Morning Ideas

   I’m really excited this morning. I don’t know why, but I have all types of ideas flowing today. Lately, I’ve felt like I was in a bit of a slump, but I woke up this morning, and it was as if a fog had cleared from my mind. I’ve had ideas for new books, how to better re-master old ones, and even some other ideas that I’m going to keep to myself for now. To say the least, for the first time in a while, I’m excited about the future. The next year should be interesting. If I want to do everything I’ve got planned, I’m going to need to be working a lot. That’s the only downside to all of this, but who am I kidding? I actually love writing.

   For a while there, I thought I was getting too burned out or that I may need to do something else, but thankfully, those feelings have passed. I don’t know if I can write forever, but I know I still have more to share with everyone for now. I have at least three brand new stories to tell, and I’m not done telling Nathan and Sam’s story either. That’s not all, though. I have some ideas about Trent and Ally, too. No, I’m not going to revive the series. It truly did come to a close with The Storm, but I want to redo all of the books, and maybe even create a version of the books where a lot of things are expanded upon. It’s probably a little strange, but I keep coming back to the Wrong and Strange Visions stories. I want to make them the best they can possibly be before I finally leave them completely behind. I want to edit them to a better level, and put out some more definite editions of them. I know what you’re thinking. You probably think that I’m one of those authors who has become too hung up on one or two groups of characters. Guess what? You’re right. I feel like I have to make the Wrong and Strange Visions books perfect, and if I didn’t expand on some things in these new editions, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have a lot of other ideas about new characters either, though. As a matter of fact, I have two stories already written, and I’m toying with an idea for a sequel to one of them. I even have another idea for a book that would be very different from anything that I’ve ever done. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t even be fiction.

   Anyway, sorry to go on and on about the things I’ve been thinking about this morning, but I just had to let everyone know what was going on with me. There are going to be plenty of new books in the future, and plenty of re-masters of old ones. There’s even going to be one project that I don’t know what to call yet. Thanks for reading, guys, and if you haven’t checked out either of my two series yet, what are you waiting on? They’re good books, and I think you’ll love them. (Yes . . . that was a shameless promotion.)

Updates and Goals

   It’s been a little while since I updated everyone, so I thought I would today. I have updated Wrong Place and Wrong Time, and you should all get an update from Amazon at some point in the future. Wrong Life is being redone as we speak. Whenever I get done updating all three, I’m going to mash them together to make a box set at some point. I think I’m going to redo all of my books to polish them a little more. It’s going to take some time, but I’ll get it done sooner or later.

   Outside of re-mastering things, I’m doing one other important thing. I’m getting Wrong End ready for release. I don’t know if that’s going to be the book’s permanent title, but it might be. I still need to get a cover ready for it and get my final description out there. It will be out soon. You should look forward to seeing it in late March. I could probably rush it and get it out in early March, but I want the final book to be as close to perfect as possible.

   Besides that, I’ve been going over the book that could potentially come after the last Wrong. It won’t be related in any way to Wrong or Strange Visions, and I’m pretty sure that it won’t ever have a sequel, but I think the book has a lot of potential. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but it’s just the type of thing that I love to write. It’s different in every way from what I’ve done in the past, but yet, I didn’t forget the things I’ve learned from writing those books. I have another that I've written, but I haven’t even read back through it yet, so I’m not sure how people will receive it or even if I’m going to be able to use it. I suspect that it will be good, but you never know until you run back through things and really go over it with a fine-toothed comb.

   Now, on to something that isn’t book related. I’ve been thinking about getting a house of my own. At first, I thought I might build it, and I still may do that, but I’ve found a house that I think I might like. I’ll be going to see it in the next few days, and if I like it as much as I think I will, I should know if I can get it for my price before the end of the month. Truthfully, I’m hoping that things work out in this situation, but I’m not rushing it. I want to find a house that I can picture myself in for a very long time, and I want it to be in a good price range. That can take time to find, and this is one area that I’m not willing to settle in. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that I can find what I’m looking for sooner rather than later.

