One heck of a week / Happenings In The Outhouse 30-Aug-2019

Not only has this been a crazy summer, this past week has been the icing on the cake.

Last Friday, I received news that my 96-year young grandfather passed away.  It wasn't truly unexpected, but at the same time the news was difficult.  Here is a link to one of my favorite: The Legacy of Hats.

On top of that are the health issues with my wife.  Saturday night, she took a turn for the worst and we took her into the ER.  Her liver is failing and the doctors are working diligently on a solution.  She was in the ICU for three days and is now in a regular hospital room.

I will share more news as it comes.

Don't fear the blank canvas / Happenings In The Outhouse 23-Aug-2019

I love all stages of the writing process, from the idea stage to the moment I publish.  Including what many call the messy middle.

Right now, I'm in the first few pages of a new YA book.  I've never written YA before--more specifically, anything geared directly at the YA (young adult) market--and so far I am loving the challenge.

The first draft of any story is like a painter standing in front of a blank canvas.  And for a writer, the opening pages are an even more blank canvas than the further along in the book you go.  By the time you near the end, the canvas is pretty much done.

This story isn't part of any series and all of the characters are new.

For some, the opening pages are frightening and have a difficult time moving forward.  I strongly urge you to plow through it.  You can always go back and delete something if it doesn't fit.

Dahlia - new story / Happenings In The Outhouse 16-Aug-2019

What if Elizabeth Short, AKA The Black Dahlia, was the first victim of a fledging serial killer and something stopped him before he could go on?

That is exactly the question I sought out to answer in my newest story, aptly named Dahlia.

Here is the blurb:
"Douglas Sweet is a name that brings chills to many. His name is synonymous to the likes of Bundy, Dahmer, and Gacy.
But Sweet also bore a title, unbeknownst to Dylan Boseman until that fateful day.
Grandfather."

Here is a link to purchase the ebook at your favorite e-retailer: Dahlia.

Exciting news for fans of J. D. Salinger

I will not sugarcoat this.  I love J. D. Salinger's writings.  Up until now, none of his books have been in digital form--okay, I believe others have done it but it's not officially his, so I have not purchased those.

Well, as of today, those of us who love books in digital form, the wait is finally over.

Salinger is one of those writers who can transport you right into his story without you even knowing.  He is a true master of words.  Especially dialogue.

Now, although most know Salinger through Catcher in the Rye, it's his other works that I love even more.

Here is a link to Amazon that goes directly to his author site for the official stories:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B000APYJ8Y?_encoding=UTF8&node=618073011&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader


I post this link because to actually search for J. D. Salinger comes up a lot of various books about Salinger and/or analysis books about his books.

A huge thanks to the Salinger family (he passed away on January 27, 2010) for updating his library to the digital form.

New published story by next week / Happenings In The Outhouse 09-Aug-2019

Another short one today.

By next week, I will share a link to a new published story.  It's around 10,000 words, and it turned out better than I expected.  I'm not sure why I struggled with the last section--probably had something to do with my wife being in the hospital and my focus being on her, like it should!--but I banged out the remainder of it in 2 days.

Speaking of my wife, she was discharged Monday this week.  She will be having home health come in a few times a week to do PT/OT.  She has a walker to maneuver her way through the house--or, basically, from the couch to the bathroom and back.

Next projects / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-Aug-2019

I'm keeping this one short today.

I am in the final stages of my current work-in-progress.  Want a little teaser?  Think Back To The Future and the murder of Elizabeth Short (AKA The Black Dahlia).  Intrigued?

It is a novelette titled . . . oh, not quite yet.  Getting a little ahead of myself.  I'll share once it's published.

Afterward, I will be trying my hand at a YA book, in the vein of the movie The Sandlot, inspired by my oldest daughter when we used to play catch.

Busy work vs. your art / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-July-2019

Many have probably heard the story of Jesus, from the book of Luke, visiting the house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary in Bethany.  During the visit, Mary sits at Jesus's feet and listens to Him while Martha is busy with housework, trying to impress her guests.

Most of us either work a full-time job or busy ourselves with housework/media/social media/etc.  Or both.  Stand back and reflect on how you spend your time.

Sure, it may be fun to binge the latest season of whatever Netflix or Amazon Prime video is offering.  And it may also be fun to play hours and hours of whatever video game is the latest craze.  And housework?  It's never done, is it?

Although it is perfectly okay to set aside time for rest, your art (or your purpose) may be neglected.

Don't schedule too much busy work when you have a project that needs creating.

Right now, I'm battling a few of these demons.  I have a roof that needs new shingles, a wife that has been in the hospital since last Tuesday, and household chores are piling up.  That's not all.  My current project is not getting done--given how fast I've done projects of this size in the past, I should have completed it in 1-2 weeks.

My ideal world would be to have someone chose the shingles (because I don't care about the color since they're pretty standard anyway) and then have a contractor do the work.  I'll just write the check.  I see the value of my time, and I'm fighting with others who don't.  My children, this summer, have finally stepped up their game and are helping more around the house.  Our sixteen-year-old daughter has made supper nearly every single night.

What do you busy yourself with?  What are you putting off because the endless list of "busy chores" are never done?