People

  We all try to be a reflection of what the people in our world expect to see, but I wonder how great our world would be if we just tried to be what we are. There would be so many new ideas and perspectives. Creativity would literally go in all directions. Maybe most importantly, we would be able to be happy and not just put on some show for everyone while we die a little on the inside. I always find it fun to watch small children or extremely old people. Neither of them cares what anyone thinks. They’re just who they are, and most of them have something in common. They’re happy to wake up in the morning. Can you say that you’re happy every morning? Do you greet the day with enthusiasm or do you wear a fake smile and go off to a place that you’re only pretending to belong? Be who you are, and never ever apologize for that, and even more than that, never make someone feel bad for being exactly what they should be. We’re all equal when we enter this world. Don’t be afraid to shine, and no matter what, don’t be afraid to walk alone until you find the people you’re supposed to be walking beside. The wait is worth it. Believe me.

Back To Blogging

  I haven’t blogged for a very long time, and I’m sorry to anyone who is used to checking in on me on here. I’ve been swamped for the last few weeks. I went back through all the books in the “Wrong” series and did another edit on them, and then I uploaded them to create space so they could be in paperback. It’s now available through them or Amazon. In between doing that, I wrote a new book and a fourth of another one. As you can see, I’ve been swamped. I have missed blogging about random things, though. Sometimes you can forget what it’s like to just write to write. On here, I’m not selling my thoughts or trying to word what I say in a way that some other person may want to hear my words. I’m simply being me, and that’s something that I’ve missed being able to be lately.

  So in the spirit of being me, I’m going to tell you all about what’s been going on with me since the last time I updated you. Besides working, I’ve been rejoicing in the fact that football is back. Yes, I know that the NFL isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly brings a lot of joy to my life. I’ve also been gathering a lot of ideas on how to end both of my series. I actually wrote the ending to the Strange Visions series a few days ago. Yes, I admit that I might have wanted to tear up a little. If I had, they would have been manly tears, though. It’s strange that I was so sad about ending something that has lasted for five books. Many series never last that long, and yes, I could have kept writing more books, but I didn’t want to stretch it until everyone including myself was bored with the story line. I released the fourth book in the Strange Visions series yesterday, and I’m hoping to have the last book edited and ready to go sooner or later, but I don’t want to commit to a date just yet. The Wrong series is going to end in a more drawn out way, but for anyone who read Wrong Regrets, you know that there were practically three potential stories that could come out of that book. There will be three more books in that series, and I’m going to end the whole thing with a bang in January . . . or at least that’s when I think I’ll be done with everything. Don’t hold me to that. I’ve been told that I work faster than I probably should. In fact, throwing out dates has been known to make me feel more than a little panicked. As for everything else, I’ve just been learning a lot, and I don’t just mean about books. I’m learning who I want to be in the future, or more accurately, who I don’t want to be. I see people everyday who settle for less than they deserve. I have settled for that my whole life, and quite frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m going to start expecting more out of myself and out of the people around me. I deserve more. Maybe that statement sounds a little selfish, but I don’t mean it that way. I just have a strong belief that we should all be valued by the people in our lives or we should find new people to be in our lives. At the same time, we should treasure those who value us, and give them even more than they deserve. That’s what I want in my future. I have a feeling that I’m probably going to have less friends if I start cutting people out of my life who are selfish and egotistical, but that’s all right. Even if I only find one true friend and one woman to love at the end of all of this, that would be enough. Most people never realize it, but they don’t even find that. We don’t find true friends and great spouses because we settle for less than we deserve. Sometimes it can be the opposite. We can be that person forsaking the very person who does value us. The last few weeks have taught me one thing, and that is that I don’t want to be either of those people. Life isn’t perfect, and relationships aren’t perfect, but I’ll find who I’m looking for, or I won’t find anyone at all because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nothing is worse than pretending like you have the people you need in your life when the truth is that it feels like a part of your soul is missing.

  Sorry if I bummed anyone out at the end there. I just wanted everyone to know that I’m going to be changing a lot over the next few weeks and to know that I’m going to be blogging again. I probably won’t put something up everyday, but it definitely won’t take weeks for me to update anymore. Thanks for reading.

New Project

I just wanted to share with everyone that I have looked back over my first book, Wrong Place, and there were quite a few things that I wished I had done differently, so I have been editing it again over the last few days. I uploaded the finished product today, and hopefully by tonight everyone will be able to enjoy a much better version of the book. I wanted to make it read much smoother by taking out some unnecessary words that take away from the flow of the book. Hopefully everyone will love the new version.

            Now onto some news about my newest project. My new book is called Strange Visions: The Calm, and it’s coming out next month. I’ve worked really hard on this book, and I’ve gotten some great feedback from the few people who have seen it. I wanted to officially announce that barring any unforeseen setbacks, The Calm will be released on September 10^th. That’s all the news I have right now, and I hope that you guys will enjoy the update and the new book soon. Here’s a picture of The Calm.

