"The Matrix is a System - The System is our Enemy" - Morpheus

If you're a writer, you have to ask yourself at some point if you simply want to see your book in print or if you want to go the distance and get published traditionally. As Agent Smith from The Matrix says, "It is inevitable." But here in the real world, we can't slip into the Matrix or create an alternate reality!

Or can we?

With the onslaught of e-book readers and the endless websites that publish digitally (Amazon, B&N, eBook.com, Smashwords, Google ebooks, etc), it is very tempting to throw some words on the screen and ship them off to the Kindle store, hoping to not miss out on the Kindle, Nook, iPad craze. And honestly, if you're as impatient as I am, it's extra tempting to rush that book into print.

What to do in this crazy publishing environment - so many voices - so many unknowns.

Amid all the chaos, the real question is, can writers gain credibility in the new ebook marketplace, with a good format, cover, and good editing, without the agent and big Pub backing? Can we pay our dues, and build our platform successfully on our own? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm asking, because it is quite clear that the world of publishing is changing rapidly and I am very interested in how it's going to pan out for authors such as myself. Authors have to market their work on their own anyway, unless you're a proven best seller, so why not go it alone?

Historically, traditional publishing is the best way to gain credibility as an author. The problem is, it's getting harder to get a manuscript into the right agent or publisher's hands. Therefore, I'd like to propose a theory.

I believe that a well edited, self-published author can use today's ebook market to get a book deal by building a following, little by little, gaining new readers with each new book, and proving his or her ability to sell. You have to build your platform first anyway, or so it seems, so why not develop a following, slowly, until publishers and/or agents have no choice but to notice you, hoping to get a piece of the action. Think of the experience you'll gain writing and producing your work and learning the publishing business, all the while gaining fans and making more money per book! Heck, it's all about the money to the publishers anyway.

They may disregard you today...but show them the money, and guess what they'll be kissing?

Examples of self-publishers who are doing this, according to JA Konrath are: Viki Tyley, John Locke, D.B. Henson, and Steven Davison among others. Konrath has a "Top 20 Self-Published Authors" list that is filled with top 100 Kindle authors who are doing as well as or better than he is in sales. This is very encouraging for me, because honestly, I have a lot of stories that I need to get out of my head, my readers like what I write, and I want to give them more.

I'm not sure if I want to wait until Hell freezes over before I get a contract.

My thoughts are: If you have to go it alone, building your platform one fan at a time, you have to ask yourself; do I really need the publishers anyway? In the words of Trinity from the Matrix, "The answer is out there, Neo, and it's looking for you, and it will find you if you want it to."


CASE IN POINT: I wrote this post a few months ago. Since that time I have had my supernatural thriller, REUNION, edited, published with my own publishing company (Nexgate) and scheduled a 45 day blog tour. The result: REUNION is getting an incredible response from reviewers across the country.


To see those early reviews go to: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10467702-reunion

Write About Life...When it Happens.

Nothing enlivens my spirit more than when my kids do something funny or my family shares a rolling-on-the-floor-laughing experience. And that, my friends, is the perfect time to write...in the heat of the moment...immediately following the excitement...while falling from the cliff. Well, that might not be the best idea, but you get what I'm sayin'.

Available ONLY in Kindle Format

In following this rule I have to tell you about a short story I wrote based on actual events that I experienced with my family. 


Here's what happened...I took my family camping in the summer of 2010 and fully expected nice weather. However, when a dangerous storm blew in, and I mean seriously dark billowing clouds, we were ushered into a camp store cellar with the other vacationers. It was cramped and cold and my kids began asking about the other campers, wondering if they were safe - some of them were a little scary - some of them had creepy beety eyes. I couldn't resist, the story teller in me weaved the terrifying tale of The Rumblin'. 

This horrific short-story is not about murder and violence, although it certainly contains its fair share of brutality, it does underscore the fact that we all have a dark side, but also that good will reign over evil.


