On Thursday night my grandfather passed away. He was my dad's dad, and while his passing wasn't abrupt it was more abrupt than they thought it was going to be. They found out he was seriously ill about a month ago I guess, and the day before he passed hospice had given him two weeks to live. My dad got to spend some time with him before he went, and for that I'm glad.
I wasn't incredibly close to my grandpa, but I loved him. Everybody called him Hoot, and to be honest with you, that name was used for him so much I didn't even know what his real first name was. To me he was paw-paw, and yeah, you pronounced the w. We saw paw-paw sparingly over the years, my brother and I stayed out there for a week once when we were kids. We usually visited every Christmas, too.
The thing I remember most about paw-paw was his laugh. He was quick to laugh, and it was one of those laughs that was deeply genuine. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to feel about his passing at first. It wasn't until today that the whole thing really hit me. It wasn't until today that I realized that I'll never hear that laugh again. That makes me profoundly sad. It was a great laugh, and the thought of it being gone from this world just really gets to me. It's a world that needs laughs like his, and the world is going to miss having his laugh in it.
Tomorrow is the funeral. Being there watching my dad have to lay his dad to rest is going to be hard. I was very young the only other time I lost a grandparent, I didn't understand so much about the profound loss my mother must have felt as she laid her mother to rest. But I get it now, and it triggers that deep fear that one day you'll be in that position. You'll be the son laying his father to rest. God willing, that's a long way off, but that doesn't mean it's not something that really weighs heavy on you at times like these.
Time just moves too fast. You don't always get to know people as well as you'd like, and eventually we all pass on. I love my family very deeply, and I loved my paw-paw, and I'm really sad that I didn't know him better, and I'm really sad that he's gone.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Goodbye sweet prince
New Year's Eve has long been my least favorite holiday. I don't get teary eyed over the year that was or filled with zeal over the dawning of a new 365. It's just time to flip the calendar, keep up the hard work, and keep trying to be a good person and enjoy life as much as possible along the way.
But, despite what you may've heard, I'm not a robot, and so I wanted to take a few minutes to dust off the old blog and share some thoughts about 2012. Granted, I have nothing in particular to say, so this is just going to be a bunch of random thoughts that probably won't add up to much.
Living Alone: This is the biggest life change from 2012 that pops into my mind. My best friend/roommate moved out in early August, if I remember it correctly. I'm pretty security conscious, and I thought I might feel really unsafe living alone. I'm glad to say, that never became an issue for me. Money is probably the most immediate way in which this life change hit me. Having all of my bills double overnight was definitely something of a system shock, one that I'm still trying to adjust to, to be honest. I tend to still spend money like I have a roommate, only to look at the bank account and go into panic mode when the bills come. I (barely) make enough to cover everything on my own, but I need to get much better at managing my funds and coming to grips with the fact that my once abundant amount of spending money is now reduced to a mere pittance.
I wouldn't say that living alone is lonely, but it is very quiet. I didn't just have a roommate, he's been my best friend since I was 14 or 15, so losing that dynamic has been hard. He's still my best friend, but it's been an odd challenge getting used to only hanging out a few times here and there as opposed to all day every day. Beyond missing my friend, I have to say that living alone is more boring than anything else. The nice thing is that my family lives right around the corner, so I end up spending a lot of time hanging out with them.
Teaching: I don't talk about it much, but my three nephews are home schooled. This year, two days a week, I go over and help teach them. It's been a blast and something I've really come to love. Getting a chance to have a hand in their education, to help them learn and to get a front row seat as they gain knowledge and advance as little people, it's something I count as a true blessing. The worst part is getting up so early, as I'm pretty much the opposite of a morning person. That said, I'm going to start teaching a third day once they get back to school in the new year. That means that 4 out of 5 days per week, I'll wake up to an alarm (I also have to get up early on Wednesdays to go get the newspaper from the printing press). That statistic horrifies me. I'm a single guy with a job that primarily happens at night, and yet I'll spend 4/7 days a week waking up to an alarm?! Ugh. UGH! I hate the thought of it so bad. And yes, I know that many of you get up to an alarm 5 days a week, yeah, I get it. But for me, I've worked hard to structure my life in such a way where the alarm is almost never a factor. But, it's for my nephews, and it'll probably help me to have a more defined sleep schedule anyways, so I guess I should stop being a baby about it and just embrace the change.
Creative Writing: I feel good about my writing career. We didn't make a big stink of it, but we closed down Hall Brothers Entertainment a few months back. I could give you the long version of why, but I'll just sum it up and say that the company got away from us. We tried to do too much, and it quickly expanded beyond the fun little project it was intended to be into a second full time job that neither of us were having much fun with. Plus, for me, one of the main points of HBE was to give my own writing a platform where it could reach more readers. It did that for me, no doubt, but then the management and running of the company starting really dragging down my ability to write. With so many responsibilities piling up, it was impossible for me to concentrate on writing my own books. Instead I was just a publisher of other people's books. I greatly value those other people, and I count myself lucky to have met everyone we did through HBE, but it was also soul crushing to have my own writing relegated to the back burner.
Anyways, I don't want to get long winded about it. I hated letting people down who we were working with, but from a personal standpoint, shuttering HBE has really helped me out a lot. I'm back to work on my terraforming novel, my passion for creative writing is back in full force, and Phillip and I have some exciting things planned. I'll be continuing my series Black Badge and Scrolls, and heck, we'll probably still publish under the HBE banner, just because it's something people recognize and know. So yes, it was the end of our time as a small publisher, but it's also the beginning of just me getting back to doing what I love, and the beginning of Phillip and I having fun again with fiction, the way we did when HBE launched. I'm excited about where it left us at the end of 2012, and really excited about where it's going to take us in 2013.
Newspaper writing: I've always loved my job as a journalist, but I don't know if I've ever fallen in love with it the way that I did in 2012. It was a year of hard work, a year of big stories, a year of big challenges. It was the year I received my first big job offer in the industry, and while I ultimately didn't take it, that offer really was a big moment for me. Having another newspaper come after me and try to pull me away from The Grizzly, it felt like a validation in a lot of ways. You never know what the future holds, but at the time I informed that company that I felt like I wasn't done with what we were building at the Grizzly Detail. I still feel that way. This is the year that I really feel like I became an equal with my two bosses. It's not just them and their employee anymore, it's three of us, defying the odds, doing the workload of a team of 15, and doing it for all the right reasons.
