So, Margarita’s Dance is nearly ready. I still need some reading review to get to the final step. It’s really easy to overlook things when you are self-editing. My brain knows what I want to say, so my eyes see it in that way. It’s kind of like those posts on Facebook that leave out letters, or print upside down. My fingers can easily type one word (like -role) when it should have been another word (like -roll). Spellcheck and grammar check overlook them because they are a real word. Additionally, since Margarita’s Dance crosses cultures, there are some Spanish translations which I will need some help reviewing.
Once I get some readers to give me feedback, I’ll put it out there. Honestly, I feel really good about the story. There is a little more romance in this novel, but plenty of the life and longing that make a bittersweet novel. I love the characters and the dialogue; I just hope you do too. One of my favorite characters, Darwin, is actually a secondary character, but I hope he comes alive as much for you as he does for me.
Anyway, as soon as I can get some pre-publish readers, and follow up on the feedback, I’ll get it out there. If you are local and interested helping me proof Margarita’s Dance, give me a shout. If you are Spanish speaking, all the better. Thanks as always for the support.
So just an update to those who follow along. If you do follow along, you’ve heard me say I usually have several things in the works at once. I have ideas bouncing out of my head almost all the time and sometimes they get written down and grow, while other times they just sit on digital paper in my computer. The advantage is that I don’t really ever suffer from writer’s block. If my well runs dry, I just switch to another project for a while. The disadvantage is that rather than battling through until I finish, completion gets pushed further down the road.
In the past year, I’ve worked on four different manuscripts for books. The stories are all considerably different, and I thought I’d give you some insight. I don’t know when or if all of these will get published, but they are in the works.
The largest project is Dhaenens’ Land. I’ve been working on Dhaenens’ Land for quite some time. It began approximately five years ago, but got little attention other than an outline, some research, and about three or four chapters. I have always expected Dhaenens’ Land to be one of the largest projects I’ve worked on. As an example, Loving Deacon had previously been the story which had involved the most research for me. It topped out at 236 pages. Dhaenens’ Land is currently at 248 pages at its halfway point.
It is the fictional tale of the immigration of Alois Dhaenens from Finland to South Dakota. Alois Dhaenens happens to be the name of my great grandfather, but this story is historical fiction. I have used an enormous amount of factual history (including some historical figures, events, and places) to add realism to the fiction tale. Even some of the cities and direction of travel coincide with my great grandfather’s journey, but story itself is imagination.
Research has included third-class travel, Ellis Island, Lake Erie, John Deere, Lakota Sioux language, railroads, cities, calendars, and homesteading. It has been very much a research, write a little, research a lot, write a little bit more kind of effort. Although I’ve put down close to 40,000 words this past year, I don’t anticipate finishing the first draft of Dhaenens’ Land until sometime next year. And that is only if I can keep going at the pace I’ve been writing.
Next up is Margarita’s Dance. Margarita’s Dance was a story I started that kind of stalled with other projects on the burner. I got back to it this year and it has moved along extremely well. Margarita’s Dance is much more of a romance and a little less of a bittersweet tale. The relationships are more intimate. It follows the story of David Walker, an Oklahoma rancher and a woman he meets on the beach in Galveston, Texas. Margarita’s Dance is very close to being finished. I would anticipate it being complete in the next few months, once the editing is done and I’ve had a couple of readers go through it.
The Suicide Squeeze was originally planned to be my next novel, but I’m not really satisfied with the story. I want to work on making the conflict more intense. So, even though I thought it was close enough to print a proof, it will probably follow Margarita’s Dance. The Suicide Squeeze is a bittersweet tale centered around the love of baseball. The characters are fun and witty. It’ll be after the first of the year before The Suicide Squeeze comes sliding into home. This is just one draft of the cover.
For Love and Honor is a book that I’ve been working on for several years. It is a story that seeks to honor our military and first responders. It is also a love story which includes the romance between a man and a woman, as well as the love of a Marine toward his country. This is another story which has taken a lot of research — hours of video clips, and study of military terms, ranks, battles, and logistics to get the story written. I’m not finished, but I am much, much closer. I think the first complete draft could be finished in the next couple of months.