Here's a short blurb...In this short story, Phil Knite is so ready for a vacation, but he and his family get more of mother nature than they can handle. The rumblin, as described by the Camp Ranger, is something to be feared. However, Phil blows the strange redneck-ranger off and heads to bed. Later that night, when a wicked wind blows in from the north, Phil is forced to shack up with the rest of the campers and learns that the Ranger is more than crazy, but he was right about the rumblin...it's deadly! And so is this Stephen King style short story. With a small cast of fun loving characters, The Rumblin will leave you wondering if the strangers around you are out for blood, and if the next rumble of thunder is life threatening. The Rumblin is a great fireside, nailbiting, intensive read!

This short-story is based on actual events! It's creepy. It's Stephen King'ish. And it's a quick read. If you've got a Kindle, you can get it for ONLY .99. So be a Pal and share the love and get a copy. It's a great way to get aquainted with my writing, and to get excited about what I have up my sleeve...two great paranormal thrillers that are currently finding a publishing home, hoping to find their way into your hands.


All to say, be sure to keep a pad of paper and pencil handy so you can jot down your writing ideas and capture that literary Kodak moment when it really counts. Sometimes the best ideas come from real experiences. BOOM!

The Road to Craziville

Everyone's heard the old cliche', so much to do, so little time, right? Well it's true; we live in an overactive world where we throw so much stuff on our backs that we practically collapse by the weight of it all. This, I believe, is especially true for writers, most of which are still working their day jobs.

Imagine, working 40+ hours or more, taking care of your home, preparing meals, cutting the grass, doing dishes, doing the laundry, raising your kids, snuggling your spouse, and if you can imagine, writing a novel or string of short stories in your spare time. Does that sound overwhelming? Sound impossible? Oh just wait; it only gets better! The road to publication leads straight to crazyville. Trust me.

As busy and overcrowded as our social calenders are today, writers have to do soooo much more. Really, it's quite ridiculous what a dedicated, craft-perfecting,  publishing world understudy, platform building writer must do to not only get in print, but to actually sell a book or two. If you think writing 60,000-120,000 words every six months or once a year is a lot to add to your itinerary, get a load of this "To-Do List". The following is a run down of all the things that literary-artists must do throughout the process of not only writing a book, but getting it into print, into the beloved reader's hands. Major disclosure here: I only have one book in print and one short story in the Kindle store. However, I have written two other novels that are either under publisher consideration or in revision. Here's the list (wears me out just thinking about it):

• Create - We first have to create/dream up our idea, design characters, plot, research and finally write lots of words that make sense, are fun or thought provoking, and enjoyable to read.
• Next, writers have to go back through the entire manuscript with a fine-toothed-comb once, twice, three times or more, adding flavor and color and fill in the holes with meaningful and emotionally ingniting details.
• After, or perhaps while we add the salt and pepper, we have to self-edit, which of course is another realm all its own, one that requires much study and reading to really be a good self-editor.
• Once we are happy with our masterpiece (which is an oxymoron - we're never 100% happy with our work) we usually send the manuscript to a few trusted readers who will be cutthroatingly honest with us, so they can show us all the mistakes we missed. And then of course, we have to revise the work all over again. Do you see how tedious this is?
• Okay, so now the book is done, or so we think. With much excitement, we print it off and send it to a large publisher who is overjoyed that we have graced them with our wonderful story! Pffft! Yeah right! Don't even think about it, unless your a bestseller like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or some other celebrity. Oh, no. Regular writers have much to do before the manuscript gets into the hands of an editor or agent. Yes, we still have a long road ahead. 
• We have to write a query letter (Uh huh,whatever that is), a short and a long synopsis and we have to do lots of research just to find the right agent or publisher, only to discover that 90% of them will stamp a big red REJECT on our baby, our magnum opus, our  chef-d'œuvre! What are they thinking???
• Then hopefully, enter the "We'd like to read the full manuscript" response (And you'll be glad to know I have a book in that stage right now. Yes I'm excited.), which hopefully will lead to publication.
• But wait! There's more! Whether you publish traditionally or self-publish, you still have more editing, more revisions, book art, back blurbs to write, website building, Twittering, Facebooking, contact making, writer's confrerencing, press releasing, book signings, video making and blogging tours to do!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhh! Make it stop! Please, make it STOP!

