Pump it up.

Editing, writing, editing. The cycle of the past week has been strenuous. Not that I haven't enjoyed it, but I have really wanted to make sure I got this one right. Elemental will be out tomorrow and I couldn't be more nervous and more excited. When I have these moments of what I like to call "Life-weight" hanging on my shoulders I turn to music. Some language in these so if that isn't your thing, you be warned.(not sure why I said it like that...)

Usually I find two songs one to pump me up and one to reflect upon. It is rare they are from the same person. This time they both happen to be from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Now I don't know if you are a fan, I found them about a year before Thrift Shop made them a good bit more popular. I have noticed they put out one of his older songs recently and got a video for it. This song pumps me up, if I'm down or stressed I put this on and it is go time.

The next song is something that just really reminds me of greatness and what it takes to follow your dreams as an artist. I write to this, contemplate to this, and at times just sit and enjoy it. The second verse especially talks to me.

These are just something that currently move me. What are some songs that help you get what you need done?


Anyway, as always, have fun and keep writing.

The cuteness the scary cuteness.

So as my book comes closer to being released I have been consumed with work. It is nice while the stress of constant work bares down to pick up a little puppy. To get a few licks in the face and the pleasure of scratching behind a floppy ear to set a tail to wagging. This dear friends is Leelu, she is a miniature Dachshund and the spoiled little baby of our family.

Yesterday I found out just how much this little dog means to me. My wife came home after working and exhausted, fixed herself a bowl of potato soup. As usual Leelu was at her feet, both wanting her loving and...her soup. I was busy trying to make sure the kids were ready to go to school. Usually in the mornings before I take them we get them to walk the dogs as one of their chores. So my son takes Leelu out and lets her do her business. They come back in and everything seems fine, I take the kids to school and come back to do a little bit of writing.

Now you have to understand that while Leelu loves me and our kids, she is my wife's baby. She will follow her all around the house, she sleeps on her chest and if my wife is at the computer the baby has to be in her lap. So she was the first to notice that above one of her eyes was a small knot that was steadily swelling. She had her hands full and asked me to check her, by the time I had picked her up both eyes were swelling up like a prize fighter and smaller bumps were growing all over her body. Needless to say we both freaked out.

I tried to remain calm as I could though inside I was scared almost thoughtless. We knew it was an allergic reaction to something, but we were scared she had gotten into something in the house or that the swelling would go to her throat and cause her to not be able to breath. After giving her some water we threw on some amalgamation of clothing and rushed to our vet. Once there we proceeded to throw all of the small amount of money we had at the receptionist and beg for them to do something. At this point poor Leelu had ceased to look like a Dachshund and began resembling a very bumpy Pug.

The vet reassured us that they would take care of her and not to worry. Easier said than done. After what seemed like days, but was probably actually very little time they brought her out to us. She was still very swollen, but they assured us it would go down in time. They said it looked like she got bit in her ear and had an allergic reaction to it. After a few shots, a return trip to the vet accompanied by a extended stay for Leelu she started to look once more like the picture above.

I have to say that I can get sidetracked at times and bury myself in my work, but it is amazing when life pulls you back to reality and shows you the important things. So now with her little tail wagging as I scratch behind her ears I am back at work trying to get my book ready for the world. I can honestly say that the old saying each moment is precious is very poignant to me right now and I am glad to be surrounded by my wonderful family both with and without fur.

Anyway, my book will be out in a few days and I am so very excited for everyone to read it. As always have  fun and keep writing. 

I am Super excited.

Okay I have to let my nerd flag fly for a moment here.

Since I was a young child I have been in love with the idea of Superman. Selfless, kind, amazing powers... plus in his day job he is a writer.. sort of.

I loved the Christopher Reeves movies... yes all of them. I even enjoyed Superman Returns. All seasons of Smallville are proudly displayed on my bookshelf. I also have quite a bit of long boxes full of his many comic books.

So with all of this said I can without shame say I can be biased when it comes to anything to do with the red-caped boy scout. That aside I have to say that in June I feel I may actually get the movie I've always wanted to see. The newest preview has affirmed all my hopes that this will be not only taken seriously, but that they are handling it in a way that embodies exactly what the story of this sun-loving, orphaned alien is actually all about.

