Small Adjustments

Sometimes you think you never have time to do the little things yet we all know its the little things often make the biggest differences. Tonight I took the time to do one of those little things I've been meaning to do for quite some time. By this I mean I've edited my blog layout just a bit. By this I mean I've gone in an manually edited the HTML code to add a few items I've been wanting to do for quite some time yet haven't found the time for. Namely, I added widgets down the right sidebar for Limbus and Azazel, adjusted the picture for Jeremiah Stone in the sidebar so it fits better, and added links to each of the pictures so if a blogger clicks on the pic it takes them to the book listing on Amazon. I've also adjusted the page width and changed out the picture at the bottom to show all five titles which will soon be out. Again, these are simple things with took me about two hours, but its two hours I never seemed to find before.

Also, along the theme of little things, I have to admit even when I was feeling sick while squished in a center seat of a plane over the Rocky Mountains I was writing. I wasn't really in the mood, but I needed to finish a chapter so I put my mind to task and ended up starting the next chapter. Granted it was less than a thousand words, but every little bit counts. And I've always said words written down are ten times better than words written only in your thoughts. Besides, if they suck you can always go back and edit them. The best part of this writing, however, was the mental state of focusing and accomplishing even though my body didn't feel willing which gives me the confidence to forget about writer's block and just get to it.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to those who've read my books, liked them, and reviewed them on either Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It's this type of encouragement which stirs my motivation to continue with my passion. Fortunately for the readers following me, I have a lot more books, both written and in the works, I want to get out to you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I love writing them.

Thanks, and good night.

Purpose

Most of the time I right with a purpose. I have a starting thought and somehow work through any difficulties only to discover my direction may have changed but the end goal is still reached. Today, my writing was not like this. Today, I started off with nothing but a half completed chapter which lacked direction and focus. Thankfully, words and ideas twisted together giving purpose to where none existed before. Best part of it all, it all made sense in the end and leads the reader down a path I hope will provide enlightenment along with setting up that unexpected turn of events later on. After all, writing isn't always supposed to be predictable.

On another note, I saw a movie today which was both sadly predictable and unrealistic. I'm almost ashamed to have paid money to witness the atrocity which constitutes a decently written movie script by Hollywood. This is not to say I could do better, but then I'm not a script writer, however, I do think Jeremiah Stone or my upcoming book Dream Savior would provide something new to the public. Now saying that might seem brash, but after witnessing the simple stupidity of recent films I can't help but to throw down the proverbial gauntlet. And I do know one of these days I'll get my chance to prove myself to a greater audience. For now, I'll plod away as my writing improves from book to book, idea to idea. Best of all, I have lots of ideas.

Lastly, my next book to complete is coming along swimmingly. Burden is both simple and masterful. It follows a similar theme of most of my books, but this one has had its challenges. Its been the most difficult book I've written to date because I've had to plan things out logically, create scenarios which are both plausible and surreal, while evolving the main character as he journeys from loser to... well I'm not going to give it away here. (lol) Anyway, I'll be glad to finish it and move it into the editing phase, as I've done with so many other books. Nevertheless, I hope to have it out by this time next year so you won't have to wait long before you can either love it or criticize it. After all, the ending is not as you may suspect, at least I hope it's not.

More of a Burden

So I'm back to writing Burden, though it's not been easy. I've ran into writer's block more than a few times and have had to stop to conduct research on a half dozen occasions. But luckily, a few days of concentrating on where the story should go has broken the block once again. This time it pertained to an economic rant which never seemed to sound right, never seemed coerced enough for it to really happen. Well, now it's happened and I can move on with the rest of the story. Not only that, but the main character has gained spite which will serve him well later down the line.

So what does it take to break writer's block; well it probably varies from person to person but this is what works for me. And just for the record, it was something I read and not something I made up on my own. The piece of advice I read was to think about the story, get excited about what comes next, and when the moment comes you just let the words flow. For me, it took three nights of working through several problems, playing out the confrontation in my head, and when it hit me I sat down and wrote it. Unfortunately, that's not the only thing I had to do, but it did help.

The other thing was to read a little and to write something off topic. Of course, I wrote more than just one thing out of the ordinary (I started another book and wrote a few odd things like the tribute to my dog, Duke). After all this, and two months time, I'm finally back into burden and I have a path forward. So in reality Burden has been a burden to write, but with every failed page or rewritten line, it's becomes a better book (at least I hope it has). And though I'm still a long ways from being finished, I've leaped over another hurdle on the way to completion.

The other good thing about this is I have another story I've committed myself to writing. Hopefully, it will be easier to write then Burden.

New Novel - Hades

This is an excerpt of a new novel I just started. I couldn't sleep last night because this was occupying my mind so now I'm putting it onto paper. Enjoy:

The past four years had not been good for Limbus. His mother and father had died, he’d been adopted in an odd sort of way and forcibly moved to West Virginia, and Melissa had turned eighteen and fled with a hundred thousand of his money. As for the last part, it didn’t upset him so much because he somehow knew it was coming. He traveled a lot destroying pockets of demons on the FBI dime nearly every other weekend which meant Melissa was home alone. That constant fear, constant tension, had finally gotten to her and she left saying she was going back to visit her brother who’d now graduated from college. It was supposed to just be a family get-together, but a text message from the Pittsburgh airport told him differently. Limbus accepted it, replied with a simple goodbye, and didn’t look back. Though it was days like this one when he remembered she’d once been the light of his life, innocent of the world and hanging on his arm with a joyous smile. Those days had changed and not for the better.

