Shake It Off / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-April-2023

You find yourself tossed into the bottom of a well.  Then, shovelful after shovelful of dirt is thrown in.  You are trapped.  What do you do?  Let yourself be buried?  Or use the dirt to rise yourself out of the hole?

In other words, shake it off.

From time to time, things will happen that will throw you off your game.  It happens to everyone.  Shake it off and move on.  Figure out a solution instead of just complaining that nothing can be done.  I heard someone say once, "If you bring me a dead cat, you better bring me a shovel."  In other words, bring a plan for your situation.

When my late wife was diagnosed with leukemia back in April 2011, it would've been easy for me to throw in the towel and say I quit!  But I didn't.  I double-downed on my writing.  When her illness progressed over the years from the side effects of her transplant, I will admit that I had some dark days.  Then, in early 2018, I turned everything over to God.

I did put things in God's hands many times over the years, but for whatever reason that was a turning point for me.  When her illness took a massive turn for the worst in May 2019, leading to eventual passing in January 2020, I did take a step back a bit.  I still wrote, but not as much as before.  I took small steps.  I knew when my head wasn't in the right place.  So I'd take a small break and either watch a show or read.  When I was able to join the local gym, I took solace in improving my overall health.

I looked for solutions.

I shook off things, and moved onward.

Life is never easy.  But it's how you react to it that matters.

The new normal is simply change / Happenings In The Outhouse 24-April-2020

There's been a lot of talk lately about the current events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic being the new normal.  Many people are working from home, more people are cooking at home instead of going to restaurants, families are watching more movies at home because the theaters are closed, and people who live under the same roof are doing more things together.

Why is this the new normal?  Why should a pandemic have caused families and loved ones to do things together?

I view this new way of doing things as change.  When my wife and I got married, that was change.  We had to adapt to a new normal of married life.  Then the same thing occurred when we had kids.  Every life change is simply that.  Change.

April 2011 was a major change when my late wife was diagnosed with leukemia.

Then, last year, on May 19th, our family had to adapt to a new normal as my late wife started going downhill health-wise.  And of course my world turned completely upside-down when she passed on January 16th of 2020.

A new normal for me?  Sure.

I call it change.  Get used to change.  Change happens.

Why I'm not freaking out (special coronavirus / COVID-19 special)

I read a blog post this morning by a well-known science fiction writer and felt more than compelled to write this post.

First, the author (no, I will not disclose the name nor gender, as this person is fairly smart but seems to be a bit misguided in light of current events) wrote about all of the uncertainty in the world and how the whole coronavirus is impacting the world economy.  No argument there, however said author seemed to imply that the entire global market is on the verge of collapsing and we may never recover from it.

Now, I am not a fortune teller and cannot see the future, but I am not freaking out about this whole mess.  True, I am nearing the close of my second week of working from home, and I am thankful for having this job.  Also, the company I work for is thriving to help bring products to the various manufacturers who are building many of the world's leading edge innovations.  It is also on the forefront of many manufacturers who are changing their business model to help build ventilators and other necessary medical devices to battle this pandemic.  But the world economy collapsing?  I find that hard to believe.

Are you familiar with the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard?  It's a quick read that is well worth the time.  The gist of it is the world is always changing and if something disrupts it, we should figure out a way to move with it.  In other words, if we're mice in a maze and our cheese has always been in one particular spot, what happens when the cheese is no longer there?  We go find it in its new place.

Many of our local restaurants have changed their business model to offering curb side service or even home delivery, whereas they never offered it before.  Is business through the roof?  Probably not.  But then again, if you offer excellent service, you never know where this economy will take you.

People talk about this being the New Normal.  Heck, this all started for me on January 16th of this year (11 weeks ago, to be exact), when my wife passed away.  In a way, I am thankful she is no longer in this world because many of the risk factors for COVID-19 was right in her wheelhouse: diabetes, former cancer patient, respiratory complications.  Then again, I have had a whole host of New Normals across my life, even as far back as April 2011 when my wife was originally diagnosed with leukemia.

I get it.  I am not arguing with the fact that the world as we know it will not be like it was.  But I see that as a good thing.  Now I have the ability to work from home if I need to.  Also, when my writing business skyrockets and I am able to do it full-time, I have now developed the habits to make it work whereas I had a difficult time to before all this.