Loyalty

    Loyalty . . . what is it worth? Most people would describe themselves as extremely loyal and qualify loyalty as one of the most important things on the planet, but are we loyal? Do we even respect loyalty for that matter? True loyalty goes beyond a symbiotic relationship where someone gives you what you need and you return the favor. Sure, it may start that way, but when you’re really loyal to someone, you stick by them as they change and even when they aren’t themselves. When they treat you poorly, you don’t just take it, but you’re still there. When they act in ways that are beneath them, you tell them how they’re acting, but you don’t leave. When they’re successful, you truly rejoice for them. There is no jealousy in loyalty. When they fail, you’re there for all the misery. No one has ever been loyal without feeling the exact pain that another person has. Maybe most importantly, you make it your mission to always let that person know that you’re with them and that no matter what, you’re behind them through thick or thin.

    How many people do you know who are actually loyal? I only know a few, and no, I don’t mean that the people in my life are bad. I simply mean that the type of person who is truly committed to walking down the path of life with you no matter what may come is a very rare person. In fact, it’s easier to find so many other types of people in this world. You can find those who are beautiful, those who are smart, and even those who are just plain rotten to their core, but if you ever find someone who is loyal, that is the person you want to drop everything in your life for. They are the people who can make you feel as if everything will always fall into place, and when things are going bad, they will keep you afloat long enough for you to reach your destination.

    As I’m writing this, I find it kind of funny. The traits I’m describing don’t even sound like traits of an adult human. They sound like the traits of a child. A young child will love his parents, no matter what kind of people they are. He or she will defend them to anyone, and when something goes wrong between the child and parent, that child will always blame himself no matter what the actual problem was. Some animals are very similar. I used to have a dog named Cupcake. Nothing about her was usual, and she had a comical personality to say the least. The great thing about Cupcake was that no matter what was going on, or what had just happened, you were always important to her. Sure, she was only a dog, but she was a dog who taught me more about life than most people have. If I could love the people in this world like Cupcake loved her family, then I would not only be a much happier person but I would also be an extremely popular guy. It may sound strange, but the older I get, the more I want to be more like a child or maybe even one of the animals that most people pay no attention to. I want to love without question and be able to trust without a second thought. Unfortunately, we’ve all been burned too often to ever know how to be that loyal. Still, I keep taking chances and putting myself out there. That’s all any of us can do. Maybe sooner or later I’ll find a person who can truly see me the way people were meant to see each other. Hopefully, I’ll be able to give that person everything they give me and more.

    I didn’t exactly mean to be so random, but I’ve just been thinking a lot lately. Relationships are some of the most complicated things in the world, but as far as I can tell, that’s only because we make them that way. I make them that way. It’s what I’ve learned, and it’s what I’m trying to unlearn. I’ve always been the type of guy who covers all the angles. I know how any given scenario can turn out before I even attempt to try. I’ve failed before I even tried so many times just by doubting what I was doing or who I was with. That has to be over now. 

    Here’s to one more new beginning, and here’s to new expectations out of my situations and the people I meet. Thanks for listening.   

Stress and Laughter

  I just got back from vacation recently, and I feel much more energized. I’ve also made some decisions about my own life. I’ve been really stressed lately, and it’s taken a toll on me. I’ve even seen it reflected in my writing at times, which has led to much more editing than I would like. I’m going to relax more, and I’m certainly going to laugh much more. I’ve grown to think that we all need to strive for two things. One is to do what gives us joy as much as possible, and the other is to avoid anything that brings stress into our lives. I’m going to enjoy my writing, and I’m going to enjoy my family. Most importantly, I’m going to enjoy the healthiest thing that a person can. I’m going to laugh because sometimes when you can’t take anymore, all you can do is laugh. I’ve noticed that when I flip over to #Comedy Central or find something to laugh and joke about with the people that I love then everything else seems much smaller. All of my problems suddenly seem like they’re manageable. We always go through life and take everything so seriously, but at the end of the day, life isn’t about being in an office or living up to some imagined expectation. It’s about living everyday the way that you want to live it. Laugh a little each day, and spend your days with the people who love you because you’ll never get that day back, and sooner or later you’ll wish that you lived that day only for the easy things. I’ve always heard that you get out of life what you put into it from people who worked and worried a lot. I think that’s true when you’re talking about the career world, but I also think that those people have missed the point when it comes to life. I’m never going to waste my time by writing books only based on what I think people will want to read. I’m going to write books the way that I love to write them and hope that some other people will enjoy them, too. And I’ll never waste my time around people who I don’t want to be around. I’ll spend my days around people who lift me up instead of bringing me down. Life’s too short not to do what you know in your heart is right, so do it.