The Journey Is Everything

Discovery

2012-01-25T21:50:00.002-06:00

Wow.

That’s the feeling I want.

Who is this guy?

That’s the question I long for.

What else has he done?

Someone randomly stumbling across another artist in the era of everybody-is-an-artist-nowadays.

I do it all the time.

I just did it, in fact.

A song that I find randomly on iTunes that I end up listening to over and over and then wanting more. Downloading the album using my gift card from Christmas and feeling like something inside of me has expanded. Its an album that fits me now in this moment for some reason.

Music does that. So do movies. And so do books.

The same way I’m feeling now is the way I hope others out there feel the first time they pick up one of those multi-colored Travis Thrasher novels.

I know there is indifference. I know there are feelings of mediocrity. I look at my work all the time and feel all those things and much worse. But then again, there are times when I long for and live for the moments when I heard someone somewhere saying “I just finished (insert book title) and you’re my favorite author now.”

Perhaps it’s just the moment and that feeling at the end of a story that resonates. But regardless, it’s a good feeling.

I think it’s the voice and the worldview and the way of putting things. I don’t do it better than everybody and hopefully I don’t do it worse. But I really believe that the longer time goes by, I’m making that voice and worldview fresh in a way that only I can.

Like the grainy voice accompanied by strange sounds and odd accents and lyrics that linger. Something that sounds different and unusual.

That’s what I love and what I long to do.

I know some of my work doesn’t achieve that. But I’m getting there. And hopefully the later work can be better appreciated by the earlier work.

I don’t know. Maybe that’s all in my head.

I know I love seeing the progression of any artist I love. I saw Warrior last night and continue to love Tom Hardy. I want to see some of his early work, some of the movies where he had a simple role or a few simple lines.

That guy was incredible.

That’s what I thought about him last night watching that movie.

That guy’s on a different planet.

That’s what I strive for in my writing.

Okay, saying I’m from a different planet might not be the thing I’m looking for.

I’ll just take the Who is this guy and what other books has he written?
Then they see this long list of titles and don’t even know where to start.

Yeah. That’s fun.

And I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, but I feel I’m still just warming up.

I’m still young for the writing profession.

Of course, I’m going to keep saying that the rest of my life.

This Is What I Do

2012-01-20T22:17:00.003-06:00

This is what I do.

I try and take something that has moved me—a book, a movie, or a song—and I try to weave a story around that.

That’s the framework I start in. I don’t start in a genre or (Heaven forbid) my “brand”. I take something I’ve loved and start in that structure.

It’s a bit like staying overnight in a Cape Cod and loving it so much you decide you want to build one yourself.

I know that even if I tried to completely copy the Cape Cod, the end result would be different. What happens is I put myself in that framework. I put things that interest me and that I’m struggling with for the moment. Curiosities, frustrations, joys. Even if the story has absolutely nothing to do with me, I manage to show up in it. This is like putting pictures on the wall inside that Cape Cod. You have to decorate it and make it your home.

I figure out the story I want to tell and then I try to figure out a way to break it. A way to make it just a bit different. This could be a twist, or this could be slightly altering the normal way of telling that story. I don’t do this because I’m trying to be clever. I do it because I want mess around with expectations and hopefully deliver in the end.

The characters are cast with either big-name stars or unknown faces I’ve seen. Then, each main character is given a theme song or playlist that helps define him or her. This helps me when I’m getting inside of that person.

I deliberately avoid pressing the REPEAT button when it comes to writing that next novel. I try and think what would be the best way to tell the story. What’s an interesting perspective? How do the chapters flow? What’s the timeframe? Is there anything interesting I can do between chapters, in the middle of them, at the beginning and the end of the novel?

I usually try out some pages to see how they sound. First person, third person, the tone and the texture. Sometimes I just nail it and keep going. Sometimes I try and it feels stale. Sometimes I end up sounding like the last novel I wrote so I try again.

The story usually unfolds in a chronological fashion, with one chapter following the next. But I deviate at times, writing the end or writing bits and pieces when the mood calls for it. I know each story is a marathon, regardless of how many words it will be. I know each tale is a trip I’m going to travel alongside my characters. Sometimes I look forward to the journey but more often than not, I end up not wanting to go to those dark places. Yet I always end up going there.

Music and movies fuel the writing. Sometimes I find a novelist that has exactly the sort of thing I want, yet I deliberately avoid reading too much by them because I don’t want to simply imitate. I want to try and find a voice that fits my character and my story. And yes, a voice that fits me.

I write the story trying to think of the publisher and the editor and the reader. But I still end up thinking about how much it moves me, how well it feels, whether it works or not. I know I’m wrong many times. I know not everybody likes my voice or my style or my inconsistencies. But I’m growing confident because I know there are people that really do enjoy all those things.

Everything I do is to build toward the end. The end is what matters. The end is what it’s all about for me. Yes, that opening line and opening page are important, but for me, the most important thing is the end. The takeaway. The feeling when they finally get to the end. The truth on that last page.

By the time I’m done, I’m usually emotionally drained. Most of the time, there is a point in the writing when I’m moved to tears. That doesn’t mean that portion of writing was necessarily that good. But I know it moved me and brought me to a special place.

Some days and hours and moments I end up just getting the words on the page. Not every scene and writing bout can be one where I’m moved to tears and full of emotion. But these moments are more rare than not. I don’t go through the motions. Whether the story is wonderful or woeful, I don’t go through the motions.

I don’t know how many novels I’ve written. I’ve had 18 published. More are on the way.

Every hour of every day is spent thinking of these stories. I dream about them. I see glorious things and file them away for those tales. I research for them. I wait to find some wonderful bit of inspiration for them.

I love the theme of brokenness because that’s exactly the kind of writer I am. A bit messy and undefined, a bit hard to categorize, a little bit of everything that’s sometimes overdone. But hopefully in the end, the pieces come together. Hopefully in the end, there’s a portrait of peace.

Each journey I take is a learning experience. And there’s something else, something I’ve learned and finally realized that has been like a prisoner in a dark cell seeing the sunrise for the first time. But that—well, that’s for another time and another late night blog.

Tonight, I’m listening to the main theme I discovered for a central character in a three-book-trilogy. A trilogy that may or may not be written. She may or may not come to life. But I hope she does, because I’m already madly in love with her. I know where she shows up at the beginning of the story and I know where she ends up at the end of the tale. This is what I do for fun, putting down the other stories I'm working on so I can—well, yeah, think of more stories.

It probably won’t always be like this, but for now, this is what I do.

The Publishing Process Using Stephen King Titles

2012-01-18T14:30:00.006-06:00

Writing and getting a book published can be a terrifying experience. I decided to sum up the process using titles from the master of the horror genre, Stephen King.

The Shining—The moment when an idea takes form in your head and you know it’s brilliant. Just make sure you’re not holding an axe.

Insomnia—This is what happens when you’re in the middle of a massive book project.

Desperation—There’s always a high point and a low point in the creation of a book. The Shining is that optimistic bright spot. Desperation is when you debate whether to scrap the entire book and start over again.

Bag of Bones—This is how you look and feel once you finish the manuscript.

It—This is that hideous monster lurking on your computer. That ugly, demented, sickly creature that needs help. This is your finished but unedited manuscript, a twisted evil thing.

The Dead Zone—This is the period between the moment you hand in a book to a publisher and the moment you hear back from them. It can last days or even weeks. Suddenly, everything goes silent. You wonder if the publisher is still there or if a bomb blast leveled their building. You begin to have doubts about your manuscript, about your writing, and about your career. You send your application in to Arby’s.

The Stand—The moment you discuss your manuscript with your editor. It doesn’t matter what they’re about to say, you’re ready. They’re Randall Flagg and you’re Stu Redman and IT’S ON!

Needful Things—This is what every person in marketing and sales thinks about any author.

Misery—This sums up everything you need to know about booksignings.

Pet Semetary—This is eventually where your book ends up.

The Time Machine (Midnight Ramblings)

2012-01-16T23:42:00.003-06:00

The sky watches the seasons pass by and sometimes it even sighs.

Echoes drift up and swirl away like long lost contrails that hover just below the moon.

Memories skip like rocks on water, bouncing and bopping like a baby learning to dance.

They don’t need to invent a time machine because you have one and can press the date and the time and the exact moment. All you need to do is find that one right song, that one right scent, that one right scene in your head. Then off you go.

Imagination is the opposite of experience. But some things in life, some memories built into the machine of yours, are too big or deep or brilliant or dark to understand when you’re in them. So it’s years later that you remember and you know a little more, for better or worse.

The shimmer of a smile. The grip of a hand. The pitter patter of tiny heels on the hard floor. The laughter in the middle of the night. The silence in the middle of a crowd.

The peace that passes all understanding visits but never stays, not permanently. The cyclones are gone and the sandstorms have simmered down. The madness of one kind is replaced by an insanity of another. Laughter is good and necessary, but laughing on your own is a little too much even for you.

The words have a melody and a rhythm. Just like the passing weeks and the hovering months. The seasons shift and turn and tumble. Yet some things remain the same. The view looks the same no matter where you are and what you’re doing.

Silent toys wait to be played with. Silent roads wait to be ridden over. Silent nights wait for the rising sun. Silent souls wait for the risen Son.

The lists and the facts and the fortunes can wait until tomorrow. The time machine hums and you’re cascading down chords you remember hearing once or twice before. They’re sweet songs. The kind that can’t be summed up in words, though you keep trying, day after day and night after good night.

A Note To My 20-Year-Old-Self

2012-01-12T22:11:00.002-06:00

Don’t act like you have all the clues because you don’t have a single one.

Don’t swear off the things you hate because you won’t always hate them. Trust me, you won’t.

Don’t look down one road and know it’s the one because it’s probably not.

Look up and settle down and breathe out and know you’re being watched.

Pull back every now and then.

Don’t always rush into it. And don’t always feel you need to wait.

Let the little things become the big ones and let those big nagging dragons float up like smoke and dissipate into the sky.

Enjoy the moments you have because they’re precious.

Don’t look ahead five or ten or fifteen years down the road.

Don’t let those last five or ten or fifteen years let you stall as you journey ahead.

Know that you’re special but don’t overdo it.

Know that you’re unique but don’t overthink it.

Take that faith and do something with it. Don’t wait until you’re older because “older’ is just a term and a number and it means nothing. Don’t wait because you don’t know what’s ahead and what will burden you down the road.

Thank your Lord and Savior for each day and each blessing and each breath.

Keep dreaming big because dreams are good. Dreams are great. But don’t just dream for yourself. Dream for others.

Don’t let anybody talk down to you. But avoid talking down about the rest of the world.

Don’t be cynical.

Don’t be skeptical.

Don’t be critical.

Take the sunrise on any given day and open the door and let whatever come come.

Love more than you’re loved.

Give more than you’re given.

Stop thinking about that next day and that next week and that next decade. Start now. Start this very instant.

Fun isn’t always what you think fun will be.

And love isn’t always what you expect love to be.

Give more of yourself and then go to sleep without worry.

Go to sleep without wondering.

Don’t worry about your place or your meaning or your ever after.

Ever after will eventually come.

But today and tomorrow are up to you.

They’re up to you.

Tebow Beats The Steelers And God Wins!

2012-01-08T20:55:00.001-06:00

So this evening I watched Tim Tebow and his Broncos beat the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff game in Denver. It was an amazing win and made me continue to believe in the magic and mystique behind Tebow.

So naturally, as a Christian, I felt this was a win for God and for my "side". Right?

Hardly.

I'm writing this blog not because of the win but because of something our five-year-old daughter, Kylie, said to me after the win. She was more overjoyed than usual after watching an NFL game with me. Naturally, her father is a Washington Redskins fan, so Kylie has seen a lot of gloom and doom after games since the Redskins usually lose in tragic fashion. Still, this was different.

Kylie gave me a hug and whispered the following in my ear: "I prayed to God that Tebone would win and God did it for you! We won!"

Note, Kylie didn't know that Tebone is actually Tebow, but that's okay. She prayed. This was a first for her with for an NFL game and it made me realize Kylie had heard me talking about Tim Tebow's outspoken faith to my wife. I guess she really listened and took it to heart.

Meanwhile, the social networks were all abuzz with Christians declaring this a victory for God and rallying behind Tebow.

I shared this simple remark on Twitter: I don't think the Broncos winning is a "victory" for God. Please. God gave Tebow talent & this outspoken passionate man gives God the glory.

Let me elaborate a bit on those words.

I think it's great that Christians are excited about a good-looking and amazingly talented NFL quarterback winning. Does that sound a bit crass? Not at all. That's the truth.

If Tim Tebow's people ever contacted me to write his story, I'd be honored. Seriously.

But this is the sort of story that really moves me.

An NFL player blessed with talent who ends up believing in his own press and doing whatever he wants, then hitting rock bottom and being forgotten about by the world. Then, finally on his knees before his maker, finding hope and redemption in the power of that same verse that Tim Tebow has touted--John 3:16.

Yeah, that's a victory.

I try not to wear my faith on my sleeve simply because it would look like a shirt bought at a thrift store that was last worn by someone in the Civil War. Okay, that's a bit dramatic but that's how I feel.

The thing that impresses me most about Tim Tebow? Not his talent but his outspoken faith. He wears it well.

I wish I had that.

What I usually do is take my faith and my love of broken people and put them in my stories. I get to hide behind my pages and my wandering plotlines. It's easier that way.

I am amazed by Tim Tebow's talent but even more I'm astounded by his seemingly unwavering faith. That's probably the thing that other Christians are remarking and rejoicing about.

I'd like to think that somewhere in his profession, a shattered player is watching Tim Tebow and seeing the same thing. And maybe it's getting through to them.

That's a cool thought. Cooler than the Broncos playing in the Super Bowl.

Then again, I can say that as a Redskins fan.

Hurt Publication Moved!

2012-01-05T20:04:00.004-06:00

I was surprised to learn last fall that the fourth and final book in The Solitary Tales, Hurt, was scheduled to be published on September, 2012. So I finished Temptation and went straight into Hurt. It turned out to be a very good thing since I was wrapping up this series and I needed to have all the storylines in mind.

Well . . . To all of you who can't wait for Hurt, I have some bad news. The publisher is moving the publication date for Hurt to January 1, 2013.

But this is actually a wonderful thing. For lots of reasons.

A project came out of the blue right at the end of last year (and I mean the very end!). It's an amazing opportunity and a true answer to prayer. The only downside is this book will be published in September. The publisher didn't want to have two books of mine released in the same month, so Hurt needed to be moved.

Here's the good news. Hurt is finished and my editor already said she thinks it's a "very satisfying conclusion to the series". This will give us time to continue to build momentum for the series.

The great news is that this project will continue to open doors for my writing, and that's a great thing. All I want to do is continue to be able to tell stories that move readers. All kinds of stories. I can't wait to share news on this project. I will when I'm given permission.

One last thing. I can't promise this, but if I am able to, I will give readers another Solitary Tales b-side before Hurt comes out. I have some ideas. But we'll see.

Thanks for your excitement in this series. Continue to spread the word. Books three and four are pretty awesome. Hopefully they'll be worth the wait!

Ghostwriter Cover Design Contest

2012-01-03T14:39:00.005-06:00

Are you a designer looking for more exposure? I'm launching a contest to pick a new design for the ebook edition of Ghostwriter.

One of my best received novels and favorites among those who enjoy my darker stuff is Ghostwriter, which was published in 2009. Some of my earlier books are still in print but this title went out of print in 2011. Printed copies are still available online but the ebook is gone. So I'm working on releasing the ebook version for Ghostwriter this year.

My goal is to try and find some interested and eager designers to submit unique covers for Ghostwriter. To make the contest interesting, I want to have at least ten entries to pick from. The winner will get $250 and I will spotlight their name with the release.

But here's the part when I talk about exposure.

I'm wanting to giveaway Ghostwriter as a free ebook for a short period of time. The only other title that I've had given away for free as an ebook was Solitary. That book was download over 52,000 times in two weeks.

It seems the ebook market likes supernatural stuff, and Ghostwriter seems ideal. So the winning designer would have the chance for thousands of people to hear about them. I work with a variety of publishers as well, not too mention communicating with lots of authors. So this could be a nice spotlight on your work.

This year I'm planning on interacting more with my fans and readers and letting them play a part in my publishing journey. So letting them help choose a cover would be fun for them.