   Those aren’t the only things going on, however. I have some personal goals that I want to achieve in the future, too. I’ve been thinking about going back to school. I was thinking about going to college to be a surgical tech. It takes two years to complete at my local community college, but I already have a year’s worth of the courses done from when I went to college before. It would only take a year, and I know what you’re probably thinking. Could I write if I were going to school? The answer is yes. I have about four months worth of material written already, so I think I can keep up for a year. I’ve always been good at multitasking, and I know that I’ll be able to manage both. I’m not one hundred percent sure if I’ll be going back to college, and I still have some time to think about it. Writing will always be my number one priority, but I still have so many things I want to do. I think a second career might be fun. There’s one more goal I have, and honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to do it with so little time, but I’m going to try. I want to start learning different languages. I think I want to start with Japanese. I’ve always felt a need to learn new things, but not necessarily in a classroom setting. For someone like me, it would be pretty fun to take a little time every day to try to learn one of the most challenging languages on the planet. Sure, I’ll probably sound like an idiot to anyone who actually speaks Japanese. (*Tries to picture Japanese with a southern accent :)*) I still want to learn it, though. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan, so maybe I’ll actually be able to communicate one day when I do.

   All right, this drug on a little longer than I wanted it to. Now, you guys know about everything that’s going on and will be, so I’m going to start working on getting some of those things done. I’ll start by finishing my editing. (I’m so sick of editing!) I really hope you all enjoy the new versions of the books and love the ending to Wrong.

   In case you want to check out any of my books, there are links at the top right of my blog. Check them out!

Valentine's Day

   Today is Valentine’s Day, and in celebration of it, I’m not doing what most of you are. I don’t have a special someone, and I’m definitely not going to see a sappy love movie tonight. For the first time, that’s all right, though. In the past, I’ve dreaded this day. For some reason, I’ve rarely been in a relationship when this day rolled around. It’s odd, but this day has always made me feel like I’m less than. Everywhere I looked, I would always see love, or to be more accurate, I would always see what everyone around me seemed to think was the missing piece in my life. I don’t feel that way today, though.

   I’m going to tell you guys why being single on Valentine’s day is the biggest blessing in disguise that you’ll ever know. First of all, I’m not going to be seeing a movie about a vampire in love . . . or any other weird and completely unrealistic sappy movie that’s out there right now. I won’t have to go out to an overpriced restaurant, and I won’t have to buy jewelry. Instead, I’ll be staying in and doing the things I care about. I’ve already been refining my new book today, but tonight, I’m going to watch a game and play a little Final Fantasy. You see, when you don’t have to worry about what the rest of the world is doing on a holiday, and you just do your own thing, life is so much simpler. If you’re single today, I urge you not to feel sorry for yourself while you look at all the ridiculous adds on televisions. Instead, use this day to celebrate yourself. Do everything you want to do, and don’t worry about what you’re supposed to be doing. On the other hand, if you have someone, really put this day in prospective. It’s one day. There shouldn’t be any pressure to wow your significant other. In fact, do yourself a favor and just enjoy the person you love. We’re supposed to shower our significant others with gifts on this day and treat them special. Here’s the thing, though. If you don’t put a lot of significance on this day and you realize one simple fact, you’ll be much happier with your relationship. You don’t need to pay special attention to them on one day. You need to try to make them feel special every day. In fact, you should try to surprise them every day and show them how much you love them without ceasing. That’s what romance actually is. It’s not a day or a box of chocolates.

   In conclusion, if you love someone, realize that a day doesn’t define that love. An entire life does. If you’re like me and you’re flying solo today, just take a well-deserved day to celebrate your life. We all deserve a day like that sometimes. Also, try to find a very special person in the future. They’ll be someone who won’t do something special on Valentine’s Day or your anniversary because every day will be special. In a way, a day full of love and romantic gestures will feel completely normal. I think it’s funny how we lose sight of what romance actually is. It’s not something that happens on a certain day. It’s something that happens every day.

   Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys have a great day no matter what your relationship status is. Make it great for yourself and whoever is around you.

