The Missing II: Lost and Found

I know, a lot of entries today, but I had to have at least one that pertains to writing.  And this will be brief.

I’ve mentioned in the past my sadness at having lost the notebook to The Blood Contract, the fourth Only Human on the Block.  I started working on it nearly five years ago, and after flying through the first three books, I completely lost my momentum.  I started working in the office at that time and had less time to handwrite my stories.  Also, I started working on new stories, for NaNo and because my mind was wandering.  I never did get around to finishing book four, but I knew I’d made some serious headway.

And now it was all gone.

Just in the past few weeks, I started telling myself I could write it from scratch if need be.  I remembered some of the major beats, the overall story arcs, etc.  I convinced myself that once I was through with World of Shadows, I’d start rewriting The Blood Contract.  After all, I’d gone through the first three books over and over in the past two years.  I was primed to be able to write new material.  Sure, it might not be the same as my original draft, but that could be a good thing.  Right?

Thank goodness I won’t have to find out.

I found the notebook!  It was packed in a box with some pictures (I was looking for those, as well) and some mortgage paperwork (why not?).  I thumbed through the pages, instantly realizing how much of it I forgot.  When I stopped writing it (last entry was 10-12-2010), I had 182 hand-written pages, roughly the equivalent of third book, which is by far larger than the first two books.  I started working on it on 9-4-08, minutes after I wrote The End after finishing Together Alone (then called Friends For Sale).  So where I’d written the first three books in a manner of months, I spent two years toiling over book four.  And I thought I’d lost it forever.

So, there’s not much to say other than yay!  I’m still working on World of Shadows, but once I have the rough draft done, I’m throwing myself into The Blood Contract fully.  I’ve known exactly how it would end since I first started this series and while I have a lot of details to fill in for book five (tentatively called Afterlife), I have enough to know where exactly it’s all headed.

And then, I’ll be done with this series (but not necessarily these characters *ahem*).

Thanks for reading,

 

S.L. Madden

The Missing

This blog entry is brought to you by the letters B&E and the number 911.

It’s been awhile since this happened, but I think I’m just getting to the point where I can write about it.

For a period of about 30 minutes, Natalie disappeared.

I came home from work and used the restroom while Nat went outside.  A few minutes later, Norma pounded on the door, saying Nat was no longer in the yard.

Our first assumption was she had made it into the neighbor’s yard behind us.  This seemed obvious because the fence dividing our properties was down, making it easy for her to get over there.  I peeked over the fence and called out for her.  I didn’t see her anywhere and when she didn’t answer (not surprisingly), I decided to run around the block and ask the neighbor if they’d seen her.

Fairly spooked and definitely winded (that was my first run since I hurt my hip and any thoughts I had that I was over my injury were disproved with a vengeance), I pounded on their door and rang the bell.  No one answered.  Frustrated, I opened the gate and went into their backyard, telling myself that had to be where she was.  Very much aware of the fact I was trespassing, I looked all over the yard, holding my hands in the air in case they were the “shoot first, ask questions later” type.  I didn’t see her anywhere.

I tried to look in through their sliding glass door, but it struck me the doors were shut and that was something Natalie just wouldn’t do.  Besides, I saw no movement inside.

Now thoroughly scared, I wondered where she could have possibly gotten to.  Their yard still seemed the most logical place due to the fallen fence, but if she had a mind to escape, there were other ways out.  It occurred to me she might be at the park in the neighborhood, but as I started to make my way there, I realized she would have no way of knowing where to go (we always made it a point to drive different ways to get her there, just in case she got it in her head to get out the door and walk there).

Frantic, I went home and searched through the garage and the entire house, just in case she slipped back in while we were distracted.  We checked under the deck, in the surrounding shrubs, everywhere we could think.  Our next door neighbors offered to assist and while Norma ran over to the park, I called 911.

I was almost off the phone with them when I heard my neighbor announce they found her.

She was inside the neighbor’s house, the one with the sliding glass doors I was convinced Nat would never shut behind herself.

I made my way into their yard again, stepping over the fallen fence, all too aware of the fact I was trespassing while on the phone with the police.  Sure enough, she was standing at their sink.