I learned a lot about my bosses this year. I always believed in and admired them, but this was a year that we were tested. People can seem great, but when they go through the fire, that's when their true character comes out. And I have to say, the way in which they handled the tough moments, it made me so proud to be a part of the Grizzly. The integrity, the rabid devotion to truth and to bringing that truth to the people that need to hear it, and the incredible and amazing ethics they displayed, it all just made me beam with pride to be their associate. Then there's the election coverage we did. I proposed something stupidly massive, as I do from time to time, but this time it was going to require some financial sacrifices. It would cost us more money in overhead, while limiting how much room we had for ads, costing us money in revenue. And they didn't even blink. They gave me the green light and because of that we gave the city the most expansive, exhaustive election information they've ever had.
It all comes down to a phrase that we started throwing around at the paper. Pure of purpose. I think good things happen to those who are pure of purpose. I write the news to help and to inform, pure of purpose. I write movie reviews to entertain people, pure of purpose. There are always challenges, always roadblocks, but I believe that we're a newspaper that is pure of purpose, and that we'll continue to thrive.
As you can see, I get pretty sentimental about my job. I know people sometimes have a low opinion of media and journalists, and I myself am not much of a fan of the mainstream media, but I do believe whole heartedly in what we do at The Grizzly Detail, and I'm dang proud to be a part of it.
Living: I love life. I love to laugh, I love positive things, I love that no matter what's going on, at the end of most days I go to sleep thinking it's mostly a beautiful world and that mostly people are good. I'm ending this year with the knowledge that I need to re-engage in my relationship with God, that while I always work on being a good person I also need to re-commit to being good son of the almighty father. I believe that hope is stronger than fear, love is stronger than hate, creativity and imagination make the world a better place, family is forever, and that if we try, we can make the world around us better. I believe that 2012 was as good of a year as you want to remember it as being, and that 2013 is ours for the taking.
In closing, here's me, walking in the snow on Christmas Day, filled with belief that there's still magic in the world.
But, despite what you may've heard, I'm not a robot, and so I wanted to take a few minutes to dust off the old blog and share some thoughts about 2012. Granted, I have nothing in particular to say, so this is just going to be a bunch of random thoughts that probably won't add up to much.
Living Alone: This is the biggest life change from 2012 that pops into my mind. My best friend/roommate moved out in early August, if I remember it correctly. I'm pretty security conscious, and I thought I might feel really unsafe living alone. I'm glad to say, that never became an issue for me. Money is probably the most immediate way in which this life change hit me. Having all of my bills double overnight was definitely something of a system shock, one that I'm still trying to adjust to, to be honest. I tend to still spend money like I have a roommate, only to look at the bank account and go into panic mode when the bills come. I (barely) make enough to cover everything on my own, but I need to get much better at managing my funds and coming to grips with the fact that my once abundant amount of spending money is now reduced to a mere pittance.
I wouldn't say that living alone is lonely, but it is very quiet. I didn't just have a roommate, he's been my best friend since I was 14 or 15, so losing that dynamic has been hard. He's still my best friend, but it's been an odd challenge getting used to only hanging out a few times here and there as opposed to all day every day. Beyond missing my friend, I have to say that living alone is more boring than anything else. The nice thing is that my family lives right around the corner, so I end up spending a lot of time hanging out with them.
Teaching: I don't talk about it much, but my three nephews are home schooled. This year, two days a week, I go over and help teach them. It's been a blast and something I've really come to love. Getting a chance to have a hand in their education, to help them learn and to get a front row seat as they gain knowledge and advance as little people, it's something I count as a true blessing. The worst part is getting up so early, as I'm pretty much the opposite of a morning person. That said, I'm going to start teaching a third day once they get back to school in the new year. That means that 4 out of 5 days per week, I'll wake up to an alarm (I also have to get up early on Wednesdays to go get the newspaper from the printing press). That statistic horrifies me. I'm a single guy with a job that primarily happens at night, and yet I'll spend 4/7 days a week waking up to an alarm?! Ugh. UGH! I hate the thought of it so bad. And yes, I know that many of you get up to an alarm 5 days a week, yeah, I get it. But for me, I've worked hard to structure my life in such a way where the alarm is almost never a factor. But, it's for my nephews, and it'll probably help me to have a more defined sleep schedule anyways, so I guess I should stop being a baby about it and just embrace the change.
Creative Writing: I feel good about my writing career. We didn't make a big stink of it, but we closed down Hall Brothers Entertainment a few months back. I could give you the long version of why, but I'll just sum it up and say that the company got away from us. We tried to do too much, and it quickly expanded beyond the fun little project it was intended to be into a second full time job that neither of us were having much fun with. Plus, for me, one of the main points of HBE was to give my own writing a platform where it could reach more readers. It did that for me, no doubt, but then the management and running of the company starting really dragging down my ability to write. With so many responsibilities piling up, it was impossible for me to concentrate on writing my own books. Instead I was just a publisher of other people's books. I greatly value those other people, and I count myself lucky to have met everyone we did through HBE, but it was also soul crushing to have my own writing relegated to the back burner.
Anyways, I don't want to get long winded about it. I hated letting people down who we were working with, but from a personal standpoint, shuttering HBE has really helped me out a lot. I'm back to work on my terraforming novel, my passion for creative writing is back in full force, and Phillip and I have some exciting things planned. I'll be continuing my series Black Badge and Scrolls, and heck, we'll probably still publish under the HBE banner, just because it's something people recognize and know. So yes, it was the end of our time as a small publisher, but it's also the beginning of just me getting back to doing what I love, and the beginning of Phillip and I having fun again with fiction, the way we did when HBE launched. I'm excited about where it left us at the end of 2012, and really excited about where it's going to take us in 2013.
Newspaper writing: I've always loved my job as a journalist, but I don't know if I've ever fallen in love with it the way that I did in 2012. It was a year of hard work, a year of big stories, a year of big challenges. It was the year I received my first big job offer in the industry, and while I ultimately didn't take it, that offer really was a big moment for me. Having another newspaper come after me and try to pull me away from The Grizzly, it felt like a validation in a lot of ways. You never know what the future holds, but at the time I informed that company that I felt like I wasn't done with what we were building at the Grizzly Detail. I still feel that way. This is the year that I really feel like I became an equal with my two bosses. It's not just them and their employee anymore, it's three of us, defying the odds, doing the workload of a team of 15, and doing it for all the right reasons.
