I’m kinda new to this whole blogging thing. When I was a teenager, I started to keep a diary until my mother found and read it and realized I was gay. That pretty much ended my enthusiasm for writing about my life on a daily basis. In retrospect, I wish I’d at least picked up the habit after I started Gauntlet. It would be interesting to relive those years of my life, and I wouldn’t have had to rely so heavily on memory in order to write my book.
So why start now? Running the Gauntlet was always intended to be both a memoir and a history of the modern body piercing movement with a primary focus on the latter. Consequently, when I was doing the final edit of the book, I felt it advantageous to tighten up the story by eliminating some of the more personal details.
This blog requires no such constraints. With it, I can now share some of the deleted portions of the book as well as add memories that didn’t occur to me as I was writing it. And I feel less constrained to always keep the focus strictly on body piercing. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy it anyway.
Welcome to my blog!
Hi Jim,
I’m so excited about your blog. Can’t wait to see where this goes!
ray
Thank you for deciding to share both your book and your blog. As an apprentice just starting out in the industry, I find the history and all the innovations and personal stories amazing.
Even though I’ve known you for a long, long time, Jim, I’m amazed at how much I learned from your book. It was fascinating and I am excited to see what else I can learn from you. Looking forward to reading whatever you care to share.
With love and respect,
Elayne