In a time where the world is scary and the ground feels shaky, it seems absurd to think a comic movie would have any true worth for people. I can see that point of view, but the story they are offering is about hope. It's about going beyond yourself to do what is right and standing when standing isn't easy. Movies have proved me wrong in the past, but I truly hope this is everything I want it to be and I can't wait to throw my money at the ticket seller and climb the steps to my favorite level of seats. It may be silly, but when I see that S marked shield I find a little joy and a little hope.

What movies or characters make you guys feel this way? 

Also if you have not seen it here is the latest trailer:

Writing those special scenes.

Well my mouth is finally not screaming at me. I am slowly coming off the meds and feel coherent enough to write something today.

I got to thinking on this subject as I watched an episode of Game of Thrones(if you're not watching you should be (:). There was a scene— not from the book— that I truly loved. It was a dialog between Catelyn Stark and Talisa (her son's wife). She told a story about Jon Snow her dead husband's bastard. Of how he was sick and she had not been able to do anything before then, but loathe the boy for being born to another woman. She then explained she had prayed that he would get better from the pox and that if he did she would beg her husband to give him the Stark last name and she would claim him as a true son. She did not keep her promise and as she spoke she mused that maybe she had cursed her family by not being able to accept that boy.

I was personally moved by this and as Jon Snow is one of my favorite characters in the book and show I really enjoyed seeing her regret his treatment. Now there are a few people who do reviews on you tube of this show. One of them I subscribe to took issue with this scene not liking that Catelyn was regreting something that was obvious for her to do within her setting. This led to a debate between us that ultimately ended in us having to agree to disagree. So I loved it and this person did not. Does that mean the scene wasn't great? For if it was great we would both love it, right?

I would say no. I know why I love the scene, according to the definition of the word I would be considered a bastard. So for someone like me Jon is a great character and I would be sympathetic to any story arc that had to do with him. I don't know this reviewer personally so I can not assume what in their life might not lead them to the same emotions as myself. Still the success of the scene and the show/books in general was that it found a situation that would appeal to at least some group of people in a way to have them invested in what is going on.

A book at its base is a collection of words, scale it up a bit and it is a collection of moments. Some of these moments will not be anything more than the line from a point A to a point B. As writers we try to make those moments as small and few as we can, but they will almost always be there and the counterweight to them is the great moments that tend to make the story something loved and embraced.

So what makes a moment great? Well there are a multitude of ways to write a memorable scene. The thing is whether it is action, or a romantic moment, maybe just an introspective debate between two of your characters, you have to ask yourself what have I put at stake for this moment? For me what was at stake when Catelyn found herself wondering if her actions were in the right was who she was willing to be past that point. If I have an action scene I try to think of what may be lost what may be gained where does this put my story when it is over. It is a good rule for any scene.

If we as writers do something just to do it, or because the story may be lagging we usually end up with something that feels hollow. To find true emotions or to make a scene really sparkle we have to understand what our intent is in writing it in the first place. Always try to let people see the risk and the change that each moment is having on your characters and they will embrace it because it feels real to them.

All we are as people are a collection of moments that have formed who we are and how we act. Treat your characters the same and they will have life.

Anyway, can't wait to have my book out for all to see—yes probably some of the A to B moments— but hopefully some great ones as well. As always have fun and keep writing.

MY TEETH = so yeah artist time.

Well I just had to have a tooth pulled today, needless to say I am taking meds and trying to race the escalation of pain. I wanted to post something I had been planning to write, but figured it may be a good time to share someone else's work.

S. Balac is a German artist I was lucky enough to find on Deviant Art. I think he has a massive amount of talent and a great understanding of composition and story. I found working with him to be nothing but a delight. So anyway I will keep this one short, but I'm going to put two links where you may find his art so go say hi and marvel at the beauty.

D A

His Blog

MY COVER!

After three months of searching for and working with an artist I finally got my cover in today and I am so happy. Not only that I get to have it myself, but I get to share it with everyone. My actual book should be out later this month, but for now here is the cover and a small excerpt from ELEMENTAL.