What I'm doing

   I wanted to give everyone an update on the final Wrong book today. It’s coming along nicely, but it still needs to be polished a lot more. I read through the book a couple of days ago, and I have to say that I think it has the perfect ending to the series. I don’t know how others are going to perceive the final book, but I love the pacing of it. It goes to so many places that the Wrong books have never gone to, and at the same time, there are places in the book that feel so reflective. It was probably oddly self-serving, but I took some time in the books to have Nathan and Sam reflect on where they had been, or in truth, where I had been in the series. Those were probably some of my favorite moments in the books. I think I liked where it ended the most, though. I’m pretty sure that every single person who reads won’t love the ending as much as I do, but I can promise that it ends exactly as it was always supposed to.

   All right, enough Wrong talk. I love the last book, and I think you will, too, but there are a lot of other things to discuss. I’m going to update you guys on some more projects and one personal one. I’ve been looking over a certain action/sci-fi book that I wrote a while ago, and the more I look at it, the more I think it will be a really great addition to the books I’ve written. For a long time, I thought it should just be a private book. You know, one of those things that you keep for your eyes only, but I think it’s high time that I write a single book without a sequel. I think that’s going to be the first book I release that isn’t in a series. I don’t exactly know when, but hopefully, it will be someday soon. I’ve also been working on an entirely new book that I think will result in an entirely new series, although, it will probably be a shorter series. (Two or three books!) It’s very similar to some things I’ve done in the past in some ways. I can’t really say a lot about it without giving away too much, so I’ll just leave it at that.

   All right, the final new project I’m working on is kind of different, and I’m not even sure what it is yet. It’s not fiction. As a matter of fact, it’s just about life, or at least how I view life. God has always been a big part of my life, and recently, I’ve been working on a side project that revolves around God, the Bible, and our relationship with Him. I’m writing short entries about my experience and how certain verses in the Bible relate to our everyday lives. I don’t know if this will result in a devotional-style book or just a free blog for everyone to follow, but it’s been fun to work on a little every day. I suppose I shouldn’t worry about, though. It’s still a long way from completion, and until I figure out exactly what it is, I’m just going to enjoy the process.

   Now, for the personal project that has nothing to do with books. At the beginning of the year, I told you guys that I was going to build a house. That’s still a possibility, but I’ve been extremely busy, and I don’t see things getting any simpler, so I started looking at some houses online, and I’ve found a lot of great places that fit the bill for exactly what I want moving forward in my life. I’m seriously thinking about just buying something if the situation is right. I’ll update you guys when I find exactly what I’m looking for.

   I hope that everyone enjoys what I’m working on for the future. I’ve got the end of the Wrong series, an action/sci-fi book, a new series, and a sort of devotional project coming your way in the future, and that doesn’t even include the fact that I’m redoing a lot of my older books. I’m definitely busy, but I’m enjoying all of it. Hopefully, it’ll all be worth it, and you guys will enjoy every word of the new stuff. Thanks for the continued support.

   If you haven’t already checked out the Wrong series, here’s the link for Wrong Place…

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DE6GP24

   Here’s the link for Strange Visions: The Beginning…

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DT7MUNQ

My Ideal Woman

Today, I wanted to talk about something that men don’t talk about enough. Women often talk about their ideal man, but men rarely discuss who the perfect woman for them would be, so I’m going to tell everyone exactly that. I can’t comment on what other men are looking for, but I can tell you this. I’m probably not looking for the same thing.

The first thing I always look for in a woman is respect. Now, you might think that’s odd. Most people might not even know what I mean by respect. Am I saying that I want her to respect me, authority figures, or God? No, I’m not. It would be nice if she had a healthy respect for God because He is a major part of my life, but I’m talking about the respect she has for herself. All too often, I see women who are wearing an outfit that is obviously only there to get a man’s attention. You know the type of outfit I’m talking about – the one that comes with a miniskirt that’s about three inches too short and a shirt that hangs entirely too low. Now, don’t get me wrong, ladies. If you have a beautiful body, I can appreciate that, but what else do you have? When I see a woman who wears something that’s only there to get attention, it makes me think that she doesn’t respect herself, and no, not because of some outdated reasons that our parents taught us. It makes me think that because she didn’t think she could get a guy’s attention by just being her. Nothing is more attractive than meeting a woman who has enough respect for herself to know that she can wow me without shoving her sexuality in my face as soon as we meet.

