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An unexpected surprise.
Posted 5 years agoA strange thing happened over the holidays.
I finally finished Wild Rose Country. You read that right, my twenty year in the works epic (ha!) novel has finally been brought to completion.
Now here's the thing. this is Book One. Book Two is in the works and I have my fingers crossed that it won't take twenty years to get this next one done, because by that time I'll be old.
In another twist, those of you that have been asking for a copy of this book in print can find in on amazon here.
Thanks for sticking with me over the years!
I finally finished Wild Rose Country. You read that right, my twenty year in the works epic (ha!) novel has finally been brought to completion.
Now here's the thing. this is Book One. Book Two is in the works and I have my fingers crossed that it won't take twenty years to get this next one done, because by that time I'll be old.
In another twist, those of you that have been asking for a copy of this book in print can find in on amazon here.
Thanks for sticking with me over the years!
Been a while
Posted 8 years agoNo, I'm not dead.
It's been a few years, hasn't it? Chalk it up to me having made the transition from solitary bachelor to family man roughly seven years ago. All my free time was suddenly taken up by more important things than writing and I did a bit of a disappearing act.
The kids are getting older now and while I'm still a busy man, I'm finding more and more time where I can sit down and have a few quiet moments to myself. This, naturally, has led to a bit of writing on my part.
I've done a fairly extensive edit of Wild Rose Country in the last few weeks and once I've finally finished tweaking the last few chapters I'll have the whole thing posted. In the biggest surprise of the last few years there's even a brand new chapter tacked on to the end of it, the first new thing I've written in quite a long time.
Can't guarantee that its up to the quality of my previous work but it's something at least. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more new material out in a more timely manner.
It's been a few years, hasn't it? Chalk it up to me having made the transition from solitary bachelor to family man roughly seven years ago. All my free time was suddenly taken up by more important things than writing and I did a bit of a disappearing act.
The kids are getting older now and while I'm still a busy man, I'm finding more and more time where I can sit down and have a few quiet moments to myself. This, naturally, has led to a bit of writing on my part.
I've done a fairly extensive edit of Wild Rose Country in the last few weeks and once I've finally finished tweaking the last few chapters I'll have the whole thing posted. In the biggest surprise of the last few years there's even a brand new chapter tacked on to the end of it, the first new thing I've written in quite a long time.
Can't guarantee that its up to the quality of my previous work but it's something at least. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more new material out in a more timely manner.
Twenty one questions meme for writers...
Posted 16 years agoTwenty one questions meme for writers - ganked from Poetigress.
1. When did you start writing? November 20, 1999. The day I scribbled now the intro to Wild Rose Country
2. First drafts: Handwritten, typed, or some combination? That depends on where I'm writing. If I'm at home, definitely typed. If I happen to be out in the middle nowhere, handwritten.
3. Do you keep any kind of notebook or writer's journal, and if so, what kinds of things go into it? Can't say I really keep a journal.
4. Do you set any quotas for your work (number of words per day, number of hours per day, etc.)? Why or why not? I don't set quotas simply because they don't work for me. My life is rather hectic and time and inspiration for writing are often a little scarce. I write what I can, when I can but I do wish I could finish new chapters and stories a little more frequently.
5. Are you most comfortable writing short stories, novels, or something else? Novels seem to work the best for me. I like detail in my works and I find that short stories often don't give me the breathing room I need. I have finished a few shorter works that seem OK to me though.
6. What's your favorite kind of story to write? Survival in post apocalyptic worlds, action and adventure and sci-fi
7. Talk about a story of yours that was easy to write and one that was difficult to write, and why. Lost and Found Under the Northern Lights was a fantastically easy story for me to write. I finished the whole thing in less than a day and never did much for editing on it either. At Any Cost Was one of the tougher ones for me to write. Brought out a lot of emotions, that one, especially the ending.
8. Which of your characters is closest to your sense of self? In other words, who do you most identify with in your own work to date? John in Wild Rose Country is patterned largely after me. His personality is mine for all intents and purposes, but he has led a far different life than I.
