The Monkees in the form of a fake Archie Cover.

Snuck out the 5th & 6th juror flashback short stories from my ongoing serialized DUTY CALLS novel this week! Starring a donut maker & a locksmith whose tales kinda/sorta/maybe cross, along with the usual overlapping DC locales and JLC wordplay nonsense. Enjoy! books2read.com/b/donuts

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 11: Tropes My faves are meeting/avoiding a past self & do-overs of the same scenes in new timelines.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 7 (I have a cheeky habit of not naming characters and lean into the mystique here…) I’d never heard of the guy, but being a good assistant I offered an introductory handshake. “Pleased to meet you. I’m—” “No names,” the redhead whose name I didn’t know interrupted.

Did my 2021 novel L EXTREME predict (or inspire) #ConformityGate ? Stranger things have happened… “C reached for the L, and this time Benji let him take it. He turned the card upside down…” (I don’t believe in coincidences. Not anymore.)

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 3: deal When Local Gal added a speedily finger picked solo it got transcendental, and her lyric about the king of hearts was like dealing off the bottom of the deck—it couldn’t possibly be this good if you weren’t cheating. (She’s covering “Love Buzz” ala Nirvana in 1969)

#5albums25 1. Stick — Jim Bob 2. Thank the Lord…It’s The Pink Stones — The Pink Stones 3. Sea Pipes — Sea Pipes 4. Last Missouri Exit — Case Oats 5. The Little Ones — James Felice HM: Mason Jennings, Jon Lindsay, Lemonheads, Arthur Buck, Jens Lekman

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 27: gift That free wheel threw a wrench in our baby naming plans. Only book I’d read as much as Timely Persuasion was the masculine half of the alphabetical set of suggestions my mother sent as a not so subtle wedding gift.

#ArtistFaveXmas “It’s Time To Have A Merry Christmas” by Benji Hughes 🎶 🎄There’s a tree in my house and it’s covered with lights. I was in the shower singing Silent Night… 🎄🎶 m.youtube.com/watch?v=55Na...

#ArtistFaveXmas “Run Away With Me” by Jens Lekman 🎶 What are you gonna do on Christmas Eve? Please don’t spend it with your family… 🎶 m.youtube.com/watch?v=6rhM...

My 3 favorite books read in 2025, with big thanks to @percivaleverett.bsky.social @mrjimbob.bsky.social @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social for their entertaining words of wisdom. shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...

#TimeTravelAuthors (watching cartoons in 1970) Fred & Velma found Daphne in a secret room—but she was bait and it was a trap! Scooby & Shaggy accidentally set them free, then accidentally tricked the non-ghost into being captured using a train, some firecrackers and a skateboard. Mystery solved!

These 3 will make my #5albums25 list, with about 10 others in contention for the last 2 slots. Stick — Jim Bob Thank the Lord…It’s the Pink Stones — The Pink Stones Last Missouri Exit — Case Oats

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 13: far Charm will only get you so far, but when the revolving door of time travelers keeps spinning you’d best hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 5: fantasies Local Boy’s fantasy is getting married and having two kids as another time traveler (and a thinly veiled “novel” from the future) predict — but he’s so worried he’ll screw up the timeline it’s kind of a nightmare.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 1 I’m a sucker for a good parody poem. ‘Twas the night before Won One…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 17: Reading One character reads (and writes a chapter long critique of) the other novel in the read-in-any-order sequel/prequel/timequel series given to him by his older self and heavily annotated by another time traveler. (Sounds complex—and sorta is—but sorta works…)

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 11 Time travel happens via your mind, and in this song your mind flies… (Fitting for 11/11, aka “Won One” day!)

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 7: Sports There’s a reference to the 1969 World Series being tied at a game apiece (“Won One”) to passively establish the date, but I’m most proud of invoking a sports analogy to avoid writing a love scene.

Broadcast Today in Quantum Leap History: November 6, 1991 "The Wrong Stuff" Sam leaps into a chimpanzee in the space program whose life may be in danger if he's not selected as an "astrochimp." www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/episodeguide...

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 5: “meal” I wanted to casually check if that list was still stuck between the cushions of the rear seats, but I didn’t want to get my mustardy hotdog fingers all over everything. As a well mannered gentleman I intended to finish my meal before seeking my next clue.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 25 Excerpt with “back” “He removed a blank back page from the DJ’s numbered request list and jotted down a list of costumes.” One listed costume is a redheaded woman dressed as Benji Hughes. It’s from a different book, but has time travel. (I’m not that redhead…or am I?)

The committee they asked me to be the one to pick the song to draw today…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 23 I get annoyed by other so-called time travelers messing up my master plan, but consider them more annoyances than enemies. My only enemy is time itself.