I pounded on the glass door, still on the phone with 911.  She looked up at me, but in classic Natalie fashion, she kept at what she was doing.  I hastily thanked the dispatcher, apologized and hung up, even as I made my way into my neighbor’s house.

The first thing that struck me was it sounded like someone was home.  Music blared from downstairs and two pans of homemade pizzas sat on the counter.  Natalie looked up at me and casually turned and started walking up their stairs.

I grabbed her arm and led her to our yard, both furious and elated at the same time.  She was completely oblivious to what she’d done.  The neighbor who had helped us look for her grabbed some tools and put a sort of metal band-aid on the fence to keep it from falling for now.  While he was working on it, Nat went over and tried to push it down again.  Right in front of us!

Have I mentioned how much I love my daughter?

I went back over later that night to explain what had happened to the neighbors, as I could only imagine their horror when they saw whatever damage Nat had wrought (I didn’t look around when I was in their house).  Even though their lights were on and the dog was barking (thank goodness he hadn’t gotten ahold of Nat), nobody answered.

The next morning we finally made contact with the neighbors, providing a good deal of relief.  The man of the house thought it was just kids messing around, but the lady of the house was convinced it was something more sinister.  Apparently Natalie had broken eggs into several containers and mixed them up with different sauces (explains why she smelled odd after we brought her home).  The lady was convinced it was someone trying to send her a message.

“I know where you live and I can make my way in whenever I want.”

This was reinforced by the fact the people who broke in didn’t steal anything.  They didn’t even try to eat a piece of pizza (which surprised me, as I thought Nat might have gone for it).  We explained she’s been watching Elmo’s World where they talk about making cakes, and she’s rather obsessed with eggs.  We all laughed about it and moved on, with them telling us they’d keep an eye out for her and would probably lock their back door from now on.  According to them, they had left the house just a few minutes before Nat had made her way there.  Also, the dog was in the house, but somehow, the two didn’t cross paths.

For nearly giving us a heart attack, we were quite lucky.

I believe the ordeal made an impact on not only us, but our neighbors as well.  They stopped by the other day to talk to us about Autism, what it is and various things they’d researched.  They had their dog with them, and it growled and barked when it saw Nat.  So far, the fence has held up and I went around the perimeter in an attempt to prevent her from ever escaping again.

She may have only been gone for 30 minutes, but it was long enough for me to never want to experience it again.

 

S.L. Madden

 

Game Over

Last weekend, I completed The Walking Dead on my PS3.  I had put off playing it for reasons I’m not sure.  Perhaps because I knew once it was done, it was over.  Even though the game allows you (read: forces you) to make tough decisions that alters the course you get to the end, the ending is set (to the best of my knowledge).  And oh, what an ending it was.  I sat there for a time, letting it soak in, excited for the future (Season 2 is coming out later this year), but reminiscing over everything I had just experienced.

Then it occurred to me: This game has made a fairly short list of games I’ve managed to beat in this generation.

So, me being me and feeling nostalgic now that the PS4 and the Xbox One (??) have been announced, I decided to make a list and relive my (admittedly lame) moments of glory.

God of War III

I believe this was the first game I beat on the PS3.  I played through the first and second game on the PS2 and borrowed this one from a co-worker.  It lived up to the lofty expectations set by the first two, even if the ending sequence left a bit to be desired.

BioShock I and II

The original Bioshock was an Xbox exclusive for a time, and it was one that seriously made me want to pick up Microsoft’s machine.  Fortunately for me, before I got around to getting one, it was released on the PS3.  It was one of the first demos I downloaded and I was instantly in love.  The strong narrative, creepy atmosphere and excellent selection of powers (love me some plasmids) made me an instant fan.

I played the original so late, the sequel was already out and at a good price, so I immediately picked it up.  It gets a lot of flak for being a cash-grab, seeing as it wasn’t made by the same development team and it took place in Rapture, reusing some resources from the original game.  It may not have had as strong of a story, but I think the developers treated it with a lot of love.  They kept what worked and improved upon some things (dual wielding weapons and plasmids, a much better hacking system).  The Minerva’s Den DLC is especially strong.  I may have enjoyed that more than the second game in its entirety.  Spear gun FTW!

