Wrong End Announcement

   I’m going to tell you guys about my newest book today. Wrong End is the final book in the Wrong series, and it’s going to be released on March 28^th. I’ve put so much effort into making this book a great ending for everyone, and I think I’ve succeeded. I don’t know how everyone will perceive the ending, but I can honestly say that I think I’ve done something really great on this one. For the first time, I’m proud. I’ve always been the type of person who could use a little more confidence in myself, but when it comes to this book, I can honestly say that I have all the confidence in the world. Wrong Life has always been my favorite book before this one. Here’s the thing, this book is my favorite now, and it isn’t even close. I tried to go as big as possible with this book, but at the same time, be reflective throughout the process. Nathan and Sam have come a long way, and so have I. There are a lot of times in the book that are fueled by intense action, but I made sure to make a huge effort to do what I think will ultimately define this series. Throughout writing these books, I’ve always tried to showcase great romances and never take things too seriously. Things certainly get much more serious in this book, but there are still those comedic moments that I’ve come to love in this series, and most importantly, these character’s relationships shine more than ever. I would say that the final Wrong book is very character driven. Some of my favorite chapters came in the middle of the book when there was a lull in the action, and the characters, and me as the author, were able to reflect on where they had been.

   If you’re not much on reflection, romance, or comedy, don’t worry. The plot to this book is very serious, and by the end of it, these characters will have gone to places and gotten themselves into situations like nothing that they’ve ever been in before. I also want to assure everyone that no character got left out in this one. I made sure to give a lot of time to some characters who have been a little ignored in the past. Chloe, Dan, Jason, and Burt all play key roles in this book. That’s what I thought would be the hardest part about writing this book when I started. I have thirteen main characters. That’s a lot of people to keep up with, and I was afraid that someone would get lost in the shuffle, but honestly, it couldn’t have worked out better. Here’s the description for Wrong End.

   Wrong End is the gripping conclusion of the Wrong Series. In the final installment, Nathan and Sam will be in the middle of the biggest conspiracy in American history. Fortunately, they’ll be joined by their old crew for their mission. As they unravel the mystery that surrounds one of the most powerful men on the planet, everyone has to question how far they’re willing to go to stop a catastrophe from happening. What is preventing a disaster worth? For the first time, they’re faced with a large enough threat to think that they might just have to give their lives for a cause. With no government behind them and only limited funds, the group is truly tested, and by the end of the series, there’s a good chance that none of them are going to be breathing. Bonds will be tested, and questions will be answered. Can Nathan and Sam ever step away from spy life for good, and if they don’t, will one of them pay for their participation in blood?

   All right, now that I’ve given you guys the description, I want to tell you something very personal about me and these books. I’m so proud of this series. It isn’t perfect, but Wrong Place was the first book I ever wrote, and I’ve been able to keep this story going and interesting for seven books. To me, that’s a dream come true within itself. Then there’s the fact that I absolutely love the way everything ends. I never thought I could top Wrong Life, and when I continued the series with Wrong Regrets, a part of me thought that I was making a mistake. I know now that I was right to continue on. This ending is the one that these characters deserved. Honestly, if I never released another book, I could walk away proud with this one as the last thing I ever put my name on. As a matter of fact, I’ve thought about doing just that. I don’t think I’m going to, but I just wanted to express to you guys how much I loved writing this book and how satisfied I feel with the final product. I can honestly say that if I didn’t sale a single Wrong End book I would still think it was my biggest success. Money or no money, I’m proud of this one.

   Anyway, now that I’ve gone on and on about how much I love this final book, I’ll show you guys one more thing. This is the cover of Wrong End. I want to thank Danielle Nardozzi for giving me this picture.

   All right, on one final note, I want to ask you guys to do something for me. If you haven’t checked out the Wrong series yet, pick up the first book for me. I want as many people as possible to read my work. If you’ve already picked it up and you liked it, tell someone about my series. Some millionaire authors may write for money, but I can tell you right now that indie authors write for the connection that we feel when someone really gets what we’re trying to convey through the pages we’ve written. I would write even if no one read my books, but this is my way of expression, so I would love for that expression to be seen by as many people as possible. Thanks.

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

The Wrong Trilogy   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IQZ7P18

Who I Really Am

   I thought I would tell you guys something really basic today. I want to tell you who I am. You may say something like, “I already know you. I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and all you ever do is talk about yourself.” I would deserve that one. I do talk about myself a little too much, but today I want to give you guys a better description of who I am. You already know that I write books, but I want to tell you who I am as a person and what I believe will define me in the long run.

