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About J.A. Willoughby
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Blog postFrom the opening scene of Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice, the first voice we hear is the sound of Ms. Ronstadt's. She narrates the entire film, beginning to end. The words are hers, and the delivery very much an unscripted, conversational one. I have had a long on again / off again relationship with Linda - one that she knows absolutely nothing about. Like most music listeners around the world, I discovered her on the radio - not in the very early days of her career, but later in her Cub
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Blog postHybrid Ice: Fifty Years - A Rock Band's Official Birthday - May 1, 1969 Over the course of the history of the world, fifty years - a half century - is not a long time. It is a significant portion of time of a human's lifespan, however. And since our lives are so finite and sometimes parochial, I believe it is worthy of mention - under certain circumstances - when those boundaries are met or exceeded.In spite of spending the majority of my adult life onstage, I have never been one to seek the spo
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Blog postIt occurred to me while I was riding my Cub Cadet, cutting the grass and listening to the Beatles’ White album playing in my earbuds. The time was a day in August, 2013. “What if,” I thought, as I made another pass around the pool, “The Beatles history hadn’t gone down like it did? What if some things had been altered, changing key events in the band members’ personal lives and band history? What if they never got famous and led the British Invasion?” Then, my life would different, too.The subje
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Blog postA variation of fried rice is taking the Asian world by storm and creating a shortage of garlic and plain bologna in local shops here in the US."They can't get enough!" says Danville PA native,J.A. Willoughby. "I mean, it was just a lunch experiment for me. I was hungry. I just threw some leftovers together. I never thought it would come this!"The localauthorand musician posted a "food porn" photo of his creation on Facebook and it went viral. The dish is made of str
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Blog postMy second non-fiction release in 2018, and it is another primary source book from the Civil War era. The other book, "Gone But Not Forgotten," is a book about a distant cousin of mine who wrote poetry and taught school in Pennsylvania during the Civil War, and was culled from her attendance record book. Both are previously unpublished works and are available in paperback only. From the back cover... "Two months after the attack at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, 18-year-old George
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Blog postMy cousin has a few words to say to the 21st century. Her epitaph is the title of our new book, "Gone But Not Forgotten"."Hello, My name is Katie McCracken. I am from Mooresburg Pennsylvania where I taught at seven different schools one-room from 1859-1877. I am truly delighted to be with you on National Teacher Day and Appreciation Week here in the United States of America! In my time, our country was painfully divided, North and South, and fought and lost so many young men on bo
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Blog postIf you live in our region here in Pennsylvania, other parts of the United States and Canada, this image of a horse-drawn buggy clopping on the roads is a familiar sight. The Amish and their culture is everywhere. My family and other “English,” as they call us who are not of their faith, have had eaten their baked goods and maybe even had their men folk work for us. Their language has also crept into our lives, as ours has into theirs – though out of pride, I doubt they would admit that. When I
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Blog postOkay, now that I’ve got your attention and hopefully a little intended laughter, let’s get serious about The Day on which the calendars say we should love each other, or at least profess to publicly – Valentine’s Day.I was asked once by a friend to give him some pointers on a relationship. My first thought was, “I am honored that you would think enough of me to ask for such personal advice.” What came out of my mouth was, ”That's cool that you asked me that, but I don’t give that kind of advice
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Blog postParents, this is my gift to you this Holiday Season.Chances are that your child is home or will be home for the Holidays, soon. Let this short bit of writing serve as a “gift” from me to you from ‘behind-the-scenes’ of your child’s educational process in college. Hopefully it is one PSA that you will take very seriously.Our digi-culture, by way of content on the web and social media, promotes sharing. That attitude leads to piracy (although we most often don’t refer to it in such bold terms) of