Also, I truly believe that this world is in God's hands.  I have complete faith in God and everything He has done.  Only through my Christian faith has the impact of my wife's passing been a blessing when I know she is in a far better place.

And I will see her again one day.  It's hard for me to fathom a world without such hope.

Lastly, as a writer myself, what made me be more than compelled to write this is due to many of the more vocal writers bitching about not being able to write, bitching about the election and what it does to the publishing industry, and quite frankly just plain bitching in general.  I am convinced the majority of writers may not be in this camp, but when the ones who are more successful seem to be the more bitchy ones, it makes me scratch my head in wonder.  For me, I've been writing more and more each day.

I also think many others are too.  The ones who aren't seem to be spending more time posting their bitchiness online when they could just hunker down and work.

Art is, after all, an essential business too.  Where else are we going to be entertained from, except from the creation that is within our own minds?

So get out there and do it.  Now!

What is your story? / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-Oct-2018

I saw this sign at the doctor's office a few months ago.  Oh, how the words to this rang true to me.

For those who have read this blog for quite some time may already know this, but for those who haven't my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in April 2011.  Even though she is still in remission after all these years, the affects of her treatments are still present to this day--her poor eyesight being the more dramatic.

Yet with all the setbacks, cancer (or anything horrible that affects your life) is all but a chapter in your entire life.

What is the story you want to tell?  What is your legacy?  Don't let cancer or diabetes or a poor family background or (fill in the blank) define the rest of your life.

Check Your Attitude / Happenings In The Outhouse 16-June-2017

It disheartens me when I hear people say, "OMG, 2017 absolutely sucks!"  Or, replace 2017 with 2016.  I've heard it all before.  The only thing that changes is the year.

Today's post is about one's attitude and how your attitude affects your life.  One can always find something bad . . . if that's all they're looking for.

Let me tell you right now, 2011 freaking sucked for my family and I.  But there were lessons learned and events that have a profound affect, even to this day.

In January 2011, within two days of each other, our van was taken away for repossession and we received foreclosure papers on our home.  I wasn't even a month into a new leadership position at my job and already things took a turn for the worst.  Fast forward a month, the van was back and the house was no longer in foreclosure land.

But wait!  There's more!

On April 11th, my wife was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).  She spent the bulk of 2011 in Rochester, MN, at the Mayo Clinic.  I took over 20 trips down to visit her.  Around Christmas, a good friend of mine was complaining and being all bah-humbug.  And he had absolutely nothing to complain about!  He didn't go through anything like what our family went through.  Now, I could've acted like this too.

But I didn't.  I was thankful my wife was still around and healing.  Fast forward to today, she's still not 100%.

I came across a YouTube video my sister-in-law put together after a benefit in May 2011.  I watched it numerous times years ago, but it had been a while.  Watching it again, and seeing all of the people present, brought back a host of emotions.

One of those emotions was thankfulness.  I was thankful for all those who helped.  I am also thankful for all that happened in 2011.

Happenings In The Outhouse 16-May-2014 / Another author's path is not the same as yours

Earlier this month, Seth Godin wrote a post in regards to the origin stories of successful people/companies.  It really struck home for me.  I love to read the biographies of successful people like Stephen King or J. K. Rowling, and how their humble beginnings fueled the fire that launched their careers.

But no one would be able to duplicate their success by following in their exact footsteps.  It's ridiculous.  Create your own success.  Create your own origin story.

And then yesterday, I was listening to the Rocking Self Publishing Podcast when the host Simon interviewed bestselling author Mark Dawson, about how he can write to prolifically while maintaining a full-time job and raising small children.  It struck me that he could've been interviewing me--not only do I have a full-time job, I'm raising three children and being a caregiver for my wife who is recovering from beginning ill three years ago with leukemia.

It's good to know what steps an author--or anyone else who's successful--to become a success.  But choose your own path.  Don't make the same mistakes they made.  Make your own mistakes.

And one day, far down the road, someone will hear about your origin story and will be inspired to pursue their own dreams.

Happenings In The Outhouse 10-Jan-2014 / Writing more (and blogging less)

This past weekend, I had to take an emergency trip to Rochester, MN.  Very unexpected, although with my wife's recovery and having graft vs. host attack her eyes--something she's been dealing with for almost two years now--it should really be expected.