   If I’m going to start telling you who I am, then I have to start here. I have faith in God. It isn’t always as strong as I would like it to be, and I fail at being the person I feel like I should be for Him more than I succeed, but faith is a huge part of my life. Now, before you all run out of here because you think that this is going to turn into a Sunday morning sermon, don’t. I’m not about to tell you what you should believe. I just think that if you want to know me, you have to know what comes first in my life, or at least what I’m trying to make first in my life. My faith in God affects every decision I make. I’ve formed relationships and broken them off based on my faith, and I’ve even written books based on them. No, I don’t write Christian books, and some of my novels have minor curse words and implied sex in them, but there are certain things in literature that have been growing more popular like erotic books and the overuse of certain words. I try to steer clear of things of that nature as much as possible. Sure, I don’t want my characters to be sexless robots or for them to say something strange like ‘cheese and crackers’ when a normal person would curse, but I want people to be able to read my books from all walks of life. If you’re thirteen and you want to read something, I want you to be able to, and if you’re seventy and you want to read a good book, I want you to be able to enjoy my books, too. Maybe most importantly, in everything I do, including writing, I want love to show through in it, and probably not the kind of love that most people are used to seeing or reading about. I believe in deep love because that’s what my faith has always led me to. I believe in the type of love that comes with connections that last a lifetime. That’s the type of love that God has given to me, and it’s the type of love I seek out from family, friends, and women. If people can see that unconditional love in me or how my characters act, I feel like I’ve succeeded. I think that’s where people get messed up when they think about faith. They think about an offering plate or the church lady who gossips about what everyone does wrong. That isn’t what having faith in God is all about. Love shines through in that relationship more than anything else, and once you know His love, you can show it to the people around you.

   Now, I want to tell you about some lighter hearted things. I’m very emotional for a man. No, I don’t break down and cry often. As a matter of fact, I don’t actually think that I’ve shed a tear this year, but that’s not the type of emotion I’m talking about. I’m very passionate about the things I do and the people in my life. If I care enough to do something or be friends with somebody, I’m going to defend and pursue those things with everything I have. I’m also going to hurt with the people in my life. Their joy becomes mine, and their pain becomes mine, too. As for the things I choose to do, they become more than an object to me. Something as simple as a book becomes part of my psyche. Most people say that isn’t healthy, but it’s who I am. When something comes from me, its success becomes mine, and its value becomes directly linked to mine, or at least that’s how I perceive it. I guess that may be strange, but I never plan for anything less than extremely successful. As a side effect, I fail more than I succeed, but it’s really something when I do meet my expectations or the people in my life meet theirs. I think that I’m often sadder than most people are, but in times of success or love, I think that I’m able to soak the moment in much more than most people. I don’t cry or hit things. That’s normally what most people associate with being emotional. Instead, I simply feel a moment.

   Third, I absolutely love creating anything. That isn’t just limited to books either. I love music on a level that I can’t even describe. I like making it and listening to it. Art is amazing to me. I can’t ever say that I’ve been a great artist, so I’m really more of a spectator in this department, but something has always amazed me about how people go through a creative process and make something so amazing on a canvas. I also love strange things like school projects. I know that might sound odd, and I’m not in school anymore, but I can still remember getting papers and projects in college. I never made it a goal to follow the instructions completely. Instead, I always wanted to find unique ways to do things that were better. I think I used to think that different meant better. Sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn’t, but I never copied someone else’s style or project. In a weird way, I kind of think that’s where people’s value lies. What do you have to contribute to the world that is completely original? What can you create that no one else can? That’s what I’ve always challenged myself to do, and it’s what I love.

   I love to learn. By definition, I’m probably a little bit of a nerd. If I could spend an entire day watching the science channel, I would be in heaven. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been pretty good at retaining knowledge after I learn it, and I absolutely love piling my brain full of new things, especially theoretical things about our universe. I think I love things that are theoretical because you can come to your own conclusion. I love learning something and then being able to form an original theory on it, or after trying to disprove what I’ve heard finding that it really is the only rational explanation. That’s probably why I love science. It’s constantly changing. Ever day, new theories are formed, and old ones are disregarded. There’s something about our ever-changing understanding of our universe that seems interesting to me.