If you're wondering why I'm giving away Ghostwriter for free when it releases, the answer is simple: I want readers to continue to discover my work. I have two more releases in The Solitary Tales this year (along with another interesting project), so I want new readers. This is a great way to get them. Ghostwriter is a strong story to do that with.

So are you interested? Send me an email to travisthrasher@mac.com or post below with your contact info. Ideally I'd love to have the ebook available March 1, a month before Temptation comes out. That would mean picking a cover a month before.

Thanks for your interest and tell anybody you know about this contest!

Travis Thrasher 101

2012-01-02T11:14:00.004-06:00

So let's say you just stumbled upon this author named Travis Thrasher recently. Let me say I'm glad you found me after eleven years and 20 books!

So here are some basics to know about me.

All my books are different. Not just in genre, but in style and tone and point-of-view. If you want the same thing repeated twenty times, I'm sorry, but I'm not the author for you.

My favorite novels I've written are Sky Blue and 40. But those might also be two of the most difficult ones to read because of structure and style.

My wife's favorite novel of mine is still probably my first, The Promise Remains.

My agent's favorite novel of mine is Ghostwriter. It's a really good balance between the light and the dark in her mind.

I have a variety of my books available for only $2.99 as e-books on Amazon and BN.Com.

If you want to hear random pieces of my writing life or life as a father of three girls, follow me on Twitter.

For news about books I'm working on or future projects along with giveaways, join my Facebook reader page.

If you discovered The Solitary Tales, join the Facebook reader page for it.

I have a cool collaboration with six other novelists entitled 7 Hours. Here's our Facebook page for it.

I have a newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.

I'm doing something I love to do, and I'm fortunate for it. But as a full-time novelist and the father of three girls, I have to do everything possible to spread the word on my non-brand of novels. If you enjoy my work, please spread the word as well.

There are some very exciting things in the works. So please stay tuned. Thanks for your interest in my writing!

Make Your Resolutions NOW!

2011-12-31T15:44:00.005-06:00

January 1, 2012.

It’s just another day.

The same as the day before.

If you want to change something change it now.

If you want to be a better person start here and now and tonight.

Don’t wait until a number is added to a year.

Don’t wait until January becomes February becomes springtime becomes another blown resolution.

If you want to do something do it now.

Carve it into your life. Don’t add it but take a knife and begin cutting away. It won’t be easy but that’s why they’re so easy to neglect.

If you want to do something do it today before the sun sets or before midnight rolls over in bed.

If you want to try something outrageous do it without telling anybody else.

If you want to finally be the person you want to be then do it.

It’s just another day. Morning will come and perhaps it will be colder and the date will change but it doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s all in your head. It’s all just a mind thing anyway.

Change the pattern. Break the habit. Start a new trend. Create a lasting tradition.

It’s not easy. But find the joy in it. Whatever “it” might be. Whittle away to try and make time for it. But do it and make time. Do it and keep doing it. Do it and don’t let the date fool you.

It’s not about January 1.

It’s about believing that you can do something. It’s about trying. It’s about failing. And it’s about standing back up again and trying again.

The new year awaits and so do the goals and the resolutions. Make a long list. I do every year. But then again, I make long lists every month and every week. That’s my own insanity. Yet out of the insanity comes progress.

Set a goal and then do it. It’s that simple. Be relentless. Don’t give in. Keep it front and center. Keep it important in life’s chaos. Keep at it. Just keep at it over and over again.

Cheers!

Farewell, 2011

2011-12-31T15:26:00.004-06:00

A tornado of a year comes to an end today. A very blurry, bewildering, and breathtaking year. A very full year.

So much could be said. So many times I say way too much.

All I will say is cheers and happy new year. Wishing the best for you and your loved ones in 2012.

7 Hours Project

2011-12-30T07:43:00.002-06:00

A very cool project I can officially announce that will be coming out in 2012 is called 7 Hours and there are seven authors attached to it.

Intrigued? Go to our Facebook page where we'll be sharing more info as we get closer to the release date.

The project is built off a simple premise.

The other authors are Mike Dellosso, Rene Gutteridge, Ronie Kendig, Robin Parrish, Tom Pawlik, and James Andrew Wilson.

The publisher is Tyndale House Publishers.

The targeted publication date is May, 2012.

More details coming very soon . . .

J.A. Konrath, LOST, and A Grand Plan For E-publishing

2011-12-28T09:36:00.004-06:00

A few years ago at a local author fair, I met novelist J.A. Konrath. I'd heard about the suspense writer for some time because he lived in the Chicago suburbs like me and he was far more prolific at booksignings. After the event, I talked to him for a few minutes and he invited me to hang out and have a beer with him.

For the next hour or so, I spoke with and listened to someone who knew far more about the publishing industry than I did. I was surprised, to be honest. As someone who had worked in publishing over thirteen years along with being a full-time novelist, I rarely encountered someone with more experience and knowledge than myself. Granted, I also rarely hung out at author conferences or book fairs. But speaking to Konrath was a revelation.

This was a few years ago before he would become a posterchild in the publishing industry as "the e-book guy". I began following him online and noticed things he said and did regarding this coming wave of E-publishing. Konrath didn't say it was coming but announced that it was already here. He detailed in long posts on his blog "A Newbie's Guide To Publishing" about his forays into publishing ebooks. He was very frank and honest, especially when it came to talking about publishing.

It took me a while to believe what Konrath and others were talking about. Sometimes his gloating got on my nerves. But I couldn't discount what he was talking about. I agreed with many of the things he said about traditional publishing, even when he openly mocked or bashed the people or the process. He's had an amazing amount of success diving into the waters of self-publishing & ebooks.

So why am I talking about Konrath and giving him more publicity? It's to share a little about what my plans were in 2011 and heading into 2012.

For some time now, I've had this Lost-esque series idea. I actually began to talk to a major publisher about that idea in the summer of 2010. We emailed back and forth and I would go on to shape and hone this idea as we communicated. The questions that came out of the conversations and emails resulted in a much better premise.

By January, 2011, the prospect of publishing this series with this house looked very promising. After sending them a revised overview of this very ambitious and very dense series, the publisher sent my agent and me this response: "It was like Christmas opening this long-anticipated overview. And wow--Travis delivers."

Following that were familiar expressions I'd heard over the years in publishing like "break Travis to a new level" and "will require a publishing partner more strategically focused than Travis has had at this point".

I was on board and very excited.

So by March of 2011, after many hours spent on this series idea, I felt like it was really going to happen. Then after one of those wonderful publisher meetings, this publisher came back to me with a different tune. My sales (the only thing that tends to really matter in those meetings) were low. My brand was non-existent and needed "re-launching." The sample chapters I'd turned in lacked a distinct voice (as if all the other books I'd published in my lowly career weren't worth even checking out since they underperformed). And most of all, I needed to stay in ONE genre and ONE box and couldn't have any other books released. No collaborations, nothing.

After a conversation on the phone at the end of March, I had a choice to make.

It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't going to partner with this publisher. They wanted me to risk everything for a low advance (one that would require getting another job), for high restrictions (no more collaborations or anything other than books with them), and for no guarantee. This publisher guaranteed they'd take me to the next level, but they seemed to forget that I had spent 13 years listening to publishers tell that to authors. It rarely happens, and if it does, many times it's just blind luck.

The conversation had been to make this a three-book trilogy and to release all the books in one year. To make it feel like a publishing event. I was all for it and was going to get started. It might have even been able to come out in 2012. But I told them that the deal-breaker was not being able to collaborate. I wanted to do more books with people like Jimmy Wayne. What if another huge name in music or the entertainment industry was suddenly interested in having me write a book for them? It was a no brainer and I said thanks but no.

Suddenly, my thoughts shifted toward E-publishing. I brainstormed and planned and schemed and I decided that I was going to plunge into the deep end of the ocean with this series. I expanded the story back to my original idea of five novels and I was going to publish them all in 2012. I wrote four very different novels from January, 2010 to September, 2010, so why couldn't I write five novels in a series and release them in the same year?

This was the plan. For those who read this blog, I began to detail about this under the header of THS. Look at the blog labels for posts on that. I began the story that was already mapped out with detailed character sketches and timelines and everything. I wrote 10,000 words.

Then something happened.

I guess I'll say that I woke up and smelled the coffee. But I believe it was more than that.

I think it was God answering a prayer of mine asking for wisdom and guidance when it seemed like a bunch of doors were shutting. I woke up the morning after some very earnest prayers the night before and the thought of publishing FIVE books in one year seemed ridiculous.

I thought, Nobody wants five novels from me in the same year! It's hard to get people to be interested in one novel of mine!

I also thought, Do I want five Coldplay albums in the same year? Or five David Fincher movies (kill us all now)? No way.

So I put that project on hold. I still hope and plan for it to happen, because it's an amazing story. I traveled down to North Carolina this summer to research and brainstorm. It's my version of Lost. It's my version of Stephen King's The Stand. But most of all, it's my magnum opus.

I realized that if this was indeed my magnum opus, then it deserved more than rushing it out and releasing it as ebooks simply because I could. Doesn't mean I won't self-publish it, but I just want more time to build the story. The 10,000 words I initially wrote felt stale. They didn't live up to the story's full potential.

Since I decided to step back and rethink things, a few things have happened. I'm going to share them this week since this blog post is almost 10,000 words itself! But the things I'm going to share wouldn't have had the opportunity to happen had I signed up with that publisher limiting so many career options.

God opened a few doors at the very end of this year when I least expected Him to. I'm extremely thankful about these opportunities and I'm excited to see what will happen with them.

If that Lost/The Stand idea sounds compelling to you, it should. It sure sounds compelling to me, and I've spent so much time working on it. I know where it ends and how it ends and the answers to the questions I will ask. Maybe, God willing, I'll write that series. We'll see. But there are some other really cool things I need to do first.

I hope those of you who have come this far with me continue to stay along for the ride. There are some fun places we'll be going very soon.

Tintin

2011-12-27T20:40:00.003-06:00

Before Indiana Jones inspired me, there was Tintin.

I lived in Munich, Germany from second to fourth grades. Sometime during those years I discovered the famous European comics created by a Belgian artist named Georges Remi (pen name Herge). The main character is a young reporter who goes on wild adventures spanning the globe (think a PG-rated James Bond minus the girls). Once I began to read these stories, I started to go ahead and create my own.

Today I went to see Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin. While I don't use this blog to review things like movies and music, I have to say I loved the film. I had read the original comic with this particular story, yet I truly found it coming to life. The spirit reminded me of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. But as Spielberg has said in interviews, Herge knew how to tell an adventure story long before George Lucas and he came up with Indiana Jones.

In third grade, my teacher encouraged me in my writing. My fourth grade teacher read to us every day from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Those two things helped inspire me to want to become a writer.

Tintin, however, helped cement that desire.

I love that Spielberg has helped introduce Tintin to the American audience. I look forward to seeing the next installment of Tintin on the big screen directed by Peter Jackson.

As for my foray into the adventure genre, I've only gone there once. I created Henry Wolfe with the desire to tell a dozen stories like this. But oh well . . . that's another story.

This Is Not Twilight Or The Hunger Games

2011-12-21T11:17:00.004-06:00

I have no desire to copy.

I’ve done that before and had fun with that.

But The Solitary Tales doesn’t copy. It uses familiar elements of different genres and storylines, sure. But it’s very, very distinctly me.

Is that a selling point? Of course not.

I had a little idea of what I wanted to do when I first dreamed up this series. But it’s become much, much more.

Not necessarily the story. That’s remained the same, even as the backstory and the plotlines and the mysteries have grown and evolved.

No.

This series is all about Chris Buckley.

It’s about a teenager learning about life and love. It’s about his emotions throughout that journey. And I feel I remained true to those emotions. Curious, terrified, sarcastic, passionate, sad, wandering . . . these describe Chris.

Hopefully he’s likable enough to become a hero.

Hopefully his occasional idiotic actions will still make us want to cheer him on.

Hopefully his age and his outlook won’t matter to the reader.
My hope is that there will be readers still wondering what it feels like to be sixteen or seventeen. And there will be other readers who will have a hard time trying to remember what those ages felt like.

I want the reader to feel 16 or 17 again.

Amidst a crazy saga full of light and darkness, that’s what I wanted to get at with The Solitary Tales.

It’s about a teenager trying to deal with life.

Every year there will be a new trend in publishing. Movie studios will clamor for the next big thing. Readers will discover something else new and exciting. That’s just reality.

But being a teenager isn’t a trend and isn’t a genre. It’s part of life.

Today I sent Hurt to my editor. I’ll still be spending a lot more time in Solitary, North Carolina working on the two books coming out in 2012. Hopefully I’ll be able to tell a few more backstories as well. But Chris’s high school story is finished.

My hope is that there will be many, many readers out there who get a chance to read and enjoy Chris’s story.

If you're one of them, spread the word. I can shout all day about how great this series is, but I'm just the crazy author.

The crazy, exhausted, and satisfied author.

Give, Hope, & Let Go

2011-12-19T20:58:00.005-06:00

Sometimes book projects don't turn out the way you hoped they might.

Sometimes book projects turn out better than expected.

Doesn't change one rule: give it your all, hope for the best, and let go of all the doubt you might have.

(I'm still learning about that whole "letting go" part)

First Annual TT Christmas Party

2011-12-15T21:59:00.006-06:00

What a night.

The first annual Travis Thrasher Christmas party was held tonight. It exceeded all expectations. It truly was an amazing experience.

Companies all have their Christmas parties. So why can’t novelists? Since this was such a big year for me and since next year is going to be even bigger, I figured why not go all out? If the Mayans are right about the world ending in 2012, I figured I better celebrate while I can.

With four books released this year (and another writing book and novella released as e-books), I wanted to do something special.

I wanted to celebrate with all of those who made this year truly wonderful.

So at the brewery in Aurora that we rented out for this event, I invited all the important people in my writing career. My agent, Claudia, of course. My primary editor, L.B. My many publishing friends, like Barry and Don and Becky and Karen and many others. I had others from their respective publishing houses come, some who have worked very hard on my books.

But those were just the start. I had my top 25 fans attend. I paid for their way to come. (And don’t think I don’t know who you are Jake and Josh and Stephanie and John and . . . well, I could go on).

Others were at my party as well. I was able to get a musician to perform for free. That’s never been done in the history of all music everywhere. Jimmy Wayne came on his own dime. (He simply asked for a nice donation of $25,000 to the Angel Tree program).

Emceeing tonight was myself. Too much? Absolutely. But I’ve never been able to resist getting up in front of people and making an arse of myself.

I started the night with a funny video about being a fulltime writer. I talked about the stresses of bills and paying insurance and not being able to pay bills and insurance. The video talked about our three girls and I showed nightly clips of me coming home exhausted to a house full of wailing. It’s funny to joke because this is SO not my life. The staff we employ helps out with the children. Thankfully. Don’t know what I’d do if they didn’t.

After a wonderful dinner, I was able to share a little about how much I appreciate everybody. I tried to keep it short because hearing my voice for so long gets tiring. Then I shared some of the reader comments from the books released this year. From my favorite all time book I’ve written, 40. From Gravestone. From my two collaborations, Letters From War and Paper Angels.

Then I shared a little about what’s coming in 2012. The final two Solitary Tales books. That novella which is a small part of something big. And then other things I’m hoping and praying about.

Jimmy Wayne got up and instead of performing his own stuff, he surprised me by performing a bunch of Coldplay songs. Then on the final song, he allowed me to come up and assist with a really really bad synth version of "Paper Angels". Everybody started to dance and then we proceeded to dance for the next hour. It was great, and at the end of the night, everybody left gifts that went to Forgotten Angels in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program.

Whew.

Now I’m sitting home thinking what a fun night it was to see all of the people I work with on a regular basis. The people I email and email. The people I bounce ideas off of and the ones I share thoughts with. All those who are vital to this writing thing I have.

Of course, I make up things for a living, and if you really think I had a Christmas party like this tonight, well . . . I’ll invite you next year.

One day, I’d love to do something like this. Not to celebrate ME but to thank all of those who allow me to do the thing I love.

If I ever had enough time and money, I’d do it.

Just like writing a book exclusively for my fans. And giving it to them for free.

Just as a way of saying thanks.

I might not say it enough or show it enough, but I am thankful. To anybody who has worked with me and anybody who has read one of my books.