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Blog post“The Offlings” is the name of the First Book in the new MASQUE series by J.A. Willoughby and Rebecca L. Willoughby. It is slated to be released on Amazon in Kindle format Halloween, 2017. The paperback will follow about two weeks later.This series is a supernatural psychological drama based heavily on fictionalized local historical detail as the setting is in the small fictional town of River Crest, Pennsylvania. The time is 1949 and this book focuses on Dr. Edwin J. Nichols, a troubled WWII Nav
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Blog postThe following is a composite interview (questions I have received from different sources and conversations I've had with people) about my DEATH SENTENCE! series and thelatest book in that series. Q: What is DEATH SENTENCE! ?A: DEATH SENTENCE is the name of my book series which is also the name of a fictional time travel reality TV show that broadcasts executions throughout history, LIVE as they happened. In the book, it is the most viewed show in the history of broadcasting and the time travel t
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Blog post"For me, I would rather read a good book, from a contented author. I don't really care what it takes to produce that." - Neil GaimanDeadline, schmeadline...I missed another one. It was to be “mid-July” for my latest book release, the second in the DEATH SENTENCE! series. The deadline was self-imposed, which doesn't make it less important than one that would be dictated to me, but does make it a bit more flexible -- since I am the one who also has to create the consequences for the lack
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Blog postCongratulations, graduates everywhere!Congratulations on your advancement and achievement in formalized education, whether it is through a home school program, high school, trade school, college graduations or online classes.Your formal education may end now, or go on to the next level for a higher degree or for personal enrichment. The educational process may or may not be complete, and your graduation day is over but your life experiences have just begun.The learning continues.Your generation
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Blog postI have had many people inquire about this seemingly unusual hobby I got into a number of years ago. As a result of their curiosity, I've had quite a few visitors over the years to "the Stukaworks" - my garage - and many more who have requested a visit. I can't accommodate everyone all the time so I decided to do something about it. First, I will tell you what this video series is not. It is not a regularly scheduled series, there is no timetable for programming. It is a hobby, after al
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Blog postAuthor’s Note: “The Toy Box Directive” is the second part of a two part Christmas story series. If you read the first part, “Two Christmas Toys,” you will have some background on the following.My sister and I shared a toy box when we were young. One of the reasons for that was that we didn’t have many toys. The other reason was that the house was small. But the first reason was the most telling; we didn’t have much.Our parents were ‘new’ parents of the blue collar type, post-WWII, Eisenhower era
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Blog postRecently, I got the idea to offer up to you, a few Christmas stories. Real Christmas stories, stories of my own, and not out of the Hollywood movies, carols, and cartoons you see or hear every year.You know the ones; the traditional favorites with the fuzzy animated reindeer with a light bulb for a nose, small-hearted ugly grouches who – yeah that one— and the little fat kid with a pathetically scrawny tree that everyone thinks is endearing, and the movie in black and white that gives that guy a
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Blog postI never seem to be short on stories to tell. Most of what I write is fiction which is based on life lessons or social commentary – allegories – much like Rod Serling did years ago with his Twilight Zone television series. Charlie Brooker does much the same thing today with the tech-heavy Netflix series, Black Mirror, a most remarkable and thought-provoking viewing experience and a favorite in this household.Following the old “truth is stranger than fiction” adage, I have had a few encounters lik
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Blog post"You don't write because you want to say something; You write because you have something to say."F. Scott FitzgeraldSuffice it to say that my writing is rarely frivolous, that is to say strictly for entertainment. When I take the time to sit and write, I usually have something to say, my short stories are allegorical and deal with a variety of societal and cultural issues, all wrapped up in a palatable and easy to digest story. No headbanging or ax to grind, I only want to make the rea
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Blog postTime is very important to me. Not just my time, but your time, as well. It is important to me because, despite what will go on for the rest of the universe over the next five billion years or so, our moments are finite. Time, therefore, becomes a precious commodity which stealthily winds its way through each of our lives inherently expending itself by way of what we create, share, watch, listen to, write, sing, tell, and think.With that in mind, I thank you, the reader, for indulging me in this
