Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

Here is an evergreen list of a few things I’ve learned about self-publishing. By the way…there’ll be more books coming out later this fall! -         When plotting a story, really nail down the 5 milestones.       -           The M.C. must be active. Readers hate passivity. -           The M.C. should have some personal issues/struggles to deal with. -           Always have a punchable villain. Even if the villain is a concept or a horrible disaster. -           Write it all out. As quickly as possible. Your brain’s storytelling, when let loose, is far superior if allowed to go with the flow. Only edit after you are finished. The first time I started a novel I made the mistake of editing all my previous day’s work the next morning. Disaster! I essentially had to go ba...

I need to clear the air on something, as well as issue an official apology.  In March of 2022, I released my first book, Disconnected: The Broken Path . The launch went well, and I even released a sequel later in the year, Escape to the Wild . Unfortunately, I got more than a little ahead of myself. At the time, in my new-author enthusiasm, I started calling out author J.K. Rowling. On a since-deleted post on Facebook I stated: "Who is this J.K. Rowling guy? You think you're pretty good? I'm taking you down!" I then added a picture of the current book rankings of the day (where, admittedly, my book was outselling J.K. Rowling's books). I thought nothing of it until I was served notice of potential legal action earlier this year. It turns out that:           A) J.K. Rowling is not a male, but a female.          B) J.K. Rowling is not amused when women claim to be men, and vice versa.         ...

 

One year ago, on the feast of St. Joseph, I hit publish on my first book. What a thrill that was! And what a ride it's been. Since then I've learned more than I ever thought possible, which is to say, I've probably learned 1% of what there is to know about book writing and publishing. A few takeaways:      - Writing a book is harder than it looks.       - Writing a book is one of the most enjoyable things I know.       - The formatting/cover aspect is like slamming your head against the wall until you pass out. But when you do finally come back to sanity...you slam your head against the wall again until you pass out.      - Selling a book is the hardest thing to do on the face of the planet.      - Local is best.      - It's all addicting. When July rolled around and I finally had more free time, I jumped into writing a second book. The entire process repeated. More time to immerse myself...

The moment has finally arrived. It's out there. Yes, my latest book just went live on Amazon. I'm excited for Escape to the Wild. The adventure has been amped up. So too the humour and action. It's Count of Monte Cristo meets Hatchet meets Ma and Pa Kettle meets... Ok, enough chatting. Please consider purchasing a copy (and leaving a stunning review!). Even downloading an e-copy (just 99 cents this week) would be fantastic. Thank you all for the tremendous support! It means the world to me. Some helpful links: Canadian Paperback: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052533 Canadian eBook: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BJW14M7T American Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052533 American eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJW14M7T

Escape to the Wild Ages 10 and Up. 166 pages. Available on Amazon, mid October, 2022. Influences: Wendell Berry, Wilson Rawls, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gary Paulsen, Alexandre Dumas, Ma and Pa Kettle.   The process of writing a book is difficult to explain. I've heard author's use analogies such as "giving birth" to a book. This "bears" some truth. Being pregnant for nine months is difficult, or so I see. When the baby is born, there is much joy. And yet...the work, difficult as it has been for nine months, is really just beginning. There are many blessings and sorrows that follow. It is charming. It is chaos. It is sweet. It is stressful. Let's be honest, babies are louder on the outside versus the inside. And then, when life seems to settle down, guess what? Another baby is on the way. If you can overlook the weirdness of where this analogy is leading, then carry on. This is where I am at right now. I wrote my first book and "gave birth" to it in Mar...

Coming soon. The sequel to Disconnected: The Broken Path. Escape to the Wild Ages 10 and Up. 166 pages. Available on Amazon, late October/early November, 2022. Influences: Wendell Berry, Wilson Rawls, J.R.R. Tolkien, Gary Paulsen, Alexandre Dumas, Ma and Pa Kettle.   * * * Two days later Ben was out by the river, fishing with John-Paul and John-John. Little three-year-old John-Darr also tagged along.   The boys had caught a few trout an hour earlier, but as the heat of the sun beat down, the fish stopped biting. They decided to come back in the evening when the fishing would be better.   Not wanting to leave the river just yet, John-John suggested they catch crayfish instead. And so the boys rolled up their pant legs and waded out in a shallow area of the river where rocks rested and slimy weeds grew. Turning over rocks and grabbing at the crayfish soon mesmerized the boys. Laughing, they snatched at the little creatures, counting aloud who was in the lead for the most ca...

  Can you spare a quick second to give me a hand with something? July 11th or July 12th. Because... I'm running a FREE promotion for the e-book version of Disconnected: The Broken Path. So...if you can, I'd really appreciate you hopping over to Amazon and downloading an e-copy (even if you've already bought the paperback). Again, it's totally free. I don't get paid a cent either (but it does help with the Amazon algorithms leading up to Prime Days). Feel free to tell your friends/family too. Links USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VZJ2HHB Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09VZJ2HHB Thank you everyone for your continued support!

Back in the fall my wife made a passing comment to me. "I got this book from the library. Hannah Coulter. I think you might like it." Little did I know. This innocent remark has packed quite the punch. I was introduced to the world of Wendell Berry , and subsequently into Wendell Berry's fictional world of Port Williams. I haven't looked book. If you are unfamiliar with Wendell Berry's works, he is perhaps best known for his essays on preserving true farming, community, rural living, and all things common sense. However, he is also an accomplished novelist. So much so that you could swear his fictional Port Williams, and all its residents, are real.  Little did I know: Part 2. In the fall, as I was reading Wendell Berry, I wrote my first book. Disconnected: The Broken Path . It is a novel for ages 10 and up, and imagines a day when the internet crashes, and people are forced to live (or survive, I should say) in the real world.  Looking back, I see just how much ...

  “ This story came as a wonderful surprise—I was expecting a children's story (which I got), but the truths it touches on brought me to tears several times. The ending was special and beautiful.” - From a review of Disconnected: The Broken Path To purchase Disconnected: Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1778052509 USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1778052509

I write this "safely" from the welcome home of my own personal blog. No expectations to fulfill here. No wait times for publishing. No need to use every word perfectly and without a hint of waste. No worries of vitriol or going viral; of enduring fame, infamy, and everything in between. Just writing. Writing what's on my mind. Writing words... for the sake of writing words. And the word that's on my mind today as I write is disconnected . No, I don't exactly mean my book. I refer to what it truly means to be dis connected , and then  connected. Disconnected. The great doubled-meaning word. To disconnect from screens is to connect with reality. To connect to screens is to disconnect from reality. It's perfectly simple. It's perfectly impossible. You know, I've quickly found out what I hate the very most about being an author (not that I consider myself an "author"). It's the self-promotion. More specifically, it's the self-promotion on...