I’ve been a hamster on a wheel running and running for the last few years. It’s easy to not be able to say enough. Or show enough. I really try.

If I could, I’d have a celebration where I could say thanks and where everybody could dance.

Jimmy Wayne would have to be a part of it somewhere, not because he’s a celebrity but because he’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known. And he laughs at my jokes.

To my colleagues, and to my fans and readers, I want to say thank you.

I joke on this blog, but I take my work very seriously. I take all of you very seriously as well.

There are some exciting things ahead. I will continue to try my hardest and see what doors open.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!

Ten Reasons I Love John Hughes

2011-12-07T21:38:00.003-06:00

Christmastime is nearing and many of us will be watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (two or three times). Like It's A Wonderful Life, it's a tradition in our house.

I'm watching it now and it reminded me that the writer of this film was John Hughes. Yeah, that John Hughes. Pretty In Pink. 16 Candles. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

This reminded me of a blog I wrote for someone this summer and I thought I'd share it again. I miss John Hughes for his humor but more for his heart. What an amazing talent.

Here are ten reasons why I love John Hughes. (The original blog was written for The Solitary Tales in mind)

Ten Reasons I Love John Hughes

When I first pitched The Solitary Tales to publishers, I said it was a combination of Pretty In Pink mixed with The Exorcist. That was exaggerating, of course, but I wanted to instantly conjure up the teen angst and love in the John Hughes film mixed in with a darker and creepier story.

Whether or not that formula works, I know one thing: the formula John Hughes had worked. I grew up loving his movies and I still love them. Here are ten reasons why I love those movies:

The Music.

Music matters in his movies. It's not just an audio backdrop (though the backdrop he provides is really some kind of wonderful). Witness the use of "Elegia" by New Order in Pretty In Pink. This follows a poignant moment between father and daughter. Andy (Molly Ringwald) doesn't know what' s happening with her prom date. It could be corny or cliched, but Hughes picks the perfect piece of music and then sews it in like magic.

A Hopeless Romantic.

At the core of every John Hughes film is a beating heart that’s unafraid to be bold and to blush. Whether it’s teen love or the love a businessman has for his family, Hughes knows how to pull on your heartstrings in real and authentic ways.

Funny.

John Hughes was the writer of comedy classics like Mr. Mom and National Lampoon’s Vacation not to mention the movies he directed. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is still one of my top five comedies ever.

Family Matters.

Yes, family is important, even if it's broken and dysfunctional. John Hughes knew about families because he was a husband and a father. The stories he wrote had autobiographical details scattered all over them. I could relate to the character in Sixteen Candles when I was sixteen. And I found that years later, I ended up relating to Kevin Bacon’s character in She’s Having a Baby. While Hughes sometimes mocked families, he still showed that it’s an important and vital thing in one’s life.

The Chicago Suburbs.

Who would have thought when I first saw his films that I'd end up moving to the very place he was showing?

Casting.

Yes, we all know the leads. But consider Jon Cryer as Duckie. What an unforgettable part. Consider James Spader as Steff. What a septic character study. So many of his films have so many amazing actors cast so well.

Passion.

Combine music, hopeless romanticism, and humor, and what do you have? Passion. Just witness the scene where Duckie does karaoke in the record store to Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness.” This wasn’t a throwaway scene. This was pivotal and passionate.

Tender.

Hughes handles all his characters (even the bad ones) with a tender touch. This is always good when writing characters

Authenticity.

One thing I’m always trying to get right in my writing is having emotional authenticity. Regardless of what the story was about, every Hughes film has this emotional authenticity.

Girls.

John Hughes understood girls, and very few guys understand girls. His most likable and moving characters were always the female leads that we were rooting for.

John Hughes passed away on August 6, 2009. His talents will be missed, but his gifts will be appreciated for a very long time.

On Finishing The Solitary Tales

2011-12-04T20:14:00.005-06:00

I'm finishing the fourth and final book in my teen series The Solitary Tales this week. I still can't believe this idea has resulted in close to 400,000 words detailing Chris Buckley and his time in a creepy North Carolina town called Solitary.

The idea began in Greenville, South Carolina when I showed up to a busy bookstore one Sunday afternoon for a booksigning. I saw the poster outside but the name and the time on the poster were wrong. Somebody else was signing at this store on this day. I discovered the mix-up and politely told the staff that it was fine. Since my aunt had dropped me off at the store, I decided to go next door and grab a bite to eat.

It was there while sitting outside on the patio eating chips and salsa and sipping on a margarita that the idea came to me. Take a teen moving to a creepy town down south who falls in the love with the wrong girl. I mapped out the story right there and filled a few pages in my writing notebook.

The idea was like the 100 other ideas I've gotten which have potential. Fortunately, a few other things happened.

A publishing executive championed it despite the fact that there's absolutely no interest in supernatural teen fiction in the Christian market.

I was able to work with my longtime editor who has done ten of my books.

David C. Cook let me tell the story my way. This includes the writing style--short, choppy, sometimes even stream-of-conciousness-like. This includes the darker stuff mixed with pop culture references. And of course this includes that ending for book one.

This series has morphed into something more. Sales-wise, it hasn't done much. I'm probably more to blame than the publisher. Publishing novels all over the board, having twins right before book one was released, releasing a book a month before book two was published. But . . .

I think this is a pretty awesome series. Love it or hate it, it's got a truly original voice. The storylines might be familiar, but the way it's told is definitely unique.

I love The Solitary Tales because, in essence, it's my nod to my teenage years. I could share all the ways how, but that's only important to me. The story is what matters. Chris Buckley's journey matters. The mysteries that unfold, the characters who come across his path, how he evolves and changes and grows up.

I'm really curious how people will judge the series in its entirety. But I'm not worrying about that. There's absolutely no pressure on me. If each book had sold two million copies, I might be worried. But I'm not. I think I'm going to do a pretty awesome job ending it.

Whether the rest of the world will feel that way, or even bother to check it out, remains to be seen. All I can do is try my best. And that's what I'm doing.

It's going to be nice to get out of Solitary for a while. Series are fun but they are still a lot of work. Especially ones with a hundred unanswered mysteries. I answer a bunch of them. Maybe seventy-five or eighty.

April and September of 2012. They'll be here before we know it.

Exit Stage Left

2011-12-02T10:34:00.004-06:00

So I finally had a chance to write my Christmas novel.

Being me, that means I don’t want to do another one. At least not for a while. The world has Richard Paul Evans and he can be that Christmas story guy. Paper Angels was a unique story and an incredible experience to be a part of. There’s no way I can duplicate it. Even if I (hopefully) go on to do more collaborations with Jimmy Wayne.

I’m nearing the end of The Solitary Tales. One more week. We’ll see who lives and who dies in Solitary, North Carolina. We’ll see if Chris makes it out of there. Questions will be answered, but of course not every answer will be a pretty or likable one.

Then what?

Good question.

I have some answers, but in my world, things change on a weekly basis.

Sometimes because a door opens or shuts. Sometimes because an idea sprouts to life or falls apart. Sometimes just because.

The plan I had for 2012 changed. I was going to do something big and outrageous. But then I thought—will anybody really, truly care? Something’s only big and outrageous if it gets noticed and talked about. I didn’t want to kill myself just to say I did something massive and killed myself. I might have done that years ago but I can’t, not in my present pink world with three daughters depending on my sanity.

There’s a part of me that would really sorta love to finish The Solitary Tales and then just disappear for a while. Maybe it's time. Take a break and live life and get a real job. Keep writing but slow down. Or write under a pen name. Or just write to practice.

Yeah.

Then again, there are those stories that have come to life over the past few years.

There’s the big one—the massive one that has already started. That’s a keeper. Somebody needs to carry on the torch that Lost lit, even if it comes in the form of novels. So yeah, that one is mapped out and already started and . . . we’ll see.

Then there’s that Hunger Games-esque trilogy that Coldplay’s latest album has inspired. That’s not a just a fun idea. It’s already done in my head. Call me a copycat—I couldn’t write a series like that author did. My result would be—well, it would be distinctly me.

There’s the fun little trip back in time that’s going to happen. Yeah. More on that soon.

There’s also the love story idea that’s being talked about. That’s a really good possibility.

Yeah, there are more collaborations that have potential. There are other ideas that a longshots. There are stories that are in the initial stages of being worked on.

I have been trying to make the most of being a fulltime writer. Because tomorrow or next week or next year, I might not be one anymore. I’m okay with that.

Eighteen stories into this writing world, I feel I’ve told some decent stories.

And I honestly feel like this: if God grants me another thirty or forty years of life, I’m really going to knock a few of these stories out of the park. I really feel like I’m just getting warmed up and figuring things out.

We’ll see what happens. But for now, I'm stuck in Solitary. Hoping for some light at the end of this dark tunnel . . .

Paper Angels Snippet

2011-12-01T15:10:00.003-06:00

Every novel that's written has storylines that get changed and tweaked. Sometimes throughout the process of working on a story, significant portions will get tossed for various reasons. I've shared bits of this before on this blog and wanted to share some more for Paper Angels written by Jimmy Wayne and myself.

Here's a portion devoted to Kevin and one of the people working underneath him.

(Paper Angels Deleted Scene #1)

Christmas always seemed to make him melancholy, but Kevin wasn’t exactly sure why.

There were two sets of Christmas experiences that he could look back on growing up. The first set was when his parents had money, and the second set was when they didn’t have any. As much as he’d love to say that the latter memories were more fun and meaningful, he couldn’t. He couldn’t even really remember them, not as well as the Christmas mornings when they’d rush to the family room to see all the toys Santa had dropped off. The Christmas mornings after Dad had lost his job were always stressful and unsure. It wasn’t the lack of gifts that made Kevin sad. It was the lack of certainty in Mom and Dad that seemed to filter down to him.

As a teen, he’d made a vow that his family would always feel secure. He wanted them to trust him to provide for their needs, no matter what. He didn’t want to go overboard on Christmas but still wanted to make sure they loved the holiday and felt loved throughout it. He wanted his family to always feel certain of his care, of his love, especially around Christmastime, even if it meant working extra hard.

Now the season made him more than melancholy. It wore him out. With all the pressure and stress he was under, the last thing he wanted to think about was the right gift for the right person and keeping everyone in his family perfectly happy.

Stop already.

Kevin sat in his weekly meeting with one of his top designers, Zack Cradles. The guy was talking as his usual highly energized, highly caffeinated self always did and Kevin had to concentrate on listening to him.

“So I gotta tell you I have some pretty awesome news.”

Kevin feigned interest and curiosity but he already knew. He would’ve bet a hundred bucks what it was. But this indifference again pinched at his soul.

Where’s the Christmas cheer, Kev?

Zack was the kid on Christmas morning eager and excited about rushing downstairs to get to the tree.

Bah humbug.

It wasn’t that he was a Scrooge or a Grinch around this time of year. He didn’t need some life revival like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. Kevin felt like he could identify best with Charlie Brown from the Christmas episode, questioning the true meaning of the holiday while walking around in a state of angst and melancholic longing. The Snoopys of life hounded him. Just like Zack, who seemed so inexplicably happy, like a little kid or a puppy. Happy-go-lucky. And it was fine except for the fact that Kevin wanted to reach across the desk and wrap up that happy face and smug smile and send them to the North Pole.

“I’m going to propose on Christmas morning.”

“That’s great.”

Kevin wondered what Zack’s bride-to-be name was. He sure hoped her name wasn’t Robin, or else she’d suffer a lifetime of abuse.

“Do you have a ring picked out?”

“Yep. It’s in my bag, hold on.”

Zack slipped out of the office. As Kevin waited, a familiar, mocking chant played in his mind.

The twins are coming the twins are coming the twins are coming the twins are comin'.

Zack came back and showed off the ring. It really was a rock.

Kevin couldn’t think about the bride’s happiness or Zack’s generosity. All he could think about was the money involved. “I bet it set you back some.”

“Oh, yeah. But I’ve been saving.”

Why was everybody he met these days a better saver and investor than he was? Or, as his father-in-law put it, a better “steward with his money”?

“Good for you.”

And good for Robin Cradles.

Kevin smiled drily and continued listening to Zack.

The meeting went on another fifteen minutes. Yeah, sure, busyness was one thing and time was another, but sometimes you simply needed to stop and shut up the thoughts taking over your mind and celebrate with someone else. Try to let their joy be yours. This was what Kevin tried to do, but it was all forced.

By the time Zack left his office, Kevin felt like a failure.

He had started this job and this office to be different from his competitors. He wanted to strive for something unique, for a breath of fresh air in today’s business climate. Yet he wasn’t just trying to climb up a ladder. He was attempting to jettison up it as fast as he could. Not for anything other than security. And security in this day and age was becoming a rare thing.

Zack’s youthful energy and elation were a mirror of what Kevin used to be. Before the job became his life, and his life became about keeping that job.

Life is so quick. You blink and you’re almost forty.

He couldn’t share this thought with his young designer friend. Zack would discover that in his own time. And hopefully he’d be a little better prepared.

***

Jenny and Gregory’s smiles lit up the office. On busy days and stressful days Kevin would glance at the photo and remind himself. If he was talking to an demanding client on the phone, he’d stare at his family’s faces to gain a little sanity.

The picture is nice, he thought, but it’s no ATM machine. A couple of aspirin could help the headache but it couldn’t cure the cancer. And he was getting very close to losing the battle. Very close.

In the picture he saw the colorful bracelet on his wife’s wrist bearing the letters WWJD. But Kevin wasn’t really interested in what Jesus would do. This wasn’t something Kevin would admit to anybody, but it was the truth.

It was more like, what would Charlie Brown do? WWCBD.

He opened the draw of his desk and pulled out the tag. The paper angel with the writing on it. He reread the name and the description of the presents underneath.

Then, for the next hour or so, he surfed the Internet looking for gifts and pricing them out and trying to figure out where to start.

If someone like Zack could go crazy and afford a big rock like that, the least Kevin could do was put some thought and time behind the gifts he was going to give to “Tom.”

Sure, this was another thing on his to-do List, but Kevin wanted to do this right. He wanted to make sure he wanted to do it.

He wanted to make Charlie Brown happy.

The Why

2011-11-30T00:00:00.002-06:00

The light bulb goes on in the middle of the night. Am I dreaming or wide awake?

I’m in a tiny town in North Carolina. Or a city street in Chicago. Or an imaginary world. Or in a madman’s mind.

I can’t stop.

I see characters one on top of another like a full deck of cards. I see various decks lined against each other. Each belonging to another tale. Stacks of cards that need shuffling and dealing.

I fill pages and make notes. I get acquainted with characters and discover their secrets. I visit towns and tour homes and hidden places in the shadows of my imagination.

My mind is a messy assortment of everything. A garage sale on a rainy day. A junk yard where even the rabid dog is slightly bored. You can find a little bit of anything and you can buy it for next to nothing.

I feel inspiration at the strangest times, then reality sinks in and blinds me like a desert sun. I’m thirsty and feel weak and then get replenished with more creative fuel. Memories and music and moving pictures and monumental words give back what was taken.

Then I keep going.

Because I can’t stop.

This restless energy isn’t because I have to have it. It’s always been there. I’ve just learned to tap it and keep it going. Everybody carries this dam deep inside but I’ve learned how to break it. It’s uncomfortable but it’s something that can be done.

Sometimes in my mind all of these things matter. That fantasy that took a year to come up with a storyline for. The series that’s mapped and fleshed out and ready to go. That did start but then suddenly came to a halt. The love/action/YA/horror/yeah.

The criss-crossing doesn’t bother me. Yes, my head keeps spinning but it’s always been spinning. It took forty years to figure out how to stop the tornado inside it. Now I’m the one who controls these blistering winds. I’m the one who keeps them going.

I haven’t cracked any code because there’s none to crack.

I just can’t stop.

I’m not doing this thing for relief. Not anymore.

It’s simply because there’s a fleet of ships on a restless sea and inside each one are characters waiting to breathe life and speak words and change and grow and feel and live.

Which ship do I choose and when? That’s the question.

Sometimes a new ship will come captained by a new creator. Which is fine. It just adds to the fun and the intensity. The ocean feels crowded but really we’re simply sailing in unchartered territory. Mostly unnoticed waters. Mostly stormy seas.

Looking for land.

Looking for populated land.

And if the wild swirls slow down and even stop, it doesn’t mean the ships will go away. It simply means that the fleet has slowed and stopped but that they’ll be there for tomorrow and the next day.