Needless to say, I wasn't able to get my usual blogs up this week.  Then, I thought about it: why do I need to blog three days a week?  There are plenty of authors I know who don't.  Some blog more often and some who blog once a week at best--sometimes even less.

Honestly, I love blogging.  I feel I have the freedom to say whatever I want, write about what I want, and help a lot of people along the way achieve their dreams.

My big push for 2014 is to publish more.  And, with that, I may have to blog less.  I will still try get out my Friday "Happenings In The Outhouse", but if I miss one here or there, it's not going to kill me.

I've been diligently working on Shadowkill this week, editing, editing, editing.  My goal is to within the next 2 months to be able to publish it.

Happenings In The Outhouse 04-Oct-2013 / Hope

I started writing this blog post late Wednesday night, for my wife and I had just returned from a recent trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  With the raging debate over debt ceilings and affordable healthcare and government shutdowns, I just shook my head and concentrated on our own little world.

To make a long story short, my wife has been having eye problems and in the middle of this summer she had a cornea transplant.  Her eyes started healing until close to a month ago when the doctor discovered some residual problems.  She was scheduled for an appointment Tuesday morning.  After the initial exam, my wife Melissa asked if her eyes were getting better.

"No," the doctor said.

Not what we wanted to hear.  However, we already knew it to be true.

That night, she had an emergency cornea transplant--her second one in a little over 2 months.  Because of it, we had to spend an extra day at the Mayo.  I didn't mind.  I'll do anything for the love of my life, the reason I write.

Gabriel's Hope is getting closer to publication.  I'm in the middle of the final edits, then I have to finalize the cover art.

A caregiver's guide to writing

For those people who care for the needs of others, I know how it feels to have your time sucked away.  This is beyond the normal needs of children and loved ones.  This is for those caring for people dealing with debilitating diseases like cancer and even Alzheimer's, but not just limited to those.

How does one find time to write?

The short answer: very carefully, and if it's only in short bursts, then do it.

It's how I write.  Now, as my wife has been cancer-free from her leukemia for the past 2 years, she still deals with many of the side effects, such as tiredness.  She's been going through severe eye problems these last few months too--she did back in October 2011, and things have progressively gotten worse this summer.  And because of this, I end up doing the majority of the daily chores along with the kids.  Keep in mind, I don't want pity from people nor do I want anyone to feel sorry for me.  That's not the point of this post.  What I want is to encourage those caregivers out there that you can do it, you can still realize your dream while at the same time care for the needs of others.

Are there times when I get frustrated and so tired from the long hours that I don't feel like writing?  Yes.  Do I still put words down on the digital paper.  Sometimes.  Depending on the day, most days I do, but mostly on the weekends I do not.

Your writing time may be limited as a caregiver, but even five minutes here and ten minutes there can add up over time.  Be deliberate about your "free time."  Commit to writing even 100-200 words a day if needed.  A typical 75K novel at 200 words a day will be completed in 375 days--just a little over a year.  Increase that amount of 250 even, and that number drops to 300 days.  If you can't write daily, set weekly goals.  Write those goals down, and track your progress.

You can do it.  Don't be discouraged.  Be deliberate with your time.  Commit to doing the work you were meant to do.

Happenings In The Outhouse 12-Jul-2013 / Busy times

Busy times abound!

Between writing and a recent surgery for my wife, I have to say, "Life sure ain't boring!"

First and foremost, my wife has been having eye complications since around October 2011.  Lately, though, they have gotten worse as she developed an ulcer in her eye.  Long story short, Tuesday this week she had a partial cornea transplant--she's still in pain, but it will subside and she'll be able to see better.  This all stems--no pun intended--from her stem cell transplant on September 1, 2011 to help cure her Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Fingers crossed, she's still in remission . . . and on the road to improved health.

For writing, I'm literally in the middle of three writing projects.  I am working on the final-final edits to Beholder's Eye.  The main edits were done late last year, but I re-read it again as well as had a beta reader go through it, and I'm fixing a few minor mistakes.  Other than that, I'll good with it.  I'll still wait for the small press to finish looking at it, and if they pass on it . . . well, then it's off to the Kindle store!

Next is the major revision of a . . . horror novel, a small-time zombie apocalyptic novel I wrote years ago and am completely re-writing it.  I'm only on the first three chapters, and so far they're turning out great.

