Hello Fans!
Sorry for the extremely long absence. I've been extremely busy, and for a while did not even have internet access!
I also haven't done much writing, and none on the science fiction novel I've been discussing lately. I've put that back on the shelf for later.
Instead, my little family and I have moved to Cheney, Washington. No, it isn't pronounced like the former vice president's name; it's pronounced "CHEE-NEE". Natives are very particular about this! Cheney is a wonderful little town just thirty minutes outside of Spokane. The people are extremely friendly. In fact, when we arrived, there were already some twenty people gathered to help us unload! This is largely because we had contacted the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (of which we are a part), and they organized the helpers. I later learned that another person was moving into the ward on the same day, and these same twenty people had just been helping her move in. Now THAT'S service!
We moved because my wife will be attending Eastern Washington University in the fall. She is working on her Bachelor's degree in Biology, but hopes to go into nursing. Good for her!
Moving, though, as most of you know, is NOT fun. It's a total PAIN. When you are forced to box up your stuff and move it somewhere else, you very quickly become aware of how much stuff you have, and how much of it is useless junk. When you don't have to move residences, it's notoriously easy to collect stuff and notice how much of it there is. We live in an apartment, and moved from one apartment to another. It's not very big, and so I didn't think we had all that much. After all, most of our stuff is in storage. But, I quickly learned I was wrong! I thought there would be no end to the boxes! Good thing there were plenty of stores around we could get empty boxes from!
Moving also meant that I couldn't have internet access for almost an entire month. Most of us take this wonderful blessing for granted, but when it's suddenly gone, you feel cut off from the world! It's as if you've just had all of your limbs removed! For the first week or so I went into MAJOR withdrawals. One of my favorite things to do was to watch movies and TV Shows on Hulu and Netflix while I cleaned or folded laundry (I'm the stay-at-home parent, after all). Without the internet, and since we don't have TV, 95 % of my daily entertainment was taken from me!! The good thing is, that once we got the internet back last week, I realized I had absolutely no desire to watch movies or shows online anymore. I haven't watched a thing on my computer since. It's incredible how much extra time you suddenly have when you aren't wasting it in front of the Tube!
The other thing I've been up to is getting my new mystery novel ready for publishing. It's called "Dead Wind Hollow", and I wrote it last November as part of National Novel Writing Month. The first draft was written in less than 30 days. I've made some changes and corrections, but it is largely unchanged. I'm publishing the book myself through Amazon with the help of their awesome Create Space service. I've had a few proof copies printed, and everyone who has read the book has loved it! The story is about a dwarf named Simon Quinn. He is a famous sculptor, whose work is found in museums and palaces the world over. The book is set in the Spokane area. As the book opens, we learn that Simon is engaged to be married to a beautiful woman named Samantha. He has love and fortune...everything he ever wanted in life. This, of course, is when his life begins to fall apart. He receives a phone call from an old acquaintance named Ronin, someone he thought was long gone. This person has it out for Simon, and informs him that he has kidnapped his fiancee.. he even drops hints that he's brutally murdered her. At first there is no evidence of the crime, but Simon is determined to learn the truth. He and his fiancee were to spend the weekend together at Simon's rural cabin near the small town of Cheney, so he decides to go there to see if she shows up. He is accompanied by one of his clients, a beautiful German girl named Adelheid Arndt. When they arrive, they don't find Samantha, or her body. Instead, they find a plastic mannequin that has been mutilated in the same manner described by Ronin over the phone. After contacting the police, the mannequin mysteriously vanishes. Working closely with the police, Simon uses his artistic talents, short stature, and gift for thinking out of the box to uncover the truth, and finds much more than he has bargained for!
I hope to have the book available on Amazon by September. Until then, I'll post some excerpts and see what you all think of it!
It was very difficult but interesting writing a book about a character with dwarfism. I did a lot of research into the affliction, and learned quite a bit I hadn't known or even considered before. Since I'm fairly tall (6'2"), I also did a lot of walking around on my knees in an attempt to experience the world from Simon's viewpoint. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by people with dwarfism and giantism
Until my book is available for purchase, you can still obtain an advanced proof copy through me for only $7.00. Feel free to email me if you are interested!