I learned a lot about my bosses this year. I always believed in and admired them, but this was a year that we were tested. People can seem great, but when they go through the fire, that's when their true character comes out. And I have to say, the way in which they handled the tough moments, it made me so proud to be a part of the Grizzly. The integrity, the rabid devotion to truth and to bringing that truth to the people that need to hear it, and the incredible and amazing ethics they displayed, it all just made me beam with pride to be their associate. Then there's the election coverage we did. I proposed something stupidly massive, as I do from time to time, but this time it was going to require some financial sacrifices. It would cost us more money in overhead, while limiting how much room we had for ads, costing us money in revenue. And they didn't even blink. They gave me the green light and because of that we gave the city the most expansive, exhaustive election information they've ever had.
It all comes down to a phrase that we started throwing around at the paper. Pure of purpose. I think good things happen to those who are pure of purpose. I write the news to help and to inform, pure of purpose. I write movie reviews to entertain people, pure of purpose. There are always challenges, always roadblocks, but I believe that we're a newspaper that is pure of purpose, and that we'll continue to thrive.
As you can see, I get pretty sentimental about my job. I know people sometimes have a low opinion of media and journalists, and I myself am not much of a fan of the mainstream media, but I do believe whole heartedly in what we do at The Grizzly Detail, and I'm dang proud to be a part of it.
Living: I love life. I love to laugh, I love positive things, I love that no matter what's going on, at the end of most days I go to sleep thinking it's mostly a beautiful world and that mostly people are good. I'm ending this year with the knowledge that I need to re-engage in my relationship with God, that while I always work on being a good person I also need to re-commit to being good son of the almighty father. I believe that hope is stronger than fear, love is stronger than hate, creativity and imagination make the world a better place, family is forever, and that if we try, we can make the world around us better. I believe that 2012 was as good of a year as you want to remember it as being, and that 2013 is ours for the taking.
In closing, here's me, walking in the snow on Christmas Day, filled with belief that there's still magic in the world.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Too early to sleep, too late to be productive
I find myself sitting here wasting time, and figured, why not update the long neglected blog? I miss the old days when myself and most of my best online friends blogged regularly, as it made it much easier to keep up with friends you don't normally see or talk to. But these days, you're usually left with snippets of their lives via things like Facebook and Twitter, and for the diehards among you, Google +.
I wonder if this is what letter writers felt like when email took hold. Did they lament the loss of letters being sent to them by their friends? Did they complain (probably in a letter) that email had come along and destroyed the purity of letter writing? Probably, and they were probably right.
But hey, I'm not here to lament the inevitable evolution of technology and communication. I've been living well lately, despite a few weeks worth of a really nasty head and chest cold. It's been a while since I got knocked down like that, as a matter of fact I think it was last December. But I'm finally coming out the other side, which is nice, because I'd hate to feel miserable around Christmas time.
I finished my Christmas shopping today, which I was excited about. Buying presents is something I love to do, it's such a great feeling when you find that perfect gift for someone. I'm looking forward to getting to spend extra time with my family over the coming weeks and just enjoying the peace and good vibes I get from the holiday season.
Hmmm, am I really this boring? I miss blogs, I was sick, I bought presents, and I love Christmas. In my own mind I'm a much more exciting person than that, but it's probably not true, hahaha. I have gotten back to work on my latest novel. That's actual exciting news. It's been several months since I did any work on it, and it feels great to get back to it. I'm always happier when I'm writing, and anytime I have a layoff in my creative writing the world just isn't quite as vibrant.
Speaking of creative writing, I had a short story accepted to an anthology. The book is about time travel, and I'm honored that the editor felt my story was worthy of inclusion. The book is going to come out sometime in the first half of 2012, I'll be sure to let you all know when it releases so we can all go buy a copy!
Tonight I had dinner with my bosses and another colleague from the newspaper. It was an informal little holiday dinner, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Social situations such as those aren't always my strong suit, but I dearly love my bosses. Our relationship is very symbiotic, the better I do the better they do, the better they do the better I do. It really doesn't feel like a boss-employee relationship anymore, it feels more familial. Having such a tiny group of us working on the paper full time, the difference between our success or failure is razor thin. It lends a very "us against the world" feel to the work, and yet being a community newspaper, it's also "us for the world" as we work to keep the citizens informed and entertained. Not sure how much sense that makes, but the end result is a very bonding environment where it feels like our purpose is pure and our bond is unshakable. Maybe I'm naive, and I should look at it more as a business, more as "just a job". But for me it's more than that, it's my home away from home. It's my dream come true, my shelter from having to work a 9 to 5 job where I'd be totally miserable. I really do feel honored to be a part of it, and I have a lot of pride in the work we do. I love the fact that you can pour so much of yourself into something, that you can bleed and sweat for it, and look back over the year and know that it was worthwhile, that you helped people, you informed them, you entertained them. When I was a kid, I said my dream was to get paid to write. And I do that every day. I buy my gas with my writing, my food with my writing, I pay my rent with my writing. 9 year old me would high five me if he was around to see this.
Hmmm... what else can I get all sappy and poetic about? Christmas puts me in this kind of mood. Well, I'm actually almost always in this kind of mood, but Christmas just intensifies it. But, I think I successfully spent enough time blogging that I'm now actually sleepy, so I'm going to go lay down now. I hope this holiday season has been full of love and joy for all of you so far, and that it continues to go that way.
I wonder if this is what letter writers felt like when email took hold. Did they lament the loss of letters being sent to them by their friends? Did they complain (probably in a letter) that email had come along and destroyed the purity of letter writing? Probably, and they were probably right.
But hey, I'm not here to lament the inevitable evolution of technology and communication. I've been living well lately, despite a few weeks worth of a really nasty head and chest cold. It's been a while since I got knocked down like that, as a matter of fact I think it was last December. But I'm finally coming out the other side, which is nice, because I'd hate to feel miserable around Christmas time.
I finished my Christmas shopping today, which I was excited about. Buying presents is something I love to do, it's such a great feeling when you find that perfect gift for someone. I'm looking forward to getting to spend extra time with my family over the coming weeks and just enjoying the peace and good vibes I get from the holiday season.
Hmmm, am I really this boring? I miss blogs, I was sick, I bought presents, and I love Christmas. In my own mind I'm a much more exciting person than that, but it's probably not true, hahaha. I have gotten back to work on my latest novel. That's actual exciting news. It's been several months since I did any work on it, and it feels great to get back to it. I'm always happier when I'm writing, and anytime I have a layoff in my creative writing the world just isn't quite as vibrant.
Speaking of creative writing, I had a short story accepted to an anthology. The book is about time travel, and I'm honored that the editor felt my story was worthy of inclusion. The book is going to come out sometime in the first half of 2012, I'll be sure to let you all know when it releases so we can all go buy a copy!