BioShock Infinite

I rarely buy a game new, but given this was made by the developer of the original Bioshock, I took the plunge and never looked back.  While the gameplay failed to live up the ridiculously high benchmark set by the videos released early in development, it was still an amazing game.  When I reached the end, I actually got all teary-eyed (which, I admit, isn’t all that rare for me) and I immediately wanted to replay it to see how all the pieces fit in from the beginning.  Being as this is a new game, there is still DLC being made for it, so the adventure is far from over.

Tomb Raider Underworld

I’ve never been a huge Tomb Raider fan.  I tried to play the first game back on the PS1 and couldn’t understand how to control the character, or really what the big deal was.  Norma, however, has played nearly every game in the series, and so I decided to pick this up.

Honestly, if it were just me, I’m not sure I would have finished it.  The storyline was all right, but I spent more time yelling at the character (and calling her various names that would probably get me labeled as a chauvinist) than I did enjoying the game.  Ultimately, I finished it because we played it “together”, with her there telling me what to do every time I screwed up old school style.

Heavy Rain

This game became a bit of a compulsion for me, as I had to see it through to the end.  Playing it a bit at a time is a little like watching a movie in 15-minute chunks.  Despite some odd controls and some stiff dialogue, this game managed to elevate the standard of story-telling in the medium.  I did fairly well (or so I thought), until the very end, when most of my characters met their untimely deaths.  I’ve only run through it once, but I’ve been tempted to restart my investigation into the Origami Killer.  And maybe this time, I’ll manage to keep everyone alive.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Another game that once I started playing, I was completely devoted to it until I finished.  I had played the old Metal Gear games back in the day, plus MGS 1 and 2 (never got around to 3, which was unfortunate, because I was extra lost with some of the storyline).  This game is amazing.  Sure, you watch it more than play it in some parts and the plot is so convoluted there could be college courses dedicated to studying it, but it was an absolute blast.  If you’re a fan of the Metal Gear saga and you haven’t played this (whaaa?), you owe it to yourself to pick it up.  If you haven’t played at least Metal Gear Solid 1-3…do yourself a favor and get the The Legacy Collection coming out so you can get caught up.

And now that it’s been patched with trophies, I think I might need to run through it again.  *cracks knuckles*

Demon’s Souls

Given it’s highly touted difficulty, I’m rather surprised this one made my list.  I loved this game so much, I kept at it until the credits rolled.  And then…I took a break.  Still wish I’d kept playing New Game+ and so on and so on.  Since then, its spiritual successor, Dark Souls, has come out.  I find myself torn between the two games as to which I like better.  Dark Souls is bigger and more open, but Demon’s Souls has a special place in my heart.

Of course, one of these days, I have to beat Dark Souls so I can add it to this list.

PROTOTYPE

This game has a bad rep, for reasons I can’t understand.  I know it came out around the same time as inFAMOUS and both games feature open worlds and a main character with superpowers, but they could scarcely be more different from one another.  PROTOTYPE wears its M-rating proudly on its gore-drenched sleeves, and while sometimes it comes across as a bit crass or childish in its violence, it also gives the player the feeling of being all-powerful.  And isn’t that, in part, what gaming is about?

And….I believe that’s it.  A rather pathetic list, isn’t it?  Of course, this is hardly indicative of the number of games I’ve played.  Some, I’ve come close to the end, only to give up because of time constraints (and I never got back into them).  Others, I just wasn’t feeling (I’m looking at you, Deus Ex Human Revolution, but daddy hasn’t given up on you yet).  I’m not likely to grab a PS4 right away (read: I’m poor), so I still have some time to finish up the gems I have waiting for me from this generation.

I’m looking forward to adding to this list as time goes on.

S.L. Madden

The Maddening 5/18/13

Just a quick update (and a reminder I haven’t fallen off the world or been swept beneath a torrent of words).

~As of today, I am about 15,000 words into the rough draft of World of Shadows (Unseen Things III).  Of course, it helps I wrote the rough rough draft for NaNo last year.

