Friends—
To those of you who are just getting to know me, my name is John. I’m an Idahoan by birth, a Westerner by upbringing, and an Italian by adoption. I write, I ponder – and then I write some more. And my main challenge lately has been in deciding where in the world to publish the results of this dizzying tailspin...
After long contemplation and many harrowing, sleepless nights, I’ve at last settled on Substack – mainly because it seems like one of the few legitimate social-media havens for people who take both writing and reading seriously. I will continue to keep my personal website (johnbruceleonard.com) afloat, but mainly, I suspect, as a home for my poetry, and a window into my forthcoming books—
—with the exception of the SERIAL WESTERN NOVEL that I’ve recently been promising, which will appear HERE.—
Indeed, I am publishing the opening chapter of this book simultaneously with this first post. So…
*enter drumroll, salvo and fusillades
…away we go!
This book, Sacrifice, will be published in sections, and released on a weekly basis to Substack (if I can keep the pace), alongside my periodic musings.
A word on these musings (in case you are not familiar with my pertinent rants): I do not have a niche, I am an expert in nothing, and I intend to write in whatever direction the ink of my pen and my fancy is most surely flowing, with fairly total disregard for consistency or scientific modesty.
So consider yourselves forewarned. If you are seeking a competent specialist, you can find an embarrassment of riches here on Substack, in practically any subject you might dream: but I am not your man.
If, on the other hand, you are a devotee of the adventure of the mind, enjoy random subjects treated discursively and with verve, have a bent for slightly archaic prose, and recognize that the best way of maintaining our humanity in the age of AI is become, or at least to frequent, artists and poets – well, then, you might just have happened onto the right Substack...
Finally, a word to all of you who signed up for this newsletter weeks ago (only to be met with unnerving silence on the other side): very sincerely, I appreciate your patience. Many thanks to you, and also to all of you who have more recently subscribed.
I’ll do all I can to make this journey worth your while.
Farewell,
— JBL