This creative thing isn’t about the feeling or the muse. It’s not about finding the right voice for the right moment. It’s about doing it day after day after day. Maybe ten hours a day or ten minutes. But it can be done and the stories can be told and the restlessness can be slightly appeased. Momentarily.

Until that moment when inspiration comes in the form of a smile or a sunny day or a propulsive song or a simple saying.

When a feeling or an idea gets recorded and the memory soon becomes a demo and that demo might become a full-fledged song.

Then one day hopefully somewhere someone will turn it on and enjoy it. This little piece of you that becomes a part of someone else.

Something shared. Something special.

Something that worked when so many other things didn’t work.

Yeah. That’s the why. In case somebody really needs to know the why.

That’s one of the 2000 reasons why.

Solitary Tales Prequel

2011-11-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

Check out the cover for this exclusive e-book only prequel to The Solitary Tales coming out in December!

For more info on this and other stuff related to The Solitary Tales, join the Facebook page here.

The November and December

2011-11-22T23:04:00.003-06:00

Exhale.

The cold winds always come around this time of the year. It’s the same thing. Barren trees. Broken leaves. Belabored needs.

The world rushes and somehow you end up feeling like you’re rushing over the falls.

The black celebration of Halloween turns to gluttony on Thanksgiving and then a smorgasbord of presents on Christmas. A trio of months full of selfish consumption. You reach midnight on new year’s eve vowing to be a better person who doesn’t worry as much and who gives more.

Yet then the new year arrives and you fall in line like everybody else. Like everybody else in the endless pool, the raging waters, the gushing currents that never stop.

The grey skies are good to write under. But they also feed the doom and the gloom. They hide the sunshine that serves to remind. They hide the sky that serves to rejoice. They hide the light that ends up refueling and remotivating.

The end of November and you find yourself wondering and weary. Wondering, wandering, worrying. All those wonderful words beginning with “W”. Woe. Wow. Weird. Why?

Like twenty years ago and ten and four, you find yourself worrying about tomorrow. The worry only magnifies with age since you have more to worry about. There are more in your house to worry about. You see so many great things happening and hear so many wonderful reports. Yet sometimes those dark skies threaten and menace and bully you around.

Sometimes it’s not exactly fun living close to a windy Midwestern city.

You keep working because you see the fruits of your labor. But sometimes the fruits don’t always result in financial waterfalls. That would be okay if you were only worrying about yourself. You never worried about yourself, not back then. But then there was another, and another, and two more.

You enter a December hoping to really try to remember. Hoping that the whole point of the holidays will be celebrated. Hoping that you continue to carry hope around with you each day.

It’s hard. You know. But there are so many others that have it harder. Much harder.

Take a thankful spirit and then rejoice in the gift. That’s what November and December should mean to you. And if not, someone needs to knock on your door and slap you in the face to remind you.

So much to be thankful for. And so much to celebrate about.

2-For-1 Sale For 30 Days!

2011-11-17T15:11:00.003-06:00

From now until December 18, I will be offering a buy-one-get-one-free book sale on my website. This will be for all my books. The only disclaimer is that Letters From War and Paper Angels aren't available as free books (though they're certainly available for sale).

When placing an order, simply order any book and then let me know the second book you'd like with it. If you want them signed to anybody in particular, please specify this as well on your order. Otherwise I'll just sign them with my signature.

This sale will go until Sunday, December 18 so I can make sure to get the books out by Christmas.

Thank you for your constant encouragement and support in my writing!

A First Hug

2011-11-16T21:41:00.003-06:00

Our five-year-old daughter Kylie just received her first official hug from a boy today. Oh, I know this boy. His name is Luke. I’ve seen Luke. More importantly, Luke has seen me. We shared a moment of checking each other out one day as I dropped off Kylie at her preschool.

Well, turns out Luke gave her an impromptu hug while standing in line today.

How do I know this?

Because after reading to her in her bed tonight, something her mommy and I try to alternate doing, she whispered it in my ear. About the hug. And honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say. I just nodded and said “Well that’s nice.” I said that friends like to give hugs. I asked her why Luke gave her the hug and she said in a totally perplexed way “I don’t know.”

Now, looking back, I probably should have said something different.

When she told me that Luke hugged her, I should have said “Of course he did.

Or maybe I should have said “Well, did you hug him back?”

And then when I asked her why and she replied “I don’t know”, I should have said something else.

I should have said “I know why.”

I should have said “It’s because you’re a beautiful little girl, Kylie. Not just on the outside, but on the inside. And of course Luke sees this. Luke must be a very smart guy to really see this. Yeah, that Luke is a really smart kid. I like that Luke.”

Yeah, maybe I should have said that.

Then maybe I should have added “And you know something else about Luke?”

Maybe Kylie would say “What?”

Then I would say “Luke’s a very lucky guy. I mean—he got to hug YOU.”

Yeah, it was a special moment and for someone who is always full of so many things to say, I didn’t really say too much.

But the important thing . . .

Kylie said something.

Kylie told her Daddy what happened.

Now I know that Kylie won’t always be five, and I also know she’s not always going to tell Mommy and Daddy what happened. Especially when it comes to boys.

But I’m glad she’s telling us now.

I’m glad she’s telling the only boy in the house her story.

You see the world differently being a father, and especially (I feel) being a father of a girl (or in my case three).

If I sit and really think about it (which I do, of course), it’s terrifying.

God knows I’m going to fail to find the words. Or the patience. Or the energy.

But I’m going to try. And I hope that this bond that Kylie and I share never goes away.

I wanted to write something about Kylie’s birthday last Saturday, but honestly, I was too tired to share anything.

Our little girl is not as little as she used to be. But she still whispers in my ear and tells me secrets. This is a very, very precious gift.

It’s one that I hope never goes away.

On The Verge

2011-11-11T11:19:00.002-06:00

Having hiked for so long, so high up, I stand on the edge and look out, knowing I’m on the verge of something.

The question is what.

I don’t believe you go this far without something happening.

I believe you can reach the summit. Or you can trip and fall off the edge of the mountain.

Or a violent snowstorm can come and trap you in your tracks and cause you to slowly freeze to death. But that’s the worst case scenario.

What’s the best case scenario?

Sometimes I have no idea. I’m so exhausted from the climbing and the never-ending footprints in the snow that I have no clue what the top will look like. Have I already reached it and I’m just circling the peak in vain?

Or will the clouds start to separate one day and I’ll see the top and stand there and know I’ve made it?

Has this climbing all been in vain? Should I be doing something else, like surfing or hang gliding or bicycling?

Sometimes I feel like my equipment is shoddy and in need of repair.

Sometimes I feel like I’m too old to be doing this.

Sometimes I feel like I’m too young to really know where to go and how to go about journeying there.

Most of the time I’m just tired. But I keep going.

Because I love hiking. I love climbing. I love exploring. I love breathing in this air. I love feeling this way.

It’s a solitary task. Day after day, step after step. Others are there to help and assist but ultimately I’m the only one who can keep these legs moving and keep these lungs breathing.

I’m the only one who can continue to believe that there’s more mountain to see and there’s a summit left to climb.

God shows me I’m doing the right thing day after day. But sometimes I wonder about that too. Have I been at too high an altitude to know the difference between God’s will and my own? Have I been breathing my own oxygen too many times?

I wonder about that daily as I keep climbing.

Knowing I continue to stay right on the verge.

Right on the edge.

That’s what I remind myself and repeat over and over again.

Keep right on going, Travis.

So I do.

Seven and a Half Questions With A Novelist: Nancy Rue

2011-11-10T08:20:00.007-06:00

It's great to highlight other authors and their work, so today I'm doing a Q&A with author Nancy Rue. She is a fellow novelist at David C. Cook (publisher of The Solitary Tales). Nancy's latest novel, Unexpected Dismounts, recently released.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Nancy: "I knew one day when I was ten years old and I finished reading a Nancy Drew book for about the fifteenth time and I realized I didn’t want to BE Nancy Drew anymore – I wanted to write stories about a very-cool girl, the way 'Carolyn Keene' did. (I’m glad I didn’t know at the time that there was no such person as Carolyn Keene; that really would have messed with my head!)"

What is your "brand" as an author?

Nancy: "The Nudge would be my brand, I think. If we’re living authentically, we can feel God nudging us and we have to act accordingly. At this point, I’m practically black and blue . . . "

So what's up with the motorcycles? Do you really ride them? :)

Nancy: "I ride as a passenger with my husband on our Harley Davidson Street Glide, and it is pure bliss. It’s like we’re one person, leaning into the curves and cruisin’ down the straightaways. You smell things from the back of a Harley you miss when you’re in your climate controlled car – gardenias and steak houses and even cow pooh. I need to be clear, though, that I don’t 'drive' a motorcycle. I tried – I really did – took the Rider’s Edge course, the whole thing. I counseled myself out after falling twice in the first hour. You can read about it in Chapter Three of The Reluctant Prophet. I’m happy behind my husband, leaning against my sissy bar, wearing the leather jacket and chaps that make me feel like I can do just about anything. So many things are about the wardrobe, you know?"

What is the role of a novelist?

Nancy: "I think that varies from author to author. My personal job is to write what I’m Nudged to write. That doesn’t mean it’s only about the message. I’m committed to creating good literature and delighting my readers, even as I try to show what it looks like to follow the Nudge. I don’t want my books to be like the kid playing a tooth in a school play about dental hygiene. There has to be a story and characters with pulses and good language. God has chosen to use me, so I just try to use my gift full-out. Sometimes I even come close."

In one sentence, describe your most recent novel.

Nancy: "There are two kinds of Harley riders: those who have dumped their bikes, and those who will. Unexpected Dismounts is a ride for those who aren’t afraid to fall."

What would you like to say to writers aspiring to be published?

Nancy: "This is not a glamour gig, so only write if you can’t NOT write. If that sounds like you, write every day. Write what’s in your heart. Hone your craft. Put your body and soul into it. And don’t even think about publishing until you have a manuscript that speaks in your own authentic voice. Then and only then show it to an editor or an agent. Please, please, please do not write to the trends or ask 'What‘s selling right now?' That’s not God talking in you. You might sell something that way, but I guarantee you, it won’t be of lasting value. And isn’t that what we all want to create?"

(Half question) As a writer, do you ever feel like you're losing your mind (or is it just me)?

Nancy: "Losing it? No. Already lost it a long time ago. I’m not sure you can BE a novelist if you’re entirely sane."

How does God reveal Himself to you when you're working on a book?

Nancy: "I see it most when I have my protagonist journal for me. I ask her a question in a blank book and then I write what she says to me. That’s when I know God is telling me how to spin out the story. I mean, where else would that come from? I also know God is totally in it when I come to the page in the morning and read what I wrote the day before and I don’t even remember thinking it, much less typing it. I really feel honored when that happens, I really do. I can’t believe God has picked me as one of the people God wants to use as a scribe. I’m not a good cook. Plants die within the hour of coming into my home. And nobody – and I mean nobody – wants me on their volleyball team. But I can write, and that’s a God thing."

Thanks for joining us on the Unexpected Dismounts Blog hop with Nancy Rue. Nancy’s publisher, David C. Cook is sponsoring the blog hop with an opportunity to win some great prizes, including a $200.00 gift card for American Express. To register to win & RSVP for the facebook party today.
If you are interested in hearing more from Nancy, you can visit her website, subscribe to her blog: The Nudge, join her on Facebook and/or follow her on Twitter.

Tomorrow we will all be joining Nancy on her own blog: The Nudge. See you there.

Paper Angels--Official Playlist

2011-11-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

As I worked with Jimmy Wayne on Paper Angels, I comprised my usual playlist to listen to while working on the story. Here are some of the instrumental songs that helped to inform and inspire my writing on this.

1. "American Beauty" by Thomas Newman (American Beauty soundtrack)

2. "The Cornfield" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

3. "Phenomenon" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score)

4. "All Prayed Out" by Thomas Newman (Cinderella Man soundtrack)

5. "Pray With Me" by Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump soundtrack)

6. "Shout At The Sky" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score)

7. "The Drive Home" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

8. "Chicken Wire" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score)

9. "Field Of Dreams" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

10. "Home" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score)

11. "George Malley" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score

12. "Doc's Memories" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

13. "Wasted Air" by Thomas Newman (Pay It Forward soundtrack)

14. "The Rest Of Us" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon rare original score

15. "Night Mists" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

16. "Lifted" by David Helpling And Jon Jenkins (The Crossing)

17. "I Never Thanked You" by Alan Silvestri (Forrest Gump soundtrack)

18. "End Titles" by Thomas Newman (Phenomenon soundtrack)

19. "The Place Where Dreams Come True" by James Horner (Field Of Dreams soundtrack)

20. "The Farm" by Thomas Newman (Road To Perdition soundtrack)

Interludes

2011-11-06T08:52:00.002-06:00

1. Disjointed thoughts

2. Discovered dreams

3. Decisive moments

4. Damning brokenness

5. Dramatic blessings

One Thing

2011-10-31T21:38:00.005-05:00

Imagine you're just a kid, a teenager alone in this world. Abandoned by the only family you ever had. Left to live and die on your own. Left in this mean, broken world.

But there's something you have that the others don't know about. It's this one thing deep down inside of your soul. This thing that you've carried around all your life and something you’re good at. It's one thing that so many others love to do and long to be but few are ever talented enough to succeed at.

You’re pretty good at this one thing. In fact, you’re pretty awesome at it.

But more importantly, this one thing ends up saving you. It sustains you during your darkest hours. It gives you a reason to survive and continue on. It softly whispers to your soul to keep on going, a day at a time.

This one beautiful thing.

So imagine you're this kid years later, with this one thing now fully grown, with the rest of the world knowing about it. Life is pretty different now on the other side of the tracks, but the memories and the scars remain. So does this one thing. It would be easy to turn it into something it never wanted or intended to be. To make it all about yourself. To continue to feed it and make it monstrous. To make the one thing turn into many, many things.

But no. You don’t do that. You don’t play that game.

Instead, you take this one thing you have and you give it back. You take this one thing and shed light on the boy you once were and the life you once lived. You use this one thing to tell your story and the many other stories that need to be told.

You know not everybody has found their one thing, and not everybody has something like you do that is enjoyed by so many others. So you use it to spread some joy and some light on those who need it.

As we enter a month leading up to Thanksgiving and then another leading up to Christmas, let me ask you a question: What is your one thing?

Do you know it?

It doesn’t have to be something public or something creative. It’s doesn’t have to result in a product or an initiative. It is the one thing that is truly unique about you, the thing that drives you, the thing that connects the dots in your world.

What is it?

If you know, give thanks for it. Then use it to somehow give back to someone somewhere this Christmas season.

I learned my one thing early on, but like many others have spent so long trying to build it into a bigger and more beautiful set of things. All for me. But I’m learning and growing and changing. And hopefully I’m giving a little back. I’m trying to.

If you don’t know your one thing, ask God for it.

Because sometimes, when you ask for that one very special and very important thing, God will turn around and give you two of them.

Working

2011-10-26T21:54:00.001-05:00

Love This Review

2011-10-26T09:26:00.003-05:00

Every day someone new discovers my fiction. I guess when you've had 18 novels published, it's going to happen. I don't say that to pat myself on the back. Sometimes it feels like after this many novels, more readers should have heard of me, right? But publishing is a tough business like every other business out there.

Well, allow me to pat myself on the back by sharing a review of Solitary. It's not all positive, but that's why I love it. This is the first series I've done and I'm two-thirds through the final book. If you haven't read this series, you might want to check it out.

From an Amazon.com reader:

This book made me mad, and I'm writing this three days after finishing it, still mad. I don't think there could be a greater complement to an author and his work than a reader not being able shake to himself out of the book he's just read.

Writing style somewhat annoying; check.

Incidents occurring that make you say c'mon, really?; check.

Tension and suspense that had me clicking the next page button on my Kindle so quickly that I very well may have taken years of function off that button; check.

Characters, that while unique and hard to figure out, wind up becoming so endearing; check, check, check.

I was so angry with the end of the book, I vowed to walk away. I started reading another couple of books but couldn't keep my mind from wondering what's going on next with these characters. And instead of being firm on my vow to give up, I did an about face and ordered the second book in the series because I have to know what happens.

In closing, you may be put off by the writing style. You may find character reaction to events unbelieveable. But you won't walk away. You'll be stuck in the town of Solitary just like Chris is.