~Between the three of them, I have the entirety of The Shadow Within out with my beta readers.  Once I get it back, I’ll start implementing their changes before sending it out to Katy to edit.

~This weekend, I hope to start line editing Together Alone (Only Human on the Block III).

~Came up with a new story idea this morning.  Wrote down a quick outline so I don’t forget.  At this point, I’ll be eighty before I can get around to working on it.

~I’ve been listening to some tunes my friends and I wrote “back in the day” and a few stand as potentials to be used in a book trailer.  I highly doubt I’ll have a chance to work on it anytime soon, but I’ve always got it percolating in the back of my mind.

~I’m gearing up to do another big sale on my titles leading up to publishing The Shadow Within.  I’d really like to do some giveaways, but I need to research how to do them first.

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

S.L. Madden

 

Why So Series?

Now that I have the newly edited (but hardly finalized) copy of The Shadow Within in my beta reader’s hands (Hi, Amber!  Hey, Angela!  Welcome aboard, Julian!), it’s time I seek where next to aim my focus.  We recently finished Together Alone in group, so I’m going to start going through and line-editing it (and starting this process all over), but I still need something new to bring on a weekly basis.  I’ve been coasting the past few years by typing up stories I had already handwritten.  Now, with the exception of bits and pieces of various stories I’ve started, I’m on my own, forced to create new work instead of refining what I’ve already done.  So here are a few of the options I have:

Unseen Things III – World of Shadows Book I:

This was my NaNo book from last year, so it’s my best option as far as what I already have extensive work done on.  unfortunately, it needs a drastic overhaul.  Halfway through writing it, I altered my POV, changed the structure, adjusted the plot a bit and generally left it a skeleton of an outline with some meat on its bones.  There are some really good bits in there (if I do say so myself) and I do feel obliged to get out these books in short order, since I have a fan base and all (you know who you are).

Only Human on the Block IV: The Blood Contract

Coming off the euphoria of finishing the third book in the series in group, I have to say I’m rather excited to continue this series.  Together Alone is a bit of a turning point, the “Empire Strikes Back” of the series, if you will.  Back in the day, I immediately launched into writing The Blood Contract, but for reasons ranging from a shift in my work schedule to a bit of a burn-out, it took me a long time to get it out.  When I stopped writing it, I was only a handful of chapters from finishing.   Then…it vanished.  I recall looking at it in my last residence, but ever since the move, I haven’t been able to find it.  My hope is, it’s because it’s buried in a box somewhere and not lost out there in the nether.  I recall a lot of the major plot points (I think), but having to start over again from the beginning, even years later, is depressing enough I might just put this one off until next year.  Not forever, though.  I’m antsy to finish this series out with the fifth book.

Taern, Asunder (WT)

This is a story that popped into my head a few weeks ago and I really haven’t had much time to develop it.  I’m excited because it’s a return of form for me, as I used to feel much more comfortable writing fantasy than real life (well, as real life as fighting demons and shadow creatures can get).  I’ve considered making this my NaNo book this year since I’ve done absolutely no writing on it.

Keller’s Casefiles I (An AdaptNation Novel)

Like The Blood Contract, I’ve actually done quite a bit of writing on this one.  It’s about a private detective who discovers he has the power of telekinesis.  It’s set in a world where superpowers are starting to become more and more common, separating those gifted from those who are not.  Despite writing quite a bit, I never really found the proper voice I was looking for.  As it stood, the writing centered on one character, main protagonist Frank Keller, to the point where I considered going 1st person.  I waffled between broadening the scope of the story, making it more epic, and keeping it small and intimate.  In the end, I think I decided to have Keller’s cases be a separate entity in the universe, a more focused story set in a more diverse universe.  Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to really flesh it all out yet and, like The Blood Contract, I haven’t been able to locate the writing I managed to finish before quitting.

NecRomancer I: The Dead Tower (WT)

This is my take on a fantasy horror (well, one of my takes, anyway).  I started writing this several years ago and got a few chapters done before it got pushed aside.  Still, it and it’s sequel are fairly well fleshed out in my mind and they might make for (relatively) quick writes.