Tonight I had dinner with my bosses and another colleague from the newspaper. It was an informal little holiday dinner, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Social situations such as those aren't always my strong suit, but I dearly love my bosses. Our relationship is very symbiotic, the better I do the better they do, the better they do the better I do. It really doesn't feel like a boss-employee relationship anymore, it feels more familial. Having such a tiny group of us working on the paper full time, the difference between our success or failure is razor thin. It lends a very "us against the world" feel to the work, and yet being a community newspaper, it's also "us for the world" as we work to keep the citizens informed and entertained. Not sure how much sense that makes, but the end result is a very bonding environment where it feels like our purpose is pure and our bond is unshakable. Maybe I'm naive, and I should look at it more as a business, more as "just a job". But for me it's more than that, it's my home away from home. It's my dream come true, my shelter from having to work a 9 to 5 job where I'd be totally miserable. I really do feel honored to be a part of it, and I have a lot of pride in the work we do. I love the fact that you can pour so much of yourself into something, that you can bleed and sweat for it, and look back over the year and know that it was worthwhile, that you helped people, you informed them, you entertained them. When I was a kid, I said my dream was to get paid to write. And I do that every day. I buy my gas with my writing, my food with my writing, I pay my rent with my writing. 9 year old me would high five me if he was around to see this.
Hmmm... what else can I get all sappy and poetic about? Christmas puts me in this kind of mood. Well, I'm actually almost always in this kind of mood, but Christmas just intensifies it. But, I think I successfully spent enough time blogging that I'm now actually sleepy, so I'm going to go lay down now. I hope this holiday season has been full of love and joy for all of you so far, and that it continues to go that way.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Blogging the insomnia away
So, I've been having trouble sleeping the past few weeks. Tonight, especially, is strange, as it's the last night before my roommate moves out. And such, I've decided to write a blog post, and hopefully it'll make me sleepy.
I'm not sure how living alone is going to suit me. I've never lived alone before, and while I really don't consider myself a social person, I also don't consider myself a loner either. I think I'm selectively social, and having your best friend as your roommate makes that a pretty easy disposition to maintain. Wanna be alone? Chill in your room. Want to socialize? Walk down the hall to his room. I think the change is really going to set in late tomorrow night when I get home from work to what will then by MY house. 3 bedrooms, one dude. Living large, I guess.
I don't want to whine too much about the whole deal. It is what it is, to use a saying that people use, and I'll just have to adapt. So let's just talk about something else.
How about press boxes? High School football season is back on, which means my Fridays will be spent in the press boxes of North Texas for the next few months. Here's the thing, I love press boxes, but they inspire a strange phenomenon for the people who are inside them. People are drink obsessed in press boxes. Think about it, when you go out somewhere, how many drinks do you require? Go to the movies, you usually require 1 drink, right? If you go to a sporting event you get maybe what, 2 drinks? Okay, the men and women in press boxes, from scouts to coaches to reporters to announcers, they drink like 8 drinks each. It's like this mania that overtakes you. I remember last season I was just grabbing drinks without realizing I was doing it. I had this moment where I looked at my work station (in addition to covering the games for the paper, I do stats for a radio show that broadcasts the game on the internet) and I had 5 drinks in front of me. I had a half empty Dr. Pepper, an unopened Dr. Pepper, a freshly opened Sprite, a freshly opened bottled water, and a red Gatorade. And you look around, and this is the norm! Dudes are stocking up on drinks like the apocalypse is nigh. Maybe it's just the strange appeal of facing down a big cooler full of drinks and knowing that you're free to grab them. It's like having a license to shoplift. I'd like to say that I'm going to be a better press box citizen this year and only take what drinks I need, but I'm not sure that's a pledge I can live up to. I'll try, but I won't be surprised to look up week 3 and have a plethora of drinks set before me once more.
"Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?"
"A what?"
"A plethora."
"Oh yes, you have a plethora."
"Jefe, what is a plethora?"
"Why, Guapo?"
"Well you told me I have a plethora, and I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora."
Boom, you just got Three Amigoed. I watched that movie like 100 times when I was a kid. I don't even remember liking it all that much...
I'm listening to a random "rock" radio station on Sptofiy right now and it's pretty bad. Paramore, Rise Against, Goo Goo Dolls, and Credence Clearwater Revival, so far. Not your typical mix, and not one that's doing much for me tonight. There, I switched to some moody rock. That's better.
Hmmm... what else can I blab about? I've had some really strange novel ideas lately. I'm kind of toying with the idea of tackling a bad idea for an upcoming project. Let me explain that. I know when I have good ideas. I can think it up, and go "yeah, that's a good idea". I know how to write a novel based on a good idea, and I'd go as far as to say that while still challenging, it's something that I've gotten good at doing. Know what would be a challenge though? To take a bad idea, and write a good book based around it. I have one pretty crappy idea that I'm sort of in love with. It's an outrageously dumb thing to base a novel around, and the possibility of crafting it into something that's actually good and enjoyable to read about sounds like a delightful challenge. I had another bad idea when driving last week, but the more I've thought about it I'm starting to think maybe it's not so bad after all. I ran it by a friend, who was oddly transfixed by it, despite its weirdness.
There's always another idea for the next book, which is something I'm super thankful for. I know that it's not like that for all writers, and I stockpile my novel ideas like they're gold, because deep down I have this fear that one day the ideas won't come so easily for me. If that day ever comes, I'll have an emergency supply I can dip into. The problem I've found is, every couple of years when I go back and read old novel ideas, they're actually kind of stupid. I think my sensibility of what makes a good book idea changes every few years. Just a few weeks ago I was reading old book ideas and kept thinking "this is terrible" or "I would never actually write this". I think I had designs of being a "normal" writer when I first got started. I had ideas about things like mine collapses in rural mountain towns, and the effect that has on a local family, and then the son of that family who moved away to Los Angeles and became a mildly successful music producer comes back home to help out and has to reconnect with old friends, family, and "the one that got away". If I was going to write that book now, my idea for that would be about some ancient evil creature that caused the mine collapse, and the local family with a legacy of monster hunters that has to rediscover their monster hunting heritage and go after the creature before it collapses other mines and more innocent hard working miners from the town are killed. See, that strikes me as a way better idea than the first one.
Speaking of writing books, I'm like 85% done with my next novel. It's been on hold for the past month while I played catch up with Hall Brothers Entertainment administrative stuff, and then had my mini-mental breakdown over my roommate leaving. I'm looking forward to getting back to it and finishing it up in the coming weeks though. It's about terraforming, which is a subject that fascinates me. Mostly it's just a big adventure, which you can probably say all of my books are really. And of course it's about love, because most books I write include a love story. I tend to enjoy my entertainment more when there's at least a little romance in it, and so I tend to write that way myself.