Today was always different for Limbus though. This was the day his parents died, the day they defeated Azazel, and the day the world was set straight, or so he believed. That honeymoon, however, didn’t last long. Life had their own set of demands on him, along with Tom Rice of the FBI, his surrogate father. With only a little respite, Limbus had been put to work. At first he thought it was a good thing. He was eradicating evil, removing demons from the face of the earth and returning them to Hell while allowing the angels to once again regain a foothold against their plans. But as weeks dragged into months, the job became a burden. For him, there were no vacations. There were only emergencies on the other side of the country and Melissa wasn’t allowed to go. It was only him and Tom or Bill, and neither of them was much good to him.

And for his service he got a text message from the airport saying goodbye.

From then on, Limbus focused himself on training his body and mind. Following his father’s routine, he worked out for hours a day, though he removed himself from sports. It was too much of a demand on his time when he didn’t know where he might be the next weekend or even the next day. When he wasn’t working out, he applied himself to school and graduated top of his class which landed him a few academic scholarships, though he wasn’t in need of any. His father had left him enough money he didn’t have to work if he didn’t want to, but then the FBI would always have their demands on him. Thankfully, after he turned eighteen, they didn’t restrict him from moving south to someplace warm so he could attend the school of his choice.

Of course his arrive in Orlando wasn’t met with fanfare which was okay with him. He wanted to keep a low profile. He wanted to exist under the radar. He wanted to just go to school, learn investment strategies in their business college, and ensure the money his father had left him never ran out. And with the stipend the FBI paid him as a specialized contractor, it ensured he didn’t have to dip into his own money unless he had too which he’d only done twice. Once to buy a house in a non-descript neighborhood just five miles from campus and another time to buy his Nissan GT-R sports car. Unfortunately, these two things set him apart from the rest of the students, but that was only after he’d already made a name for himself as the one person not to mess with on campus.

The incident was one he still regretted because he should’ve remembered his father’s words and stepped away, but he didn’t. He had pride. He was brash. He had yet to be humbled. And he had back-up no one knew about, back-up he wasn’t even supposed to know about.

Duke

It’s a sad day.

There is never a question about Labradors. From the moment they’re born, they love. It’s in their DNA. Yet it’s not a love for themselves, but rather for the one family which shows them just a bit of loyalty and friendship. For that little bit of compassion, they return adoration a hundred fold. Moreover, their lives are never about themselves, but rather about pleasing those around them. They are the most unselfish creatures on this earth and they’ll never know it. This is why we love them.

From the moment we met in the pound, I knew he was the one. He didn’t bark, he didn’t spring about, he didn’t whine behind chain link, but rather sat calmly on his haunches and smiled, his tongue lolling out to the side. At the time, he was the same age as my son, a youngster, yet his demeanor displayed wisdom beyond his years. It was as if he knew we were there to pick him up. He was the chosen one.

When we brought him home he entered a household with two cats, yet there was never an issue. He let them have their domain. He was passive, just happy to have a family that he could love no matter the setting. In time, he became the cat’s protector also, steering away other dogs, cats, and occasional possums. And when the cats passed, he wandered around and wept for them just as we did. He shared our compassion. And we knew he missed them sometimes as he’d look in corners only they would go.

In the summer it was nearly impossible not to play fetch with him as he always seemed to have a ball in his mouth. He’d chase the ball until his heart was about to explode out of his chest, but he’d still bring it back and lay it at my feet wanting more. In the winter he’d keep us warm, lying against our feet by the fireplace. And on any given day, you’d find him lying beside you whether it was watching TV, cooking a meal, surfing the web, or just hanging out. He was never far away and he never faltered.

On those bad days, he’d gently rest his head against my thigh as if to offer his loyal support for whatever hardship I was enduring. And when I finally felt better, his big brown eyes would look up at me and say ‘treat’. In those moments I’d realize it was the simple things in life that makes life worth living and there was nothing in the world I needed to worry about because we were together. Amazingly, he knew this from birth. This was his motto.

As he aged, an old injury slowed his pace a little. His eyes clouded over so he could longer see the ball to chase. His hearing faded also so he had to rely on our other dogs to bark in order for him to know we were home. He lost his appetite, only seeking out the aspirin hidden within the food in his bowl because he knew it made the days pass easier for him. Despite it all he still stood by our sides, standing wobbly on three legs, breathing heavily from the exertion of just climbing to his feet, yet never giving up on trying to please those he cared about.

I am reminded of stories about the loyalty a Labrador will display towards it owner. I believe them all now because it’s just the way they are. It was the way he was. So I will remember him as I want to: swimming every chance we were near water, running around as if there was no tomorrow, and frolicking about with the sun at his back, a ball at his feet, and a grin on his face suggesting ‘more’. He was a happy dog.

He was my loyal friend, my playful companion, and my protector. And though he will be missed, he will be in our hearts forever.

He was Duke. 1998-2013

Azazel is out!!!

Azazel, the 3rd book of the Jeremiah Stone series is available on Amazon and B&N. Pick up a copy today.

http://www.amazon.com/Azazel-Jeremiah-Stone-Novel-ebook/dp/B00BNVJTHA/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1362446326&sr=8-34&keywords=Azazel

When a couple months I hope to have the rest of the series (prequels both) out, so look for Beginnings and Ferryman to be coming soon.