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| Final review on Wreck of the Huron |
When I tell people that I’m a writer, I usually get a reaction of “I wish I could do that” or “When are you going to get a real job” or some variation on the theme of “I hate to write. Writing is such a chore.”
Let me set the record straight: for those of us who call ourselves writers, be it full time or something we do “on the side” writing is work and it is a chore. It’s just a chore that we choose to take on and a challenge we accept. There are days it sings and it is so much fun. There are also days where you feel like you’re beating your head against a wall.
A less dramatic response, and one I’ve used from time to time is “It helps keep the voices in my head quiet.” That usually gets a half-laugh in response until they look me in the eye and see that I’m not really laughing with them.
I wrote my first novel in 2004 and it was published in 2005. It was the first fiction I’d ever written. A couple more novels followed along with some short stories. Frankly, I think I’ve gotten better at telling “stories” with each book I’ve written. And the act of writing the short stories has helped me refine my craft as well. My last novel was published in the fall of 2009. For various reasons, I lost the fiction spark after that.
In 2010, I had the pleasure of exhibiting a collection of my photographs from Russia in Russia, France and in the United States (including my hometown). That year I also got involved with a documentary project on Harvesting Divers in Honduras and elsewhere around the world. If you look back in this blog, to posts from 2010, you’ll see a lot of travel and thought went into those projects. At the same time, I was going through some personal changes that had me distracted to say the least.
I’ve found that fiction spark again, while not forgetting my documentary/journalism passion. A friend told me recently that she checks this blog from time to time to see what I’ve been up to. She noted that my posts lately have been all over the map. My response was “Welcome to my world…” I’ve got three fiction projects that I am in the final stages with right now. They’ll all be coming out very soon.
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| Probable cover for the new novel |
- Wreck of the Huron is my latest novel. It follows Mike Scott on a new adventure that begins on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and ends up off the coast of Cuba. This story will be available in the next couple weeks. I’m planning a couple book signing/release parties as soon as it comes out.
- Decisions on a Small Plane is a short story I’ve written for my church to help begin the discussion about salvation and prayer. The plan is for this short story to be posted on the church’s website and be free for anyone who wants to download it or link to it. It should be available in the next week or two. I will post the links when they are available. Also, I’ve just started a discussion with a friend about making the story into a short film.
- Racing for Miss Jayne Marie is a short story I’ve written as part of an anthology project called River Town I’m working on with some writer friends. I’ll talk more about it later, but this anthology is set in a fictional place called River Town in 1890s West Virginia. I’ve written period sections in my novels, but this is the first project that is entirely about a “period” other than present day. I’m really excited how this project is beginning to shape up. This project should be done by the end of the year, but we’ll see how it goes.
I’ve not forgotten the Voices of War documentary project, either. My plan is to have the interviews transcribed and the documentary edited together by Veterans Day, November 11, 2012. I’ve got a few more interviews to conduct and then it is time to begin putting it all together.
Should be a busy summer and fall…welcome to my world. Glad I like to tell stories. And it does seem to keep the voices mostly quiet… 😉.