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Blog postFew people can argue that musicians, songwriters and other Creatives living in this era of music and artistic proliferation are at the bottom of the food chain supplying the needed creative "food source" for the hungry, corporate giants. The pay scale for the majority of streaming content is, well, a joke - a really bad joke that isn't at all funny. It wasn't always that way in the days of the record album, arena tours, and grandiose stage productions of rock bands' performances.Enter
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Blog postCreative works like art, photos, music, and writing, are not unlike offspring. They are, or were, once a part of us and then they make their way out into the world. Admittedly, this is not a new concept.“And now, once again, I bid my hideous progeny go forth and prosper. I have an affection for it, for it was the offspring of happy days, when death and grief were but words, which found no true echo in my heart.” - Mary Shelley, Author's Introduction (page 5), Frankenstein.Most of us who create f
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Blog post“You'll Ruin Your Eyes!”In their youth, Baby Boomers heard those words loud and clear. That parental exclamation was about a bright television display contrasting with the ambience of a darkened room. It was a real concern in the days of early television viewing.“You're sitting too close, turn on the TV light!” was another one as kids laid on the floor in front of the set, their heads propped up on their elbows. If you failed to heed that last and final directive, the set was turned off and your
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Blog postWhoa, team! Halt, Donner und Blitzen!“Is that a grouping of evil swastikas I see surrounding one of our most beloved, happy, generous and cheerful mythical figures??”“Why, yes, it is – swastikas that is. As for the 'evil' part, well - ”“Oh, so it must be fake, then. Someone is trying to make some political point and traumatize and confuse our children in the process!”“No, actually, it's authentic. And it is from an American newspaper dated December 18, 1924.”“Whaaaaaat?? How is that even possibl
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Blog postYou don't have to be a Glen Campbell fan or even a country music fan to appreciate the story and message behind I'll Be Me. Simply put, it's about losing someone, watching helplessly as what makes them a unique individual, someone close to you, disappears little by little each day.I'll Be Me, a documentary directed by James Keach (Walk The Line), is about the ravages of Alzheimer's disease and the toll it takes on the individual and the family and loved ones around that person.For those of you w
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Blog post("A Day For Our Veterans" was first published April 29, 2008)It was an unseasonably warm day for April and uncharacteristically bright and sunny as well. It was a perfect day for a road trip to our nation’s Capitol. I was one of many guests traveling with a group of Veterans on a bus trip to the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip was sponsored by the American Legion in Danville, PA and was open to any veteran of any conflict and one guest each. I went with my father who served
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Blog postMy wife and I have a longstanding tradition: “breakfast readings” that kick our brains into gear along with our morning coffee. These include magazine articles on science, literary, art and film interests, the dining section of the New York Times, and an occasionally, a full length book or short stories. And there is always an ongoing chess game and music playing in the background.I got the jump on the spirit of Halloween back in March of this year when I traded writings with artists/authors/mus
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Blog post"The irony of this spooky story is this: When Egg Hill Cemetery hosts unwanted late-night visitors, it’s the living who continue to haunt the dead." It's that time of year again, when supposedly spooky places draw the spookily curious - the "haunted" places here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Let's get this right up front: I am a non-believer in the "spooky" or anything supernatural, for that matter. That doesn't make me a non-curious person. And as a result of that
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Blog postEating is a necessity that doesn't always come in the best form when eating on the road. Having been a traveling musician for many years, I have ingested (and sometimes even digested) many meals out there somewhere. A solid 10-to-12 years on road was spent playing at playing clubs, concert halls, theatres, and other venues with my compatriots inHybrid Ice.Early on, most standard fare consisted of fast food places, a quick bite on the way to a new town, until you checked into the motel. It didn't