Spirits of Man I (WT)

This is actually a book I wrote back in the day, fresh out of high school.  It was my first attempt at writing anything other than a short story and I rather liked the way it came out.  In hindsight, however, it perhaps borrowed a bit too much from Robert Jordan (I was a huge fan at the time) and it suffered from some a lack of maturity in my writing.  I’ve been toying with ways to update the book and breathe new life into it, as the characters are still all near and dear to my heart, even after all these years.  It would be a major undertaking for me, however, as the first book was considerably longer than what I’ve been writing of late, and I had planned on five books total.

Ascension II: God Am (WT)

Ah, Ascension, the book I swore would never become a series.  I love the fact the first book stands on its own, but I’ve done enough plotting of the second and third book to know they could be killer.  It’ll likely be awhile before I take this one on, but I have little doubt it will someday see the light of day.

Through The Gray Gate (WT)

The NaNo story I started a few years back before I gave up and worked on getting The Shadow Walker out.  It’s another dark fantasy, which I can’t deny was influenced by playing Demon’s Souls back in the day (I had the idea before playing, but the game had such a perfect atmosphere, it allowed me to roleplay the characters).

 

I’ve got a few other stories I have bouncing around in my brain, but these are the ones I’d be most likely to focus on.  For good or bad, most of them happen to be series (and I suspect those that aren’t, might become so–doh!) which has its good and bad points.  As the writer, it gives me a world and characters I feel comfortable with .  When I work on Only Human on the Block, for instance, the rules are established.  The characters already have their voice.  This can also be a negative, however, because it gives me a baseline I can’t stray from.  It can also prove to be a bit creatively stifling, knowing that once I finish this book, there are still two more to go before the end of the series.  And after that, a spin-off series….

I suppose none of this would matter terribly if I could devote more time to writing.  As it is now, producing 1-2 books per year is going to take me quite some time to publish them all.  And in the meantime, I keep getting ideas for new projects I want to work on.  It can be tough to get excited for a new story when I know it may be five years or so before I can get around to it.

Of course, I’d rather have this problem than the opposite (no ideas–well’s run dry).  At this point, that day is far, far away.

Thanks for reading!

 

S.L. Madden

What’s Now, What’s Next

For those of you who are anxiously chomping at the bit for any news concerning The Shadow Within (you know who you are), this is your lucky day!  No, the book isn’t ready yet.  Not even close, to be honest.  As of today, I am 65% done with editing it.  While I’m knee-deep in the editing process, I have a beta reader (Hi, Amber!) or possibly two (Heya, Angela!) reading through the manuscript to give me any ideas on how to make it better and to generally judge me accordingly.  Then, after taking in their feedback and doing a final supreme edit (now with sour cream!), I’m going to ship it off to be professionally edited (What’s up, Katy!).  Somehow in the middle of all this, I have to finalize a cover and figure out how to get the mobi creator to work on my new computer (every time I’ve run a test, it’s come back with errors).

Then, and only then, will the book be ready to go.  I’m still hoping for a June release date, though I’m remaining flexible.  I don’t want to put it out until it’s ready to go.

In the meantime, we just finished going through Together Alone (the third Only Human on the Block) in group last Thursday.  Everyone was kind enough to stay until rather late (for us) to finish it up, and I’m glad we did.  Of course, I heard a ton of things I need to tweak and change, but it was nice seeing their reactions to the ending and some twists and turns I’ve been looking forward to presenting.  When I first came up with the idea for this series, I instantly had a rough map of all five books (and the spin-off series afterward (ssh, that’s a secret)).  Knowing where the series was going helped me sprinkle little secrets throughout, and a number of them come to a head in this book.  There will be answers to questions you didn’t even know you had, haha!  At the same time, there’s still lots more to come in books four and five.

Speaking of which, I still have yet to find that fourth book.  It’s been missing since I moved a year ago.  I know it’s gotta be there somewhere, because I don’t much relish the thought of rewriting the whole thing.  When I stopped working on it four years ago (!), it was already the biggest book in the series.  I’m hoping it magically appears or else I’ve got to do some serious memory jogging.