I wonder where I'm at in my writing career? I've been thinking about stuff like that lately, as it provides a great excuse to think about writing without actually doing any writing. I'm a "learn on the job" kind of guy. But I'm a six year full time newspaper veteran now, and my journalism work goes back over a decade total. I've got 7 years being a serious fiction writer, 6 finished novels, 3 short story collections, 1 novella, countless short stories, 2 nearly finished novels. I'm 31 years old. I feel good about the output level. I feel good about the quality of what I've done. I think that until you reach Stephen King status, you'll always wish for a wider audience, but that's not something I'd ever really complain about. You kind of just hope it'll happen one day, while reminding yourself to stay humbled by each individual reader. The fact that even a single human being has thought my work worthy of being bought, and more so deemed it worthy of giving up some of their time to read, that's a huge deal. I like to keep that attitude, because it's true. Time is the most valuable currency in the world, and the fact that hundreds of people have spent that currency reading my books, man, that's just crazy to think about. That's inspiration right there. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't wish it was thousands of people, or even tens of thousands, but even if it never really blows up past the level where I'm at, I'll forever be truly grateful that people read my stuff.
I really should go to sleep, as I have a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow, but I still don't feel tired. I'm sure anyone who managed to slog this far into this blog post is tired of reading though, so I'll shut it down here. I'm probably going to start blogging a lot more, and while I'd like to say they all won't be this long, well, we both know they probably will be. I hope everyone is having an awesome week, and that your weekend is full of some kind of adventure, some kind of rest, and some kind of laughter.
I'm not sure how living alone is going to suit me. I've never lived alone before, and while I really don't consider myself a social person, I also don't consider myself a loner either. I think I'm selectively social, and having your best friend as your roommate makes that a pretty easy disposition to maintain. Wanna be alone? Chill in your room. Want to socialize? Walk down the hall to his room. I think the change is really going to set in late tomorrow night when I get home from work to what will then by MY house. 3 bedrooms, one dude. Living large, I guess.
I don't want to whine too much about the whole deal. It is what it is, to use a saying that people use, and I'll just have to adapt. So let's just talk about something else.
How about press boxes? High School football season is back on, which means my Fridays will be spent in the press boxes of North Texas for the next few months. Here's the thing, I love press boxes, but they inspire a strange phenomenon for the people who are inside them. People are drink obsessed in press boxes. Think about it, when you go out somewhere, how many drinks do you require? Go to the movies, you usually require 1 drink, right? If you go to a sporting event you get maybe what, 2 drinks? Okay, the men and women in press boxes, from scouts to coaches to reporters to announcers, they drink like 8 drinks each. It's like this mania that overtakes you. I remember last season I was just grabbing drinks without realizing I was doing it. I had this moment where I looked at my work station (in addition to covering the games for the paper, I do stats for a radio show that broadcasts the game on the internet) and I had 5 drinks in front of me. I had a half empty Dr. Pepper, an unopened Dr. Pepper, a freshly opened Sprite, a freshly opened bottled water, and a red Gatorade. And you look around, and this is the norm! Dudes are stocking up on drinks like the apocalypse is nigh. Maybe it's just the strange appeal of facing down a big cooler full of drinks and knowing that you're free to grab them. It's like having a license to shoplift. I'd like to say that I'm going to be a better press box citizen this year and only take what drinks I need, but I'm not sure that's a pledge I can live up to. I'll try, but I won't be surprised to look up week 3 and have a plethora of drinks set before me once more.
"Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?"
"A what?"
"A plethora."
"Oh yes, you have a plethora."
"Jefe, what is a plethora?"
"Why, Guapo?"
"Well you told me I have a plethora, and I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and find out that that person has no idea what it means to have a plethora."
Boom, you just got Three Amigoed. I watched that movie like 100 times when I was a kid. I don't even remember liking it all that much...
I'm listening to a random "rock" radio station on Sptofiy right now and it's pretty bad. Paramore, Rise Against, Goo Goo Dolls, and Credence Clearwater Revival, so far. Not your typical mix, and not one that's doing much for me tonight. There, I switched to some moody rock. That's better.
Hmmm... what else can I blab about? I've had some really strange novel ideas lately. I'm kind of toying with the idea of tackling a bad idea for an upcoming project. Let me explain that. I know when I have good ideas. I can think it up, and go "yeah, that's a good idea". I know how to write a novel based on a good idea, and I'd go as far as to say that while still challenging, it's something that I've gotten good at doing. Know what would be a challenge though? To take a bad idea, and write a good book based around it. I have one pretty crappy idea that I'm sort of in love with. It's an outrageously dumb thing to base a novel around, and the possibility of crafting it into something that's actually good and enjoyable to read about sounds like a delightful challenge. I had another bad idea when driving last week, but the more I've thought about it I'm starting to think maybe it's not so bad after all. I ran it by a friend, who was oddly transfixed by it, despite its weirdness.
There's always another idea for the next book, which is something I'm super thankful for. I know that it's not like that for all writers, and I stockpile my novel ideas like they're gold, because deep down I have this fear that one day the ideas won't come so easily for me. If that day ever comes, I'll have an emergency supply I can dip into. The problem I've found is, every couple of years when I go back and read old novel ideas, they're actually kind of stupid. I think my sensibility of what makes a good book idea changes every few years. Just a few weeks ago I was reading old book ideas and kept thinking "this is terrible" or "I would never actually write this". I think I had designs of being a "normal" writer when I first got started. I had ideas about things like mine collapses in rural mountain towns, and the effect that has on a local family, and then the son of that family who moved away to Los Angeles and became a mildly successful music producer comes back home to help out and has to reconnect with old friends, family, and "the one that got away". If I was going to write that book now, my idea for that would be about some ancient evil creature that caused the mine collapse, and the local family with a legacy of monster hunters that has to rediscover their monster hunting heritage and go after the creature before it collapses other mines and more innocent hard working miners from the town are killed. See, that strikes me as a way better idea than the first one.
Speaking of writing books, I'm like 85% done with my next novel. It's been on hold for the past month while I played catch up with Hall Brothers Entertainment administrative stuff, and then had my mini-mental breakdown over my roommate leaving. I'm looking forward to getting back to it and finishing it up in the coming weeks though. It's about terraforming, which is a subject that fascinates me. Mostly it's just a big adventure, which you can probably say all of my books are really. And of course it's about love, because most books I write include a love story. I tend to enjoy my entertainment more when there's at least a little romance in it, and so I tend to write that way myself.