Lastly is the online class I'm participating in by Brandon Sanderson on the Write About Dragons.com site, and it's the 2013 Summer Class.  It's great fun, and so far I'm learning a lot.

And of course, I have to mention that my novelette Guest of Honor is available on the Kindle store for $1.99.  It's a suspenseful thriller that crosses the lines of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the serial killer Ed Gein.  Please pick it up by clicking on this link, and when you get a moment, I'd be grateful if you'd write a review.

Happenings In The Outhouse 05-Jul-2013 / Cancer and Critics

This has been a whirlwind week--and it has nothing to do with it being Independence Day yesterday.

Monday morning I completed my inspirational novella tentatively titled "Sorry, Lord."  It turned out better than I expected, and for now it's going to sit in the digital drawer while I work on other projects.  Currently, it's a little over 15K words, which means technically it's a novelette (SFWA rules dictate novellas start at 17,500 words).  But, after I start editing it, it'll be well over the 17.5K mark.

I'm also submitting writing to an online class taught by Brandon Sanderson called Write About Dragons.com  Besides the online lessons, writers are asked to submit a piece of original writing every week and critique four other writers' writings.  I'm having a blast reading all the new stories, and I'm even loving the critiques I've been receiving.  Some good and some not-so-good.  Doesn't matter.  I want to grow much better as a writer and I want the harsh critics.  A few don't like my present tense style, but have backed it up with a note that it's a personal preference.  I'm learning, and that's all that matters.

Cancer sucks.  Let's make no bones about it.  Virtually everyone knows someone who has been struck down by cancer in one form or another.  Our family, up until roughly two years ago, seemed to be pretty well immune to it--aside from two grandfathers, one who battled leukemia and lost while the other battled prostate and won.  For now.  There are other shirt-tail relatives, but by and large it didn't seem to affect us greatly.

Until two years ago.

My wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Long story short, she's still in remission (thank God!) but has had other complications.  Namely with her eyes.  She is legally blind and is fighting to keep the sight she has left.  On the day of this posting, we'll be in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic for another appointment to check her eyes.

Cancer sucks.  This week, a guy my wife met when she was battling her leukemia lost his battle with leukemia Wednesday.  He was in his mid-twenties and fought more than anyone I know.

Yeah, cancer sucks.  I just wish Bill Gates would funnel some of the money he's using to make new toilets or battle malaria (yes, all worthy causes) and help battle cancer.  I understand it's a complicated battle.  But I do believe it's one we can win.

Then one day we can all cheer: RIP CANCER!

Happenings In The Outhouse 21-Jun-2013 / Anniversary!

For over sixteen years, I've had a reason to write.  Prior to having met "the reason" I wrote because I wanted to make money.  It was for selfish reasons, but everything clicked into place once I met this person.  Let me share:

Cute, isn't she?  Yes, I mean the one on the left--not the doofus on the right.

Today is our sixteenth wedding anniversary.  Two years ago, I almost lost her to AML: Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  We're still not out of the water, even though she's still in remission.  It's at least a five year wait before we know for certain.  This week has been extremely difficult because she's been having problems with her eyes and had surgery on one of them.  I won't go into detail quite yet.

Just a quick recap, I'm over 11K on a new inspirational novella.  At least I'm hoping it gets past the 17,500-word novella mark.  As of now, it's in novelette length.  It's going much better than I hoped.

I'm also going to be sending off Beholder's Eye shortly to a small press who is open for submissions.  This small press does quite a bit of horror and thriller novels, so I'm going to at least give it a shot.

I also got my rejection letter from the Writers Of The Future contest for the quarter ending on April 1st.  It was the first time I entered the contest.  I wasn't expecting to even place.  I submitted another one a few weeks ago for this next quarter's contest ending July 1st.

I'm also contemplating what to do next.  I have a writing workshop led by Brandon Sanderson: Write About Dragons.com  It starts July 1st, and I have to do a little prep work prior to starting it.  I'm also brainstorming what to work on next.

Live as if it's your last

Tragedies can befall us.

As we speak, tornadoes have ravaged Oklahoma.  Do you think they're worried about the rising gas prices?  Or some recent acts in Congress?

Probably not.

What about the recent victims of the Boston Marathon?  What do you think is on their mind?