And the final book I want to talk about is The Pied Piping of Peabody Pickerling. It is a whimsical tale of a flamboyant high school English instructor and his impact upon his students. It is inspired by stories such as Mr. Holland’s Opus, Dead Poet’s Society, and Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Though Mr. P, as his students call him, works hard to appear stiff and serious, he is deeply involved in lives of his students. He teaches them more about life than other adults, discussing the subjects no one else will cover, preparing them for college and the real world, and demanding they act as maturing individuals.
The Pied Piping of Peabody Pickerling is a fun, and (hopefully) witty tale. Told from the perspective of one of Mr. P’s students, it is a blend of childhood, curiosity, and understanding. It is a departure from most of my other projects, and it salutes those teachers who take the extra steps to connect with their students. It still has a long way to go and I haven’t completely mapped out the entire story, since it has been coming in pieces.
I haven’t published a novel since The Blemished Rose in 2016. I look forward to getting something new out there, but I want it to be worthwhile. I’ll back off publishing any of these novels if I feel they lack merit. In fact, that’s the reason The Suicide Squeeze wasn’t published this past year. I just didn’t feel the story was strong enough.
In addition to the books, I’ve worked on a total of six screenplays over the past year. Of the six, five are original stories and one was a speculation script based on another author’s work. All though nothing has matured, three of the screenplays were submitted to developers, and one is currently submitted to contest.
One screenplay I’ll mention is One Last. One Last is an original story. I had an extensive review of the screenplay by industry experts and, though there were a number of suggestions on format and pace which I welcomed, I was extremely excited about the reception of the story. To quote, “One Last is a compelling script that demonstrates the writer’s ability to provide for character and story. We really like the overall message and sentiment here and the ending is quite good.” I’ve made the adjustments to One Last I felt I needed to make to improve it’s salability, and have resubmitted it to three production companies.
So, that’s the update. Thanks for following along. Thanks for reading and supporting the blog. And visit my Amazon Author page if you want to check out any of the six novels that are already on the market. Locally you can find my books at the Jones & Plummer Trail Museum in Beaver, OK.
These days, novels about vampires, werewolves, and zombies
are all the rage. Books are filled with
crime, suspense, fantasy, science fiction, and the list of genres go on. The writing world insists on genre and
defining your work. Everyone wants
things to fit perfectly into a box.
Finding a niche is never easy and most new authors end up writing for
sales or popularity.
As a writer, I know that what I write doesn’t necessarily
fit well with the most popular genres. I
write bittersweet novels, novels which blend the wonder and woe of life into
stories meant to touch the heart. Life
is full of those little moments which give us pause and provide the clarity to
determine what’s really important. Life
throws us curves and often when things are clicking along under skies of
rainbows and unicorns we find ourselves suddenly facing the storm. How we weather those storms build our
character and helps to bring things into focus.
Loss is something we all experience. Throughout life we will face loss. We will win some battles and lose
others. We will lose our youth. We will lose others with whom we are
connected. As humans with finite lives,
we will face loss in more ways than we can count. But left behind in those losses are memories,
moments, minutiae, and mementos which we will hold onto for the rest of our
lives.
Life’s losses and disappointments often leave us with
longing… longing for a love which has been lost… longing for a time which has
past … longing for the sunshine when the skies are dark. Longing pulls at the heart and reminds us
that we feel and are alive. Sometimes
hurt serves as a reminder that we still breathe, that our nerves still tingle,
and that our hearts still beat.
Life is about learning new things and leaving other things
behind. Living is a growth process and
as we see in the world, life often comes from death and decay. Organic matter which provides the nourishment
needed in nature comes from what has been left behind by what has lived
before. Plants feed off the passing of
other plants and we feed off the lives of those who have come before us.
Above all, life is about love. Love fills the gaps loss leaves behind. Love binds the wounded hole in our
hearts. Love transforms longing into
contentment. Love reminds us of the
beauty of those moments, the happiness in those memories, and the treasure in
those mementos. Love endures beyond the
loss and within the longing. Love allows
us to rise above that which would otherwise pull us down. Love transforms the bitter taste of cocoa
into the sweetness of chocolate.
Life is bittersweet.
It gives us sunshine and brings us rain.
Life has its ups and it has its downs.
Life leads us and it pushes us.
Life fills us with hope and leaves our hearts empty. Life isn’t a destination; it’s a journey.
