Publication Status & Rejected Book Titles

Several of you have asked when my book will be published.  Because of a sticky legal issue regarding one of the stories, plus final editorial changes, the book is now scheduled to be released around the end of September or the beginning of October.  Stay tuned on this website for more information.

One of the changes recommended by my publisher concerned the title.  They think 1536 Free Waters and Other Benefits of Blackjack is more appropriate for a memoir-only book instead of a nonfiction blackjack book.  They also mentioned that the content of the book isn’t focused on “benefits” of blackjack.  Finally, they suggested that I add a subtitle that would amplify or clarify the title.

Thus, the new title and subtitle of the book will be: 1536 Free Waters and Other Blackjack Endeavors – Finding Profit and Humor in Card-Counting

While coming up with a revised title, I also had to determine the book classification.  It was a tricky choice between “Games” and “Humor.”  Since I could only pick one, I went with “Games”…adding “Humor” in the subtitle will hopefully be a catch-all for the other classification.  Just so you know, I rejected these other titles in case the book was classified a different way:

In the Fiction area: Fifty Additional Shades of Grey – My Life of S&M in Underground Casinos

Science Fiction: The Real Hunger Games – 42 Straight Hours Playing Blackjack While Eating Only a Half-Empty Tin of Altoids

Sports: Playing Blackjack is More of a Sport Than 27 Events Played at the 2012 London Summer Olympics

History: General Douglas MacArthur – Great Leader, But Fucking Horrible Blackjack Player

Parenting and Family: Mommy, Why is Daddy Always at the Casino?

Travel: Visit Mesquite, Nevada – But Watch Out for the Douche Bag Pit Manager at the Casablanca Casino Who Kicked Me Out for Card-Counting Even Though I Was Losing $800 at the Time

Mystery: The Angry Man Who Killed a Cocktail Waitress with a Nine of Diamonds

Reference: “G-SHIT-KRICE-YOU-FRIGGIN-BUTTNUTT-I-CAN’T-BELIEVE-YOU-TOOK-THAT-CARD” and Other New Entries in the Webster Blackjack Dictionary

Law: Keeping Chips Found on the Casino Floor – It’s Not Stealing If You Don’t Get Caught

Religion: I Found Jesus – He Was Eating a Muffin in the Alley Between the Palazzo Hotel and the Imperial Palace Casino in Las Vegas

Literature: Absence of Sense and Sensibility – Average Blackjack Players

Kids: Stranger Danger – Stay Clear of That Wiggy Guy Who Asks, “Wanna See the Chips in My Pocket?”

Young Adult: Stranger Danger – Stay Clear of That Wiggy Guy Who Asks, “Wanna See the Chips in My Pocket?”

 Adult Women, Ages 18-25: Welcoming Strangers – No Need to Stay Clear of That Wiggy Guy Who Asks, “Wanna See the Chips in My Pocket?”

Trivia: The Game of Blackjack Was Invented in 2009 in Kodiak, Alaska, and Other Lesser-Known Gambling Trivia

Politics: Like It or Not, Americans, Your President is Black, Jack!

Diet & Health: Morbidly Obese People Spotted at the Casino – Counting Cards Instead of Counting Calories

Art: Mona Lisa – The Original Model for the Queen of Clubs

Self-Help: You Suck – Why You Shouldn’t Sit Next to Me at the Blackjack Table

Pets: My Dog, Newman, Was Spaded Seven Years Ago – But He is Still a Better Blackjack Player Than Many of You

Automotive: My Car Has a Cracked Windshield and Faulty Transmission – But It is Still a Better Blackjack Player Than Many of You

Romance: 1536 Free Waters and the Clean-Up Required After Trysts with 1536 Vegas Prostitutes