See, I told you this was dangerous territory. And you know what's more? Most writers continue writing their next book in between all that other stuff. It's amazing really. Brings a tear to my eye everytime I think about it (mostly because writing has driven me bananas). Why do it then, you ask? Well, that's a bit complicated and most likely has a wide range of answers depending on the author. Some write for money or fame or creative/emotional release or just for the love of the story. For me, it's all of the above, not necessarily in that order. And yet...the writers of the world pursue their passion for the pen at their own peril. And if you're a reader, know this; in the words of Bryan Adams, we do it all for you. BOOM! 

Preview of TEN DEAD, a Paranormal Thriller. Chapter 1, Scene 1

I've been working on my latest paranormal thriller, Ten Dead, and wanted to give you a glimpse into what I've been up to. I'll start sending it to editors and agents within the next few weeks. Here's a glimpse of the first scene, starting from the beginning. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Ten Dead

By Jeff Bennington                                                                                                                                     

Chapter 1

Detective Rick Burns slammed on the brakes and stepped out of his rusty red Pontiac. He gazed into the crowd, took a deep breath and recalled the other murders. The heaviness, the blood, the darkness had finally pricked its sharp edge into his soul. He peered into the night and wondered, no, he feared, that this one would be like the others.

Red and blue lights enveloped his body and danced across the frightened neighbors that had gathered together, shaking and shivering. The car door let out a lingering squeak, slammed shut and he walked forward.

Rick lifted the crime scene tape, rushed past an ambulance and heard a woman whimpering. He turned his head, continued forward and studied her face with twisted brow.

“Teary and swollen,” he whispered to himself.  “Shocked at best, but not grief stricken.”

He examined her slow, careful movements as she gingerly wiped her tears. Her eyes lacked the hollow, desperately confused grief that he’d seen far too often. Lady of the house, or mistress perhaps, it mattered not, something about her seemed amiss. He pulled his notepad and pen from his jacket pocket and scribbled a few words regarding his first suspect: female caucasian, mid-fifties, pinstriped suit, stilettos, shoulder-length red hair, five-foot-eight, no blood visible, September 23, 9:30 p.m.

The detective weaved through the crowd of wealthy onlookers wrapped in lush throw blankets, Swiss satin pajamas, and lama-lined slippers. They watched and whispered. Fearful murmurs and conjectures splashed his ears amongst the waves of apprehension. He listened to their wonderings and walked on.

As he approached the home it was clear that he stood out from the other cops. Although he had a higher pay grade than the first responding officers, his running shoes, faded jeans, wrinkled t-shirt and patchwork sport coat made him look more like a down-on-his-luck-reporter than an eight-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department. But that was Rick Burns. He cared little for appearances. In his line of work, he found that appearances, more often than not, were deceiving.

He walked through the moistened grass and noticed that a second story window was open and the room illuminated. The house was a lovely Meridian Street classic with intricately stacked Bedford stone, copper gables and staggered limestone quoins. He could smell the fresh scent of glory maple and the last of the purple pansies at the base of the stamped-concrete entrance. He took one last look before entering. The elegant contours, lines, and lighting looked great from the outside. To Rick Burns, however, it appeared beautifully deceiving.

The detective opened the glass entry door, observed that the doorjamb had not been tampered with, and approached a group of officers gathered at the base of the stairway.

“Which way, fellas?” he asked.

They pointed toward the stairs. Rick noticed their disturbed behavior, arms crossed, eyes reeling in fear. Officer Nick Carmichael, the rookie, had recently vomited and was busy wiping the acidic residue from his chin.

One officer called, “Hey, Burns!”

The detective stopped. “Yeah?”

The cop shook his head. “It’s not pretty.”

Rick’s eyes jetted back and forth, observing the dread in the remaining officer’s expressions. “On a scale from one to ten; what’ve we got?” he asked.

The officer scratched his forehead. “Twelve. Maybe thirteen.” He looked directly into Rick’s eyes. Rick felt as if he were trying to warn him, offering an unspoken heads-up into the dreaded scene that awaited his inspection.