The Bright Red Rose of Mylo Xyloto

2011-10-24T19:59:00.005-05:00

Chris Martin once said “I’m 31 now and I don’t think that bands should keep going past 33."

Thankfully for us, Chris didn't take his own advice. The frontman for Coldplay is 34 years old now as they release their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto.

Age is a funny thing. I'm forty years old, and as a novelist, I'm still pretty young. Many writers just start warming up around my age.

For forty years my favorite rock stars and musicians have always been older than me. But no more. Nope. Today with the release and the first official listening of Mylo Xyloto, this foursome full of 30-something year olds has moved into being my favorite group out there.

Why? Because I have a beating heart and ears that can hear. That’s why.

Here’s the thing. The first time I heard that song "Yellow" and saw the guy singing it on the beach in that video, I didn’t like them. I thought, heard it and been there and not going there again. I didn’t really know these guys but that’s our culture and our world. A first glance and a first listen and an immediate opinion. Mine wasn’t glorious.

I grew up listening and loving Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, and New Order. I love new stuff too. The National. Phoenix. Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs was THE album for me in 2010. So it's not like I'm stuck in the past.

But back in 2000, my first initial response to Coldplay wasn’t like lightning.

It took “The Scientist” to get my attention. Then “Clocks”. Then . . . well, every song since then. Including a new appreciation for "Yellow" and other songs.

But now we have the new album. And I have to say I dearly love it. X & Y has its place for many, many reasons. And Viva La Vida is the soundtrack of a new man trying to figure it out. But this album has joy and beats and songs that make me want to hurdle anything and everything out there.

The band has it critics. They'll never be U2 or Radiohead. Look, there is only one U2. And I love Radiohead. They’re so Radiohead. But today, in the world we live in, I want Coldplay. I want something to stir my heart. U2 is majestic and has an amazing history. Radiohead is cool and strange and funky. But you know, I need a little Coldplay stirring in my life. I really do.

“Charlie Brown” by Coldplay is the song I’ve played when I leave my office after writing all day and going back home to my family. I blast it (the live version that I found online) and it makes me feel lighter and brighter. For like four minutes. Kinda like those first Beatles songs made a whole world feel.

You think I’m exaggerating? I’m not. This music is Red Bull chocolate chip jalapeno joy.

I’m not a music critic so don’t quote that last sentence.

All I know is that I love “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”. It’s fun and makes you want to twirl your four-year-old daughter around. It helps if she’s a diehard Coldplay fan like you.

All I know if that “Major Minus” is a funky rift that sounds snarly and edgy and a bit unsettling.

All I know is that I got teary-eyed when the fireworks first went off at Lollapalooza as I stood fifteen people away from the center stage and the sweet melodies of “Mylo Xyloto” played before heading into “Hurts Like Heaven.”

Yeah.

“Paradise” is the song that I play before driving our four-year-old to preschool. It’s beautiful and it just sets the tone for a beautiful day.

Then came “Princess of China” and I still can’t get over how much I love that track. I’ve always loved Rihanna and this was great. It leaves you wanting a ten-minute version. Or an entire album.

Yes, haters will focus on Rihanna's involvement as a sellout or as a change or as a marketing ploy. Whatever. Grow. Evolve. Change. Morph. Do you want you to do. Create what you want to create.

Take a melody and make it yours.

Take a sweet sound and then make it you own.

Can you do that?

You don’t like that? Okay, fine. Don’t buy their albums and go to their shows.

Others will. Many others.

The album goes from vibrant passion to a more subdued and settled sound. Like a song like “UFO”. But think about it. That’s kind of like relationships. You have the joy and the ecstacy and the colors until you settle down.

What I didn’t expect at the end of Mylo Xyloto was “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart.” The utter energy and exuberance in that song. The drive and the passion and the shades blossoming up in a brilliantly-colored parachute.

This is when I know.

My favorite band now is younger than me. And they still have far to go and many more songs to sing and many more roads to travel.

The subdued “Up With The Birds” conjures echoes of Coldplay’s first album. At first. Any song with Chris Martin will conjure it because of his voice and delivery. It’s melancholy and even moody but utterly memorable.

But then . . . halfway through the song . . .

Joy.

So fast and so easily played and so sweet.

In a world so broken and dark it shouldn’t be this easy to create something so sweet.

Maybe the same was said about The Beatles.

Yeah, I’m comparing the two and if you think that’s crazy oh well.

A foursome can still create a little joy in a bleak world. And they can tell a “simple plot” about a boy and a girl.

Then again, that’s the plot of any and every moving and memorable story.

A boy and a girl. Trying to figure it out in a bleak situation.

Maybe that’s why I love Coldplay.

Or maybe it’s just because their songs move me and make me a little happier.

Thank you Chris, Jonny, Guy, and Will for taking another leap of faith and giving us another album that will serve as the soundtrack to our lives.

The Journey Begins Monday

2011-10-22T22:18:00.001-05:00

"It doesn’t matter who we were. It only matters who we are." – Juliet from Lost in "A Tale of Two Cities" episode

10 Reasons I'm Not Giving Up On Traditional Publishing

2011-10-21T13:42:00.003-05:00

I'm diving into the e-book waters. I'm not just getting my feet wet. Nope. I'm plunging headfirst into the deep waters. I recently uploaded my first original ebook online, 101 Writing Tips. And that is just the start.

Yet before you think I'm one of these authors who is turning his back on traditional publishing, let me share ten reasons why I'm not.

#10. Traditional publishing is not going away anytime soon. Yes, ebooks are on the rise, and yes, the landscape of publishing is changing. But the publishers you know and trust are still going to be around for a long time.

#9. There are many talented people at publishers who know more than I do. A lot more.

#8. Traditional publishers have resources in place that I will never have, even if I become a bestseller and have unlimited funds at my disposal (and if that's the case, those funds are going toward college and weddings and dresses and ...)

#7. Some of my favorite people in this world work at publishing houses (like Karen Watson, Barry Smith, Becky Nesbitt, Don Pape, and Ken Petersen just to name a few).

#6. Nobody likes paddling a boat alone. It's a lot harder work. And let's face it: it's not that much fun either.

#5. One day, a big name publisher is going to write me a bigtime check. I can't give up on them before that happens, right??!!

#4. If Stephen King can publish the good, old fashioned way, then so can I (and by the way, we share the same publisher in Simon & Schuster!).

#3. Many publishers are adapting and changing with these crazy times.

#2. I really want to do more collaborations since my first two went really well. I'm excited to see what doors might open next.

#1. For me, it boils down to telling the best story I can. If that story only gets published in an electronic format, that's fine. But I'll be honest--nothing quite beats getting that package and opening it up to finally hold your book (your baby) for the first time.

Waiting For An Opportunity

2011-10-19T21:23:00.004-05:00

My collaboration with country musician Jimmy Wayne almost didn't happen.

That's true.

I found an email I sent to the publisher back on January 6, 2010. I had come up with three story treatments that everybody (the publisher, agents, managers) liked. Everybody except Jimmy.

Here's a quote from that email:

"Just had a separate question related to Jimmy Wayne. I know that all of us were excited about the story ideas and the potential there. I can also understand that it's Jimmy Wayne's story and vision. Have you had any more thoughts on where to go from here? After learning about Jimmy and coming up with those different stories, I got really excited by this opportunity. I still feel like I could come up with a great story that matches Jimmy's heart and vision. Seems like we would connect too--he seems like a cool guy.

Anyway, still hope there's an opportunity to work with Jimmy. That'd be really exciting."

Well, as many of you well know, I was given that opportunity. I didn't just get to work with a celebrity and a country singer but I got to know a humble, authentic guy.

A guy who gets my sense of humor.

I thank God he does.

Paper Angels comes out November 1. It's a very special story I hope you read. Then buy a dozen copies to give as Christmas presents!

Princess Of China by Coldplay Official Lyrics (For Haters)

2011-10-17T21:01:00.006-05:00

Coldplay's collaboration with Rihanna that I blogged about earlier here was leaked online today and I couldn't resist listening. Like a hundred times. The melody has been in my head all day. I love it. Absolutely love it.

But I guess not all Coldplay fans love it. Some really dislike it.

That's okay.

I wrote these lyrics for them. (Be glad I didn't sing them myself and post them on Youtube!)

Check out the song and then read along!

"Princess Of China" (Thrashed) Lyrics

Once upon a time four Brits came
Started a rock group with a funky name
“Oh hello. Come to our show.”

Once upon a time you fell in love
You’re holding in your hands
And just can’t get enough
A single oh
It’s called “Yellow”

Once upon a time the “Clocks” burned bright
The crowds swelled and felt so right
On and on and on and on and on

Once upon a time all “In My Place”
You had to just go shove it in my face
Some “X & Y”
Please tell me why oh why?
I need some of that old Coldplay

I could’ve been a groupie, you’d be my band
Could have had big hits I’d understand
But no oh oh
You got Brian Eno

I could’ve been a groupie, you’d be my band
Could have had safe songs, that’s the plan
But no oh oh
None sound like “Yellow”

Where’s my “Sparks”?
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
You break my heart
La la lal la la la la

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
It’s not “Yellow”
Oh oh oh oh oh your new single
Is not “Yellow”

And it really hurts me
And it really hurts me
Can’t you really see?
I just want some “High Speed”
Didn’t you once say?
That “We Never Change”?
This really hurts me
Coldplay can’t you see?

Dreaming Big (What I've Been Up To)

2011-10-14T10:27:00.004-05:00

I don’t think people dream big enough these days.

Think about it. We live in a day and age where everything is instant and every idea is articulated. Every story has been told, every song has been sung. Everything we see is simply a redo, a repeat, a reboot, a remix, a retweet.

Ten thousand boxes have been created so very few people think outside of them.

Yet I believe that these days are glorious ones for creativity. We have so many things at our disposal. The late and great Steve Jobs gave us the immaculate iTunes and iPod and iPhone and all those other iWonderful things. These are great toys, but they’re also inspiring creative tools.

The books that are written, and the means to read them by, are endless. The amazing movies that are being made and the inspiring music that is a download away . . . All of this can either take up ALL of our time or fuel our creative fire.

For me, I hope it’s the latter.

Since I officially entered the publishing industry in 1994, I’ve been dreaming. Since I officially left in 2007 to become a full-time writer, I’ve been dreaming.

And now it’s time.

It’s time to really, truly reach for the stars.

This day and age is also the celebration of the celebrity and the rich and famous. Nobody congratulates you when you’re struggling to make it. People like to see those who have made it and then set them on a pedestal to follow.

Do I really think the journey is everything? Or do I believe that it’s about the end result?

If it is about that journey, about the struggles and the doubts and the ebbs and the flows, then I need to embrace the now. I remind myself that all the time. If someday people are looking at some great success I’ve had, it will be these days that will have mattered.

It will be these dreams that meant something.

It’s been four years of “living the dream” and I’m fortunate to continue to do so in a time where so many are struggling just to find any work. I remind myself that, too. If that huge success never comes, I’m still a very fortunate man to be this blessed.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be complacent.

No. I wake up and walk around and work all day long with an incredible sense of urgency. Perhaps a bit too much at times. Maybe I should ease up on the poor Comcast lady who’s taking a long time on the phone, for instance. But there’s never enough time. And energy. Never. Not in a house full of females that I dearly love.

It would be easy to take the simple and safe path where I’m working for someone else’s dream. Or to take an easier path and dial the dreams down a bit. But why do that? Where’s the fun in that?

It’s eleven days before I dive headfirst into this big, blue ocean of dreams.

We’ll see where the tides take me.

Soon enough, I hope to continue to share more about this current journey. For my millions of fans in my mind and for those real ones I’m gracious to have, stay tuned. I’m working hard, and I’ve finally got it figured out that I’m also working for you.

The Yellow Brick Road

2011-10-11T21:58:00.004-05:00

Finally.

The whirlwind stops and lets you pass.

You find yourself on a yellow brick road.

You see the maps of where you’ve been and you understand why.

You understand who is behind the wizard and what he has to say.

The turbulence is explained.

The sky above is starting to clear now.

Your restless DNA is still there and will always be there, but you understand a little more of the where’s and the why’s.

It only took forty years but that’s a Biblical number for testing, right?

You’ve been tested and now you’re ready to go out into the world.

The failures of yesterday and tomorrow no longer weigh you down.

The humor that sparks laughter is no longer a coping mechanism.

The fears have a face and a number and a name.

The questions—well, some of the questions—have answers.

The beauty of the violent storms lie in their peaceful wake.

It makes sense, some of this. A boy suddenly understands so many years later.

Off the road, on a balloon, over a sand dune, toward the fading sun, drifting in memories.

It makes sense.

It doesn’t right wrongs, but it explains a bit.

It sheds light in those places once dark and misunderstood.

It breaks the hard edges and softens the soul.

It whispers a good night kiss.

You see the road below pointing in an arrow and you soar ahead full of wonder and fear and excitement.

The boy will always be there.

But the storms have gone away.

Don't Tell Me What To Do

2011-10-03T23:48:00.003-05:00

Don’t tell me I need to stay in a genre.

Don’t.

Don’t tell me I need to stay in a space confined to a shelf in the a bookstore.

Really? For real? Which shelf will I fit in at Borders?

Oh, that’s right.

That’s my point.

I don’t have a clue but don’t tell me what to do.

Don’t tell me what you think works.

You don’t have a clue what works.

Nobody knows what works until it works and it’s copied and it fades out.

Don’t tell me you know.

And don’t—don’t—please don’t—bring up the B word.

There are lots of be words I can think of beginning with B.

But the worst, the absolute worst B-word I can think of is BRAND.

Don’t tell me I need I brand.

Tell me I need to work on my craft. Okay. Yes. I get it and I will.

But don’t tell me I need a slogan or a tagline.

Don’t tell me I need to be something I’m not.

I’m not a brand and never will be.

Cheerios and Hanes and Heineken are brands. I’m a guy born in Knoxville who moved all over the freaking world until I landed on a mountain top in North Carolina without a clue of what to do or where to go. A teen who fell in love with Stephen King and Depeche Mode and decided it would be easier to write than buy Korg synths and perform.

But don’t tell me I need to be anything.

Yes, I understand your data and that’s fine.

The stock market has lots of data too and look where that’s getting them.

The world is changing and so is publishing and you’re a fool to say it’s not.

Yes, I will agree that I make buying decisions difficult.

If you liked the sweet you might not like the sour.

But don’t tell me that this won’t work. And don’t—do not even begin to tell me you have a clue on how it WILL work.

If it’s a science than it can be replicated, right?

If it’s a model than it can be molded and mass produced. Right?

But oh, that’s right—this is art. Something created by an individual that means something to someone.

This cannot and will not be replicated.

I’m not trying to be difficult. Really.

I know I am in an uphill battle.

What am I thinking anyway?

A male writing in Christian fiction?

A Christian novelist writing darker, supernatural stuff?

A writer trying out different point-of-views and different experiences?

A creator never wrapping it up in easy formats?

A storyteller giving you love one minute and then blood the next?

An inventor trying different things, even doing them with other artists?

A name that ultimately doesn’t stand for anything? Or does it?

What about tales with redemption? What about stories with second chances?

What about things that try to stir the soul in their own flawed, scarred way?

You have to give me credit. You have to give me a few kudos.

I don’t know anybody else out there doing what I’m doing.

If so tell me. Tell me and I’m going to follow them on Twitter and Facebook and hunt them down and ask how it’s going.

But tell me.

There’s nobody else is there?

I’m not bragging because my checking book begs to differ. My stamina begs to differ. My standing on the face of this publishing universe begs to differ.

I’m not bragging but I am trying to make a point.

I don’t want you telling me what to do.

I don’t even know if print books will be such a big thing twenty years from now. But the stories I’m trying to tell—emphasis on the word TRYING—are about hearts and souls trying to make a difference and trying to move on. And those sort of stories can stay around for a while.

I’m not trying to preach.

But I’m also not trying to paint a picture of a different world.

I’m trying a few blues and reds in a world of black and gray.

And that’s coming from someone partially color blind.

So don’t.

Just don’t.

I’ve been in those hallways and those buildings and I know the comfort they give. I know the arrogance that can come with success. My hallway and building don’t give that. All I get are a lot of tired sighs.

But you haven’t walked my hallway and you’re not in my building.

You can’t state my brand and you can't confine me in any genre.