Stop scrolling and post two characters who bring you happiness

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 21 As a time traveler I’m always rewriting someone’s story. The problem is how much I respect the written word, which makes me careful to rewrite history without rewriting the existing books. Keeping changes off the page is hard work. Cause & effect are relative terms.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 17 Some life advice I once left in an annotated copy of Timely Persuasion.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 15 “I gave you the book?” She clearly didn’t believe me, but mainly misunderstood. “You didn’t give it to me, but you gave it back with annotations.” Think it’s confusing to know you did something before it happens? In 2 days you’ll see the annotated advice I already gave…

Did a list for @shepherdbooks.bsky.social on sequels you can read out of sequence. shepherd.com/best-books/s...

I'm reading one of these and it's a wild trip!

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 13 The old man thinks I was his first wife, which is true. It’s unclear if he’s an older version of Local Boy or Local Boy’s son, but either way it’s still true (sort of)…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 11 Excerpt: “most” “I’d bet most of these clowns couldn’t tell a sonnet from a soliloquy if it bit them in the chivalry.” Redhead’s character commentary: Irony here is Local Boy is one of those clowns he refers to, but it’s still a good zinger. I know the difference.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 9 Despite cousin Jimmy thinking I have eyes for Local Boy, my favorite person in the story is myself. But if I can pull off what I intend to, it’ll be for my favorite person outside the story…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 7 Witnessing Paul McCartney’s death at the young age of 27 in a freak barnyard ram attack on his Scottish farm (and still remembering how it happened after undoing it even though he doesn’t) is high on the odd/weird spectrum.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 5 Though debatable if I’m the solution, the problem, an inciting incident, or all of the above—it’s very clear neither book would be the same without my influence.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 3 In Timely Persuasion I’m first heard leaving a message on an answering machine in 2001. In Done Gone I proposition Local Boy in person after a gig in 1969. But since you can read the books in either order AND I’m a time traveler, “first appearance” isn’t so straightforward…

Catching up on #TimeTravelAuthors Day 1! I’m known as “The Redhead.” Local Boy calls me Daphne since I remind him of the Scooby-Doo character. My real name is mentioned once in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it manner. In TP I’m the narrator’s young love, but in DG it’s 32 years earlier and more complex…

Just realized my first listen of the new triple Jeff Tweedy album was accidentally on shuffle and not in proper track order. Must’ve hit the wrong button in Spotify while running errands. 🤦

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 25 Local Boy Done Gone mostly takes place between 1969-1978, so we’re already ~50 years in the future. By the end of the book some events in the timeline have changed—hopefully for the better. One of those things is a record by a group called Kuco Mist…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 17 Billie Holiday died of an opium overdose during the musicians strike of 1942. Rumors of a government hit related to anti-lynching protest song “Strange Fruit” popped up in my research, but no reporter sourced definitive proof. #27Club

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 29: Is anyone late? Whenever the redhead drags Local Boy unknowingly and/or unwillingly on a trip through time, he arrives back home about a year late.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 25: Writing advice Two faves: 1. Use the gifts you give yourself. Characters & locations & items you’ve created earlier will help later. Don’t invent a new one-off if you can bring back something existing. 2. Removing “that” from a sentence makes it better 80% of the time.

Stick is my favorite Jim Bob solo album since Humpty Dumpty Thing (and his funnest record since Big Flash Car). “Our Forever Home” from Automatic might be his most heartfelt songwriting since “This Phoney War.” Nice double set from my all-time favorite lyricist.

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 23: restore Local Boy accepts a groupie’s invitation to her van after a gig in 1969. He hasn’t yet realized she drove him to 1994…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 21 A suspicious tan van pops up a few times in Timely Persuasion during significant events. We learn who drives it in Local Boy Done Gone. The van has ties to a hospital multiple time travelers in both books are associated with. Not exactly time police, but not not that…

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 19 In Timely Persuasion no character names are given so it’s all nicknames. (Narrator Blondie, girlfriend the redhead, bowling partner Bowlingus, sister “Sis,” young father Local Boy.) Done Gone continues this, but casually reveals real names in conversation here & there.

For anyone curious about the #QuantumLeap revival now on #Netflix -First episode isn’t very good -Second is much better -Third is terrific -Fourth ok but a step back -Remaining 27 episodes are fantastic with 1-2 stumbles. Equal or better than the original IMHO as a bigtime OG fan #TakeTheLeap

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 13: mess My son came to his senses, undoing The Local Boy Years to clean up those messes. Chronicled the whole story in that Timely Persuasion book the redhead annotated. (This sort of explains how DG is a read in any order sequel & prequel & sidequel & timequel to TP)

#TimeTravelAuthors Day 9: strong Math wasn’t my strong suit. Neither was trigonometry to paraphrase the great Sam Cooke, from a song title later borrowed by the great Louis Armstrong. Is stealing a title the same as stealing a song? Debatable, but I’ll let it slide since they’re both legends.

the best thing about panamaplaylists.com is Benji Hughes at the top of the Seth Myers list titled “Porch Jams”