California Writer's Group Google Group

Travelers' Tales

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:46:46 UT

My father, God rest his soul, told me once that when economies fail
you've nothing to lose; write a book about it. He, of course, was
harking back to his own poetic journey after getting out of the army
in the Second World War. He enrolled at Iowa--initially as a
veterinarian but could deal with scapels and disections. He found his

Yes, its Been a While

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:51:33 UT

You might've gotten an email from some loser posting links to nude
starlets or yet another email about some idiot selling crappy jewelry
in the Middle East. My apologies. I'll be sure not to let it happen
again.

T.A.M.

Updates, Etc.

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:18:01 UT

Okay, okay, so it's been a while. I've been busy--we've all been busy.
But that doesn't mean we haven't stopped writing about our experiences
in California. So why not give an update on yourself?
Me, I'm now merely hours (it's more like a week) from signing a
contract with a literary agency in NY. Pretty stoked about that.

Little Piggies

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:11:42 UT

Talk about meltdown! Britney yanks the clippers from the stylist's
hands and pulls a Squeaky Fromme right there in front of the cameras!
A shot heard round the world? You betcha. Now she looks like K-Fed
(which is disheartening).
Seriously, man, it's another example of what happens when you skip a
day on your meds; the crepuscule of her career--and you're still in

The Foil of Dryline Rhapsody

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:39:44 UT

Okay, so it's another January of your life. Now would be a great time
to dust off that laptop and work on that book you started.
Yeah, I'm writing. I've been forcing rewrites of a number of projects,
including a couple of screenplays, and have updated my blog, as well as
blocked out some revisions to my manuscripts. This is my year, damnit!

And How Was Your Year...?

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 20:04:24 UT

...And what do you hope to accomplish in '07? Personally, I'm going to
publish--either North of Here or Rain On White Camellias or Dryline
Rhapsody.
Meanwhile, I wonder if you've ever done this: Take out a piece of paper
(or open Word) and list the goals you wish to accomplish in 3 months, 6
months, and the next 12. They can be anything. They can be realistic or

Need Support

caroldenise2...@yahoo.com (caroldenise2002@yahoo.com) — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 05:49:40 UT

I am a people person who derives much pleasure from writing informative
topics that will enlighten others. When my end result ends up
controversial, I see the many restrictions that do exist on American
Writers. My goal is to help and if helping others means putting my self
out there, then so be it.

November Rain

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:36:55 UT

If you're just joining us, this is the California Writer's Group. If
you haven't joined us yet, you should. We're looking to grow, we're
looking to reinvent contemporary fine fiction, we're looking to
redefine California writing. I know you're out there. You know you're
out there. You've been looking for a home or at least a corner into

October Light Redux

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 23:00:04 UT

The sun rose this morning and was blood red behind the tremendous smoke
cloud that's covering the region as of late. They're saying it's arson
that's blazed more than 20,000 acres in less than a week's time over in
Esperanza. Frankly, people, I don't see how this is entertainment.
When you live in southern California there are many seasonal truths,

Jesus Gave Me the Day Off, Film At 11

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:56:33 UT

Man, if there every was a case where truth was stranger than fiction it
was this past weekend at a place called Mother's Kitchen.
Mother's Kitchen is a kind of organic supermarket. Some of the stuff in
there is so amazingly organic-seeming that I'm certain if given time
and patience, they'd get up and leave.

October Light

t.andrew.mor...@gmail.com (The Real Dean Oakland) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:07:32 UT

I was saying the other day that every October I re-read Christopher
Isherwood's Berlin Stories, specifically the short novel, The Last of
Mr. Norris. It really does read well in the October light.
Isherwood, of course, lived in Santa Monica later on in his life. He
was a screenwriter for a time, as well as a novelist. He was born in