Blending loss, longing, life, and love into stories which
touch the heart helps me recognize what is important. It allows me to experience the emotions which
remind me I am alive. The simple mix of
bittersweet reveals the silver lining which lies beyond the surface and causes
the reflections in life’s mirrors which allow us to see that which matters
most.
And so, though it may never allow me to sell as
many books as the author who writes about vampires, I will write those
bittersweet tales which blend teardrops and laughter – sadness and smiles –
melancholy and triumph – shadows and sunshine.
I will seek to touch that place in your heart which wants to be reminded
of loss, longing, life, and love.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna get.” —Mrs. Gump, Forrest Gump
I wouldn’t even need to give credit, and you would know where that came from. We all know the quote. If you’re like me you’ve probably watched Forrest Gump a thousand times. In truth there are several quotes which ring with wisdom inside the simple mind of Forrest Gump. However, I believe his momma’s quote is about as spot on as they come.
Life is a blend of bittersweet. I recently watched my second oldest son
graduate. As I looked out on those kids,
there were so many who had endured or been touched by hardship and tragedy in
their young lives. There they were
standing upon the threshold of adulthood, when life traditionally starts
throwing things at you, and many had already experienced what one might
consider as their share. But on that day
they were filled with smiles, childhood memories, and dreams.
Life is a blend of bittersweet; an experience of triumph and
tragedy mixed together creating its own unique taste. A selection of morsels from which we all partake,
it’s made up of varied ingredients; a splash of tear drop, a dash of longing,
sprinkles of happiness, and a dusting of pure sweet memories sifted into this
bowl of existence; kneaded by the fingers of time; rolled out beneath the
weight of loss; stamped into the shapes of broken hearts and angel wings. The taste is without compare; deeper than the
loss of innocence, more enticing than the pull of melancholy, as sweet as the aroma
of love.
Whether heartache or happiness, emotion plays an important
role in this journey. This is why I write
what I write. I find value in the
emotion of words, in the ability of an author to flick that switch with just a
phrase, a context, or even a well-timed word.
The right word can trigger a feeling or a memory; memories which serve
as the doorway to reconnect with those moments of happiness, contentment, and
love.
Life is a blend of bittersweet; we find ourselves
celebrating the good times and struggling over the bad times. We try to make sense of it and understand the
reasons things go the way they go. In
the midst of tragedy, silver-linings are hidden in the misty fog of sorrow and
heartache. When life is going our way it
can seem like rainbows and candy sprinkles, but when life throws a curve and
the clouds roll in, the color seems to disappear. We find the air sucked from our lungs and the
world closing in around us, sending us to seek comfort in faith, prayer, and in
others.
Most of our lives, most of the time spent on this earth,
falls somewhere between the teardrops and the laughter. But just as the majesty of the mountains, the
enormity of the canyons, and the might of the oceans cause the bland road-travel
to disappear among our vacation recollections, so the hills and valleys of life
seem to become the highlights of our existence; the granite core to our nostalgias.
I read a story once in an Ann Landers column; it was called
The Station by Robert J. Hastings. In
fact, I’ve kept a copy around for a long time to reference from time to
time. It speaks of life and happiness as
a journey and not as a destination. It
serves as a reminder that the little day to day interactions are just as
important as those monumental moments.
I’ve seen this in the example of my children. When we get lost in reminiscence, I’m often
amazed at the little things which mean so much to them; things which had slid
by me almost without notice had become part of their favorite memories.
Life is a blend of bittersweet. It is a box of chocolates. We take the good with the bad. We never know what we will get. But we have the opportunity to fill in the middle
with our own pieces of nuts, filling, or fruit which can add flare or flavor in
any way we desire. We can claim our own
successes and recognize those things which we choose to make important. We can allow the gentle rub of soul against
soul to leave our touch upon others and leave our mark behind. We can take the time to consider what others
have left behind for us. How have they
touched us? How did their presence make us just slightly different than the
person we may have been without them?
Life is a blend of bittersweet. Taste it for what it is. Discover that which moves you and treasure
the flavors you savor. Taste that
sweetness and allow the bitter aftertaste to remind you how fleeting that taste
can be; fleeting enough to be worthy of our recognition and our wonderment.
