What If

  I’m always thinking of random things, so I thought that I would throw a few of those thoughts out there today. They’re usually “what if” scenarios, so here goes. The first is if you could go anywhere, where would it be? That’s a hard one for me because there are still so many places I want to go. I want to visit England, Ireland, Japan, and Germany, but if I had to pick one place to go permanently, I think it would be near water. In fact, I would want it to be somewhere far away from anyone or anything. Just the thought of the nothing but the sound of the waves makes me naturally relax.

  Another random question that has popped in my mind lately is if you could be trapped in an elevator with one character from the Wrong series or the Strange Visions series, who would it be? That’s something that is probably a bit odd because they aren’t real people, but it’s interesting for me to think about. All of the characters in my books are very real to me, and I know them like no one else, so it’s hard to say which one is my favorite or which one I would love to meet if it were possible. I mean, Sam seems like she would be awesome to meet, but in my new book, there is a scene where someone is in an elevator with her, and let’s just say that it isn’t a pleasant experience, so that might not be the best idea. Nathan is a cool guy, but for some reason, everyone thinks that he reminds them of me, so would that be like meeting myself? All of their friends are awesome, but I just don’t know. I think that Chloe would be interesting because we both have a certain sense of humor, and it would be nice to talk to someone who understands dark humor and doesn’t see the world through rose colored glasses. Then again, Ally is very entertaining to me, and she has the right mixture of intelligence and attitude to make me think that we would be good friends. John might be fun to joke around with, too. Then there’s Trent. He can predict the future, so I wouldn’t mind meeting him and picking his brain for obvious reasons. As a matter of fact, I think that I would either pick him or Sam because they seem the most interesting to me, but it’s too close to call.

  Finally, there is food. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Something that most people don’t know about me is the fact that I really like food. I try to stay in shape, but I really like to eat, so it’s a struggle. I love everything from steak to burgers to Mexican food. I think that there is only one food that I can’t live without, though, and that’s gelato. It truly is the perfect food for me. It’s filling, and it’s the perfect comfort food. If gelato were a woman, I would marry her with no questions asked.

  Now that I’m done with my food list, I think that I’ll take a break from writing for a few minutes and watch a little college football. I suppose that this blog didn’t serve much of a purpose, but I just wanted to share some random thoughts, and I still think that it would be interesting to meet one of the characters. Maybe we would go on a luxurious vacation to Hawaii where we would eat gelato, or at least I think that’s what we would do. *Grins and envisions the whole thing* Don’t worry. I haven’t gone crazy. I’ll update everyone on the new book on the next blog and give you guys a description of Wrong Fortunes. Thanks for reading.  

Update

   Hey, I thought that I would update and tell you guys what’s going on in my world. I just finished writing a very rough version of the sixth and next to last Wrong book. I don’t have a name for it yet, but I really like how it ended. It sets things up for a very epic finale. Besides that, I’m thinking about going on a little trip. I’ve been looking at different cruises, and I know that I need to get away for at least a week. The last few weeks have been stressful, but work is finally starting to slow down. I want to make sure that Wrong Fortunes is ready to go before I go anywhere, so it will probably be October before I can leave, but I’m really looking forward to going somewhere where there are no cellphones and that I can leave my laptop at home. I love my writing, but it’s going to be really nice to take a break and reenergize myself. I also have to admit that having some alone time to just do what I want is going to be great. Will I meet a really attractive woman and have the most relaxing week of my life? Well, in my head, at this moment, that’s how I picture it, but who am I kidding? I’ll probably just enjoy the all-inclusive food and bar a little too much and come back ten pounds heavier. All the dieting when I get back will be worth it, though. The strange thing about me going somewhere now that I’m ending the Wrong series is that I feel like I’m avoiding finishing something that has to end sooner or later. I’ve just grown so attached to Nathan and Sam and all the rest of the characters that I hate to write one word of the final book. I know exactly how it’s all going to end, but once I start on it, that’s it. Their universe is officially coming to a close for me. Does that sound a little mental when you’re talking about imaginary people? I’m sure it does, but I’m going to miss those guys. I’ve already got an idea for how I’m going to move forward after the series is done, and I might even have a side project brewing right now, but before I do any of that, I want to rest and try to get motivated to end this.

   There was one more thing I wanted to tell everyone. Friday night I went to see a movie called Prisoners with Hugh Jackman. I didn’t have any idea what it was about, but I needed to get out of the house, and I had heard that it was the type of movie that makes you think, so I gave it a shot. If you’re looking for a good suspense or mystery style movie, I would suggest seeing it. It’s not necessarily for the squeamish or for children, but it definitely takes you down a good mental journey. This writer would give it a five out of five, if he were that kind of writer.

   Anyway, I’m going to get off of here and go watch the Packers play. I hope you all have a great Sunday, and thanks for reading. I should have a cover to debut for Wrong Fortunes soon.

