404 PAGES AND COUNTING

Thanksgiving break has been a busy time for me. Besides cooking an entire meal, I also typed until my eyes were blurry. I'm really anxious to finish my new book and so is my wife. She has been on me to get it done. So getting as much done during my week off has been top priority. I'm at 404 pages. I still think I'm about two chapters from the ending. The closer I get to the end, the more nervous I seem to get. While I really look forward to the final punctuation mark, I really dread the time when it's all said and done. That's when the unknown takes place. How many will sell? Will people like it? Will this be my big break? During the writing and editing process, these questions are mostly silent. My focus is on the characters and the action during that time. When the book is printed and available to the public my questions plague me. This isn't about fame. It's about seeing the full vision of my work. That can only happen if I have the opportunity.There's always the hope that Marvel, DC, or some movie producer will stumble upon my Gruff trilogy and want to take it to the next level. Hey, a guy can dream, right? For now, day dreams and high hopes are at a stand still. They are still silenced by my unfinished manuscript. When Gruff: Rising Sons is complete the dreams, hopes, and the unknown can be as loud as they want to be. I still have more work to do. 404 pages and counting!
 

Picturing art with a friend

I think that I will reach my goal of finishing my latest book by the end of the year. Trusting that I will do just that, I have begun preparing for the 2010 year of art. I have been writing literally non-stop for about six years. In this time my art has taken the back burner. I have done only a few significant pieces. Most of my focus has been on writing books and screenplays. Today marked the end of my diligent writing campaign. My friend, Charlie Roberts took some great photos of my art to be used on my website and made into quality prints. This is a big deal to me. My pieces aren't that small. When ever I need to show my work I have to lug around a hefty portfolio of large drawings. Having smaller and lighter prints will make displaying my work so much easier. This is good news, seeing that I plan on doing a lot...a whole lot of drawing next year.

The best thing about today's photo shoot with Charlie was getting to know another side of Charlie. He is one of the friendliest and most genuine people I have ever had the honor of knowing. But today I saw the photographer in Charlie. I met the artist! His eye for detail and the wealth of his knowledge was impressive. What he did for me was an act of kindness and friendship that I truly appreciate. Thanks, Charlie for your help in preparing me for next year.

(1st Coast Photo Art by Charlie Roberts) charlie.1stcoastphotoart@gmail.com

The Red Terrors!

My friends know how much I love aquarium fish, especially freshwater. Well, today my new fish finally arrived! Now you probably are wondering why a grown man is so excited over a bunch of fish. The thing is, I am excited. I admit it I am a fish enthusiast! I am very happy about my new fish. They are Red Terror Festaes. These fish were so hard to find at a reasonable price. I searched for months until I finally found them at a great price in Illinois. The joy of finally finding my RTs was almost cut short by the U.S. Postal Service. They lost my Fish! I purchased next day shipping but they never arrived. After many phone calls and emails my fish arrived today. An extra day riding in a mail truck didn't harm them. Now they are swimming happily in my 120gallon tank. I feel like captain Ahab! There was no white-humped whale taunting me from the boisterous froth of the sea. Instead, my angry whale was a little mail truck with my helpless fish tucked in its box-filled belly.

I am not the only fish nut in America. We are millions strong! Go to www.monsterfishkeepers.com and see for yourself.