   Something else you probably don’t know about me is the fact that I don’t like to be in the spotlight. As a matter of fact, you probably think that’s odd. Why would I write books and actually use my real name and photos if I didn’t want to be seen or recognized? Well, that question is extremely complicated. I’ve noticed that I can be a bit of a recluse, and when I decided to write books, I started making a conscious effort to fix that. I thought a good step would be in writing this blog and being open with everyone about myself and my work. I still find myself struggling in large crowds, but things are getting better. I don’t ever think I’ll be what people call extraverted, but I’m finding my voice. I’m quiet, but I can talk through writing better than anything else. Let’s just hope that I never start talking as much as I write, or it’s seriously going to get irritating to people. I don’t think anyone would want to hear someone talk that much. J

   Family is the next thing I want to talk about. I have a very supportive family that loves me more than I probably deserve. My family isn’t perfect by any means. We fight, and in general, we do all of the unexplainably strange things that any other family does, but we’re together, and that’s all that matters. When it comes down to it, I know that my family will love and support me no matter what happens. I saw a quote somewhere one time. I don’t remember where, or the exact words that it used, but it reminded me of my family. “Being welcomed with open arms no matter how much time has passed or what has change . . . that’s what having a family is all about.” I have that, and that might be the best thing in my life. Someday, I’m going to have that with another family that my wife and I are at the forefront of.

   Finally, something simple. I love sports or anything competitive. It could be football, basketball, video games, or whatever. I just love to compete. I don’t really value winning or losing like most people. What I’ve always cared about when it comes to competition is effort and passion. I can still remember playing football. There were times when we won that I felt like we failed and times when we lost that I felt good about what we had done. I love being able to be surrounded by people who put their everything into a competitive event and who approach whatever it is with every ounce of passion in them. That’s how I approach things like that, and strangely enough, it’s what I expect out of the people around me. That’s led to some less than good situations for me, but I think it’s just a product of what I’ve been taught and the people I used to look up to as a child. I looked up to athletes who were not only great but who demanded that the people around them strive to be great, too. I loved musician’s who played for the love of it and to be the absolute best they could and not for money. I’m very competitive, and I expect a lot out of myself. Sometimes that rubs people the wrong way, but it really shouldn’t. I can respect anyone in competition who gives everything they have no matter what the result is. As a matter of fact, I still think back to some moments in my life when I could have given a little more to a team or an individual goal in my life and regret that. Not all of those moments were failures, but every failure that I gave everything I had to is marked down as a success in my mind. If there’s one thing I would want you to know about me besides the fact that I’m a Christian, it’s this. I approach life with passion and drive. I’m not always successful and due to the high standards that I have, I actually fail a lot more than I succeed, but I find that life is a lot better when you truly care about everything you do to such a level that you pour yourself into it. Be great, and expect only greatness around you. Your expectations probably won’t be met, but I guarantee you that you’ll find yourself with better people in your life, and just as importantly, with a better you when it’s all said and done.

Publishing

   Today I wanted to talk to you guys about something that’s coming up rather soon. I’m going to be releasing the final Wrong book on March 28^th, and I’ll be revealing the cover and other information about it soon. It was a lot of fun to write, and it only has a few things left to be done to it. I’m hoping that you’ll all love it as much as I do. It’s a very good end for what has been a great series.

   Here’s the main thing I wanted to talk to everyone about, though. After this series is over, I’m going to be in uncharted waters for a while. I haven’t released anything that isn’t attached to Wrong or Strange Visions yet. I think I have an excellent book written that will be as good as the things I’ve done in the past and maybe even a little better, but here’s the thing. I don’t know what I want to do with it. I was thinking about trying to shop it out to some major publishers for a while. If I do that, it could be a while before I release another book. It usually takes a long while to hear back from a publisher after you submit your work, and many great writers have been turned down dozens of times before finally finding someone who took notice of how great what they were doing really was. I don’t want to leave any of you guys hanging for a long time, though, so I’m thinking about shopping that one out and simultaneously writing an original title to release for everyone who has supported me over the last few months. Who knows, though? Maybe I’m overestimating my new book. I think it’s good enough to be published by a major publisher, but I guess we’ll see. I think I have to at least take a shot at it before I release it on my own, and if I were ever going to take a shot at trying to get one of the bigger names in publishing to notice me, I think this new book would be the way to go.

