Quote of the Day: Tuesday 4 June 2013: I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility; and my mother's father, who was always in trouble with gambling debts. Rupert Murdoch

My Luckiest Numbers

The luckiest numbers for me? It's a three-way tie. 232. 737. And 464. Just like P in the novel. Those were my numbers. The most unlucky? That's easy too. 1964. Every time I went to my storage unit, 4196, I would tell the clerk, "That's my birth year boxed. I was born in 1964." He would always tell me, "Then you should play it." Of course, I wouldn't because of something I told you on this bog before, I never win PLAY-4. Never. I won once on a quick pick boxed for 50 cents, but that's it. Nothing more. But very often after I went to unit 4196, that night in the PLAY-4, a boxed form of 1964 would play. But not if I played it! Noooo. It would never do that. Why should it? PLAY-4 hates me. But not CASH-3. I can't tell you how many times my lucky numbers hit in CASH-3. Yes, boy. I would put in a couple grand and then boom! I'd be rewarded for my patience with $500. A couple grand in: a mere $500 out. Lucky in CASH-3 my butt. Do the math. Thanks, Preston.

Quote of the Day: Monday 3 June 2013: Gambling is part of the human condition. I love it. I have the best time gambling. I've been winning fortunes, and I've been losing them. Jerry Lewis

Get help, Marquisa (Not her real name)

To Maquisa J. (Not her real name or initial). No. I do not gamble anymore. No. I do not think one can stop gambling with willpower alone. Yes. I do hope that you can get your gambling under control. Yes. It will destroy you if you don't. Yes. Pray for His help. Whatever it takes. Thanks. Preston

Quote of the Day: Sunday 2 June 2013: A weekend in Vegas without gambling and drinking is just like being a born-again Christian. Artie Lange

Quote of the day--Monday 20 May 2013: Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing for something.Wilson Mizner

How Many Drafts Does It Take Before the Book Is Done?

Q: Preston, you are known for revising a lot. How do you know when you have revised enough?

A: After I revise many times, my mind begins to worry about typos and other errors I may have missed. So I revise some more.

After I revise many more times, my mind says this is great, this is publishable, excellent! But then after a few days I get anxious about how reviewers like the NY Times or Publishers Weekly or even Black Voices and the Feminist Review will feel about the book. I worry that they may not like it because they think that I am saying something or implying something that I am not. So I revise some more.

After I revise many more times, I read the manuscript and my mind says, the book is saying what it has to say. The book is saying what it needs to say. The book is saying what you want it to say, Preston. You've done it, kiddo!

At this point, I cease to be concerned about reviewers because I am no longer concerned about getting a bad review.

This is not to say that I want a bad review, but that a bad review does not matter because the book has been polished to the point where it is taking a stand. Its message is clear--if you dislike it, you are disliking it because you dislike the message not because I have written it so poorly that you miss the message or that you cannot understand the message. I do not write to be loved, necessarily. I write to be understood.


Good Question

Preston

Jesus Can Help

Q:

Andre's letter

My friends are talking about their 401Ks and their retirement savings, and I am thinking I can have $170 in the bank if I don't eat lunch this week.

I am thinking that I will have to work well into my 70s.

I am thinking that I am helpless.

I am thinking that the gambling is killing me--has killed me.

Then I meet a friend who changes the way I think.

His name is Jesus.

Jesus says to me: You have a great job paying you 90K a year, which is a salary in the top 10% of American salaries. You have your health. You have some of your youth left, too. These are the things I have given you to help you survive and thrive and you are worrying about the things you have thrown away and lost. Those things are gone, Andre, because you used to be a fool. Do not think about them anymore. Think on these new things--the sun that rose today, the sweet air you breathe, your job that sustains you. Do not weep over spilled milk--pour yourself a new glass of milk and drink it lustily.

And I say to him: But I have so little and it is so hard.

And he says to me: The devil is a liar. You do not have so little. You have a lot. And it is not hard. It is easy.

And I say to him: There is no cure for this addiction. No matter how hard I try to stay away, I keep going back to the casino. No matter how much I have, or how much I will potentially have, the casino will eventually take it away.

And he says to me: The devil is a liar. The casino will not take it away. The casino has never taken it away. You give it away to the casino.

And I say to him: Either way, it is still gone.

And he says to me: Give your life to me for six months. Just six months. And I shall cure you of your addiction. And I shall fix your financial situation. Do you believe that I can?

And I say to him: I believe.

And he says to me: Then give your life to me.

And I give my life to him.

And I gave my life to him for six months.

Six months later, my addiction was gone.

Six months later, my finances were still dreadful but well on their way to being fixed.

Six months later, I wonder why I ever went to a casino in the first place.

Six months later, I counsel other gamblers who seek a way out.

The way out is Jesus.

Try Jesus.

Give your life to him now.

Andre** W*** B******** (Name Withheld)

_______________

A:Okay, Lord knows I cannot argue against any method that proves to be a successful cure for a gambling addiction. If it works for you, then good--and I have met many former gamblers who got back on the right track after they had turned to God. In fact, there are many times when GA reminds me a whole lot of the churching I used to do when I was a kid. In fact, if you replace the words "higher power" with the word "God," then most 12-step programs sorta kinda look like and act like church. I just wonder what happens to the people of other religions (Jews, Hindus, and Muslims, for example) who want to kick the habit.

So yeah, seek Jesus. Seek anybody who can help you beat this thing.

The Monkey on Our Back

Q:I thoroughly enjoyed the book All or Nothing. I was hesitant at first to read it when I saw what it was about.

I had an ex-husband that took me through the ringer, stealing from me, lying to me etc. as a Gambler will do (I see now from reading this book). I asked God ‘why did Preston pick this book’ and I questioned if I needed to learn something from reading it? Sooooooooooooo, I got into it, and now I’ve got a totally different outlook on addictions in general… I think we all have some sort of addiction; I know mine and I’m working to “get that monkey off my back!”

Thanks for sharing this book with me, it really was an eye opener. I look forward to reading other books written by you.

A: Thank you for these great comments!

As a writer, I feel "worthy" when I sense such a profound grasp of the book and its purpose on the part of my readers.

I don't know about other addicts, but gamblers are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. For many of them, their only flaw is that big, ugly 500 lb monkey on their back. One of the worst things about gambling addiction is how it destroys the lives of these otherwise nice people, and you feel so helpless--like there is nothing you can do to help them.

When I watch movies set in the old west and I see all those casinos, I feel kinda sad for the people who frequented them. It is the same addiction today as it was yesterday.

Only the faces change.

Thanks,

Preston

Are You a Novelist?

Q: Enjoyed Jesus Boy, but all or Nothing is still my favorite. The book is sad but it cracks me up. Now that you have published Jesus Boy, your fifth novel if we count your self-published work, do you consider yourself still a short-story writer who writes novels or are you now a novelist who writes short-stories?

A: All of the above. LOL. Seriously, I still write a geat deal of short stories every year; in fact, I have two collections that I am hoping to shop soon.

Thanks,

Preston