This issue features my interview with The Book MAsh, how I'm using a Bruce Hornsby album in another writing project, some thoughts on baseball's opening day, and upcoming events.

In the mid 1980s, Laura is a young programmer determined to prove herself in a male-dominated industry. She thinks she's found a golden opportunity when she gets a job creating a revolutionary new software program for the innovative Commodore Amiga computer.

Thirty years later, Laura deals with family and career problems when the Amiga—and an old flame—re-enter her life. Laura must face a past she wants to forget, including when that golden opportunity took a dark turn.

Find out what happens in Amiga. You can buy it wherever books are sold, and it's available on Kindle Unlimited. 

If you've read one of my books, please post an honest review. Any number of stars will do. (I'm serious. I'm not one of those authors who go after reviewers who post less than five-star reviews. Besides, if you don't have any one-star reviews, you don't have enough reviews.)

It's the number of reviews that push books through online bookstore algorithms. For indie authors like me, reviews are vital. So, let readers know what you think. I appreciate your help.

Speaking of Amiga, I talked about the book with Miranda and Ashleigh of The Book MAsh podcast. We discussed my experience as a vocational author, how I use author feedback, and the role Commodore computers play in Amiga and my work in progress, Escape from Arzack's Castle. You can read the interview on their website.

Music plays an important role in my writing. I create a playlist for every novel, and I fit an inspirational song into my work-in-progress, Escape from Arzack's Castle. Music also plays a role in my latest writing project, a personal essay about a pivotal time in my life.

It recounts my four-hour daily commute between Reseda and Irvine when I started working at AST in the fall of 1986. Music kept me company during those long drives. One of my favorite cassettes was The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby & The Range. The first four songs of album formed the foundation of my essay.

For each song, I describe what was going through my head at the time as I listened to it. 1986, like my other six years, was a time of upheaval. The same weekend my dad died, the company I was working for announced they could no longer cover payroll. I had already seen the warning signs and had been applying for technical writing jobs wherever I could find them. AST in Irvine was the company that hired me.

One of the user guides I wrote at AST in the late 1980s.

Staying in the rules of fair use, I don't include copyrighted lyrics in my essay. But the exact words aren't nearly as important as the feelings the songs evoked, as in this example from Bruce Hornsby's best-known track from the album:

Traffic began backing up as “Mandolin Rain” played. After thinking about my last visit with Dad, the song’s melancholy and mourning seeped through to my bones. 

I wondered if this AST job was Dad’s way of forcing me to follow his advice. If I left Reseda to move to Orange County, I’d have to move Mom somewhere near me so I could continue to check on her. She wanted to be as independent as her disability allowed. Randy also wanted to strike out on his own. For seven years, I thought I was being a good son and brother by taking care of them. Perhaps I was holding them back as much as myself.

I titled the essay after the fourth track, "The Long Race." As I describe it in the essay:

That was when “The Long Race” played. After the sorrow of “Mandolin Rain,” this was a song of encouragement and determination. It reminded me I was at the start of my own long race, a road of uncertainty heading towards an unknown destination.

In time, I relocated to Orange County where I met my wife and started a family. My essay gives me a look back at how it all started and how my determination to succeed won out over fear and uncertainty.

This project is my submission for the anthology published by the Mission Viejo Library, which is home to the writing group I'm a member of. They gave me good feedback on the first draft, and I'm resubmitting my revision for their evaluation at the next meeting.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, and I hope "The Long Race" is included in their anthology. 

Today starts one of my favorite times of the year, baseball season. 

In our family, we consider baseball an heirloom. My grandfather introduced baseball to my mom when she was growing up in Cincinnati. When the family moved to Los Angeles, she switched her allegiance to the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League, and then the Dodgers when they came here. That was the team I rooted for when I was growing up as I watched Don Sutton, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Davey Lopes.

I introduced my family to baseball through Little League. Twenty years ago, I managed my son's Single A team, which was coincidentally the Dodgers. He didn't like playing the game at the time, but he's since become an even bigger Dodger fan than I am!

When you look at baseball's traditions, its idiosyncrasies, and its cross-generational appeal, you can see why it has inspired many writers and other artists. But this year, baseball meets much deeper needs.

When our future seems uncertain, baseball provides certainty. The same 162 games. The same 9 innings. The same balls and strikes. 

When we find ourselves at each other's throats, baseball offers community. We can set aside our differences, put on the jersey and cap of our favorite team, and gather in a stadium, sports bar, or living room to cheer and groan together. We can brag about our wins, complain about our losses, and heckle our rivals.

When horrible news constantly attacks us at all angles, we can set the world aside for a few hours and allow ourselves to have fun.

With everything going on right now, we desperately need baseball. It brings us together, gives us something to root for, and offers us a brief respite from chaos. Regardless of your favorite team, I hope you take some time for yourself to enjoy a game this season. Play ball.

If you love vintage computers (and novels about them), come to the Commodore LA Super Show the weekend of April 25–26 in Burbank. I'll share more about my experiences with Commodore computers and possibly give some previews of Escape from Arzack's Castle. 

Also mark your calendar for Saturday, August 22 for the Local Author Fair at the Fullerton Public Library. Information will be coming soon.

I'll have autographed books on sale at both events. I hope to see you there!

I've interviewed a number of authors including N.J. Mastro, Nicole Zelniker, Jann Alexander, Karen E. Osborne, Joseph Lewis, Bailey Johnson, and Lucy McLaren. Recently, I interviewed bookstore owner Lonnie Owens and school librarian Amanda Prosin.

If you are an author or someone associated with the book community who wants to be interviewed, send me an email to admin@matthewarnoldstern.com with the following information:

• Your name.
• A brief bio (100 words or less).
• Your books.
• What you would like to talk about in your interview.

By supporting each other, we can all grow!

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments and suggestions, feel free to email me at admin@matthewarnoldstern.com. 

If there is someone who you think would enjoy this newsletter, pass it along and encourage them to subscribe. A simple subscription form is on my website.

I'll be in touch again next month with more news and content.