9. What work are you most proud of right now? The Gift of a Stranger
10. What do you feel your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer? My strength is definitely towards the descriptive end of things and I've been told that I create good imagery. My weaknesses are character interactions and dialogue, both of which bug me to no end.
11. Name a few writers who have influenced you or your work in some way. Farley Mowat, Dean Koontz, J.R.R Tolkien... There's plenty more that I can't think of right now.
12. Talk about something you've written that you later found embarrassing for some reason. There have been a few amateurish scribblings that I've deleted over the years lest somebody find them, read them and die laughing at how bad they were.
13. Talk about the earliest stories you remember writing. What were they about? I wrote a story in fourth grade that is eerily similar to some of my current writings. I don't recall the specifics but it had something to do with a trapper and a couple of his sled dogs, and I even illustrated it. I had totally forgotten about it until my mom handed me a scrapbook of stuff from my childhood a few years back. To tell the honest truth, I haven't gotten up the nerve to read it yet :p
14. If you knew you would be successful, what would you most like to write? Anything that came to mind. Variety is the spice of life.
15. What inspires you? The untamed wilderness, stories of raw survival, fantastic stories of strange and distant worlds and alien beings.
16. How many projects do you tend to work on at once? Too damned many. I have four on the go these days.
17. Who reads your work before it's released to the public? Do you have beta readers, a critique group, etc.? I have a couple of good online freinds that give my stuff a once over before I post it.
18. When you're not writing, what do you do for fun? Many things. Spend time with my friends, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, hockey, softball, astronomy, photography....
19. Advice to other writers? Write about what you know, and keep plugging away at it.
20. What are you currently working on? Chapter 20 of Wild Rose Country.
21. Share the first three sentences of a work in progress. Empty streets basking under the gentle touch of autumn twilight beckoned with a haunting call. A few golden leaves lay piled in hidden corners, stirring only as feet stepped quickly and lightly past them. The click of claws on worn pavement trickled into the alleyways as cool air blanketed the bones of the city...
1. When did you start writing? November 20, 1999. The day I scribbled now the intro to Wild Rose Country
2. First drafts: Handwritten, typed, or some combination? That depends on where I'm writing. If I'm at home, definitely typed. If I happen to be out in the middle nowhere, handwritten.
3. Do you keep any kind of notebook or writer's journal, and if so, what kinds of things go into it? Can't say I really keep a journal.
4. Do you set any quotas for your work (number of words per day, number of hours per day, etc.)? Why or why not? I don't set quotas simply because they don't work for me. My life is rather hectic and time and inspiration for writing are often a little scarce. I write what I can, when I can but I do wish I could finish new chapters and stories a little more frequently.
5. Are you most comfortable writing short stories, novels, or something else? Novels seem to work the best for me. I like detail in my works and I find that short stories often don't give me the breathing room I need. I have finished a few shorter works that seem OK to me though.
6. What's your favorite kind of story to write? Survival in post apocalyptic worlds, action and adventure and sci-fi
7. Talk about a story of yours that was easy to write and one that was difficult to write, and why. Lost and Found Under the Northern Lights was a fantastically easy story for me to write. I finished the whole thing in less than a day and never did much for editing on it either. At Any Cost Was one of the tougher ones for me to write. Brought out a lot of emotions, that one, especially the ending.
8. Which of your characters is closest to your sense of self? In other words, who do you most identify with in your own work to date? John in Wild Rose Country is patterned largely after me. His personality is mine for all intents and purposes, but he has led a far different life than I.
9. What work are you most proud of right now? The Gift of a Stranger
10. What do you feel your strengths and weaknesses are as a writer? My strength is definitely towards the descriptive end of things and I've been told that I create good imagery. My weaknesses are character interactions and dialogue, both of which bug me to no end.
11. Name a few writers who have influenced you or your work in some way. Farley Mowat, Dean Koontz, J.R.R Tolkien... There's plenty more that I can't think of right now.
12. Talk about something you've written that you later found embarrassing for some reason. There have been a few amateurish scribblings that I've deleted over the years lest somebody find them, read them and die laughing at how bad they were.