(Click me I get bigger)

      The car pulled into my apartment complex and I heard Mrs. Watts tell her friend to hold on. She smiled at me and said, “Well thanks for all the help with the yard, guess I will see you Saturday.”
     “Oh, it was no problem, glad to help. Thanks for the ride.” I climbed out and started making my way up to my door. The parking lot was dark, the lights around my building had gone out a week ago and no one had seen fit to fix them yet. I guess seeing wasn’t part of their living accommodations. Situating my book bag I looked around. I was alone except for an older woman walking her dog. I nodded to her as I headed for the stairs. No sooner had my foot touched the first step when I began to feel this revulsion like something was crawling on my skin. Out of instinct I turned and looked behind me.
     Leaning against one of the broken light poles was a man. I couldn’t make out his face as it was covered in shadows, but fear shot through me like a bullet. My body felt frozen, I knew I should run, but it felt like doing so would set everything back into action. I tried to will my foot back onto the step.
    “Hello pretty,” the dark man said in a haunting voice that chilled to the bone.
     My voice shook as I formed the words. “Who are you?” It felt stupid, but nothing else had come to mind. I managed to get my foot back on the step.
     He stepped from the pole and said, “Me? I’m no one. You though? You are something special, in fact you’re so special I have a feeling I’d like to take you home with me.”
     I turned and ran knowing it wouldn’t be fast enough. I felt him grab my shirt from behind and push me to the metal stairs below. I kicked out and struggled to pull myself from his hold. A gust of wind rushed past me, it blew my hair wildly and I was free.
     Not waiting to see what happened I scrambled up the steps and quickly unlocked the door. Slamming it behind me I slid down with the cold white wood to my back. My breath came in quick gasps, I felt my whole body shaking. What was that, why did he let go? I quickly stood up peering through the peephole in the door. No one was outside. Putting my ear to the wood I tried to listen for any sound that would lead me to believe he was still out there.
     After a few seconds I backed away from the door and sat in one of the chairs by the table. I had just calmed my thundering heartbeat when the handle of the door started to twist. I scrambled for anything I could find to defend myself with, settling on a picture frame that was on the wall next to me. As the door opened I drew back ready to swing with every ounce of my strength.


P.S. If anyone is looking for an E for A-Z Elemental is a great word :) :)

Other Art

So as I work away trying to get Elemental ready, I got to thinking of art. I feel that writing is an art form much like painting or anything else. So I decided to post some other things artistic I enjoy doing. Sometimes when I get blocked or feel stressed by my writing I often go and do something else to help free me up. Here is some of my other art.

DRAWING

The easiest thing for me to do is draw, pencil and paper is— besides writing—  where I find myself happiest. I have a good amount of control with it and it is easy for me to get the things in my head out in a way that I can be happy with it.

PAINTING

Painting is sort of new for me. My wife paints all the time and I really enjoy the use of colors, but the control I have is a lot less than using a pencil so it is harder to get the picture I want. Still there is something very therapeutic about turning on some music and blending colors to try and make an image come to life.

SCULPTING 

This is the newest and easily the hardest form of art I have tried to work with. I have only done 4 sculptures so far and each one was a test in patience. I have to say one the best parts of this is getting to really get in there and use my hands to create something. Truth be told I actually enjoy the mess, it takes me back to playing in the mud as a child I guess. 

I feel like all of these forms of art make me feel complete and who knows I may try to take up calligraphy or airbrushing. I guess what I understand through my art is I am always looking for ways to express myself and it feels good to get something out in such different ways.

Anyway, what are some ways you like to express yourself through art? As always have fun and keep writing.

The creeping doubt.

Okay so I'm cheating with a cute picture of my puppy, but it is so cute it scares the doubt away and I can tie it in I swear. 

I have been super busy these past couple of months. I have been working on two new WIPs and doing last minute revisions on Elemental.

I will always look for traditional publishing for my work, but have decided—as I said in an earlier post— to self publish my first finished novel instead. I think it will be good to see how others react to my writing. I also have been reading and many successful authors are even recommending going this route for a first time author. It can be a good way to get your name out there.

I found someone to do a cover for me and have been completely happy with the process so far. I have gotten some of my beta readers lined up for a last look over and have been steadily moving my way back through the text. All work to try and make the final product as good as it can be before I give it to the world.

I can remember when the story idea came to me for Elemental. I had been working in my fantasy world trying to build the story for my Epic saga(that will one day come to completion). I remember thinking of how cool it would be to write about people who could control the elements. Of course it was just an idea, something to toy with when my mind was too clogged with relics and assassins. It wasn't until Sophia formed that I knew I had to write this story. She was real, she had parts of me and others I held to high regard inside of her. I didn't have trouble understanding who she was and I got excited as I thought of sending her into this new world I'd created.

