Coffee Novelist

I don’t write about coffee, I write about what coffee does. How it collects us, unites us and affects us.

The tale of two Starbucks green aprons I am reading “How Starbucks Saved my Life” by Michael Gates Gill with great interest and a good deal of empathy. I am marking Starbucks 50th anniversary by attempting to read other books on Starbucks that focus on the baristas, and not the business. My novel, Tripio, does …

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A reasonable question “Are you mad at Starbucks?” My editor asked me over the phone. He had just finished reading an excerpt from Tripio. I had sent him an excerpt from in middle of Tripio. He offered that it had been his experience in editing that writers most often refined the beginnings and ends of …

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“I will then let the first few versions of the novel tell me what it wants me to do from there.” -me If you leave comments in comment boxes then read on. I recently left a few lines in the comment box of a writer’s post. See above. The post itself explored the author’s method and …

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“I’m sittin’ in first class and they can all kiss my ass, ‘cuase I’m goin’ back baby, back outta world.”         In Tripio, the protagonist Jay is writing his first novel. It is a road book. One of Jay’s literary heroes in Tripio is Jack “That’s not writing, that’s typing” Kerouac. It is in character …

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        In Tripio, the protagonist Jay is writing his first novel. It is a road book. One of Jay’s literary heroes in Tripio is Jack “That’s not writing, that’s typing” Kerouac. It is in character for Jay to have attempted his first novel based on the two month road trip he had taken as part …

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“Have you looked into getting it to a publisher?’ “Tripio. The book?’ I responded. Howard appeared to be not overly concerned with my book sales. ‘Oh, yea early on. But I found the process to be too much like looking for a job. Like sending out countless resumes…and crossing your fingers. I have had enough …

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“You know the store where Tripio takes place is gone now?” I asked Howard next. I had no idea why. “Oak Park?” He looked back from the street to meet my eyes. ‘No. The one on the corner of Diversey, Clark and Broadway. Dickens is stll there, though.’ “I thought you lived in Indy“ “I …

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HOWARD BEHAR AND I ‘TALK’ AT A STARBUCKS “You know the store where Tripio takes place is gone now?” I asked Howard next. I had no idea why. “Oak Park?” He looked back from the street to meet my eyes. ‘No. The one on the corner of Diversey, Clark and Broadway. Dickens is stll there, …

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Kevin Knox answers another of my questions Question-In the blogosphere, Starbucks seems to be an easy target to hate on for easy clicks. It tends to bother me. Does it bother you? Or is it deserved? Kevin’s Answer-I think most of the criticism is uninformed. Howard Schultz deserves enormous respect on the business side (along …

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“Well, I can’t chicken out now. I can’t use an easy excuse. “You must do the things in life you think you cannot do“. Eleanor Roosevelt. That quote. That quote stayed with you all the way through Tripio. You had so many chances to quit. Why didn’t you? Honestly, because you couldn’t. What the hell …

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