The second thing that attracts me to a woman is something that I hope is big, and no, it’s not a boob. It’s her brain. Nothing is better than talking to a woman who knows her stuff. If you find a smart girl, she’ll not only be knowledgeable about the things you’re talking about, but she’ll also have a certain wit that can make any conversation a little better than normal. She’s the type of girl who actually likes learning new things and hearing different points of view. If you meet her, you should probably never let her go because it’s so much easier to talk to her. Almost any subject is on the table with this type of woman.     

The third thing that attracts me to a woman is someone I know can live without me. Now, I know that might sound odd to some of you hopeless romantics who want someone that lives and breaths for you, but trust me, if you ever find someone clingy enough that their entire existence revolves around you, you’ll rethink that. I want a woman who loves me but who also knows that she can live without me. This is the type of woman who’s not going to let you get away with treating her in a way that is any less than she deserves. If you take the same attitude with her, you can be in for a great relationship. There’s nothing better than two people who can do their own thing but choose to form a life together.

The last thing that I’m going to name is kind of a big one, and it’s probably a bit traditional for some people, but it’s important to me. I want to know that the woman I’m with has the potential to be incredibly caring and selfless. I don’t want to know that for my benefit. I want to know it so I can be sure that if we ever have kids she’ll be a wonderful mom. I’ve often struggled with the thought of myself being a dad, but I know in my heart that if I ever am, that kid will become my world. I want the person I end up with to have that potential to make a kid their world. I want them to be able to put their child before themselves and me.

All right, enough relationship talk. I just thought I would throw some things that I’ve been thinking about out there. It’s getting harder and harder to find people who are capable of respect, love, and independence in this world, so I don’t know if I’ll ever find someone who fits the bill, but I’m still looking, and that’s probably never going to change. I won’t settle, and hopefully, that patience will pay off in the form of someone who at least respects themselves and is capable of a type of love that goes unnoticed too often. Thanks for reading another one of my blogs, and I hope you all find the person you deserve.

Super Bowl Sunday

   The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and I wanted to let everyone in on how much of a football nerd I am. Seriously, if you don’t like football, this might not be the blog for you because I absolutely love this time of year. I can’t say that I necessarily love the two teams playing this year. I’ve never been a big Broncos or Seahawks fan, but there are certainly a lot of things that make this game interesting.

   A lot of people don’t get why people like me are so obsessed with a game, but I can explain it simply. I love football - specifically the Green Bay Packers - like some people love their favorite television show. It’s an escape. For three hours on Sunday I can escape from expectations, and in general, life. I’ll never forget the two Super Bowls that I saw the Packers win in my lifetime. They were some of the happiest moments of my life. At the same time, I won’t ever be able to forget when we lost in the Super Bowl. I had no direct connection to anyone on the field, but it hurt like nothing I had felt in my young life. That’s the real beauty of football. In the same way that we connect to characters on a television show – or in a book - we connect with players and organizations. Their success becomes ours, and their failure matters more than it probably should to us. In a way, we find a place to belong when we become a fan of a team. Every Sunday, we get to belong to Packers nation or whatever team you choose to follow. There are no work struggles, relationship issues, or personal worries. There’s just fun for three hours.

   I think football says a lot about how we’re wired as human beings. Sometimes we need that time to turn our minds off at least once a week. I hope all of you find time to do that every once in a while because I can promise you that when you relax and turn on your favorite show or team for a while, the rest of your week will be much more bearable. In case any of you are wondering, I’ll be going for the Denver Broncos tomorrow. I’ve never quite forgiven them for beating my Packers in the Super Bowl, but there’s something about seeing a veteran like Peyton Manning play what might be his last Championship game that makes me want to root for him. I think that the Broncos will actually pull it off, too. They say that defense wins championships, and maybe that was true in the past, but with the recent rule changes in the game, I think that everything is different. My prediction is that the number one offense in the league is going to beat the number one defense 30-24.

   Anyway, I hope you all have fun watching the Super Bowl or just getting together with your family and friends. That might be the best part of Sunday. I’ll have some book news for you guys soon, but for now, I just wanted to tell you about one of the things that I think about when I’m not writing. Maybe next time I should talk about music. Thanks for reading, guys.