There's a guy I know who's not only in his mid-20's, he's also battling leukemia . . . for the fourth time!  His wife and he met my wife two years ago when they were down at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Some things seem trivial in light of other tragic events.  For the past 3-4 days, much of Minnesota and North Dakota were rained pretty heavily upon.  I got a small amount of water in my basement, but I'm not complaining.  Things could be worse.  My wife, despite a constant battle with her eyes, is still in remission from her leukemia.

Things could be worse.

Tornadoes.  Floods.  Cancer.  Murder.  Suicide.

Yup.  It could be a lot worse.  I may not be happy about paying more at the gas pump, but life could be worse.  If everyone was to live as if it's their last, what kind of day would they serve?

What could they accomplish?

And for the writers and artists out there, what kind of art could we make?

Happenings In The Outhouse 10-May-2013 / My deadline

I have given myself a goal for finishing the first draft of my alternative history military novel: May 31st.

It's a doable goal, and one that can be obtained by writing roughly 1200 words a day (everyday, including weekends).  I figure it'll be roughly 75K words, so that is the finish line I'm shooting for, and right now I am almost at 48K.  If it'll be more, that's even better.  If it's not, I don't mind.  I've already thought of a lot I'll be fixing in the editing process.

What's next?

I have an inspirational novella I'm brainstorming, then in early June I'll be formatting Beholder's Eye and self-publishing it (unless an agent contacts me in the meantime and asks to see it).  After that, I'll be putting the finishing touches on a short story for the next "Writers of the Future" writing contest as well as starting to edit another novel.

The latter novel I just mentioned I'll be doing while on breaks and lunches at my day job.  Right now I'm about three-quarters into George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords, so I vowed once I finished that I'm going to work on that book.

My goal for the year is to publish 3-4 books.  I already have one, with Beholder's Eye and the inspirational novella being the next two.  I'd like this last book to be #4.

I'll cross my fingers.

And I'm doing this while also taking care of three children and a wife who's recovering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia--she's doing good, except her eyes hurt her on occasion (and that's for another day).

When life throws you a curveball, do this!

It's easy not to do something when life gets you down.  But in the long haul, you're going to suffer.

In other words, when life throws you a curveball . . . DO SOMETHING!

Two years ago, my wife Melissa was diagnosed with acute myleoid leukemia.  The next day, we found ourselves 372 miles away from our hometown down to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic.  The long and the short of it: they saved her life.

In those two years, I could've sat back and just done nothing.  But I didn't.  I started this blog just prior to her diagnosis, and within those two years started looking for ways to take writing to a serious level--I had always wanted to be a successful writer before, but for some reason things didn't start clicking into place.  I had already written five novels and over a dozen short stories, but could just never seem to get traction on them.

But I kept working at them.

I kept writing.

In the end, I did something.  I moved forward.  I will admit, life is hard.  Just punch it in the face and move on.  In the words of the great philospher El Nike: "JUST DO IT!"

Happenings In The Outhouse 20-July-2012 / Kindle promotions for my ebook

Despite spending all day Monday and Tuesday down in Rochester, MN, for my wife's scheduled leukemia appointments, I still completed chapters 34-36.

Next up is chapters 37-39.

It's been a busy week, albeit a productive one.  I wrote both Saturday and Sunday, got blog posts written and scheduled, due to the impending time away from home, then while I was listening to a podcast (I believe it was Mur Lafferty's I Should Be Writing), I heard mention of another podcast: Adventures In Sci Fi Publishing.  I downloaded a few of their episodes and as I was listening to one, they talked about the pros and cons of doing promotions on Amazon's Kindle site.

I knew I could do promotions, but never really knew how.  Until late Sunday night.  Hence, a flurry of blog posts and promotions began for my ebook titled 99 ways to have a Memorable Wedding on a Shoestring Budget.  Today is the last day to get this ebook . . . for FREE!  While I was in Rochester, I posted a lot of stuff on Facebook and Twitter, promoting it like crazy, and it's sold (for free) quite well so far.

Happenings in the Outhouse 22-June-2012 / Can't say I have nothing to do

This week, I've been delving deeper and deeper into chapters 28-30.  I've even taken out large chunks of the story which didn't seem to add any to the story but at the time I wrote them I wanted them in.  Funny how that is, that you may love something you wrote so long ago, only to find that it doesn't enhance your story at all.

