"I Am Richard Simmons" gets some Short Story Month 2011 love.

Big thanks to TBWCYL, Inc. favorite, This Zine Will Change Your Life contributor and This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastee BL Pawelek for showing "I Am Richard Simmons" some Short Story Month 2011 review love. Big thanks as well to the Matt Bell for the orchestration and to J.A. Tyler and the ml press for first giving this piece life. And now some excerpt.

"Richard Simmons was me? It was a radical thought which took me a few months to accept. For the same reasons of hope, love, transformation to something better… I thought I was Henry Rollins. Maybe I can be both. Maybe I can be Ben Tanzer too."

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Nine - Gigantic and Massive. Redux. And Re-Release.

You say you want you some J.A. Tyler, but you don't know where to get it? How about right here, and right now, on the Episode Nine? Sweet.

Metrics. Shout-outs. Mass love. Or if you prefer, a Fire Sale Week One Wrap-up. Well, that and the Rules of Fire Sale.

There has been one week of Fire Sale. We have changed lives and we have sold books, ten alone to the awesomely attractive crew at Dispatch Litareview. The video has been watched almost 300 times on YouTube, the Fire Sale post at Orange Alert has been visited almost 400 times and there have been endlessly heartwarming shout-outs from our newest and bestest friends at HTML Giant, Dogzplot, Hambone's Heartache, Modern Confessional, Moondoggy's Pad, No More Hot Lunches for Eddie Socko and ML Press. We are much appreciative for all of the support, but before we go we just want to be sure we are clear about the rules of Fire Sale. The first rule of Fire Sale is ,you do talk about Fire Sale. And the second rule of Fire Sale is, you DO talk about Fire Sale. Any questions? Cool. And as you were.

How about a Deckfight Bosworth Ross mash-up with a nice dollop of love for I Am Richard Simmons? Well that, and a ml press {first year} shout-out?

We thought this might be your cup of tea. And here's what we have. The most excellent Deckfight gave the always well bearded Mel Bosworth a the chance to riff on the five best things he has recently read. He not only gave a very generous shout-out to our ml press chapbook I Am Richard Simmons - feel free to read the below excerpt - but to the quite fine and recently blurbed here Charactered Pieces by Caleb J. Ross as well. We are quite appreciative. We also think Mel has quite good taste. We would add, that you may also be interested in one, re-reading TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer's five best recently things read list, and if you are enjoy, and two, we want to let you know that we just received our copy of the ml press {first year} anthology and it is lovely, really lovely, and something we think you might want to order because we are fairly confident that it just might change your life. A lot.

"I carried this MLP chapbook in my pocket for a while to whip out whenever I ran into anyone. I may have scared a person or two, rummaging around in my front pocket, saying things like, “You’ve gotta see this!” but overall things went well. No face slaps."

mlp {first year}. There is cover. Pre-order. And a mere one month until the official release date. Nice.

And if so inclined, you can learn more here. If not inclined, did we mention there will be Kendra Grant Malone. You feel differently now don't you? We knew you would.

"A pocket sized chapbook that carries a big punch." I Am Richard Simmons gets Eddie Socko'd. And likes it. A lot.

Many thanks to Mel Bosworth and his crew at No More Hot Lunches for Eddie Socko for their kind words about I Am Richard Simmons. We think that Mel just might have a little bit of Richard Simmons in him as well. Huh, that didn't sound right, we better run that by legal before we post this. In the meantime though please feel free to enjoy the below excerpt.

"B-Tanz (I hope he doesn't mind me calling him that) delivers with speed, deftness, humor, and heart."

"Swooned all over again." I am Richard Simmons gets Pete Lit'd. And likes it a lot.

We cannot say that we don't expect, even hope, that the fine crew at Pete Lit, will be somewhat biased when it comes to our work, but we still very much appreciate the kind words they recently had say about our new ml press chapbook I Am Richard Simmons. Many thanks, and drinks for us, for sure, when next we meet. For the rest of you an excerpt:

"The story's eponymous narrator projects the energy and mania and exuberance and positivity and, yes, also the veiled desperation and sadness and heartbreak that seems to underlie all of that celebrity's public appearances."