I wonder where I'm at in my writing career? I've been thinking about stuff like that lately, as it provides a great excuse to think about writing without actually doing any writing. I'm a "learn on the job" kind of guy. But I'm a six year full time newspaper veteran now, and my journalism work goes back over a decade total. I've got 7 years being a serious fiction writer, 6 finished novels, 3 short story collections, 1 novella, countless short stories, 2 nearly finished novels. I'm 31 years old. I feel good about the output level. I feel good about the quality of what I've done. I think that until you reach Stephen King status, you'll always wish for a wider audience, but that's not something I'd ever really complain about. You kind of just hope it'll happen one day, while reminding yourself to stay humbled by each individual reader. The fact that even a single human being has thought my work worthy of being bought, and more so deemed it worthy of giving up some of their time to read, that's a huge deal. I like to keep that attitude, because it's true. Time is the most valuable currency in the world, and the fact that hundreds of people have spent that currency reading my books, man, that's just crazy to think about. That's inspiration right there. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't wish it was thousands of people, or even tens of thousands, but even if it never really blows up past the level where I'm at, I'll forever be truly grateful that people read my stuff.
I really should go to sleep, as I have a bunch of stuff to do tomorrow, but I still don't feel tired. I'm sure anyone who managed to slog this far into this blog post is tired of reading though, so I'll shut it down here. I'm probably going to start blogging a lot more, and while I'd like to say they all won't be this long, well, we both know they probably will be. I hope everyone is having an awesome week, and that your weekend is full of some kind of adventure, some kind of rest, and some kind of laughter.
Monday, August 13, 2012
My Death Note Overdose
So, Death Note is one of those animes that I had no doubt I would enjoy. I've owned the entire series for years, but never watched past the first disc. I'm a finicky anime fan, and as much as I proclaim to love it, sometimes I wonder if I really do. It's like I love the theory of it, but something about actually watching it never leaves me quite as satisfied as I feel watching shows with real actors.
However, lately I've been migrating back into anime and enjoying myself so far. I think I'm finally in a place where I can enjoy it for what it is without worrying too much about what it isn't. So, when my roommate suggested we watch Death Note, it seemed like a great thing to do. For the past few years, he's mentioned that we should watch it off and on, but we never did it. Now that he's leaving in a few weeks, it seemed like a great thing to do, so over three LONG nights, we devoured this 37 episode series. And what a series it was. Below I'm going to share my spoiler free thoughts on it.
For any of you who aren't into anime, or don't know what Death Note is, it's a series about this guy named Light who finds a notebook that was dropped into the human world by a bored Shinigami, which is basically like a death god. Light learns that if he writes the name of someone in the notebook while picturing their face, they'll die. Seeing a chance to clean up the world, he decides to use the notebook in an attempt to wipe out all the terrible criminals, thus becoming something of a huge mass murderer (or a savior, depending on how you wanna view him). The world quickly becomes aware of his existence (though not his identity) and a huge investigation is started to bring him to justice.
So that's the basic idea. If it sounds dark, that's because it definitely is. For 37 episodes you kind of have to constantly fight the moral battle that the show presents. How bad is someone who kills murderers and rapists? Every character, even the ones who are trying to find the killer, has to confront this. They also have to contend with the fact that just by trying to find this guy, they are putting their lives at risk, because if he ever learns their name and face he can kill them easily.
The show is insanely good, with an emphasis on insane. This is some of the bravest storytelling you'll ever see. I don't know if it's always the best, but it's definitely among the bravest. This show produces jaw dropping twist after jaw dropping twist and stands proud and tall beside each one. Obviously this is a great quality, but it does mean the tone and direction of the show can veer wildly at times. In the heat of watching it, there were sections that I was a little unhappy with, as it broke away from my favorite elements of the series, but looking back on it I mostly just admire the show for having a no fear attitude towards completely demolishing itself and building it into something different a few times over the course of 37 episodes.
One thing that amazed me is how easily followed Death Note is. The story is complex to a nutty degree, but at the same time it never feels like its getting away from you. I think this was greatly helped by the fact that we watched 12 episodes a night, 3 nights straight, so there wasn't much chance of us forgetting any plot points. But still, it's definitely a strength of the series that it was able to remain easy to follow despite delving into some of the craziest, twisting, complex ideas and plots you'll ever see.
The only thing I have to compare Death Note to is The Shield (or maybe Dexter). In both shows, you're mainly watching someone who is probably defined as a villain. Also in both shows, you live every moment with your stomach in knots, eyes wide as you watch the intricate ways in which the characters weave their web and stay one step ahead of those who are after them.
The ending of Death Note was definitely satisfying. I felt a lot of conflicting emotions over it, and you really can't predict which way it's going to go, which is nice. For a show this crazy, the sky was the limit for how they wanted to close it, and that works to their advantage, because you really can't even begin to have a clue as to where things will end up when the final credits roll.
So there you have it, my thoughts on Death Note. It was fantastic watching it in one huge chunk, and I think I'll probably watch more anime this way in the future. I'd definitely recommend this series to people, as long as they're into this kind of super dark, complex, kind of thing. It's definitely not for everyone, as you spend the majority of the time with some really morally bankrupt characters, but it's just such a smart, engaging, deep, and insane show, I'm really glad I finally sat down and watched the thing.
However, lately I've been migrating back into anime and enjoying myself so far. I think I'm finally in a place where I can enjoy it for what it is without worrying too much about what it isn't. So, when my roommate suggested we watch Death Note, it seemed like a great thing to do. For the past few years, he's mentioned that we should watch it off and on, but we never did it. Now that he's leaving in a few weeks, it seemed like a great thing to do, so over three LONG nights, we devoured this 37 episode series. And what a series it was. Below I'm going to share my spoiler free thoughts on it.
For any of you who aren't into anime, or don't know what Death Note is, it's a series about this guy named Light who finds a notebook that was dropped into the human world by a bored Shinigami, which is basically like a death god. Light learns that if he writes the name of someone in the notebook while picturing their face, they'll die. Seeing a chance to clean up the world, he decides to use the notebook in an attempt to wipe out all the terrible criminals, thus becoming something of a huge mass murderer (or a savior, depending on how you wanna view him). The world quickly becomes aware of his existence (though not his identity) and a huge investigation is started to bring him to justice.