The detective looked up the stairway and imagined the grisly scene. He reached into his pants pocket and grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds and popped a handful into his mouth and sucked on the salty shells. Six dead in two years, he thought. And all on my watch. He swallowed, nearly choking on the apple sized lump in his throat.

 “Game’s on, boys.” He headed up the steps and slapped his hands together. “Time to get dirty.”

Throughout his career, he knew what to say to keep his fearless detective image intact, but the words never soothed his spirit. He took a deep breath and his heart raced in anticipation of the unknown...

I'll send out a few more excerpts to my blog followers over the next few weeks.  If you know anyone interested in this type of book, share this blog with them. Thanks and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! 

Four Great Books to Improve Your Prose!

Writing is fun and easy...Good writing takes work....a lot of work!

I’m posting this because I’m so stoked about everything I’ve learned about writing in the last year that I want to share it with you (Yes, I've been doing a lot of reading along with my writing). And if you’re a writer or want to write, you’ll want to pay attention! So, are you paying attention? Good, because what I'm about to tell you can make you a better writer, I promise.

In keeping with that promise, I have a preface, and that is...if you want to write good fiction, you have to educate yourself and study the craft of writing. Although I write suspense, I am currently reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.

 To begin with, good writing starts with reading lots of good literature and writing lots of words, but that's another post all together and it's covered in lots of other blogs, so I won't rant about writing and reading. I will, however, tell you about four books that I've read that have improved my prose ten fold (in my opinion). They are as follows: On Writing by Stephen King, Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell, Writing like the Masters by William Cane, and On Writing Horror by The Horror Writer’s Association (You don’t need to write horror to benefit from this one). These are all excellent books and I’ll tell you why. So if you write, you’ll want to get these books. I'm sure there are others and I'd like to know about them, but I read these and I think they're a great place to start.

• The first book that I read about writing was suggested to me by my first editor Jodie Renner: Revision and Self-Editing, by James Scott Bell. I hear you...revision... self-editing....how boring! Well, actually, it is not as boring as it sounds. James does a great job teaching many of the common mistakes writers make and how to clean up your manuscript all by yourself. This is a must read if you have written a manuscript that needs a little TLC or not.

• The next book on my hit list is On Writing by Stephen King. First of all...it's by Stephen King! What more is there to say? Like him or hate him, he's sold a lot of books and there are lots of good reasons why. On Writing covers much of his writing process and the things you should avoid stylistically, but the thing I loved the most about this book is hearing his story. That's right, this book is 1/3 autobiography, 2/3 education. And actually, the autobiography is an education in patience, and how the publishing business works. Very cool, especially if you're a King fan.

• Another book I recommend is Writing like the Masters by William Cane. This book is will transform the way you look at your writing. It is more or less a study of the methods and styles of all the great authors of modernity, and teaches what the masters did/do that makes/made them great. Cane covers the whole gamut of masters from Faulkner to Balzak, from Dickens to Hemingway, and Bradbury and Orwell and Melville to King. He covers every style and genre and teaches exactly what each one does/did that made/makes their writing unique. This book will teach you how to integrate their methods into your own unique voice and give you an appreciation for the classics. If you hate classic literature, you could potentially hate this book. However, if you love writing, you will learn to like the classics after reading this. I'll be the first to admit that I never heard of Balzac or Dostoevsky before I read this, but I've read them now and appreciate each one. You will too!

• Finally, I want you to know about On Writing Horror by The Horror Writer's Association. Believe it or not, this hidden jem was tucked away deep in the literary mine of my local library, but I dug it up, brushed off the dust and couldn't put it down. Don't let the title scare you! This book is anything but horrifying. It was written by over twenty top selling authors and editors and is bursting with great information and very specific techniques for improving your writing. After I return this book, I fully intend on purchasing it as a full time reference book; it's that good.

So there you have it; four great books that will make you a better writer. And if you think writing comes naturally for some of us, you may be right, but good writing takes a lot of work! BOOM!

What's Your Story?

It is my firm belief that there is a writer in each of us – a writer with a very unique story to tell. And how you tell it, is what makes you unique.