   That brings up a new question, though. If I’m going to be working on a brand new project while I shop that one out, what do you guys want to read about? I know what I like to write about, but I’m always interested to hear what readers think. I want to challenge myself to write about new things, so I’m pretty much open to anything within reason. If you don’t mind, leave a suggestion. I would love to have some input. J 

The Final Entry

   I started trying to come up with something to write on this blog today, and honestly, I had nothing. I’ve written about books, love, support, and everything going on in my life. In some ways, I’ve been feeling used up when it comes to this blog, but then a thought occurred to me. What would I want to write if this were my final entry? I went through several ideas, but this is what I determined. It would have to be something that came from a real place. As writers, we often try to promote our books or put on a good image when we blog, but this final entry couldn’t be an image to sell a product or myself. It would have to be real, so here goes.

   I often talk about my books and how good things are going. Here’s one simple truth. I’m still not meeting my own expectations. In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m failing from time to time. I would like to see better sales, and in truth, I still think I can be better. As a writer, you’re not supposed to talk about how you think you could be better, but that’s the truth. I’m still growing as a writer. I learn a little more every day. There’s a flip side to the doubt and failure, though. I love what I write, and I truly think that all of it is worth doing. As a matter of fact, I know it’s good. I could pay more attention to commas or do some subtle things better, but the actual stories are exactly what I want them to be. I’m proud of them. I would have written these stories even if I had never published them.

   Now, for the personal aspect of my life. I’m discouraged. I spend so much time writing that I don’t have any time to go out like a normal twenty-five year old. I’ve had some bad luck with dating over the last couple of years, too. In some ways, I don’t feel like things are going to be all right. I often incorporate love into my writing for a very specific reason. I feel like I have a lot of it to give but no one to give it to. I don’t know why things aren’t working out for me socially, but they aren’t. I need more than I have, and that’s not me being selfish. It’s not a want. It’s truly a need. At this point in my life, I need to love and be loved. I need to have friends that I can experience the real world with from time to time. It’s strange to me. These types of things seem to come so easy to others. They seem to follow a set pattern. They find success, meet someone, and build a life together. I don’t know why, but nothing has ever been that simple for me. I know what I want, and I know what I’m passionate about, but I still haven’t reached the level of success that’s needed, and most importantly, I haven’t found a place to belong.

   You may ask, why would you write about this as your last blog. Here’s the answer to that. Life is hard. As a matter of fact, sometimes it knocks you down and stomps on you over and over again. Believe me. I’ve been there. Sometimes I feel like I still am there. The best advice I could ever give anyone is the thing I keep telling myself. Just keep moving. Tomorrow could be better than today. I keep working hard toward the things that I need in my life. I keep praying even though the answer to my prayers seems to be no. I refuse to give up on my dreams and my life because the moment I do, I know what’s going to happen. I’ll die. No, not in the traditional way but in a way nonetheless. When I give up on the life I need, I know I’ll lose all passion and hope for the future. When that happens, you’re just running out the clock of life. I refuse to do that.

   I know this blog seems awfully negative, and it’s seems that way because in some ways, it is. You see, this blog is a lot like life. We struggle to reach the place where we want to be, and after we’re worn down we have a choice to make. Are we going to lie down and die, or are we going to fight until we have no more breath? I’m choosing to fight for the things I’m passionate about. I don’t know if I’ll ever find the right people to be around or if my passions will ever receive the recognition that they deserve, but I’m not giving up on them. That’s all I can do. That would be my final message to you if I had to give one. Life isn’t always fun. As a matter of fact, most of it isn’t, but we all know where we deserve to be. Don’t stop fighting to be there, and don’t settle for less than you deserve. You may never find what you’re looking for, but I’ve found that life’s not necessarily about where you end up. It’s about being able to say you did everything you possibly could with the cards that you were given. I know I’m not folding. I can’t say that my hand is full of aces. As a matter of fact, all I have is a pair of twos, but I’m going to continue. Who knows? Maybe someday that persistence will pay off.

   So there you have it. This is the truth about my life. I’m not happy a lot of the time, I feel like I’m failing often, and I need to be at a much better place socially. Those things feel like a lot to overcome. At times, I look at everything at one time and start to feel overwhelmed. I don’t look away, though. Distractions just keep you in the same place. I walk straight toward them in the hopes that I can fix one thing at a time. If you’re like me and you feel like you deserve more than you’re getting, face your problems head on. Maybe tomorrow things will start to break, but either way, when you’re on your deathbed, you won’t ever have to say, I wish I had done that.