It took me eight months to write my first draft and then two years to learn the business side of trying to get the book to print. In that time the book has been read and critiqued and re-written, re-read and re-critiqued. I had someone brought to tears in a scene and had several people tell me they wanted to throw the book across the room (but in a good way) because of another. All of this time has shown me that while the book may not be perfect it is good. That it can evoke emotion and carry the reader on a journey and as an author I could ask no more from it.

So it is funny as I lay there in my bed the other night I started to doubt. I doubted the book and myself. I lay there turning thinking of other things I'd written lately and trying to compare them. I asked myself why I didn't just move on from this book it was my first one anyway. Finally I fell asleep and when I woke the next day my mood was sour. I didn't want to work on the book or check for an update on the cover. My wife noticed my ill disposition and inquired as to what was wrong.(AKA "What's your problem.") I grumbled out something about not being sure of the book. Having read it she began to reassure me that I wasn't crazy that the story was there. I wanted to believe her, but several negative thoughts from the night before were winning out over years of praise.

It was then that my wife(being the smart one of the two of us) gave me some golden advice. She said, "I know it's good and you do too, but if you keep sitting on it no one else will be able to see it." I wanted to grumble some more, but I realized she was right. So I grabbed my puppy(see worked it in (: ) and got back into my revision. It wasn't long before I was enjoying myself and the story once more and the evil doubt demon was pushed back under the bed.

I have heard the quote in many different forms, but the simple truth is the fear of failure will cause you to fail. Sometimes you have to believe in yourself and do something scary because it is time to do so.

Anyways, as always have fun and keep writing.

Taking the Time

I was reading Patrick Rothfuss blog about a week ago and he hit on a theme that I find is sometimes overlooked by those of us trying hard to get our stories out there. The idea is that often times we restrict ourselves from anything that would seem like play or fun.

I know myself I have agonized about how often I am at the computer getting work done. I try to push myself to be doing something, anything, at all moments that could push me forward in my career as an author. Now there is nothing wrong with this, I feel that the field I have chosen to be apart of is a hard one. If I were to be lazy about my pursuit of readers and publishers, not only would I not deserve them, but I would also probably not be successful in finding and or keeping them.

Having said that life doesn't stop and wait for me to find the right time to enjoy it. I think it is important to remember that most of what goes into our writing is our life experience. Yes some of the things we read influence us or even movies or some other medium of entertainment, but the bulk comes from what we lived. No one writes about heartache like those who have been through it. The same goes for anything else you may want to write about. I think it is very important that we enjoy what we have around us while we look forward to the what's ahead.

Writers are dreamers, we sometimes live in a world that others can only glimpse through the words we put on a page. It can be lonely at times and the longing that comes with searching for your readers can be as heart breaking as a lost love. I can only say this your writing is only as good as you are, go enjoy yourself, find an adventure. The words aren't going anywhere trust me the madness that is being a writer won't let them.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend and as always have fun and keep writing.

Why are you a writer?

Today while taking my kids to school my son randomly asked from the back seat, "Dad, why do you want to be a writer?" This sort of stunned me because while I have been writing since before he was born he had never asked me that before. Trying to get them to school in time and not being a morning person I gave him a short answer, "Because I like to tell stories, it makes me happy." We talk  a good bit on rides to and from school and I enjoy having conversations with them because they can be quite insightful. Proving this true my son then asked, "But what made you want to be a writer?" I must admit the answer didn't pop right into my head.

I remembered being a teenager and first getting a Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman book. It wasn't one of their dragon lance, but Dragon Wing from their Death Gate Cycle series. This of course led me to the Dragon Lance books which led to me creating my first world and writing my first real story.

Of course I knew that wasn't where it started, if I thought back further I remembered my love of comic books. I remembered spending hours nearly everyday with my two best friends making characters and giving them stories and drawing them. I can still remember at the time wanting nothing more than to walk into a comic shop and see something on the shelf I had written.

Both of these could be great reasons to tell my son as to why I wanted to become a writer. Still as I thought on it I knew it went back even further than that. My mother read to me as a child I know because I own one of the books she used to read me, it was one of the Golden Books: The Saggy Baggy Elephant. Just a little book about an elephant who didn't feel like he fit in. See my father had left before I was born and I grew up with a sister who had a different father than me and though this is not an uncommon story there were times where I did feel like I didn't fit in or have a place. 