When I realized I enjoy writing enough that I should do it on a regular basis, something clicked inside me, like a cog, perfectly inline with my inner workings. It felt right, and I have since discovered how much of my story is in the stories I write. The ideas flow in and out of my mind as I live with my wife and four children. The words often come from those crazy moments when we are all packed into our Chevy Impala. You heard right. All six of us cram into an Impala (with a bench seat of course): 2 adults, 3 rapidly expanding boys and our darling little girl, who incidentally gets mercilessly squashed more often than not. Poor thing!

Sometimes, I think, “What if _________?” (fill in the blank) and off I go, musing over another idea.  If I’m lucky, the idea is entered into my black book. From there I make a few scrambled notes, and organize a general plot summary, and then I walk away (“Break the wrist and walk away” – Napoleon Dynamite. Sorry I had to add that). It’s like writing has become a third arm, second head, or some other dimensional extension of who I thought I was. The story is always on my mind. It’s always moving through me, questioning my last paragraph, my last line, my last scene of dialogue – almost as if it’s genetic. And perhaps it is. People have always been storytellers, verbally passing down histories, and ancestral narratives. I’m no different, I guess.

Today we love movies and books and magazines. Stories are what entertain us and keep our minds busy when we decide to put our feet up and look at the world from a different perspective – from the eyes of the storyteller. I think that explains why we are so interested in reality TV. We crave the story, fact, fiction, or grossly unrealistic, it doesn’t matter. The wilder the better!

Don’t feel bad, or less if you’re a reality TV junkie! I love the story too. In fact, as much as I love writing fiction, I actually prefer true stories! But for some strange reason, I love the mystical, spiritual, and paranormal realities of this world. I love writing about the spiritual angst that we all feel and wonder and worry about. What if there are ghosts? Where exactly is Heaven and Hell? How do we co-exist if these dimensional realities clash directly with our own existence? And how do our inner struggles move us closer to, or further away from God? These are all questions that are part of my story and likely part of yours.

I know first hand that writing has given me a sense of myself that I’ve never known.  What about you? Have you started your own story, or tucked your writing away? If so, I’d urge you to get back to it, for your sake and for the sake of anyone who needs that word that only you can give them – a word written from your heart, that’s meant for others to read.

Let me know about your long lost story. What’s it about? How were you inspired? What keeps you from going forward? Maybe this blog was written just for you, to encourage and inspire you. I hope so! BOOM!

Making Something From a Tintinnabulation?

Do you mean to tell me that tintinnabulation is a word, a real word? Yes it is. And I am so glad I found it in the dark recesses of my thesaurus. Here's what happened...

While shuffling through the many words that make a metallic ringing sound – the sound a stainless steel kitchen knife would make if it hit the ground, I found something very special. It started with words like ping, clang, ting, ring and ding. And then out of nowhere, this huge, double-edged word rushes me like a bull in heat and knocked me off my feet!

I saw stars. I felt dizzly. My eyes grew bigger than an alpine grizzly! And yes, God and all of his angels appeared before me holding this golden word, shining like the radiant beams of Sirius. It read…TINTINNABULATION (tin-tin-nab-u-la-tion). I shook my head and readjusted my focus. Was it true, I wondered? Is there really such a word? Could Webster actually create such an aberration? The answer was yes. But would it fit? Would it sound right? Is it too freakish to actually use in a work of fiction? These were my musings, but the angels bit their tongues. All I could do was try it out. I did. I looked. I peered. I bent closer to it and contemplated its appearance and locution. And wouldn’t you know it…it worked! (Well, at least I think so)

I even re-read an excerpt from Whispers by Dean Koontz to test the waters and found similarly striking words; not that I’m trying to imitate him; I just know he has a prodigious vocabulary. Anyway…here’s what I came up with and I hope you like it. I’ve added the previous paragraph to sort of put you in context. This is from a novel I’m currently working on. It’s tentatively titled Footprints, but I think that’s gonna change.

….He shook his head side-to-side and Anita’s head mirrored his motions, only with a greater intensity. The violent movements whipped her skull back and forth as if her deceased husband had risen from the grave to pound her flesh for another minor infraction. The rain washed over her, and she painfully cried out to Benji as her face showed signs of bruising and tearing.

