. Never in a million years would this have crossed my mind but, hey, I’m getting old. What’s worse is that I’ve also found out that the symbol has been in use for over ten years now. Now all the “…” in Donald Trump’s tweets make sense. Even he knew!

My first instinct was to refrain from using the symbol at all, but now I’m considering a more productive alternative. I could throw them into every email to my boss because he won’t know what they mean, yet anyone else copied on the email that’s under 30 would get the joke. You know, a nice subversive way of sticking it to the “The Man”. Or I could start writing an angry political column focused on younger adults and use an ellipsis in every sentence. Who knows, maybe it will start a whole new movement, or maybe even…

There I go again. Oh well, I think I’ll just keep using them everywhere in order to keep the younger generation on their… toes.

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Title of my Next Book

The name of my next book is “The Zero Sum Conclusion”. I’d love to hear what you think that means. Think 50 years into the future

Reverend Jed: Memories of a Madman

There was a nice article in my college town newspaper about Brother Jed and my college days.

Here’s an excerpt:

And if entertainment executive/author TOM LOPINSKI (left) hadn’t crossed paths with one JED SMOCK (right) during his years at the UI (off and on, 1976-81), his most recent novel would have one less colorful character.

For the Georgetown-born Lopinski, now director of music licensing for the Disney/ABC Television Group, the most memorable campus personality wasn’t a coach or a professor but rather a preacher — though not the traditional presiding-over-Sunday-services variety.

“Reverend Jed entertained students every spring and fall with his fiery sermons and a relentless desire to save us all from ourselves,” Lopinski says. “I spent many an afternoon sitting on the campus grass watching a crowd form around him as he spun tales about spiritual enlightenment and captured our hearts. He ignored the subtle slurs, constant giggling behind his back and in-your-face direct rebukes that followed him everywhere… READ MORE

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-06-27/part-35-answering-phones-ubben-keeping-kam-safe-run-ins-reverend-jed.html

What Girls Really Think!

Hello,

Instead of the normal boring book trailer, my girls and I created a short comedy piece to bring a smile to your day.

Please watch the Lopinski triplets talk about “The Art of Raising Hell” in their own special way.

Take a look:

Best Damn Coffee In The World

I recently spent two weeks in Peru tromping through the jungle and climbing mountains higher than any sane person should climb, but the thing that impressed me the most was their coffee.

It was so smooth and rich that I’m finding it hard to drink the watered down mush we drink here in the States. Someone please tell me how to find a coffee maker/press that will duplicate their local brew.

The Art of Raising Hell – Book Release

Hello Folks, I am proud to announce the official release of my second novel “The Art of Raising Hell” through Dark Alley Press. It’s a coming of age story about small town teenagers who learn to chase after life instead of being chased by it. The paperback and ebook are available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Smashwords, and other venues. I plan on having an audiobook available sometime in July for those of you who prefer to listen to books. Feel free to post reviews online and spread the word to your friends, neighbors, people you meet on the streets, you name it. I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve Been Featured…

…on BooksDirect.com.

Check it out!

http://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-art-of-raising-hell-by-thomas-lopinski.html

Best Beta Reading Buddy In the World

I thought I should take a break from the subject of raising hell and write about something that is more important than any blog, book or idea to a writer: the perfect beta reader. Every writer needs beta readers to review their work, discover the holes in their plots and give back unbridled criticism about what works and what doesn’t. If you can find someone who reads everything you give them and provides wonderful feedback, then you’re doing pretty well. If he happens to be one of your best friends, then you’ve hit pay dirt!

Read more…