I don’t want my name to mean anything except awesome fiction. And for that goal, I still have a long ways to go.

I’m going to keep trying. And I’m going to try to tell heartbreaking love stories and terrifying supernatural tales. I’m going to keep trying to tell stories that move me and that make sense.

I’m going to find others who will let me tell their stories, and I’m going to bleed it out for them.

I’m going to find opportunities to tell unique stories and I’m going to do it in the only way my BRAND allows me to. I only have my voice and my worldview and I

can try to disguise them but I am who I am. I want my stories to make people cry and see the sunset a bit differently.

A publisher would roll his eyes at that comment but a reader might not.

And I’ve made the move now. I’m no longer writing for myself anymore. Oh, I’m that arrogant and that egotistical to have it be about me. But I’m now writing for the readers. I’ve gotten enough out of my system and I’m really, genuinely trying to move a reader.

So don’t tell me what to do. Or where I should go.

Don’t tell me I’m making the easy decision because there is nothing easy about taking this route.

Don’t tell me you know because you don’t know.

25 years of publishing data doesn’t mean jack. Not in today’s world. You and I both know that.

I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong.

I’m just trying to prove that I’m worth someone paying me anything to publish. I still have a hard time believing that I’m worth any amount of money.

Believing in myself can still be hard.

But don’t tell me what to do. Because I might still be insecure, but I’m also very, very stubborn.

That stubbornness has produced a lot of stories and a lot of ambition.

I’m not telling you to bet the farm on me.

I’m just asking for a little encouragement. And maybe a pat on the back.

We all know that if this crazy thing I have going works out, well . . . I’ve been in the hallways of a company where that’s happened. And everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, changes.

But I won’t. I hope and pray that I won’t change. I want to continue to be the stubborn, sometimes stupid, sometimes silly kid who grew up wanting to be a storyteller and happens to be able to do this for a living.

I want to keep living.

And I want to keep telling stories.

That’s all.

The Sequel To THE SHINING

2011-09-30T10:17:00.005-05:00

I miss the Stephen King of the 70's & 80's.

For years, I've said that Stephen King is my favorite novelist, and that he's one of the reasons I write. And that's true.

But I have to finally admit this. An impressionable teenager enthralled with spooky stories fell in love with Stephen King in the early 80's. I already knew of his movies but then I read his short story collections, Night Shift and Skeleton Crew. Then I tackled It and The Stand and that's what forever did it. Those two brilliant novels moved something inside of me.

They cemented what I already knew: that I wanted to be a writer.

Many more Stephen King novels and collections have surprised and moved me: Different Seasons, The Green Mile, Bag of Bones to name a few. But as I grew older, so did Stephen King.

I've said this before: there are seasons in an artist’s life & journey that can only be seen in hindsight and can probably only be appreciated by others.

I've admired how Stephen King has evolved as a novelist. I have never believed that he cranks out books because he wants to make money or because he has a contract to fill. I can related to King's desire to tell stories. The man has to write. He keeps retiring only to come back stronger. Even a near-fatal accident didn't stop him.

This leads up to the most recent news about Stephen King: that he's currently writing a sequel to The Shining.

Will I buy it? Of course. I'll buy everything Stephen King writes.

Will I finish the story? That's a good question.

I think I keep buying his books because I want to find another It or The Stand. But I also have to realize that won't ever happen. That young writer is gone. He might be an even better writer now, but that season of King's writing career is over.

I find it funny when someone tells me their favorite novel of mine is still The Promise Remains. The young naive kid who wrote that book is gone. I plan on writing more love stories, but I could never write one like that.

That might disappoint some readers, the same way it sometimes disappoints me that there won't be another 70's-esque Stephen King novel. But that's the beauty of being an artist. Growing and changing and morphing as you get older and as the world around you changes.

The moment I discovered Stephen King and his vast array of stories, I started to believe that I really could do this. I felt like all these stories in my head could go somewhere. Stephen King proved that an ordinary guy with an imagination and drive could produce a shelf full of books.

He's still doing it thirty years later.

I hope I can say the same thirty years from now.

101 Writing Tips

2011-09-22T13:36:00.003-05:00

Because I haven't published anything in the last week, I figured I needed to have another book come out.

Those of you who have checked out this blog might remember my writing tips. Well, here they are--all 101 of them (I didn't finish posting them to add intrigue!). I also include ten of my favorite blogs I wrote about writing.

101 Writing Tips will be available as an ebook on Kindle and Nook next month. I'm going to start the price at $2.99. That means each tip is worth just under three cents. What a bargain!

I figure that half of these tips are good. And maybe 24 of them are really good.

If you're a writer or a fan or a fan of writing, you'll want to get this book.

A Quote On My Next Project

2011-09-22T09:43:00.004-05:00

This morning I read a quote that summed up the plot of my next project:

"It’s about people who are lost in a big scary environment and find each other as a form of getting through it. It’s a love story basically."

This quote came from Chris Martin when describing Coldplay's upcoming album, Mylo Xyloto. Those of you who know me and follow this blog know that I'm a big Coldplay fan. When I read that quote this morning, I laughed. Then felt a few goosebumps.

I guess in many ways, that quote can sum up most great stories that involve a man and a woman.

I hope and plan and expect to be sharing more about this little story in the future. But first I need to finish this sweet little lullaby to my teen years entitled The Solitary Tales.

Gana

2011-09-15T23:16:00.002-05:00

I’ve spent a lifetime being lost for words.

From my grade school years trying to talk with a speech impediment, to my teen years of moving and dealing with being a shy kid, I’ve found myself silent time and time again.

I’ve learned that this is one of the main reasons I’ve written and why I continue to write. Because it’s easier to say the things I need to say—the things I wish I could have said—in hindsight. Days or weeks or months or even years later.

Some things in life are just too hard to be spoken out loud.

Sometimes the moment isn’t right. Sometimes the words are too harsh. Or too sentimental. Or too shocking.

Sometimes you’re just not strong enough, and the moment passes.

This past July, I visited my relatives down in Greer, South Carolina. I had the chance to see my 91-year-old grandmother who was suffering from dementia. She didn’t seem to recognize me, but for a brief few moments on a Sunday morning while my Aunt Becky sang to the rest of the elderly folks at the facility, I thought that Gana and me made a small connection.

I’m the only grandchild of hers who called her Gana. It was from my difficulty with speech, from not being able to say either Nanny or Grandma. Instead, she was Gana.

On this Sunday morning, with Gana looking so frail and so tiny, I just knew. I knew that I was probably not going to see her again, not in this life, not here on earth.

So when my Aunt Becky got ready to leave, I said goodbye to Gana, knowing it would probably be the last time I ever said goodbye.

My heart ached knowing that she would never see our twins, the only great grand children of hers she hadn’t personally seen. Oh she loved babies. She would have loved meeting Brianna and Mackenzie.

With a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I told Gana goodbye.

And then I thanked her. For all the things she did for me and for all of us grandchildren.

Did she hear me? I don’t know. But I do know I told it to her face-to-face, then kissed her before leaving her.

Maggie May Breazeale passed away this morning, and we all rejoice that she’s in Heaven now. I celebrate her strength and her love. I know I’m not half as strong as she was.

Life is a breath and a blink, and we’re not promised tomorrow. Because of that, I try to say everything I need to say with each passing day. But . . .

Well, it’s hard to do that.

Sometimes you don’t have the energy or the words or the courage.

So I do what I’m doing now—I write.

I write to celebrate, and to grieve, and to remember.

I write all those words I wished I could have said time and time again.

Gana is in a better place now. A place that I believe we’ll never be at a loss for words. Not anymore.

Rest in peace, Gana.

10 Things You Need To Know About Having A Girl

2011-09-14T13:23:00.003-05:00

A friend and former colleague was recently blessed with his second child and his first daughter. I came up with this top ten list to be read at his shower for fun.

10 Things You Need To Know About Having A Girl

#10. It's not too late to begin telling her that boys are evil. Not Daddys or brothers--they're special. But all other boys--MONSTERS.

#9. The mood swings start when they're about, oh, an HOUR old.

#8. Girls develop faster than boys. So it won't take long before they figure out who's in charge (PS: IT'S NOT YOU!)

#7. Be careful what you dress them in. Be very careful. Because if you're not, that little girl will become Lady Gaga.

#6. Don't worry about wondering whether she's the most beautiful thing in this world. She already is.

#5. If your daughter's personality starts driving you absolutely bonkers, it might just be that she takes just after YOU

#4. Do not--I repeat DO NOT--start thinking about the teen years. This leads to drug and alcohol abuse.

#3. Yes, boys rock. But remember this: GIRLS RULE.

#2. If there is only one girl in this universe who will end up loving your quirky, crazy, insane self, it will be your daughter

#1. Treat her like a princess, and trust me--you will always be her king.

Coldplay, Rihanna, and This Thing Called Collaboration

2011-09-12T21:00:00.004-05:00

Today it was confirmed that Rihanna was going to be featured on one of the songs off Coldplay's upcoming album Mylo Xyloto. I was excited to hear this, then somewhat surprised to see some of the backlash from diehard fans.

This made me think of a quote from Jay Z on collaborating with others:

"The most important thing about collaborations is to maintain a sense of your self--you bring the best of what you do to the table and they bring the best of what they do to the table."

Now of course, I'm not a musician. But I feel I can speak as an artist on this thing called collaborating. I spent the last year collaborating with a couple of musicians on novels based on their songs and it ended up being one of the best things of my writing career.

Ten years ago, however, I would have said I'd never be "co-writer" with anybody. In fact, I clearly remember saying those words. But they were really spoken out of ignorance and pride.

This is what I believe about artists: they should grow and change. This happens naturally as they get older and as the world around them changes. Each decade defines you in a different way, from the teen years to the 20's and so on. Marriage, children, family life, triumphs and tragedies . . . all of these impact your evolution as an artist. Or they should.

One way artists can grow is to collaborate with fellow creatives.

Collaborating gives you another perspective. For those in a rock band like Coldplay, they already have four very distinct personalities and voices (not to mention producers and managers who work closely with them). But for authors like myself, I just have me and the voices in my head. Oh, we have a grand old time, but we tend to think the same way. Working with another artist helps give you other options and opinions, good and bad.

Collaborating also helps give you the freedom to not do things you might normally do, or to do the things you might normally not do.

Collaborating is also fun. Artists can be tempermental and testy, but they can also be giving and goofy and great fun (and remember--when I use the term "artist" I mean any creative person).

Those who know me know I'm a big fan of Coldplay. So they'll roll their eyes and simply think I've sipped the Chris Martin Koolaid. But want to know one reason I absolutely love this collaboration?

It's not because I like Rihanna. She's an amazing talent and I've enjoyed her music.

No, its because I've always wanted to create a character in a story who is inspired by Rihanna.

Well, it looks like Chris Martin was thinking the same way. He said this in regards to Rihanna working with them on Mylo Xyloto:

"The album is designed as a whole piece. It has boy and girl lead characters and top of our list for the girl part was Rihanna."

So speaking specifically on the Coldplay-Rihanna collaboration, I think it will be brilliant and I can't wait.

I love that Coldplay is evolving and growing. Some people will surely look at this collaboration as a way to sell records and make money (and you know folks, there's nothing wrong with that). But I think it's two creative forces partnering together to do something cool and different.

As far as collaborating in general, I can share that I've got many, many ideas for future collaborations. Jimmy Wayne and I have already come up with half a dozen story ideas that may see the light of day. I have ideas to work with other singers, bands, writers, critics, coaches, directors (and no, I'm not just saying that).

It will be fun to see which door opens next, and what interesting creation it will lead to.

Time

2011-09-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

Standing at the edge looking up and down . . . what do I see?

Living on borrowed time.

Rushed and exhausted.

Neverending.

Working for what? Working for that?

Yeah, I'm talking about this writing thing.

This is for those of you who read this blog and who follow my writing. I don't keep tab who reads this. I really don't want to care but I have to care because if I don't care I get left behind. I have to care because most everybody else doesn't.

I did not start writing to make money or build a career or (kill me now) create a brand. I started writing because I needed to write.

I've done it long enough in a certain way and enough is enough.

I'm ending the madness and starting anew. I really am.

I'm not going to tell you why and how and when and what because that tells you too much. One of these days, I won't even be writing on this blog. I'll just be writing and letting my writing speak for itself. Whether I have releases coming out every few months or few years or never.

Our twins turned one on September 3 and I realized that my entire freaking world shifted when they were born. It was still about me before I saw their precious little faces but no more. Things have changed inside of me in ways I don't want to share. I'm not exactly sure if I could share them. I just know that I'm a different man than I was a year ago.

In regards to this writing thing . . . well, I've been at a crossroads for a while. I'm still at the crossroads. It's not just because I'm one of the many authors trying to break through. It's not just that. It's many things.

I look at the results.

Then I look at the expectations.

I look at the possibilities.

Then I look at the realizations.

I stand looking up and looking down and wondering which way to go.

I no longer want to write for me. I no longer need to write for me. For better or probably for worse, I've gotten that out of my system. 40 was the novel that did that. But it's not just that. It's not just the twins. It's other stuff that is none of your business.

So why are you blogging about it then Travis, huh?

Because I know there are those of you who care about what I do. I know because you've told me.

I share this because I feel like I'm on the verge of something spectacular. When I say that, I don't think of dollar signs or bestseller lists. I think of stories. I have worked my tail off these past four years on these stories in my head.

I'm ready to start writing for you.

That's not some marketing phrase some self-absorbed novelist says to sound deep and touching. Oh, I'm self-absorbed, trust me. But I'm serious.

I'm done with analyzing myself. I'm over myself.

There are bigger stories left to tell and I'm ready to tell them.

It's time to prove to the publishers and the world that I can succeed doing this thing I'm doing.

Then again, I might not have the time or the energy to do what I want to do.

There are days when I think I'm tapped out. I give a chunk of my heart and soul to these stories and get a whole world full of ambivilence.

Who's to blame? I blame myself because ultimately, a story needs to stand on its own.

I don't know how much time I have left. How many stories I'm able to tell. How long I can do this.

But I will share this after today's planning.

My plans are more outrageous than they were four or eight or ten years ago. I have better stories and better abilities and better drive than I've ever had. I feel like everything is clicking and I just need time in order to succeed.

Time.

We're not promised tomorrow, right?

And my number one priority is this family full of pink. These ladies who trust on me.

I've told enough stories so if I simply tell a few more and that's it, oh well.

No, that's crap. It's not oh well. I'm always going to be writing.

And I'm telling you this. If you've reached this end of this rambling slightly sickening blog that I'll probably delete like many others of this sort, I'll share a secret with you.

Watch out.

Seriously.

The fog has lifted and it's time to seriously get to work.

The maps are in place.

The names and the faces are right there waiting to be used.

The stories are simply waiting.

I just pray that I'll have time to tell them.

Only God can answer that one.

Writer Reality Show!

2011-09-07T21:40:00.006-05:00

So do you have what it takes to be America's next great novelist? Are you a midlist author with dwindling sales numbers? Or someone who's never managed to break the publishing barrier? Perhaps you've always been told you're an amazing writer by your friends and relatives.

"Stephen King's The Write Stuff" is a show for you.

This is a new reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which writers published and unpublished will compete against each other in literary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional editors and critics and other notables from the publishing industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode. (The show is produced by Magical Elves Productions, the same company that created Top Chef and Project Runway.)

The host, of course, is the lovable Stephen King. Our 12 contestants will engage in various writing challenges meant to show diversity and ability. The winner of "The Write Stuff" will receive a multi-book contract by a prominent New York publisher along with $100,000 advance.

While this show is absolutely imaginary and conceived while tweeting with other fellow novelists and twitterers on a weekday night, there is a caveat if Magical Elves Productions or someone else decides to go with the show: Travis Thrasher must be one of the contestants, and a year's worth of diapers must be added to the final prize (since he'll definitely win).

The Blur

2011-09-05T20:50:00.003-05:00

Most of the stuff I post on Twitter is not worthy of ever being quoted or reprinted. I'm either sharing something about our three girls or joking around with Jimmy Wayne.

I did share something that I thought was worthy of putting in this blog. It's a quote about being an artist:

There are seasons in an artist's life & journey that can only be seen in hindsight and can probably only be appreciated by others.