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Blog postUnless you were the first ancient ancestor of the human race to strike a bone on a log, imitate a bird's whistle, scratch charcoal drawings of animals on a cave wall, blow a pigmented fluid of spit over your outstretched hand on a rock or chipped away at a projectile point, you've got nothing on the next person, with regards to originality.As individuals, it is in our nature to look for something to which we can relate, explore it, embrace it, use it, possibly adapt it to suit or needs in a bett
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Blog postMany viable options here, as alternatives to getting sucked into the US government's burdensome and lifelong loan repayment program. Study abroad or online."The University of the People provides free online degrees. MIT and Harvard have created another option called edX, which provides free courses from UC Berkeley, Harvard, and MIT."http://allday.com/post/2257-move-to-these-10-countries-for-free-and-cheap-college
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Blog postSixth in this blog series of illustrations for my book, , is the illustration for “The Cure for Death,” a short story inspired by a crappy camera, a dream, three television shows, society’s need for consuming and mortality. Hmm, did I miss anything? Rewind your VHS decks to 1985. There, on the small screen, right before your eyes, is an amazing TV show written and produced by an amazing man named Steven Spielberg, with amazing big screen actors performing brilliantly in that little box on a show
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Blog postFifth in this blog series about illustrations for my book, , is the illustration for “The Spell of the Seven Stitches” written by my wife, Rebecca Lynn Willoughby.I like progressive rock, jazz and classical music, great food and craft beer. I enjoy fine wine and excellent Scotch, as well. Now, before you label me a gluttonous, alcoholic music snob, I don’t consume them all at the same time, okay? I spread their sensory delights out over time, enjoying what I can, when I can. Moderation, moderati
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Blog postFourth in this blog series about illustrations for my book, , is a photo I shot in 1985 in my hometown of Danville, Pennsylvania. I mated it with my short story, "The Last Time."The "beer caves" as they were known to the locals, were located on Spring Street, the home of Hanover Brewery - one of a handful of local breweries located in the town during the 19th and 20th centuries. This particular property morphed into Voelcker's, which is still in business today. You can read m
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Blog postThird in this blog series about illustrations for my book, , this beautiful texile artwork created by Stephanie Sweeley of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was paired with the short story, "The First Step". I received this magnificent piece in the mail sometime around 1997-98. It came shortly after I had finished and released my first solo album, Trojan Horse. Steph and her husband, Mark, have been long-time supporters of live music and were (and continue to be) fans of the band, Hybrid Ice
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Blog postIf a picture is worth a thousand words, then a book illustration ought to count for a few hundred. I will begin this blog series to give you the backstory on some of the illustrations I used or created for my new book."", beginning with this one.If you are not familiar with the historical account of Lady Margaret Pole's controversial execution in 1541 England, look her up. It's a fascinating tale and one that I parodied in my story, "A Beautiful Day for an Execution". In shor
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Blog postThanks for taking the time to look me up!This is home. Though you will still continue to find me on social media sites, such as Facebook, I will administer what I do from here. What you will see here is what I create: art, photos, graphics, music, writing and an occasional blog on what I've done and/or what I find interesting. A place to hang out and escape for a while, download some free photos, art, music or short stories. When complete, the links will take you to everything I do at: Cafepress
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Blog postThis Side of Center, is now available from CreateSpace, Amazon, and coming soon to online booksellers around the world. This Side of Center is a collection of 15 original stories, some co-authored and contributed by my wife, Rebecca L. Willoughby. The story writing, editing and creation of illustrations unique to the each story, has been a year in the making. Some stories were written almost 20 years ago. None have ever before been published.The book is now available in paperback with Kindle edi
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Blog postIf a picture is worth a thousand words, then a book illustration ought to count for a few hundred. The second image in this blog series gives you the backstory behind the illustration I used for the short story, "God's Work Is Never Done", from my new book."".The image I used in the book is that of an older digital photograph (from 2006) from my collection taken in the Rose Garden, a small, colorful and enjoyable place to visit in the summer. The Rose Garden, located in Bethl
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