Rick watched as she screamed, and noticed a stream of blood run out of her nose and across the top of her upper lip, diluted by the splashing water. Then without warning, the hand holding the knife twisted and broke upwards in a mangled deformation, severing her ligaments, ripping her flesh and crushing her metacarpals. Anita shrieked and the knife clanged with a tintinnabulation as it hit the ground….

Ahhh yeep, that’s it. That’s all I wanted to tell ya. But isn't tintinnabulation a good word? I think it's one of those words that actually sound like its meaning. Can't you hear the metal clang, ting, and ringing against the pavement when you read it? I can. And I was just so excited to share this incredible word that I stopped everything just to write this short blog entry. 

What about you? Do you have any fabulously favorite words? Let me know. BOOM!

The Story Behind the Story

Someone once said, “Every book has a story behind it,” and I believe it. I recently started a discussion thread on Amazon, asking other writers to share their story behind their book. I got a ton of responses ranging from alien abduction, and abuse to a longing to come home. They were all interesting narratives about the inspirational moment when they decided to write their book.

I’ve had many of those moments, but honestly, most of them were ideas that simply popped into my head for no good reason. However, some of my book ideas were inspired by meaningful moments in my life…and one of them was a scary moment. That’s right. It was, dare I say, a Stephen King moment that inspired me to write a grizzly short story that I published in the Kindle store.

What happened you ask? Well, I took my family camping this summer fully expecting a weekend of nice weather. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for us. After setting up camp and roasting some hotdogs, the sunny weather took a dark and windy turn. A storm blew in and we were ushered into a camp store cellar (compliments of the Park Ranger) with the other vacationers. It was cramped and cold and my kids began asking about the other campers, wondering if they were safe, which was ironic because I was wondering the same thing. At that point, I couldn't resist, the storyteller in me weaved the terrifying tale of  The Rumblin' by spontaneously creating fictional characters out of the other campers. It was a priceless moment seeing the frightened looks on my kids faces after learning that the little old lady with the poodle was packin’ heat! 

The point is, stories always come from somewhere: dreams, nightmares, experiences, questions, etc. But the real test of a writer’s gumption is his or her ability to plot and draft and organize those ideas into characters and a setting that has meaning, and an emotional impact on the reader. And that’s where creativity and a personal attachment to the book come into play. I find that the more meaningful the idea is to me, the more interested I am in taking the idea all the way to completion. For example, Killing the Giants, was inspired after hours of shop talk and debate over who is really running our country, and 20th (not yet published), was birthed because I wondered what would become of children effected by school shootings such as the Columbine massacre. And I have others – a black book full of ideas actually.

So if you ever have a good idea for a book, just send out a telepathic message and I’ll let you know what I think. Or, you could jot it down and start your own black book – a black book of dreams and nightmares and questions and… those precious moments in your life that you don’t ever want to forget. BOOM!

Producing my Platform?

Imagine writing your memoirs or teaching the world everything you know about your profession or trade in a best-selling non-fiction. Or perhaps you'd like to write an acclaimed murder mystery series. Sound good? Sure it does. I talk to lots of people who tell me that they've always wanted to write a book, and I always encourage them to go for it. But what I don't talk about is publishing's dirty little secret - the elusive author platform. So if you're going to write a book, don't leave home without it. 

What's an author platform, you ask? An author platform is the missing link that most aspiring writers lack. Joanna Penn writes in her blog, The Creative Penn, "The author platform is how you are currently reaching an audience of book-buying people, or how you plan to do so. It is your influence, your ability to sell to your market. It is your multi-faceted book marketing machine!"

Most new and aspiring authors do not have a significant platform (present company included), which is a shame because it may be the one thing that keeps most writers from getting an agented publishing deal, regardless of writing quality and creativity. It hasn't always been that way, but the publishing business is in an economical funk and isn't investing much $ in new authors right now. But as they say, it's just business.