My season the last few years has been blurry. Days and nights that have been some kind of strange, literary Groundhog Day. I count my blessings for having been in this season. But it's hard to evaluate this season because I'm still in it.

If God grants me more seasons, I think I'll be able to appreciate and evaluate these days and the work that I've done in them. For now, I'll continue at the work at hand, taking each day at a time.

And tweeting some nonsense along the way.

Happy First Birthday, Brianna and Mackenzie!

2011-09-03T19:47:00.004-05:00

Many words could be said about our twins turning one today. So many things could be said about the past year. What a year.

I'm thankful that Brianna and Mackenzie came into our lives. It's been a wild year.

I wondered how I could love two more girls as much as I love Kylie. But I don't wonder about that anymore.

A heart can indeed grow.

"The Stories That Stayed With You"

2011-09-02T13:29:00.001-05:00

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."--Sam in Lord of the Rings

On Finishing Temptation

2011-08-27T15:33:00.002-05:00

I've never done a series before The Solitary Tales.

That’s not an excuse or an apology but a fact.

A few years ago after that failed booksigning where I showed up to a Barnes & Noble in Greenville, South Carolina for a booksigning we’d scheduled only to find someone else signing, as I sat having chips and salsa and a margarita at the Mexican restaurant next door, an idea was born. I thought of being in the Carolinas and thought of my teen years. I came up with the idea to do a four-book series combining a teen love story with a creepy supernatural tale.

The four-book series began to take shape over the next year. I knew how I wanted to end book one early on. Nobody’s going to go for that, I thought with excitement (story of my 11-year-career). I began to outline the story of Chris Buckley moving to Solitary, North Carolina.

When I pitched it to the publishers, I had a fairly decent overview of the story. Book one was plotted out and stayed the same. The following books were less detailed, especially the final book, but the whole gist of the series was described.

Now that I’m closing in on the end of book three (with one week left to go for the writing), I find the story has grown and evolved and become better than I thought it would be. It’s deeper, with a rich backstory and many characters with their own unique things going on. Each book following the first one has surprised me. I didn’t plan on meeting characters like Jared or Iris from book two. Or . . . well, the new characters in book three.

I especially didn’t see book three coming. Not the story itself but the whole vibe and feel of book three. It’s a bit of a risk, in some ways. But then again, it’s not like I have millions of readers I’m going to let down. Those who have decided to venture to Solitary with me . . . well, I have a feeling they’re going to like Temptation. For some it might even be their favorite.

It’s exciting to build something and keep building with subsequent books. Chris Buckley is really a unique character. First and foremost he is a teenager, and because of that he ends up making dumb decisions. He’s impulsive and sarcastic and heroic and stupid. I’ve really come to love him.

If you’re wondering about all those questions, I can tell you this. A boatload of them are answered in book three. Answering questions isn’t always a good thing. The guys at Lost found that out. Sometimes, the mystery itself is a beautiful thing. But I’ve said all along I know the answers to everything. Chris is going to be told many of them. He himself doesn’t know what to do with them. Some of them leave him scratching his head thinking really? I’m sure some readers will do the same.

The main thing I hope for is not that the answers satisfy (I hope that too, of course). The main thing I want is that Chris Buckley’s reaction to everything is believable and authentic. I want the story to constantly remain grounded in his emotions and fears and surprises. If readers believe Chris, and root for Chris, then hopefully they’ll be willing to make it to the end.

We’ll see. At this point, I’m trying my best and ending book three with a few big surprises. I’ve written the last scene already, and it brought me to tears. Hopefully it’ll do the same for others. But I’m not worrying about reactions from readers. I’m going to finish telling this story the only way I know how to.

I for one can’t wait to see how the series ends. I know how it will, but then again, I don’t.

That’s why I love writing.

For Solitary fans, I hope you love the writing too.

Making Mud Pies

2011-08-26T15:07:00.002-05:00

This is what writing to me is all about. Taking the messy stuff of life and trying in some way to make something out of it.

Answering A Reader's Questions

2011-08-24T15:34:00.002-05:00

I recently received a reader email asking me quite a few questions about books one and two in The Solitary Tales. I asked her if I could share the questions and answers on my blog, and she said yes.

So hopefully this will answer some of the questions about Solitary and Gravestone!

(And one obvious note--there are spoilers below in case you haven't read the books!)

1) Is Solitary even a real place?

It's definitely made up but I've based it off a couple of different small towns in North Carolina. Mostly due to appearances and not due to anything bad happening in them.

2) Why (Why, Why, Why) is that place, the place between dreams and reality even concocted in Gravestone?! I know in the end it''s kind of critical because it leads to a big change in Chris'' life, but it does get sort of annoying while he''s visiting Jocelyn. I mean, it just makes him go even more in some sorts of denial.

This is an excellent question. I can't answer it now, but I will say that the answer will come. And the answer is very important, too.

3) Is it like... an important turning page in Gravestone that Chris and Poe kiss?

Chris was as surprised as you might have been that he was kissing Poe.

4)Jared''s really...freaky. I never understood him. Is his character just to be a distraction to Chris or something, or to help himself get out of his own situation? Or just to get rid of Chris?! Oh my gosh.

There is a distinct reason why Jared suddenly came into Chris's life. We will know more about that later in books #3 and #4.

Now I have some comments (and questions yet mixed in):
1) I found both Solitary and Gravestone to be good books. Yet, when I started reading Gravestone, something was different.Gravestone has a darker feel to it, it''s more...odd. Solitary is a bit lighter. Is this maybe because Chris hadn''t had to deal with Jocelyn''s death yet?

I'm glad you noticed this. Gravestone was meant to be darker. Solitary introduces Chris to this strange, creepy world, but in that world there is a sweet romance happening. Of course, we reach the shocking end, plunging us into book two.

Book three, Temptation, will shift gears a bit. I hope book four, Hurt, does too. I want each book to have its own color and vibe to it.

2) I found Iris to be quite the character. An old lady, yet quite truthful and eye-opening. Does she ever come back? (I forgot if she died or not.)

We don't know if she died or not at the end of book two. You will find out that answer by the end of the series.

3) Why is it titled Gravestone? It''s not like Chris visits Jocelyn''s gravestone or something.

Ah, but what about that church in the woods? The one with the gravestone inside the church? With the french quote???

4) The random bluebird on the back. There is something about that bluebird.

That bluebird could be the key to the entire series. Or maybe not.

5)What is up with Pastor Freaky? He''s got a motive, and, obviously, it''s not good. All in all, it is kinda freaky that he didn''t die. Make that very freaky.

I think it would be cool to have a little more backstory on Pastor Freaky, don't you? Hmmmm. He's going to surprise people with his story.

6) There''s a reason for Poe moving at the end of the book. Is that because she was talking about "escaping once and for all" when she was talking to Chris about keeping him around a little longer?

She doesn't have an option of staying or leaving. So once again Chris loses someone dear to him. Yes, there are big picture and small picture reasons for Poe leaving.

So okay--that didn't really answer that many of your questions. But I promise those questions will eventually be answered. There is a reason Chris is experiencing all of these crazy things. Book three is going to answer A LOT. I promise you.

Thanks for reading!!

The Promise Remains--Official Playlist

2011-08-22T23:04:00.002-05:00

I've been listening to soundtracks tonight and felt it was a good time to share the official playlist for my first novel, The Promise Remains.

1. "Rose" by James Horner from Titanic soundtrack

2. "Cantus - Song Of Tears" by Adiemus from Adiemus II: Cantata Mundi

3. "Voice Of God" by Thomas Newman from The Horse Whisperer soundtrack

4. "Theresa & Garret" by Gabriel Yared from Message In A Bottle soundtrack

5. "We Have All The Time In The World" by John Barry from Moviola

6. "Evening Falls" by Enya from Watermark

7. "This Love" by Craig Armstrong from The Space Between Us

8. "The Very Act Of Being" by Thomas Newman from The Horse Whisperer soundtrack

9. "Spreading Wings" by Gabriel Yared from City Of Angels soundtrack

10. "Upwind" by Thomas Newman from Up Close And Personal soundtrack

11. "Message In A Bottle" by Gabriel Yared from Message In A Bottle soundtrack

12. "The Heartlands" by John Barry from The Beyondness of Things

13. "An Ocean Of Memories" by James Horner from Titanic

14. "Grace" by Thomas Newman from The Horse Whisperer soundtrack

15. "Cantus - Song Of The Odyssey" by Adiemus from Adiemus II: Cantata Mundi

16. "Portraits/Pond" by Thomas Newman from How To Make An American Quilt soundtrack

17. "Dear Catherine" by Gabriel Yared from Message In A Bottle soundtrack

NOTE: This short novel was first written in January, 1998, and reflects some of the recent movies around this time.

Outside The Tower

2011-08-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

Catalog Copy For TEMPTATION (Solitary Tales #3)

2011-08-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

Temptation is the third book in The Solitary Tales. It will be released April 1, 2012. Here's the short catalog copy for it:

The third book in the Solitary Tales series for young adults, Temptation follows the soul-wrenching twists of Chris Buckley’s journey as he heads deeper into a darkness that threatens all he loves best.

As a reluctant student at Harrington High’s summer school, Chris meets a fun-loving senior girl who offers a welcome diversion from Chris’s past. Soon Chris no longer searches for the truth about the town of Solitary. He no longer tries to pierce its shadows. He no longer questions his role in its mysteries. He makes a new choice: he runs. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s running the wrong way—and is very close to being beyond any choices at all.

Step #10 To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #91)

2011-08-12T14:04:00.001-05:00

So what next? What do you do after you’ve finished your novel and let it sit for a while?

In my world, I have very little time to let it sit. Usually I’m handing my novel to an editor who will start to read it and make notes. But you might not have an editor in your life. What do you do?

Start editing the book yourself.

There’s a great book called Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Browne & King. Check it out. It has some awesome suggestions.

Here are a few of my own suggestions when I go back into my novel to edit/tweak/change/delete (and I’m not going to mention the obvious, like checking spelling and grammar and all that).

--Make sure voice and style are consistent throughout the entire novel.

--Get rid of the dull parts or rewrite them.

--Apply logic and reason to your story.

--Make sure the story threads line up the way you first intended them to.

--Does the scene still move you as much reading it as it did when you wrote it?

--Are you using chapter titles and/or section/part titles to your advantage?

--Are the primary storylines divided up the way you wanted them to be?

--If this novel were to be published tomorrow, is it exactly how you’d like it to be?

Chris Martin on Mylo Xyloto

2011-08-12T09:15:00.004-05:00

Chris Martin of Coldplay recently said this when talking to Billboard magazine about their upcoming album Mylo Xyloto:

"Five albums in, everyone who likes Coldplay or doesn't like Coldplay, is kind of used to the singer, so the challenge is to try and keep it interesting for the listener. When someone's on their first album, everyone is just excited by the sound of their voice, whether it's Amy Winehouse or Adele or Bono or whoever it is, when it's a fresh voice. By the fifth album, everyone takes that bit for granted."

Step #9 To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #90)

2011-08-11T12:58:00.004-05:00

After you finish your novel, no matter what shape it's in, get away from it. At least for a short while.

Okay, so you might not be able to go to Aruba, and you might not be able to take a month or two off from working on it. But try as much as possible to create some distance from the story.

Read that novel you've been putting off. Go see movies in different genres. Go to Michigan for the weekend with the family. Get in endlessly long conversations with people about subjects that bore you. Donate your time to help out the homeless and needy.

All of those things are good. Anything is good as long as it gives you a break from your story.

For me, I tend to eat, breathe, and sleep with my story. I can't turn off the ideas and the work. This is helpful when I'm working on the actual novel, but it can be problematic afterwards. For peace of mind, it's good to unplug yourself. But it's also beneficial to the novel itself.

At some point, you're going to have someone looking at your novel. And, if you're lucky, you might end up working with an editor on your work.

The more distance you can have from it will help when it comes to receiving input and starting to dive in on the edits.

Every novelist needs an editor, and every novel needs tweaking and cutting and polishing.

If you're like me, I end up submerging myself in the story near the end. Finishing means I'm finally coming up to the surface for air.

It's good to get out of creative waters for a while and just let your brain relax.

(Side note--I haven't been the best at this step the last few years as a fulltime novelist. That's one reason I hope to be successful. Not so I can count my royalties rolling in, but so I can let my brain relax and live a little life.)

"Your book Solitary was absolutely horrid"

2011-08-10T22:06:00.002-05:00

Every now and then I like sharing a reader note. And since some are quite long, I have to share them on my blog. I thought this was a great one from Chrystina so I asked her if I could share (and beware cause there are spoilers here):

"wow, words are failing me right now cause I honestly just do not know what to say. Typically when I email an author, I introduce myself and say thanks ect. But no you had to go and shake things up. If I am being perfectly honest, your book (Solitary)was absolutely horrid. Hear me out though. It was horrid in the sense that you wrote something so ubsurd and so well written. Yet all at the same time it was revolting! I mean seriously you created a character in which you can not help but love and then you have her die. Yes I will say it again horrid and revolting!!>>>And totally perfect. Because after I got over the sense of utter shock, I realized I would have been pretty fired up if you such a book in a cliche love story ending. So thank you. I''d like to say I love where you are taking this story, but I really do not know. So please keep writing, and keep everyone guessing. I hope you will reply because I some questions . . . ."

Coldplay At Lollapalooza (aka Long Live Life)

2011-08-09T23:13:00.005-05:00

The world is broken but as the lights go down and the fireworks burst above, you feel alive and somehow whole.

The music explodes like the pure joy of some of the giants before. The four men playing might not ever mention them but they know just as the world knows. The four men known as U2. The four men known as The Beatles. Perhaps there is magic in this number four. Perhaps that is what it takes for talent and passion and hard work to translate into . . . well, love.

You’re not thinking this but deep down, the sentiment is there. You’re on your feet bouncing and waving and dancing all while being completely soaked. Your feet hurt like Heaven but that’s okay because it’s worth it.

For hours, you’ve been surrounded by kids half your age. But that’s okay. If the spirit and the soul are there, the age doesn’t matter. You’ll suffer a little more in the days to come, but that’s all right.

The guitars strum. The drums drive. The bass hums. And the singer bounces and sings and bares his soul in the only way he knows. Unabashed and lighting a fire. Wild and glowing in the dark are these big beating British hearts.

And then it comes. Of course.

The simple chords that perhaps anybody could have come up with. Right? Uh, wrong.

The woah-oh-oh-oh-oh’s of the crowd. The symphony starting along with the claps. And then—the crowd singing along.

Jerusalem bells are ringing and Roman Calvary choirs are singing.

But you? What are you doing?

You are suddenly just standing, speechless but full of emotion. Teary-eyed.

You aren’t thinking of the song or the band or the concert. You’re thinking of your firstborn daughter, almost five now but only a year and a half old when this beautiful song blessed your lives. If any song symbolizes the two of you—Daddy with his little girl—it’s this song. Long live life is what it means and that’s what it will always mean to you.

You think of Kylie and you miss her dancing to this song. Loving this song. Not knowing who the band are and not caring. But just dancing and loving life and loving her Daddy. Her broken and many-times bewildered Daddy. But the one who will always love her.

Music is the sound of memories. You wrote that somewhere, right?

Tonight, you think of that toddler dancing on your lap and in your arms to this song. And you know that it’s more than music. It’s more than a simple melody. It’s more than headlines and publicity and showmanship. It’s even more than Brian Eno (and that is something).

Sometimes, a tune can symbolize a summer or a season. And this is one of those songs.

More tunes come tonight, of course, and each one from the past has its meaning. Most bands would be lucky to craft one of those. Or a few. But a select few artists craft album after album of them.

You jump and clap and dance with the crowd. Yesterday has evaporated and tomorrow is still too many blinks away. Tonight is here and your age and your place and your legacy aren’t weighing on you like they usually do.

The lasers hover above and the music is turned up and you shut the world outside. The kids around you are dancing and so are you and it’s a wonderful thing.

Perhaps others will take for granted the joyous energy in these melodies, but you don’t. You envy that joy. Because that’s what the world needs now. Not tomorrow but now. It’s needs a bit of energy and hope. And songs evoke that, in short but brilliant ways.

You applaud in a voice lost long and then head back home with the masses. The music and the memories are entwined. But for now, you’re ready to head back home to those three little girls who don’t know too many melodies just yet.

But they will.