Update: We also want to thank the BL Pawelek for some additional Richard Simmons love. Much, much, appreciated.

I Am Richard Simmons.

We should begin by saying that TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer's ml press chapbook I am richard simmons has arrived here at headquarters along with more introductions to a book I will never finish by mark baumer and boots walking in america found a trophy by krammer abrahams. We should add that despite the fact that we did not receive a new chapbook by Kendra Grant Malone we are still quite happy. Many thanks to the ml press crew and drinks on us for sure when next we get together.

No one paints ml press in a corner. Or should we say, an homage to the J.A. Tyler via a delayed tribute to Patrick Swayze's artistry and passing.

For real, ml press has released its first novella, We Take Me Apart by Molly Gaudry. Nice.

Quite exciting ml press pre-order updates and much Richard Simmons for your consumption

We have much ml press excitement to share. First, our ml press chapbook I Am Richard Simmons is now available for pre-order along with two other October releases, More Introductions To A Book I Will Never Finish by Mark Baumer and Boots Walking In America Feel A Trophy by Krammer Abrahams. And second, ml press is also releasing an anthology titled MLP: First Year, which is a collection of all of the ml press chapbooks released during its first year and is filled with a slew of killer writers. MLP: First Year will not be coming out until January 2010, but it too is available for pre-order now. Yes, right now. As we said, there is much ml press excitement to be had, so please do have it, and please do pre-order. It just might change your life.

hoang. malone. tidhar. ml press. booyah.

The September ml press trio is live and ready for your perusal and purchase. As always these stories are full of vivid images, with this batch particularly focused on relationships on the brink of madness and implosion. We would add, that while it may go without saying that all of three of these pieces are rich and Tylerian in nature, unfortunate title aside, we do want to give a special shout-out to rape children by kendra grant malone.

Hamilton. Davis. Wilson. The July ml press trifectorate is in the house. Technically, its in the office, but that just doesn't flow right, you know?

Uh-huh. We got new ml press love in the mail and we are quite pleased, or is it sated? Not sure, but its probably not sated, because we are never sated when it comes to reading. Anyway, we have the July trio - so dark in the wolf's maw by kevin wilson, where we go when we leave by craig davis and from the hip by TBWCYL, Inc. favorite mary hamilton - all of which include references to knives among other things and, like their predecessors in this fine series, are short on dialogue and long on mood, vibe and tone. Very Tylerian in other words and good stuff all-around for sure. We would add, that if you just cannot get enough Hamilton, and who can, we ran a fine inauguration-centric piece of hers in This Zine Will Change Your Life, which like the work of ml press just might change your life.

The ml press July trio is in the house, er, office, and it is the love.

There is mail and in that mail is a package from ml press. In that package is a trio of tasty literary delights rife with vivid imagery and endless compulsion. These delights are a thousand & one others by elizabeth ellen, thunderstorm as familial convulsion by ryan call and parts by molly gaudry an excerpt from the novel(la) WE TAKE ME APART which is forthcoming from the press in December. We think these delights should be consumed by you. Soon, even now. We also think that they just might change your life.

Tyler and Bengelsdorf publishing madness. Or, if you prefer, a This Zine Will Change Your Life contributors update.

We are quite geeked to share two excellent pieces of publishing news from This Zine Will Change Your Life contributors J.A. Tyler and Tobias Amadon Bengelsdorf. First off, long-time friend and TBWCYL, Inc. favorite J.A. Tyler and his kick-ass ml press are not only gearing-up to mail out the next round of ml press chapbooks, but are mass-producing Charles Lennox's A FIELD OF COLORS, which having consumed it during the weekend, we would like to be sure you know is quite a gem, sad and wonderful all at once. Meanwhile, the Bengelsdorf has a quite cool new joint in the works. It is a collection of "handmade cards, books and ketchup" titled An Implausibilty of Gnus from Chicago's very own Another New Calligraphy who we think we are kind of digging. A lot. Anyway, nice work gentlemen and the rest of you, and you know who you are, please take a look, it will definitely be appreciated and it just may change your life.