I will note here that although chapter 30 is fairly short at three pages, chapter 29 (I take on a different POV entirely, delving into a possible suspect and his past) is eleven.  My average page length is around six pages.  This is not a hard and fast rule for me (James Patterson is the King of the Short Chapter - whereas almost 100% of his chapters are 2-3 pages - I might add I did read a 5 page chapter once and nearly fell off my chair).

On Wednesday was our writers' group meeting--our writers' group is called Permanent Ink--but no one was able to be around for it except me.  Our group has been together, in our small community, for nine years now.  Only two of us remain from the original group, and what an eclectic sort we've had in that time, from world-class poets and playwrights to Christian inspirational writers and fantasy novelists.  All of us have aspired towards publication, and the other original member Evelyn has had numerous smaller pieces published, along with a weekly column in our local newspaper and is a very accomplished speaker.  The past few sessions we've discussed either self-publishing her work or finding an agent/publisher.  She has a mountain of material that I know would make her a smashing success.

Speaking of writers, I want to add this cute little video.  My daughter wrote a little story called "When Mom Came Back" which was inspired by her mother finally coming home after spending most of last year in Rochester, MN, battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  Enjoy!

A spouse can help an artist have a life

Last year, with my wife down in Rochester, MN, battling acute myeloid leukemia, and me back at home taking care of our three children, I didn't do much except work, write, visit my wife every 2-3 weeks on the weekends (a 7-8 hour trip, one-way, mind you), and take care of my children.

When the kids were in bed, I wrote.  A lot.  Aside from that, I didn't do much else in the way of extra-curricular activities (okay, we did end up remodeling some of the house by taking out the carpet, etc, so that ate up much of the weekend time, and I also did the housework too--of what the kids weren't able to do).  One chore I got out of was mowing the lawn; our local boy scout troop helped us out in this regard, and kept our lawn neat and trimmed all summer long.  I usually like mowing, but then, with all the other chores to do, that was one job I was deeply thankful for the scout troop and leaders that they did.

The one thing I notice now that my wife is home is this: she helps me to have a life outside of my writing.

Spouses know when you need to work, and know when it's time to take a break.  It's good to have a break, because it rejuvenates your mental batteries.  And, sure, there are times when I'm diligently writing and I'm interrupted by my wife asking to solve some problem with the kids or to help her find something or to help wash clothes or vacuum the living room rug . . . or any number of things.  I'm usually irritated by the cessation of my work, but it's funny that during my assistance, I work out mentally the problem I'm writing about . . . and a new insight is shown.  Not all the time, but more times than not, I'm blessed by this vision.

Spouses, and children, also serve a deeper purpose for the artist.  They serve as the reason you are doing it.  If I didn't have a wife and family, and was living off somewhere all by myself, I'd be writing all the time.  But what would I be writing?  Even before we got married, my writing took on a life of its own, because I knew that I wanted to provide a better life than what a normal job could entail.  Prior to this, I didn't have any purpose, other than wanting to be rich and famous.

Happenings in the Outhouse 25-May-2012 / A productive week

This week has been a productive one, despite my having taken a quick two-day trip to Rochester for my wife's appointments for her AML.

I finished editing chapter 24 early on in the week, bringing my percentage done to 59%.

As I have already been re-hashing chapter 25, I've refined it even more and should be close to getting it completed.

Chapters 26-27 are two very short chapters: 26 is a total of 2 pages and 27 is three.  Way too short, for my likes, and I'm working on beefing it up.

Why Gardner's quote is important to me

Yesterday, I posted rather lengthly quote from John Gardner's On Becoming a Novelist.

Why is that quote important to me?

My wife and I have been married for almost 15 years, and probably have known each other for 17 or more years.  And in all that time, she's heard about my writing and has fully supported it.  But wouldn't you think that after so many years and with me still not publishing any of my novels, that her support would wane.

Not a chance.  She's never ever failed to accept that writing is my calling and what I'm meant to do.  We always dream about what our lives will be like once my books start becoming published.  And she knows that it's a long process.  But as long as I keep plugging away and she knows I'm down in my office typing away, the dream and her loving support has never wavered.

That being said, I'm posting a video here which was taken by my sister-in-law Bobbi put together, while my wife battled an incredible fight with AML down in Rochester, MN.  It's a tribute and a cause for hope.