Children

  I just wanted to update everyone on what I’ve been doing as far as writing goes and maybe share a few off the wall thoughts. I’ve been working really hard to get Wrong Fortunes ready. I’m really excited to get this book out there. It’s set during the time that Sam is supposedly dead and Lee and Trish are in Las Vegas. I felt like I was going back to my comfort zone when I wrote this book, and I don’t know if others will think that is a good thing or not, but it was certainly a lot of fun to write. In fact, I had more fun writing that book than I have in a long time. I literally put every idea on the table and explored all sorts of ideas that I had in the past. I never had a map in my mind of where things were going. Somehow the book just ended up at a destination that I really liked. I’m writing on the sixth and second to last book in the Wrong series now. I’m putting a lot of effort into editing as I go, so I’m hoping that my release timeframe can be quick, but who knows? I’m fifty-seven thousand words in right now, and this story is a little out of my comfort zone, but it’s been interesting to write it, nonetheless. In this book, Nathan and Sam have two children, and as I’m sure you all know, kids change everything. Nathan and Sam react differently in situations, and the way they love each other is even different. It’s not a better or worse type of love. It’s just different. It’s strange writing from that perspective. I’ve really enjoyed writing about a couple with children, and I didn’t expect that at all. In fact, I’ve always been the type of guy who couldn’t picture myself with children, but after writing about two people who love each other and share something that is incredibly pure, I don’t think it would be such a bad thing. As a matter of fact, I think I’m really looking forward to that part of my life. It’s a different kind of way to write, and I think it’s a different kind of love between two people after they have kids. Some people aren’t ready for kids, and they can surprisingly feel a twinge of jealousy over the fact that their partner has to put their baby first. Many people can take this to mean that their relationship is weakening, and they worry about it until they resent the fact that they even have a child. They miss what’s really amazing about their situation. They get to share a part of themselves with someone else, and that’s amazing. That child is half of them and half of the person they love. Everything they love about their partner, they see in their child in a way. I never thought I would look at things that way, but I can’t wait for the day that I find someone I don’t feel like I can live without and we bring a person into the world that is everything I love about her and more. I know this was kind of a long rant about children, and I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. I don’t want a child right now, but I just find it amazing how writing one book can change your entire perspective on everything. I hope that with every book I grow as a person, and I hope that I get the chance to bring someone into this world that I can’t live without. Will I be scared? Sure, but I’m now convinced that nothing is as beautiful as living for someone who is a part of you and the person you love more than anyone. 

Laughing

   I wanted to share a few thoughts with everyone today before the Packers kick off. It’s come to my attention that I don’t smile and laugh enough, and yes, I can be too serious at times, so without further ado, I am going to laugh more. In fact, I’m going to start right now. (*Lets out crazed and very forced laugh*) Now my family officially thinks that I’m a little crazy. That’s what tends to happen when you let out a crazed laugh when you’re sitting in a dark room writing … In all seriousness, though, I probably do need to step away from the computer a little more and go do something fun. Twenty-five year olds normally do that, right? I’ve fallen into this trap lately of having to be serious about everything, though. I have to pour every ounce of energy into my writing and my relationships, and I’ve come to one conclusion. All that is just too exhausting. I’m going to let the people in my life pull the weight in our relationships for a while, and I’m going to slow down on writing so I can remember what it means to have fun. It’s kind of strange that I’m saying this as I write … it makes me think that I might just be lying to myself, but then again, I do know that I need to take some time to soak in the moment more. I’ve released eight books in three months, and I’m just now starting to see that I should have probably enjoyed the process of that more. I should have also been proud that I was even able to do that. It wasn’t easy. On the flip side of things, I probably should have moved slower on releasing my books. I’ve poured so much energy into books that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to laugh and love. Well, it’s time for that to stop. I’m ready for my life to be shared with people, music, and comedy again. I want to do something completely new every day, and I don’t want to do it for some grand purpose. I just want to do it because I can. Shouldn’t that be why we do everything? I mean, we always try to attach some type of meaning to everything we do, but what if all we’re here for is to smell the roses.

   And there I go into some type of philosophical thing on this blog. I’m doing the exact thing I said I wouldn’t do and being serious. I know … I know … I probably just set a record for the quickest time to go back on a resolution ever. I guess the point of all this is to say that I’m not going to work harder, go to church more, put more effort into improving what I already am, or have some type of epiphany that alters my entire world view. I’m just going to go to more movies, clubs, and concerts than ever, and most importantly, I’m going to soak up every moment of it. I’m going to pursue fun activities and avoid anyone who brings me back to anything that resembles the dark place I’ve been for the last few weeks, and most of all, I’m going to laugh even when I don’t feel like it. In a way, I have to step out of the dark, and in another way, I simply want to. It starts today with something simple. The Packers versus the Redskins. It’s only a game but today it’s all I have time for, and that’s exactly the way it should be.