Another person who was hugely influential in my life was my Godmother. I called her Mamma Donna, I can recall clearly going to stay with her over summer breaks. It was a place of my own where I was special. She used to read Charlotte's Web to me when I went to sleep. She helped run a private school in New Orleans so as I got older I was able to ransack the school's library. I remember devouring books like Treasure Island and White Fang. Then I found C.S. Lewis, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. In those books I found friends and learned lessons. I got to escape and feel all ranges of emotion. My imagination was opened wide. 

The ride from my home to my kid's school isn't a particularly long one so all of this remembrance happened in just a few moments and not wanting to leave my son's question unanswered I tried to cram it all into a few poignant sentences. As we came to a stop I saw him nod his head at my story and he opened the car to go into the school building. I watched as he and his sister left the car. I told them I loved them and as I usually do in the mornings when I take them asked ever so cleverly for them to learn something. It was a small thing his question. Simply a brief moment of, at most, an interest in his father or at least a mild curiosity as to why I did what I do with my time. For me though it was something truly special. 

It let me go back to those moments in my life. Like when my mother used all of her energy to fill the role of two parents and still took the time to read to me. Of the last time I saw my Godmother at my sister's wedding. She spent her time watching a few children, some of which were her grand kids. I got too see new people benefiting from having a Mamma Donna. Of my two friends who didn't care if it was silly to run around yelling out hero catchphrases and spend hours and hours off in an imaginary world. To go back to the moments I fell back into a fantasy world and loved it so much I created something for myself that I still work in to this day.

These stories and others like them, of great moments and people in my life showed me something about myself as a writer. They showed me that this isn't something I thought would be cool to do one day. It isn't something I thought I could make some money at or get some attention through. No, what that little question showed me was that as corny or fluffy and maybe even a little cliched as it may sound, writing isn't something I do, it's who I am.

Anyway, what is it that makes you a writer, or a painter or an accountant or whatever it is you truly are? Finding that out may bring a smile to your face when things get hard, as always have fun and keep writing.

The Laptop

Well Spring is almost here and as is normal for this time of year—taxes came in. We tend to do okay with our taxes so that when they come in we can get a few things in order and maybe get something extra we have been wanting throughout the year, but didn't have the coin to splurge on it.

For me that was a laptop. I used to only write on them, but one year I got my desktop and never went back. I enjoy my writing space(AKA : Nerd Station), it is great to have a place to go where I know work is supposed to get done. The problem I found is sometimes it wasn't an ideal place to be, if my wife was home and busy doing something that meant the kids were in and out or the dogs were running around. This would give the little two year old in my head something else to focus on instead of getting words to page.

So I decided to take my extra spending money and get a small laptop, nothing fancy, just something I can take where ever and write on. I have to say for my writing career it was the smartest thing I have done in a long time. I still write at my desktop, but the ability to go sit on the back porch and listen to the wind moving through the trees or find some secluded area in a house full of people where I can delve into a story, is priceless.

So far total writing done on the new computer is just over 30,000 words, and I have had it about a month. There is a freedom in saying where I get to write that appeals to that rebellious toddler that sometimes lives in a writer's mind. I am hoping to have a second story finished(at least first draft) in the next two months at this rate and I can't be happier.

In other news I have looked a lot into self publishing and after the recent interview I saw with R. A. Salvatore on Sword and Laser— which I recommend a watch— I am thinking for my first book self publishing may be the rout for me. With the way the publishing world is going and the ease of access to eBooks and print to order a first time author has a good chance of getting out there if their work is good enough and I feel mine is.

Anyway as always have fun and keep writing.

Sword & Laser link :Here

Update

Hey just wanted to post an update on what's going on with me. The first thing I am excited to say is, revisions are DONE!!! Sorry, but this one was a task. I enjoyed it in the end, but it was some big decisions to make. I am also about halfway done with book two. I am enjoying the fall weather and it has me in a great writing mood.

In other news I did a guest post for anyone interested over at Kicking Corners.

Anyway this is just a bit of what's going on with me, hope to start getting more regular with my blogs again now that revisions are done. As always have fun and keep writing.