I am Richard Simmons. And we are quite proud to announce it. Well that, what's up at the kick-ass ml press and how all this just might be related.

We should probably add here that we are quite thrilled that our short story "I am Richard Simmons" will be published as part of the new slew of ml press chapbooks. This is a fantastic series and we are way geeked to be included with such a stellar group of writers including TBWYL, Inc. favorites Mark Baumer, Mary Hamilton, the Amy Guth, and many others. Further, and yes, there's more, for $36 American dollars, you can get all 18 volumes to be released, plus ml press' first perfect-bound novella by none other than Molly Gaudry. Coolness, yes? Totally. So, many thanks to ml press and the endlessly cool J.A. Tyler for the interest in this piece and as for the rest of you, please go place your order now, yes, right now, go, great, and thank you as well.

Vacation. Reading. Vacation. Some writing. Vacation. No blogging. For real. We think. And happy holidays.

It's true we're heading off on vacation for the next week, we're shutting down the office and we don't really plan to blog, sorry, much less go on-line much at all, which we think we look forward to, it means less RedTube sadly, but it also means less time compulsively visiting ourselves on Goodreads which can only be a good thing. We will write, we have to write, right, of course, and we definitely plan to read, especially the novel Talking Heads: 77 by new friend and wonderful writer John Domini. It did occur to us, however, that if you, our devoted fans and customer base, don't have This Blog Will Change Your Life to read during the week, you may require some kind of additional options or outlets, other than RedTube, and so we have taken it upon ourselves to offer you the following literary possibilities, all of which are pieces by writers we love and we think you could love to. So, happy holidays, have a good week, we will miss you terribly, and enjoy some writing we think just might change your life: Stick by S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. at 3:AM MAGAZINE, who we believe has been grading papers, but we could be wrong; Holy Crap: The Unhappiest Place on Earth by Eric Spitznagel at Vanity Fair, yes that Vanity Fair; Alleys are the Footnotes of the Avenues by Pete Anderson at Shoots and Vines, and we know, we've been name-dropping Pete all week, what are you going to do; Iron Lung by the nicely bearded Jason Jordan at Red Peter; Sand #1 by J.A. Tyler at Word Riot, the J.A. Tyler; and last, but far from least, Brothers by Nick Ostdick at VerbSap, and big props to Nick for finishing his penultimate semester at school, nice work sir.

Self-absorption rocks, but let's pause shall we for a big shout-out to the new ml press.

We here at TBWCYL, Inc. and This Blog Will Change Your Life have always prided ourselves on our rampant self-absorption and focus on our most selfish of self interests. In fact, it has always been one of the key guidelines for writing this blog. Still, we have also been sure along the way to celebrate independent anything, and as needed, Elizabeth Crane, reality television, pop culture and maybe, just maybe Diane Lane. We write this because it occurred to us during yesterday's board meeting that between Most Likely You Go Your Way I'll Go Mine, Repetitions Patterns and This Zine Will Change Your Life we have been tremendously and arguably as terrifically self-absorbed as ever lately, and so starting today we are going to give back, we are of course givers too, no really we are, ask anyone, and focus some on those around us, starting with the kick-ass new press from the profically published J.A. Tyler, who we are big fans of here at headquartes and have even podcasted with to wonderfully moving results. J.A.'s new limited edition, 1000 word max ml press is a spin-off of his excellent literary journal mud luscious, and has already released a number of stellar pieces which have not only been well-received, but are selling-out like mad. Sounds pretty cool, right, yes it does, so please pay ml press a visit and give J.A. a shout, we think it just might change your life.