Letters From Alcatraz ~ Book Cover

Letters From Alcatraz - Book Excerpt

I am excited to report that I have signed with Trafford Publishing and my first non-photography book should be released by March, 2010!

The photo that I am posting is the proposed book cover.

Y'all have been so very supportive during this process and I am so excited to leave you today with an excerpt from the book! Feel free to leave comments!

Letters From Alcatraz:

40 Years Later

05/15/07

Dear Tina,

I'm writing you today from my daughter's home in San Diego. I received a phone call from her day before yesterday informing me that she had kicked her husband out of the house. She was crying and I could hear my grandchildren in the background. I didn't know why she had kicked him out of the house, and she made no attempt to tell me, but I had the feeling that I should come down and try to help her through this difficult time.

Last night Isabella told me that she had caught Michael cheating on her. It wasn't just a suspicion, or a telephone number in his wallet, but she had actually caught him. She came home early from work and found Michael in her bed with another woman.

As a father I wanted to track him down and beat the living hell out of him, but as a man all I could think was "what a dumb ass...he can't even cheat right!"

Of course I told Isabella that she deserved better than that and if he couldn't be faithful then he wasn't worthy of her love. But inside, I wanted to tell her something all together different. I wanted to tell her that his cheating had nothing to do with her. I wanted to tell her that she should give him a break and realize that he was just doing what men do; acting on male instinct. We are born with an uncontrollable instinct that tells us to merge with the opposite sex.

I have often wondered if monogamy is at all natural. How could anyone be expected to find a single mate and stay with that one person for the remainder of their lives?

I realize that I go back and forth on this, but I think my stand on the issue varies depending on what I'm feeling on any given day.

It's the same old problem that I have dealt with my entire life. Loving one person, but still having the need and desire to experience pleasure with another.

I wanted to tell Isabella that the fact that he took pleasure with another woman has absolutely nothing to do with his love for her. I wanted to make her understand how a man thinks.

This was my opportunity to share with Isabella a part of myself. To help her. To give her information that most people, or more importantly, most women, don't get. I could have sat her down and explained how I have learned why I do the things I do. I could have told her about my own struggles. I could have explained to her the love that I have for her mother and the amazing marriage that we have had, yet I never stopped indulging my own sexual urges. Maybe that would have helped Isabella understand her own husband. But I did not.

I feel that I have done my daughter a great dis-service. I could have spoken to her as a man to a woman, but I did not. Instead, I spoke to her as a father to a daughter. I attempted to build her up by knocking Michael down. I told her he was immature and didn't understand how his actions affected the lives of others. I told her that she deserved better than a cheating husband that would allow another woman into their bed. I even went as far as to use a Dr. Phil line...I actually told her that you don't solve marital problems by going outside the marriage. As I said those words I wanted to kick my own ass! A man doesn't necessarily cheat because there are marital problem! Dr. Phil should know that!

So, in closing, I screwed up. I'm going to stay here a few more days and spend time with the kids. If I grow a set large enough to tell Isabella the truth about men I will let you know!

C.J.

On Break ~

Because You Asked ~

People ask me all the time "Why don't you ever post pics of your husband?" In fact, I'm asked that so frequently I'm beginning to think most of you wonder if he exists or not. Truth of the matter is he doesn't exist...HAH! Just kidding!

David avoids the camera at all costs. Sometimes I will try to snap his picture when he's not paying attention, but he always catches me and makes sure I don't get a good shot. Being married to him is a nightmare for a photographer. Unless we're on vacation somewhere then he wants no part of it.

The photo that I'm posting today was shot at Orange Beach. My brother had my camera and David didn't have a problem letting him snap this.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm the only one that David won't let near him with a camera. I wonder what that means?

I Resolve....

It's rather funny how we get all geared up for Christmas; spending weeks shopping, wrapping, cooking, shipping and mailing out Christmas cards. Then, the moment Christmas is over we all start pondering what our New Years Resolutions will be.

Oh, there's the usual... lose weight, spend more time with the family, make more money, but have you ever wondered why we set ourselves up for failure like that? I mean, really? Do we need January 1st to be the day we decide to improve our lives? Shouldn't we be doing that every day? I am not one to make New Years Resolutions, and this may surprise some of you, but this year I am! So, what will my resolution be?

I resolve that in the year 2010 I will not only finish my first novel, but I will publish it before the year is over! Do you think I may be aiming too high? Possibly, but here's the thing: Two years ago I began working on this project (if not on paper, then at least in my head). I have managed to write the story beginning to end, but that's where I left it. When it came time to make changes I walked away from it and it's still sitting on my desk. And...what's a novel if it never leaves the comfort of my desk?

Very few people are even aware that I have been working on this project and you may be wondering why is that? I have kept quiet about this because once you put it out there it's expected that you will finish it. Ah Ha! Now this New Years Resolution thing is making sense! If I tell people about my book then perhaps they will hold me to the fire! Now I will have to finish it! The way I see it is like this: We may all have the best of intentions, but if you're the only one that knows what your intentions are, then it seems rather easy to disappoint ourselves (Hey, I never said my rationalization made sense). However, when we think we may be disappointing other people we tend to put forth our best efforts. So my dear friends, there you have it! I'm telling you what my New Years Resolution is so YOU can keep me on track!

Best wishes to all of you for a very happy 2010!

Where Have I Been?!

One would easily assume that being retired would offer one an abundance of free time! That's what I thought, but have found out that it's just not true. Even I am amazed that it has been nearly a month since I wrote in this blog! The days, weeks and months are flying by and every day seems to offer another challenge. Add in the holidays, and voila, time becomes a precious commodity.
So, where have I been? Well, since my last entry I have been to Franklin Tennessee and Tupelo Mississippi. I have spent countless days shopping, wrapping Christmas gifts, sending out Christmas cards and maintaining a household. I have no idea how I managed to get these things accomplished when I worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Add in Holiday decorating, chatting with friends on Facebook, turning people into Elves (YES! Who doesn't love Photoshop?!) and shooting photographs for a photography challenge, and there you have it! Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into a month, and I realize I'm still running behind!
I am posting two photo's today. The first was shot specifically for a photo challenge and the other photo was shot during a shoot back in October. I received a request from the model asking me if I could turn her into an Elf! Why, Yes! I can!