13. Talk about the earliest stories you remember writing. What were they about? I wrote a story in fourth grade that is eerily similar to some of my current writings. I don't recall the specifics but it had something to do with a trapper and a couple of his sled dogs, and I even illustrated it. I had totally forgotten about it until my mom handed me a scrapbook of stuff from my childhood a few years back. To tell the honest truth, I haven't gotten up the nerve to read it yet :p
14. If you knew you would be successful, what would you most like to write? Anything that came to mind. Variety is the spice of life.
15. What inspires you? The untamed wilderness, stories of raw survival, fantastic stories of strange and distant worlds and alien beings.
16. How many projects do you tend to work on at once? Too damned many. I have four on the go these days.
17. Who reads your work before it's released to the public? Do you have beta readers, a critique group, etc.? I have a couple of good online freinds that give my stuff a once over before I post it.
18. When you're not writing, what do you do for fun? Many things. Spend time with my friends, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, hockey, softball, astronomy, photography....
19. Advice to other writers? Write about what you know, and keep plugging away at it.
20. What are you currently working on? Chapter 20 of Wild Rose Country.
21. Share the first three sentences of a work in progress. Empty streets basking under the gentle touch of autumn twilight beckoned with a haunting call. A few golden leaves lay piled in hidden corners, stirring only as feet stepped quickly and lightly past them. The click of claws on worn pavement trickled into the alleyways as cool air blanketed the bones of the city...
No Subject
Posted 17 years agoI'm not exactly sure why I signed up here. Call it an experiment, if you will, an opportunity to learn, to expand, and hopefully to create.
I am one of the quiet ones in anthro circles. A watcher, an observer, an outsider looking in, and a contributor only in the few stories I have written over the years. It is the writing that keeps me around and is also the biggest reason for me in starting up this account. I've done next to nothing to promote my work over the last few years and I figured this might be a good way to reach some of my intended audience.
Writing is where my meagre amount of talent lies. Even then I'm really no more than a amateur who writes whenever his busy life allows. I used to be able to draw but it's been years since I picked up a pencil and did some sketching and even when I did I was never much of an artist. I think it's almost time to re-acquaint myself with the sketchpad but I'm wondering if the fingers will work the way they used to. My line of work isn't exactly easy on the hands and I notice that there are some shakes there these days. It might be better for everyone if I don't inflict any artwork on the internet just yet. I dabble in photography on occasion and some of my attempts could very well appear on this page.
I've been writing anthro themed material since late '99 and have three novels in progress on the go currently, some fragments of which might actually end up here. I have a handful of short stories gathering dust on my HD and seem to come up with a new one every now and then. Tales of survival in the wilderness and post-apocalyptic worlds make up the bulk of my writing with occasional diversions to other subjects. Nothing above a PG-13 rating here and that's the way things will stay.
Go. Read. Enjoy. :D
I am one of the quiet ones in anthro circles. A watcher, an observer, an outsider looking in, and a contributor only in the few stories I have written over the years. It is the writing that keeps me around and is also the biggest reason for me in starting up this account. I've done next to nothing to promote my work over the last few years and I figured this might be a good way to reach some of my intended audience.
Writing is where my meagre amount of talent lies. Even then I'm really no more than a amateur who writes whenever his busy life allows. I used to be able to draw but it's been years since I picked up a pencil and did some sketching and even when I did I was never much of an artist. I think it's almost time to re-acquaint myself with the sketchpad but I'm wondering if the fingers will work the way they used to. My line of work isn't exactly easy on the hands and I notice that there are some shakes there these days. It might be better for everyone if I don't inflict any artwork on the internet just yet. I dabble in photography on occasion and some of my attempts could very well appear on this page.
I've been writing anthro themed material since late '99 and have three novels in progress on the go currently, some fragments of which might actually end up here. I have a handful of short stories gathering dust on my HD and seem to come up with a new one every now and then. Tales of survival in the wilderness and post-apocalyptic worlds make up the bulk of my writing with occasional diversions to other subjects. Nothing above a PG-13 rating here and that's the way things will stay.
Go. Read. Enjoy. :D