So that's the basic idea. If it sounds dark, that's because it definitely is. For 37 episodes you kind of have to constantly fight the moral battle that the show presents. How bad is someone who kills murderers and rapists? Every character, even the ones who are trying to find the killer, has to confront this. They also have to contend with the fact that just by trying to find this guy, they are putting their lives at risk, because if he ever learns their name and face he can kill them easily.
The show is insanely good, with an emphasis on insane. This is some of the bravest storytelling you'll ever see. I don't know if it's always the best, but it's definitely among the bravest. This show produces jaw dropping twist after jaw dropping twist and stands proud and tall beside each one. Obviously this is a great quality, but it does mean the tone and direction of the show can veer wildly at times. In the heat of watching it, there were sections that I was a little unhappy with, as it broke away from my favorite elements of the series, but looking back on it I mostly just admire the show for having a no fear attitude towards completely demolishing itself and building it into something different a few times over the course of 37 episodes.
One thing that amazed me is how easily followed Death Note is. The story is complex to a nutty degree, but at the same time it never feels like its getting away from you. I think this was greatly helped by the fact that we watched 12 episodes a night, 3 nights straight, so there wasn't much chance of us forgetting any plot points. But still, it's definitely a strength of the series that it was able to remain easy to follow despite delving into some of the craziest, twisting, complex ideas and plots you'll ever see.
The only thing I have to compare Death Note to is The Shield (or maybe Dexter). In both shows, you're mainly watching someone who is probably defined as a villain. Also in both shows, you live every moment with your stomach in knots, eyes wide as you watch the intricate ways in which the characters weave their web and stay one step ahead of those who are after them.
The ending of Death Note was definitely satisfying. I felt a lot of conflicting emotions over it, and you really can't predict which way it's going to go, which is nice. For a show this crazy, the sky was the limit for how they wanted to close it, and that works to their advantage, because you really can't even begin to have a clue as to where things will end up when the final credits roll.
So there you have it, my thoughts on Death Note. It was fantastic watching it in one huge chunk, and I think I'll probably watch more anime this way in the future. I'd definitely recommend this series to people, as long as they're into this kind of super dark, complex, kind of thing. It's definitely not for everyone, as you spend the majority of the time with some really morally bankrupt characters, but it's just such a smart, engaging, deep, and insane show, I'm really glad I finally sat down and watched the thing.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Upping the Gross factor
I'm too bored to sleep. It's likely the dumbest thing I've ever said, but it's how I feel right now. I have this weird sense that I should accomplish one more thing before going to bed, but for the life of me I can't muster up the desire to actually do anything. So I've spent the last 90 minutes wasting time on the internet, because this is what smart people do with their time.
Although, in my own defense, I did have a very productive day, so unspooling here at the tail end of it isn't too big of a deal. I completed edits on a novel we'll be releasing at Hall Brothers Entertainment soon, and it felt good to get that project finally done. We're still behind schedule on pretty much everything, but at least progress is being made. One project down, lots more that are waiting to be addressed.
I'm almost ready to start work on writing my next novel. It's going to be a standalone book, just a one-off sci-fi action/adventure thing, which I'm excited about. Most of our catalog over at HBE is books that belong to a series, so it'll be really nice to have something that's completely unattached and just stands on its own. But it's actually the NEXT novel that I'm going to write that's on my mind tonight.
This one will probably not be written until later in the year, as after I finish Terraformer (which is a working title) I'll write Black Badge Season Three (which is probably going to be the final book in that series) and then I'll probably go ahead and write the third Scrolls book (which is far from the final book in that series, I want to write like 10 Scrolls books). But, after all of that, I'll write this other novel that I'm just calling MPW for now.
Why am I excited about this idea? Well, first of all, it'll be another standalone novel, which is something that I dig. I love series, don't get me wrong, but having a few one-off books in between is always very nice. I love being able to read a book, then close that book and know that it's over. So MPW has that going for it.
More than that though, I think it's going to be a very gross book, and that sort of makes me happy. Black Badge is violent and cynical and dark, but it's not gross. I have this desire to do something, I hate to use the word graphic, but I think it fits what I'm trying to say here. MPW isn't going to be an awful book, but it will have awful things in it. Gross things, and creatures, and stuff like that. I really can't share anything else, because I'm a big believer in not saying too much before something is actually being written, and this is a long way from being written. But I'm doing research, and taking notes, and getting excited about the idea of grossing myself out.
So, what else is going on? Not much really. I've been on a huge editing roll lately, and it was much needed and quite nice. It's nothing but helpful to dive so deep into another person's book. You learn so much just about storytelling in general. I read the book first to enjoy it, then I read it a second time to edit/study it. It's kind of a cool process, and one that I feel always makes me a stronger storyteller when I'm done. And hopefully, also makes the book I'm editing a little better than it was before. Of course, this particular writer is a super pro, so the amount of actual editing I do on his work is next to none, but I did move around a few commas and find one spelling mistake, so at least I helped a little, hahaha.
Anyways, I guess that's it. Summer's here, and I hate that. Summer is awful on every level imaginable. But enough about that.
Here are some random thoughts to close out this random blog post.
The new Linkin Park album is pretty good.
I have no plans for 4th of July, but I'm certain my family will pull something together at the last minute. We have a weird habit of coming up with something to do on that holiday like the morning of.
I'm reading a book called The Black Opera, which is about music being so powerful that it can cause volcanic eruptions and stuff. So far it's horribly wordy and hard to read, which is a huge bummer because I'm in love with the idea of the book. I'm hoping it gets better, but reading it right now is a pretty big chore, which never equals out to a high entertainment factor.
On TV I've been enjoying Suits, Falling Skies, Teen Wolf and Franklin and Bash. I'm a little embarrassed over loving the last two of those shows, but whatever.
I might enter another short story contest. I finished in second place in the last one I entered, which was awesome. I've actually been considering putting out a cheap or maybe even free e-book of the short stories I wrote for that contest. I might do that one day soon! What a great idea!
Okay, that's all for me. I think I'm going to go lay down and see if I can experience some of this "sleep" stuff that I hear people talking about all the time. I hope each and every one of you are doing super fantastic these days!
Although, in my own defense, I did have a very productive day, so unspooling here at the tail end of it isn't too big of a deal. I completed edits on a novel we'll be releasing at Hall Brothers Entertainment soon, and it felt good to get that project finally done. We're still behind schedule on pretty much everything, but at least progress is being made. One project down, lots more that are waiting to be addressed.
I'm almost ready to start work on writing my next novel. It's going to be a standalone book, just a one-off sci-fi action/adventure thing, which I'm excited about. Most of our catalog over at HBE is books that belong to a series, so it'll be really nice to have something that's completely unattached and just stands on its own. But it's actually the NEXT novel that I'm going to write that's on my mind tonight.