And one day, maybe, hopefully, they’ll see the same blinking lights and the same rocking lads and hear the same songs that Daddy knows by heart. And they’ll dance and laugh beside him, thinking he’s a fool to be dancing at his age, but loving every single minute of it.

Step 8 To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #89)

2011-08-09T11:27:00.003-05:00

Finishing a novel is always a rush.

I’m not talking about being in a rush. I’m talking about the physical sensation.

For me, it’s always been this way.

Writing a novel is a marathon. You make progress bit by bit, day by day, session by session. But near the end, usually the story is coming together and the secrets have been revealed and the plot can’t help but keep going.

That’s when I just let it all go.

I try not to overthink.

I try not to overdo it.

I simply try to tie up the loose strings and move myself. Usually there’s a climax and a character is learning something or going through something.

I try to move myself in the final pages of the novel.

I know that I can always go back and toss stuff out or tweak or edit. But the main thing is keeping the momentum.

The writing is always easier and more enjoyable. Not simply because I know the story is ending. Many times I don’t want the story to end. But it must. The characters must go through their final bit of turmoil and reach the end of their journey.

It can certainly be a rush.

Many times as I’m writing final pages, I’m getting emotional and teary-eyed.

But that’s a good sign.

I don’t know any other way to finish a novel then to use up every last bit of energy and emotion I have.

Just get it out and give it your all and eventually type that final sentence.

Today Just Say

2011-08-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

Reversing Course

2011-08-04T11:32:00.003-05:00

You’re not done by a longshot. But you’re done doing things in this capacity and in this way.

The system's broken and you’re not gonna fix it anytime soon.

You’ve tried and tried again. Knocking and waiting. Knocking and wondering. Two doors down a door opens. You go in and hear three more shut.

Revolving doors and locks without keys.

This has been your training ground.

First you learned about the craft. Then you tried out the craft.

The time for experimenting is over.

The time for living this way is over.

You know longer wonder. You know.

You used to be fearless in working but always carried doubts deep down about the work.

Now you know and can walk through a brand new door without fear.

If that byline never comes again you’re okay.

If that rectangular object never gets placed by your front door again, it’s fine.

The stories have only magnified. They’re not about you anymore. You’ve gotten the rubbish out of your system and you’re a little older and a tiny bit wiser.

It’s time to keep going but in another direction.

It’s time to stop juggling colored balls in a color-blind world.

Take a breath and look over at the edge. It’s not that scary even if you’re afraid of heights.

It’s time to let go.

But letting go does not mean taking it easy, or giving up, or pausing or stopping.

But it does mean to stop worrying.

The words will always be there. And you know something.

There will be more.

Hopefully—God willing—many, many more.

40-Year-Old Ridley Scott

2011-08-02T20:58:00.004-05:00

Ridley Scott was forty years old when he was given a movie to direct. It would only be his second feature film made but it would prove to be a pretty monumental one. Alien came out a year later in 1979 and remains one of the best films ever made.

Since then, Ridley Scott has gone on to become one of Hollywood's most prolific and powerful directors. Not all of his movies have been masterpieces like Alien, but then again, several have (Blade Runner and Gladiator to name two).

Ridley is currently filming Prometheus which is another science fiction film that is somehow indirectly related to Alien. It is scheduled to be released in 2012.

I share this because that very young man pictured above was around the same age I am. He had spent a long time making television commercials that surely helped him as he graduated to making feature films. He had no idea the movie he was filming about people trapped on a spaceship being killed one by one by an alien would end up being considered one of the greatest movies ever made.

I still yearn to take a step up and "graduate" to something bigger and better. And I don't mean bigger and better sales. I mean in terms of quality and skill. I am in no way putting myself on any kind of same level as the brilliant Ridley Scott. Yet I can compare, since he's still first and foremost a storyteller. I'm still learning, still so far behind, still struggling and striving.

But the dream has been and always will be to grow and become better. And to one day create my Alien.

Step 7 To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #88)

2011-08-02T13:05:00.004-05:00

It's easy when you're writing a novel, especially when you're nearing the end, to not be able to see the forest for the trees.

That cliche is used time and time again because a novel is dense and can become unwieldy at times.

Every now and then, step away to reassess your work in progress.

Stop writing so you can reread your story. Think about the story map and the characters. Remember why you started writing it in the first place.

Tweak and revise. Don't be afraid of deleting a whole page or even a whole chapter.

Connect the dots. Make sure plot points converge and make sense.

Study the characters and make sure they're being as effective as you'd like them to be.

Think about the structure and the pace. Does it work for you? Will it work for a reader?

This is a step I don't always take enough time to do--to get off the horse and stop the journey and reflect for a moment. Usually I'm so busy writing and meeting a deadline that I can't do this as often as I'd like.

Get out of the shade of the trees and go stand up on a hill to look down at the forest. You'll often be surprised at what you'll see.

Endorsement For Paper Angels

2011-07-31T21:20:00.001-05:00

(Wow--humbled to read this endorsement tonight on Amazon!)

“Paper Angels captures the true essence of The Salvation Army Angel Tree program and the true spirit of Christmas which is sharing and caring. I am pleased to recommend it to everyone as an inspirational story, for parents to not only share with their children but also to create a Christmas tradition for years to come.”
—Lt. Col. Charles White, Salvation Army Officer and Founder of the Angel Tree program

Inspirations . . .

2011-07-29T15:36:00.001-05:00

Journeying into the unknown . . .

One step closer.

KEEP GOING! Step Six To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #87)

2011-07-28T21:56:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the words on the screen or paper look like Egyptian hieroglyphics. Or passages written in Latin.

Sometimes you have nothing to give, no emotion to share, no excitement to type up and send out.

Somedays that sensational, sky-rocketing feeling deep inside of your soul is gone. And you’re left to write uninspired horseshit.

Sometimes your head hurts from being up at 1:13 a.m. and 2:34 a.m and 4:32 a.m. the night before because of those wonderful little princesses that should be sleeping in their twin cribs.

Sometimes there’s a scene or a setting that just feels plain old stupid.

Sometimes something somebody said sticks in your mind. A negative review. The lackluster sales. The bill collector asking about an overdue bill.

Sometimes you wonder what you’re thinking doing writing acting feigning posing.

Somedays you slog through sucking and stinking and then you stare at the prose and know it reeks.

Sometimes you want to stop and take a break or at least slow down.

Sometimes the story seems simply lame. Just like you.

The difference here is that this—all of THIS wonderfully spiralling nonsense —does not stop you.

You are stubborn.

You are thick-headed.

You are strong-willed.

You can suck it up and bite down and keep the words coming.

You know that this is just a second, a moment, a phase of a bad day, an echo of a bad song gone astray. You know that tomorrow will be something better and newer and far more exciting.

Tomorrow you might write the best batch of your entire freaking life.

So you keep on. Midstream and midstory.

THIS is what separates you from so many.

Some have raw, oozing, awesome talent.

But you, dear sad sap of a soul, you have strength of spirit.

You have determination.

You keep going until you see the finish line.

Bad days and all.

Step Five To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #86)

2011-07-27T13:55:00.002-05:00

Create a routine for your writing and be consistent with that routine.

Do whatever works for you, but make sure you do it!

I've told this story before, but I tried getting up to write before I went off to my full-time job when I worked at a publisher. I'd be falling asleep at my desk at 5:30 in the morning. That routine didn't work for me. But grabbing a lunch break or two during the week worked as well as occasionally writing late at night.

Know what works and doesn't work for you. But be consistent.

The more you hold to your routine, the more you'll see your writing project grow. You don't have to cram 10,000 words into a writing session. Be slow and steady. But be consistent.

The more you write, the more you'll want to write. I really mean that. It doesn't mean you won't have bad days or times when the words aren't coming. But it will mean that you'll miss it when you're not writing.

Bit by bit. That's how you write a novel. Little by little.

I'm not sure if I buy the saying "Slow and steady wins the race." But I do believe that slow and steady can result in a finished novel.

Slow, steady, and (did I say this already?) consistent.

Every Breath You Take--Official Playlist

2011-07-26T22:30:00.004-05:00

Playlists remind of these stories of mine I wrote. I poured every bit of my heart into this heart. But that doesn't always mean something is going to be a bonafide blockbuster, huh? Doesn't matter. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to write this story.

Here's the official playlist because I had several as I was writing this story. If I could only make one cd, this would be it for this little love story.

(Thanks for asking, Meggs . . .)

#1. "Clair de lune" (from Suite Bergamasque) by Leon Fleisher off Two Hands

#2. "Life In Technicolor" by Coldplay off the magnificent Viva la Vida

#3. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police off Ghost in the Machine

#4. "Sparks" by Coldplay off the transcendent Parachutes

#5. "Big Sky" by Annie Lennox off Songs of Mass Destruction

#6. "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel off The Best Of Simon & Garfunkel

#7. "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac off Rumours

#8. "Fragile" by Sting off Fields Of Gold: The Best Of Sting 1984-1994

#9. "The Scientist" by Coldplay off the one that started it all for me A Rush Of Blood To The Head

#10. "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley off Grace

#11. "One" by U2 off Achtung Baby

#12. "La petite fille de la mer" by Vangelis off L'Apocalypse Des Animaux Soundtrack

#13. "It Comes And It Goes" by Dido off Safe Trip Home

#14. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police off Synchronicity

#15. "Claire De Lune" by Philadelphia Orchestra off Ocean's 11

#16. "Death and All His Friends" by Coldplay off the healing and glorious Viva la Vida

Top 100: #70

2011-07-26T22:22:00.003-05:00

One of the most beautiful songs I can think of. For my top 100 list that I still have yet to post on my blog. I have all the songs in my book 40.

"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

I took my love and I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Til the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Mmm Mmm... I don't know... Mmm Mmm... Mmm Mmm...

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

So...

I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I, I´ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too...
I'm getting older too...

So, take this love, take it down
Oh if you climb a mountain and you turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring you down, down

And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe... The landslide will bring you down
Well well... the landslide will bring you down

Review of GRAVESTONE

2011-07-25T13:08:00.002-05:00

I'm very fortunate to continue to receive nice reviews on my books. I HAD to share this one I just read for The Solitary Tales #2: Gravestone. It refers to two of my favorite stories by one of my favorite authors as well as referring to my favorite television show of all times.

Wait a minute . . . is this "Charles Evans" really just my wife or one of my friends posing as a reviewer?? (He's a Top 100 reviewer and this is his real name, so I don't think that's the case!)

Here's the review. Thank you, Charles Evans!

"In some ways "Gravestone" is like the TV show Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season where every character is an enigma and every answer opens up two more questions. At time the TV show and this book can be quite maddening and you get to the point where you want to yell-out in frustration. The difference is that "Gravestone" is able to keep the loose ends in order allowing it to progress with the tale.

Solitary: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series) is the first novel in the Solitary series and it has a define beginning middle and end. However, "Gravestone" makes no apologies as it clearly serves as a bridge between "Solitary" and the next installment Temptation: A Novel (Solitary Tales Series). Despite being virtual literary bridge "Gravestone" is a darker (and ultimately better) than its predecessor. It is tough to explain how a YA Christian mystery novel could have the same level of gloom and dread as Salem's Lot and The Mist (Previously Published as a Novella in 'Skeleton Crew') but it matches both of them. It really is a surprising novel on many accounts - not only is scary, but it also captures teenage angst and the nature of being an outcast and a rebel.

One thing that sets the Solitary apart from other books in the suspense/mystery genre is that for all of its evil and scary imagery it a very clean novel. While I wouldn't recommend it to kids under 13 (especially if they are nightmare prone) it avoids using profanity or other cheap tricks to try and create an authentic feel.

Final Verdict, while "Gravestone" may not be appropriate for every teenager it will likely be popular series if people see it for what it is (a very dark and terrifying story) and not as a YA Christian novel. Trust me - "Gravestone" is a novel that would make Stephen King very proud.

The Times They Are A Changin

2011-07-25T12:42:00.002-05:00

Ten thoughts from one writer & book lover as I visited my Barnes & Noble bookstore this weekend:

#1: I noticed something new. A huge space (several rows) devoted to selling toys for children of all ages.

#2. I almost bought a toy for full price since I had our twins in their stroller and one of them was getting fussy.

#3. Almost bought Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion because of the premise and the reviews I've heard. Almost but didn't. Why? Because I thought I might enjoy it more on my Kindle. (Not lying either)

#4. Noticed that Cormac McCarthy's books had been repackaged. I have four of his books I still have to read (not his most famous--those I've loved). For some reason, I can't see reading him on Kindle. Why?

#5. People either really LOVE it or HATE IT when you have a double stroller with twins. At least ours isn't a double wide. It's still narrow like other strollers.

#6. I typically don't even bother checking to see if a store has my books, but the Geneva B&N bookstore is my home base, so they always have a bunch. But they moved the Religious/Inspirational Fiction row somewhere because of the toys, so I never got a chance to see how many they had.

#7. Barnes & Noble sells a lot of gift items for writers and books lovers, like journals and cards and pens and such. I guess I never noticed how much of that stuff they carried.

#8. Cheerios always help a fussy baby.

#9. I eventually left without purchasing anything. Once I got moving on the sidewalk on the humid Sunday, both babies went to sleep.

#10. On our way home from the store, I saw someone on the side of the road waving a 40% off sale sign. For what store? Borders.

Times are a changin', not just for this guy who used to go into the bookstore by himself and always leave with a pile of stuff, but also for those bookstores as well.

If You Like Coldplay . . .

2011-07-24T09:29:00.003-05:00

Then chance are good you'll like my 2009 novel Every Breath You Take. I've written about it a lot on this blog. It's a love letter to our eldest daughter. But in many ways, it's a love letter to Coldplay too.

Right now it's available on my website for $9.99 or on kindle for .99 cents. It's a sweet love story with a supernatural twist.

I encourage Coldplay fans to give it a try.

Step #4 To Writing A Novel (Writing Tip #85)

2011-07-21T12:56:00.003-05:00

The fourth step I take when writing a novel is probably one of the biggest areas where I differ from other novelists.

At the start of the actual writing process, I always try to do something different. I break the story down then try and figure out the best way to tell it. My goal is to do something unique with each particular story, something I haven't done before.

For many novelists, especially when something has worked before, they stick to what they know best. I'm not just referring to genre but rather style and format. For some novelists, the biggest change in their writing style might be switching point-of-view from third person to first person.

Yawn.

I'll share some examples from my work to illustrate what I'm getting at.

This started when I began writing The Watermark, my second novel published. I could have replicated what I did in my first novel, The Promise Remains. Tell the story about a guy and a girl who fall in love. But I didn't really want to tell that story again. I wanted to tell a story about a man who regains hope. So I wrapped it up in the guise of a love story, but I kept the beating heart of the story a secret from the reader. Since it was written in first person, I was able to do that.

Most love stories end with the couple getting together (or tragically not getting together). But The Watermark ended with our hero having regained hope thanks in part to this wonderful woman he'd met. He was heading toward her, but we never saw the two reuniting. Because that wasn't what I set out to write in that novel.

For The Second Thief, I built an entire story around a Twilight Zone-esque ending. For Three Roads Home, I built an entire book around three similar-themed stories.

When it came time to work on Gun Lake, I really got ambitious. A bit too ambitious, I learned in hindsight. I decided to have eight character viewpoints. EIGHT! (I just had to pull the book to count how many.) That was a bit too much to try and pull off, but I went for it.

For the next book, Admission, I broke up the narrative by an eleven-year gap. So you basically had two stories going back and forth, tied up at the end.

Blinded . . . well, the big thing I did different was in fact the point of view. But I get some points because it's second person POV, something very few novelists attempt.

Each time I start a new work, I deliberately think of a new and different way of telling the story. I'm not just trying to experiment. I'm attempting to challenge myself in a creative way. I don't want to simply press the REPEAT button and tell another story in the same old way.

Many of you who are reading this might have never finished a novel. So my encouragement is to worry more about finishing and worry less about how you do it. But I believe it's good to think through a unique way of telling a story. Sometimes that can also be the entire hook of the story. Yes, but the narrator of this story is the family's pet hampster!! You might be on to something brilliant. Or you might biting off more than you can chew, like I did in Gun Lake.

Are you dying to write your story? Do you have your map in hand and your characters sketched out? Then think and play around with how to tell that story. Tinker around with the story map. Be creative with the characters.

Try things out. Many times I'll attempt something, then chuck it and start over again. That's one of the many ways you learn.