Gabriel's Hope has a new title

Back in October 2013, I published Gabriel's Hope.  It's a heart-warming tale of a man named Larry Wahl who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and is left with a reflection on how disappointing his life must've been.

Then he meets an angel named Gabriel who takes him on a journey of his life, where he influenced seven people, and that influence will be felt by generations to come.

Gabriel's Hope has now been retitled as Hope From Heaven.

If you haven't read this, please click on this link to check it out at various e-book retailers.

Mundane vs. excitement / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-Sept-2017

I recently started watching Ozark, a crime drama thriller series, on Netflix.

Thirty minutes into the first episode, the main character (played by Jason Bateman), is shown to lead a fairly mundane life.  He's cautious, frugal, checks the reports on consumer products, and the like.  He's someone many of us could relate to, in a way.  Then, in the span of thirty minutes, he's confronted by a major cartel drug dealer, whom his financial partner is stealing from, and also has to deal with the fact that his wife is cheating on him.

He goes from mundane to excitement in moments.

This is how good storytelling works.

Take a recent story I wrote--this will be published shortly, as soon as the cover is completed.  We have a young father, working hard as a car salesman, and dealing with a mundane life.  Enter a new co-worker.  He has some unusual powers.

Many stories are like this.  From Breaking Bad and Star Wars: A New Hope to Harry Potter and pretty much most superhero movie or show that goes into their backstory--the (mostly ill-fated) origin stories.

Decisions on what's next / Happenings In The Outhouse 01-Sept-2017

As the publication date to books 2 and 3 of the Shadowkill Trilogy comes closer, as well as two smaller projects (a nonfiction diabetes travel guide and a fiction novelette), I now have a decision to make: what to do next?

Trust me, there are no lack of stories.  Here's what I have to choose amongst:

A new superhero series (this has the potential to be an ensemble, like The Avengers, The Defenders, and Suicide Squad)

An epic fantasy series

A cozy mystery series

A YA adventure series

A romance story (or a series?)

A variety of short stories in varied genres

Shorter works in the Central Division Series

Future Central Division Series novels

A stand-alone horror novel set on a Minnesota lake (already written, but will use the draft as an outline and will completely rewrite)

A deer hunting horror story (this one is also written, but needs tons of work--so, in other words, will be completely rewritten)

A stand-alone horror novel that may be published in 4 parts (again, this one was written long ago, but will again be completely rewritten)

A spin-off series from the Central Division Series, based on my novelette Guest of Honor

Again, no lack of stories here.  Also, this does NOT include a number of other projects of varying length and potential.  Some I have titles, some have been written (one of these may end up being a novel instead of in its current short story form), and others I have a rough sketch written.

Who's reading this blog? / Happenings In The Outhouse 25-Aug-2017

I have a newsletter sign-up on all my books and my website, but honestly I haven't put out that many newsletters.

One of the main reasons is time.  And since I blog here each week, I figure that's enough as I value everyone's time--I also value mine.  I subscribe to authors and other content creators whom I receive multiple e-mail newsletters in a single day.  Some I look forward to getting, like Seth Godin and Simon Sinek, but others . . . not so much.  I haven't unsubscribed to any of these.

Yet.

I'm still collecting e-mail addresses from those who subscribe to the newsletter.  That's not going away.  And I will send newsletters.

So why do I keep up with this blog?  Because it's easy for me to communicate my thoughts on here, it doesn't take much time, and I love sharing weekly updates on what I'm working on.  Here's a link to my very first blog post--not much has changed in my approach.

Four new stories being published soon / Happenings In The Outhouse 18-Aug-2017

The last time I published anything was in late December 2016, my novel The Christmas Letters.

Since then, I've been diligently working on books two and three of the Shadowkill Trilogy.

Over the past few weeks, I've put together a new nonfiction books about traveling with type one diabetics--still untitled, but brainstorming some ideas--and a short story, which, as of this date, is technically a novelette.  Top word count on a short story is 7,500 words, according to SFWA, and this one is over 10,000.  Not sure how I'll market it, but I'll figure it out.

When these are up and published--these will be published wide, across all e-book platforms--I will let everyone know.

Spreading two more once-exclusive stories wide / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Aug-2017

As of todays' date, two more short stories are no longer exclusive with Amazon and their Kindle Unlimited program.  They should be available on as many e-platforms as possible.  Note: the links go to my website, where links to the various e-retailers are located:

Last Requests (a time loop short story)
What would be the most horrifying day to repeat over and over again?
For PETE HARRISON, that day is his final day on Death Row.  Convicted on multiple counts of murder, Pete has little opportunity to change his last day before walking down to the lethal injection chamber.

A.K.A. Anonymous

How often does one get a chance to change someone’s life? MAGGIE SIMMS has never had such an opportunity. That is, until she meets a hitchhiker named CLIFTON BAGGS.

What else is going on?  I have another short story I'm working on.  I finished the first draft on a non-fiction diabetes travel book.  Both of these should be published in roughly a month or so.

All characters have a story / Happenings In The Outhouse 04-Aug-2017

I recently finished all three (current) seasons of the Netflix show The Ranch.

Reflecting on the show--and many others, from Friends and Criminal Minds to How I Met Your Mother and Orange is the New Black, for example--I discovered that the better shows have stories surrounding each character.

For simplicity purposes, let's focus on The Ranch.  I will try not to spoil anything, but some things can't be helped so be warned.

The father Beau is married to a wife who doesn't live at home, and works on a ranch with his two sons.  Throughout the series, his love for his wife shines through, although circumstances arise that end up with divorce.

The mother Maggie owns and runs the local bar.  She constantly deals with her sons, who aren't treated very well by Beau.  In the divorce process, she wants everyone to be happy and wants to give her half of the ranch to her two sons.  Beau, of course, doesn't see it this way and bucks it.

Colt, one of the sons, is a former high school football star who comes back home.  His fame isn't what it once was, and bounces around between ladies, a high school sweetheart and another attractive blond, one of which he gets pregnant--and that drama is drawn out across several episodes.

Rooster is the other son.  He's had to deal with living in his brother's shadow and running the ranch with Beau while Colt was away following his short-lived football career.  He also doesn't feel he gets the respect he deserves and ends up working on another ranch for a much higher pay.

In the end, each character has their own story aside from the overall stories.  The more one can twist and turn these stories, the better.