Ti-i-i-ime, is on my side, yes it is....

God has a funny sense of timing, doesn't he? This past week/weekend has been a doozy. My wife had to deal with some pretty serious grief, and I was heartsick both because of it and for her. Then, we get some good news about her father's successful surgery, but the recovery is taking a while. And now, even with her back home for the day, the writing and editing is just dragging. So what happens?


I get another shot in the arm.


"Midnight on the Links", my third published short story, is now available in the newest issue of Spinetingler Magazine. Just found out about it today.


That feeling of "YES!" just never gets old, y'know? Special thanks to Jack Getze and Sandra Ruttan for taking a chance on me, as this was the first story I ever had accepted for publication.


(Oh, and JT? I swear I wrote that story well before I'd read the Killer Year anthology.)


Since I'm just now getting the itch to ramp up my edits and finish this damn book (can't start on the next until this is as good as it can be...that would be unprofessional, even if I REALLY want to start that next one like NOWNOWNOW!!!), I think I'll leave it at a simple question for you guys:

What has given you a shot in the arm (or a kick in the pants) lately?

Happy Father's Day!

I awoke this morning to a card at my bedside, "signed" by my two puppies. No, I don't have kids (least not when school's out), but my girls love me and that's enough. Thanks to my beautiful wife for that nice little surprise.

And thanks to my Dad, my Step-Dad, my Grandaddy, my Grandpa, and all the other men in my family who've had such a profound influence in my life. Thank you.

And to all the fathers currently serving around the world so that I might live in a country and be free to say what I feel without fear of governmental retribution or persecution, THANK YOU. God bless every one of you. Happy Father's Day.

Rescue of the Week - Priscilla ADOPTED!

Well, I just saw that Tuffy (who was just there the other day) has finally gotten a forever companion and a new home. That is great news, because he's a wonderful dog. So now it's time to get this beautiful little lady a place in someone's heart:



Priscilla is a little over a year old, and is just the sweetest, lovingest pup you could hope for. She really is just fantstic to visit with. Stop by and see if she's right for your home!



***EDIT: PRISCILLA IS NO LONGER AT THE SHELTER!!!***

Is silence golden?

Everyone has their own way of writing. I don't mean style, mind you, but the actual process. A lot of us are plotters, who plan the story to varying degrees before actually beginning to write. Others are "pantsers", who sit down to a blank page/screen and start writing, and just see where the story or their characters take them. That's also not exactly what I'm thinking about.

I'm talking about when you finally sit down, where are you? What has to be in place?


I remember reading Stephen King's Misery, then watching the film (not sure whether the axe or sledgehammer would have been worse, but I'll bet neither was pleasant). In the film, he had to have a glass of wine and one cigarette waiting for him when he finished his draft. That's the kind of particular I'm wondering about.

See, I can write as long as it's on a computer. My hands cramp (I have psoriatic arthritis) if I try to go at a blank page with a pen or pencil. But a keyboard works better for me.

The other thing is sound. I used to have to have complete silence. That's not so easy unless you live completely alone, and I love my wife and dogs more than my writing (by a long shot). So I tried listening to an iPod once.

It was a problem at first, because I kept singing along to the tunes. But as things went along, and I listened to the same playlist every time, I stopped humming along and eventually tuned it out all together.

Now I can't write well without it, which is a blessing and a curse.

So what about you guys? What little peccadilloes are involved in your process of physically putting butt-in-chair and writing?