Things Are Getting Hot This Summer

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. It's good to see you. It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for this, but those of you who know me are well familiar with the drill. I just continue to be super busy, juggling the demanding day job as well as doing all that I can to keep pushing this writing career. And, no, the title of this post does not mean I have begun penning erotic. *laughs*

My wife & I at Union Square

I swear I didn't plan to write during the summer because I can't stand the heat. Unless it's some subconscious thing, it really just worked out that way. It is true that I am hiding inside the air conditioned house and avoiding the 100-plus degree Central California summer, but it's because I'm working on the second draft of Dance on Fire 3. I should be revealing the true name of the book sometime in early fall or so. I'm fighting the urge to begin revealing teasers like synopsis and title, but I think I should wait a bit longer. The book is really beginning to come together quite nicely and should speed up very quickly in the coming months.

Riley (20) in the background, Rian (16) in the foreground.

I find myself half way through the second draft, and not changing too much in regard to plot. That's a good thing, because it means I haven't been second-guessing myself, in spite of the hard questions I'm asking. You see, I really don't want to simply write another chapter in the lives of these characters, but want to really push the envelope here. I want these characters to grow, and I want to take my readers beyond the comfort zone that I have staked out for them thus far. I don't want to turn them off; however, I do want to push myself, too. I hope we can all grow together, and come out with a fantastic story that moves all of us.

No smiling until after I've had my coffee. ;)

It hasn't been all work. We did take a weekend and visit San Francisco last month. We saw Jamie Cullum at the legendary Fillmore, and had a great experience. My oldest son turned me on to Jamie's music, and we've been huge fans of his ever since. As soon as word dropped that he was coming to California, we had tickets. We usually end up in southern California, so visiting the north was relatively new. We did some sightseeing, shopping and bonding as a family. My oldest son will be 20 next week and my other son is already 16, so it won't be long before taking off together will be out of the question - or simply too difficult to plan with all the schedules. I ran across a bookstore while there (you remember those, right? *winks*) and picked up the Keith Richards bio, Life. It was so good, and not just for fans of the Stones. It was a walk through the history of rock n roll - old Keef remembers if all - and brutally honest. It was a hell of a read. The only way it could have been any better was if I sat on a chair beside him, drink in hand and had him tell me the whole thing in person.

The book store where I came away w/ ole' Keef.

What's next? As I said, I'm half way through the second draft of my fourth novel. I have already begum reaching out to beta readers, and look forward to getting a near-final draft into their eager hands. This coming week I am being interviewed for a podcast - I'll have to update you when that goes live. In a week I am being interviewed at my church for the service we call Outpour. It's aimed at the youth and has the loudest worship service of the week. We live in a small town, so they'll be curious how all of this works. We'll also discuss how a Christian could possibly write about all things horror and paranormal. I've done this before, and am sure to survive the experience... I hope. *laughs*

This is for all the Mel Brooks fans out there.

Once I get through this process I'll look to get more involved in blogging again. I miss all of my writer/reader pals out there. *hugs to you guys* I also look to working a lot less hours, but God knows when that might be. If nothing else, my friends, I'll see you in August.

We'll talk soon.