The interesting thing is, I just recently received a letter of acceptance for my book, 20th, from a publisher  who really liked the idea and my writing style. At the same time, they declined to publish, because I do not have an author platform; zero speaking engagements, no 100,000+ twitter fans, and I don't have thousands of pre-established readers, or viral video. Ugh! What a conundrum! 

So what do I do? Well, I'm not going to spend thousands of dollars on a publicist (not yet anyway), but I have decided to work my platform and show the folks in New York City how an Indy author can rise to the occasion, even when the economy is in the tank. That's right. Starting now, I am officially on a mission; a mission to divide and conquer the far reaching expanse of the planetary platforms for self-publicized-published-authors. So watch for me in the latest headlines and seven o'clock news, because I need a platform damn it, and I'm going to get one!

Oh, and by the way (sheepishly humble), would you mind sharing this link with all of your friends and family who happen to enjoy reading and getting to know the authors they love? Be sure they know that I'm the author of  the political thriller, Killing the Giants, and two other thrillers I hope to publish soon. And if you think about it, stop by your local library and ask them to purchase my book and invite me to speak! I mean really, it's the least you can do to help the author of The Writing Bomb get that elusive publishing contract! Boom!

                                                                

By the way, Killing the Giants is available on Kindle for ONLY .99 for a short time.

A Twisty Turning Tale of the Dedicated Paperboy!

Everyone has a story, and every story has a side story. One of the side stories of my life is how I found my way into the world of writing. It’s filled with twists and turns and bike wrecks and skinned knees. Now I won’t bore you with all the gory details, but I will give you a few.

Although it’s no front-page headline by any means, my life as a writer began when I started delivering the Aurora Advocate in the Geauga Lake area of Aurora, Ohio when I was 9 or 10. I remember how much I loved wrapping the papers with rubber bands and plastic bags. It felt so official, like I had a real job. I used to zip from house to house, tossing papers on front porches, and stuffing them in those illustrious plastic newspaper boxes, and then racing away from their bloodsucking, fang-growling, killer dogs. Seriously! That was especially scary in the early morning hours of October – trust me!

Delivering papers was spine-chilling and blister-busting work, but I was so proud that I made my own money, regardless of the fact that I usually spent most of my profits long before my “bill” was due. My poor parents had to front the cash at times, like when I bought too many Now & Laters or bottles of Orange Crush and bags of Doritos. But that’s how you learn, right? Right!

Although the money came and went, I was able to upgrade my hand-me-down banana seat clunker to a shiny new BMX bike with bright yellow “Mag” rims. After purchasing my flashy new ride I moved up in the publishing world by taking on a route with the Record-Courier. Now that was a big step, because an everyday paper was a lot more work compared to a once-a-week route. Wheeehh! I couldn’t miss a beat. People have expectations you know! Back then we delivered the paper rain or shine on our bikes and had to have them delivered before suppertime. My brothers had paper routes too. It was a big part of our young lives, and we learned a lot about responsibility, and self-discipline.

Since then, I’ve moved to Indiana, graduated from Indiana University, started a family of my own, and have re-entered into the world of publishing. I published my debut novel, Killing the Giants, in 2009 with Outskirts Press and have recently completed a second novel, David Ray’s 20th, a paranormal suspense thriller. I’m currently working on a paranormal murder mystery called Footprints that will scare the entrails out of you! You can read excerpts of all my books at my website. I’m not really into gore, but I do like suspense novels and movies, whether they’re psychological thrillers, political thrillers, and paranormal or dramatic thrillers. And that’s what I like to write about too. It takes discipline, attention to detail, persistence, a bit of creativity and very thick skin, all of which sprung from my early days as a paperboy.

The point is, if you want to hire someone, hire the kid who used to deliver papers when he or she was young. I believe that wholeheartedly! And I believe those experiences molded and shaped who I became as an adult. I didn’t make a lot of mullah, but I made myself, and that’s a hard thing to recognize. What about you? How did you find out who you are? Are you still searching? Let me know by leaving a comment below. I want to know about you and who’s reading this darn blog, because we’re all in this together...right? So write! (Get it? That’s supposed to be a funny play-on-words.) BOOM!