This one will probably not be written until later in the year, as after I finish Terraformer (which is a working title) I'll write Black Badge Season Three (which is probably going to be the final book in that series) and then I'll probably go ahead and write the third Scrolls book (which is far from the final book in that series, I want to write like 10 Scrolls books). But, after all of that, I'll write this other novel that I'm just calling MPW for now.
Why am I excited about this idea? Well, first of all, it'll be another standalone novel, which is something that I dig. I love series, don't get me wrong, but having a few one-off books in between is always very nice. I love being able to read a book, then close that book and know that it's over. So MPW has that going for it.
More than that though, I think it's going to be a very gross book, and that sort of makes me happy. Black Badge is violent and cynical and dark, but it's not gross. I have this desire to do something, I hate to use the word graphic, but I think it fits what I'm trying to say here. MPW isn't going to be an awful book, but it will have awful things in it. Gross things, and creatures, and stuff like that. I really can't share anything else, because I'm a big believer in not saying too much before something is actually being written, and this is a long way from being written. But I'm doing research, and taking notes, and getting excited about the idea of grossing myself out.
So, what else is going on? Not much really. I've been on a huge editing roll lately, and it was much needed and quite nice. It's nothing but helpful to dive so deep into another person's book. You learn so much just about storytelling in general. I read the book first to enjoy it, then I read it a second time to edit/study it. It's kind of a cool process, and one that I feel always makes me a stronger storyteller when I'm done. And hopefully, also makes the book I'm editing a little better than it was before. Of course, this particular writer is a super pro, so the amount of actual editing I do on his work is next to none, but I did move around a few commas and find one spelling mistake, so at least I helped a little, hahaha.
Anyways, I guess that's it. Summer's here, and I hate that. Summer is awful on every level imaginable. But enough about that.
Here are some random thoughts to close out this random blog post.
The new Linkin Park album is pretty good.
I have no plans for 4th of July, but I'm certain my family will pull something together at the last minute. We have a weird habit of coming up with something to do on that holiday like the morning of.
I'm reading a book called The Black Opera, which is about music being so powerful that it can cause volcanic eruptions and stuff. So far it's horribly wordy and hard to read, which is a huge bummer because I'm in love with the idea of the book. I'm hoping it gets better, but reading it right now is a pretty big chore, which never equals out to a high entertainment factor.
On TV I've been enjoying Suits, Falling Skies, Teen Wolf and Franklin and Bash. I'm a little embarrassed over loving the last two of those shows, but whatever.
I might enter another short story contest. I finished in second place in the last one I entered, which was awesome. I've actually been considering putting out a cheap or maybe even free e-book of the short stories I wrote for that contest. I might do that one day soon! What a great idea!
Okay, that's all for me. I think I'm going to go lay down and see if I can experience some of this "sleep" stuff that I hear people talking about all the time. I hope each and every one of you are doing super fantastic these days!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Birthday Book Bomb!
Okay, so I'm blatantly stealing this idea from my friend Martin Ingham, who is an awesome writer. But it's my birthday, so hopefully that means he'll be okay with me following in his footsteps with the idea of a birthday book bomb.
So here's how it works. As a writer, the greatest thing that can happen for me is when people are buying and reading my books. So, since it's my birthday and it's socially acceptable to be a little selfish on your birthday, what I'd like to ask is that you help get more people buying and reading my books today. How can we do that? Well, if you're able, buy one of my books today. Print editions are 10 bucks, e-versions on Kindle and Nook are just 3 bucks, and if you're able to pick one up today, that would be a huge gift to me.
Of course, times are tough, so if you don't have the money available, maybe just take a moment to spread the word about my books to someone you know. Toss a link up on facebook, or tweet your homies, or email your bookish cousin, just let someone know that you know a guy who writes some books and that they're available. I really believe my available works span a lot of different taste profiles. Black Badge is gritty, dark, cynical, violent, action and mayhem. Scrolls is action packed, magical, a little romantic, coming of age, funny, and mysterious. The Bond: Conqueror is a galaxy spanning action sci-fi tale of revenge. And if short stories are more your speed, then I've got great work in both Undiscovered and Villainy, the two short story compilations available at Hall Brothers Entertainment.
Here's the link to the Hall Bros Entertainment store: STORE
If you'd rather buy the books on amazon.com you can do that too. Just head over there and search for the books by their exact title, because it tends to kickback a ton of results unless you search for exactly which of my books you're after.
Anyways, anything you can do to help make my first ever birthday book bomb a success would be hugely appreciated. You write in a vacuum, and even after you release a book it just kind of floats out there and it's always such a great feeling when you know people are buying them and telling people they know that this is stuff that's worth reading. Thanks to each and every one of you for all the support you've shown me over the years, and I hope you'll continue to stick with me as I continue to write more books!
So here's how it works. As a writer, the greatest thing that can happen for me is when people are buying and reading my books. So, since it's my birthday and it's socially acceptable to be a little selfish on your birthday, what I'd like to ask is that you help get more people buying and reading my books today. How can we do that? Well, if you're able, buy one of my books today. Print editions are 10 bucks, e-versions on Kindle and Nook are just 3 bucks, and if you're able to pick one up today, that would be a huge gift to me.
Of course, times are tough, so if you don't have the money available, maybe just take a moment to spread the word about my books to someone you know. Toss a link up on facebook, or tweet your homies, or email your bookish cousin, just let someone know that you know a guy who writes some books and that they're available. I really believe my available works span a lot of different taste profiles. Black Badge is gritty, dark, cynical, violent, action and mayhem. Scrolls is action packed, magical, a little romantic, coming of age, funny, and mysterious. The Bond: Conqueror is a galaxy spanning action sci-fi tale of revenge. And if short stories are more your speed, then I've got great work in both Undiscovered and Villainy, the two short story compilations available at Hall Brothers Entertainment.
Here's the link to the Hall Bros Entertainment store: STORE
If you'd rather buy the books on amazon.com you can do that too. Just head over there and search for the books by their exact title, because it tends to kickback a ton of results unless you search for exactly which of my books you're after.
Anyways, anything you can do to help make my first ever birthday book bomb a success would be hugely appreciated. You write in a vacuum, and even after you release a book it just kind of floats out there and it's always such a great feeling when you know people are buying them and telling people they know that this is stuff that's worth reading. Thanks to each and every one of you for all the support you've shown me over the years, and I hope you'll continue to stick with me as I continue to write more books!
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