Apologies

I've been taking my time in reading through Genesis via physical copy and have found many a mistake. So for those that have bought the book, I wish to extend my deepest of apologies. Not only have I probably put my worst foot forward, but I've wasted your time and well-earned money. You deserve better, as do my characters.

If you truly feel slighted, let me know. I will gladly purchase a new one for you and mail it to you. No one should be forced to keep something they don't like/can't use. And to be honest, I hope that my books keep you coming back to revisit the story. I know that they constantly beckon to me, but I've also written a story I knew I wanted to read.

News unrelated to my sorry excuse for a first publication:

Arthurian lore is eating at my brain. Reading The Once and Future King doesn't help matters. However, it still calls to my attention at nearly all hours. I can't wait till August so I can let my fingers fly across my keyboard in story-telling again. Exploring this story gets me excited. Many questions will be answered for me and even more will be posed, of this I'm sure.

With every road I travel down regarding my world, I find stories, characters and histories I find captivating. It's why I think I'm always searching down those roads. There's always more story to tell, if I really wanted there to be. Every world, I think, has the potential to grow into something harking of reality. It draws us in and can, if the author allows it, to enthrall and devour a reader's attention.

And that is my sincerest hope for you when you read my books. If I have not done this, well, then I have obviously forgotten something. Or perhaps something was lost. Regardless, it won't be recognized by a larger audience until I get a story that doesn't just grab me. Because boy, does it ever snatch my attention away. I was five minutes late from my lunch today at work because I was so caught up in a story I wrote.

As absurd as this is, I was giggling at my own writing - not because it was bad. But because I actually found it funny.

Lord willing, all will be as I strive for.

Currently Editing: Genesis
Currently Reading: The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Currently Listening to: "Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets

Waiting...

The other day I wished an unofficial cousin a happy birthday. She wound up replying that she was excited about my book. I then replied that I was excited to see where it was God was going to take it. Then I sat back and thought about things.

I've been waiting my whole life to see where God will take this story.

That might be a gross exaggeration.

Regardless, I've been waiting a long time to see where it is God will take the story I've written. At first, when I hit submit on CreateSpace's website and nearly was pinching my eyes shut in terror, I was more scared than anything. But as the days have passed and as I've grown accustomed to my coworkers and friends asking how things are going and many people telling me how proud they are of me, I'm not so scared anymore. It's hovering somewhere out there, but I choose not to acknowledge it.

Now, I'm simply excited. I have no clue where this is headed. I don't know to what end this all will bring me. Only that I've done it. Only that I have faith that this will somehow be a doorway for my future. And if it turns out that this is actually a brick wall, well, then we'll start over. Try something different.

Life is a grand adventure. If we allow it to be.

I'm currently bombarding my room with noise and book-related stuff (poems my friend wrote, artwork, Nanowrimo awards, etc.). Every now and then, I really like when I'm the only person in the house. Later tonight I'm gonna try my hand at drawing concept art again. I'm on a kick with that.

Eventually I need to get back to reading The Once and Future King. August will eventually arrive and as I've mentioned before, I don't feel like just glossing over my next book.

Happy writing everyone!

Currently Editing: Genesis (via physical copy! It'll be a fun copy when I'm done with it.)
Currently Reading: The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Currently Listening to: "God's Not Dead (Like a Lion)" by Newsboys

P.S. - There's now a Kindle edition of book 1! Link is on the right for those who want to read digitally.

All Grown Up (Sorta)

The highest high point of my life has arrived.

Graduating college was great. Watching my best friend get married was fantastic. Writing all five books of the End Game series in a year was phenomenal.

But holding an actual, professional bound copy of Genesis takes the cake (and probably ate it too).

Every time I see it sitting on my bookshelf or take it to show a family member that has yet to see it, I start grinning. Holding it in my hand, fingering through the pages, reading the story in this new medium. It's all so exhilarating. I sort of want to jump around and dance and scream. I even tried to take a picture of myself with the book. My webcam sucks and I don't look recognizable without my glasses on.

So you'll just have to make do with this lovely picture of me.

My book is all growed up. Kinda. I explained to my brother that it's as though my book just graduated high school. In a few years, it'll graduate college, be picked up by a publishing house and go off into the real world.

Meanwhile, I'm reading The Once and Future King like a crazy person, though I don't plan to follow that framework for my Arthurian lore story. That's a little more romanticized and, I'm fairly certain (don't quote me on this), that it's through this version of the story we get the whole idea of Lancelot and Guinevere having a love affair behind Arthur's back. Which is not happening in my version of the story.

Oh, and I redesigned the blog. Obviously. I'm attempting to figure out how to transform this into my official author website. Right now I feel like I've got two jobs: one pays the bills and the other is scraping along meagerly. And, of course, the meager one is what I want to do for the rest of my life. How silly is that?

I'd say only a crazy person would do it.

Happy writing everyone!

Currently Writing: Nothing. And it's driving me a little bonkers.

Currently Reading: The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Currently Listening to: "Hymn to Life" by Thomas Bergersen

Find the Target

Today, my brother bought me a bow. Not just any bow, but a Bear Archery Inc. Recurve bow called the Cheyenne. It's probably around 4 feet tall, 45 pounds, and is absolutely beautiful. See?

See?! Isn't is stunning? Totally expensive and it's my birthday/Christmas present for the next five years. I'm super grateful though. Not only is this my new favorite toy, but it's also tons helpful for my next book. I'm learning broadsword work, but now I've got a phenomenal bow. My arrows are great, and aside from the quiver, I've got everything I need.

This post isn't just me talking about how awesome my brother is to go spend oodles of money on me, but because of how important I think getting physically into your character's surroundings is. Holding what your character holds, feeling the weight of their weapons, clothes, and environment helps not only put you, but your writing (and then naturally, your readers), right into your characters shoes.

The next book I plan on writing is based on Arthurian lore. Naturally, learning broad sword & shooting arrows will help me get into my character's mindsets. It's why I want to travel the world for my character's understanding of where they come from. Naturally, at the moment, I can't afford that.

Well, I just wanted to let the world know I got a bow :) That's about it.

Oh, and my book is going to be for sale. Starting tomorrow, it'll be available. I'm excited, and I hope to fight for the book as much as possible. Wish me luck. It'll be the start of an interesting adventure.

Happy writing!

Currently Reviewing: Unity
Currently Reading: The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Currently Listening to: "Las Vagas" by Two Steps From Hell

Faith

It's a funny thing. You have to just have blind faith sometimes about some things. Faith that something will work out the way you've been dreaming of. Faith of a promise being fulfilled with absolutely no proof that it'll actually come to pass. Faith that one day, your hurting friends will find peace.

I have to remind myself of these things. Because I can do very little on my own. All in all, I'm a fairly helpless creature.

Thus I have left the ledge and jumped off a cliff. Will I fly? Will I die? Will this be the end of a dream, or only the beginning? Or neither?

The absolutely beautiful, crazy thing is: I'm not worried.

Huh.

Happy writing everyone :)

Currently Rewriting: Unity

Currently Reading: Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

Currently Listening to: "Stars Burn Down" by Phillips, Craig & Dean