So after I finally get The Shadow Within published, I’m going to go through the same process with Together Alone.  I’m determined to get both books put out this year, especially as they were both written and done, for the most part, last year.  Trouble is, now I don’t have anything to bring to group on a weekly basis.  So while I work on my edits for both books, I also need to produce new material.  I have the rough draft I produced for World of Shadows Book I last year for NaNo, but I have a lot to add and change to make it worthy.  On the other hand, it might be easier than completely starting over with a new book from scratch.

Unless, of course, I find that fourth book.

Hmm, it might be time to start tearing through some boxes.

As always, thanks for reading.

 

S.L. Madden

The Heat

As of this writing, I’m 83% done with line editing The Shadow Within.  Yes, it’s taking far longer than it should, but I must admit, my focus has been wavering a bit the past few months.  But now I have a reason to focus on getting up to speed: one of my beta readers, Amber, just finished reading The Shadow Walker and is waiting for the next book in the series.  She already made some good recommendations on the first book and caught a few typos (Doh!), making me wish I’d employed her as a beta reader from the get-go.

I’m not accustomed to this type of pressure (usually, I set and break my deadlines as I see fit), so it’s actually quite nice.  I know if I apply myself, I can finish line editing it this weekend and begin the arduous process of editing on-screen.  In fact, I’m going to make it a goal to have the new draft in her hands by next weekend.

And yes, I’ll very likely miss that deadline as well.  Still, it is good to have goals.

Thanks for reading,

S.L. Madden

Keeping On

I just wanted to put to rest the rumors of my untimely demise.  What’s that?  No one cares enough to spread these slanderous lies about my well-being?

Fine, I admit, I’ve simply been complacent in my blogging duties as of late.  I’d like to claim it’s because I’m kicking names and taking ass (yes, I prefer it my way), but to be honest, I don’t have all that much to report.  I am, as of today, 70% done with line editing The Shadow Within.  Yes, I’m still working on that.  No, it didn’t come out last year, like I originally planned.

I do have two beta readers (wave to the nice readers, Amber and Angela!) who are currently reading The Shadow Walker in an effort to be better prepared to judge book two accordingly.  First things first, however, I have to get the book ready to go for them.

On top of that, progress on Together Alone has been glacier-slow (I suppose that saying had more relevance before global warming).  I’ve had to cancel writing group far too often, mostly due to sickness.  In fact, sickness played a large part in keeping me from finishing up line editing The Shadow Within this past week, which I took off from work (those of you who know me realize this is a rare event for me, so for me to have spent it caring for my sick daughter and then getting sick myself was a certain form of tragedy).

So, here I am, with barely any progress since the last time I posted, some…holy cow!  A month ago?  All right, time for me to start busting some of that ass I took.

Thanks for reading,

S.L. Madden

A Date

No, this post isn’t about my love life.  It would be a rather short little note if it were.  Instead, I feel comfortable announcing a publication date for my next book, The Shadow Within:

June.

Okay, maybe that’s a month and not really a date, but it’s the best approximation I’ve been able to come up with.  I’m so certain it’ll be ready by this time, I decided to enlist the services of the lovely and talented Katy Sozaeva to help me edit.  Yes, you read that correctly.  If all goes well, the first version I put out should (hopefully) be the final version.  No more uploading new versions and sending out my humble apologies to those who received copies with beaucoup de typos.

Truth be told, I could very likely have the book ready before then.  I’m currently 39% done line editing it and then I’ll go through and type the changes in.  If I can figure out a proper place to add them, I have a few scenes I’d like to work in.  Making the changes on the computer will be the most time-consuming part of the editing, but even then, if I remain focused, I know I can do it.

So why set it so far away (three months at this point)?  For one, I wanted to be realistic with my goals.  I’m still gimpy and in the middle of dealing with domestic issues, so I don’t have the time/energy to devote to writing as I normally might.  And reading my older posts where I estimated when certain books would be available, I am horribly, horribly behind schedule.  This way, I know I can get The Shadow Within launched in June and Together Alone done by the end of the year.  If I get anything else finished in that time, the more the merrier.

The other reason is a somewhat desperate hope I might acquire a beta reader or two (or however many may be interested).  A beta reader’s responsibility is to read the work with a critical eye, with the intent of offering any advice to make it better before publication.  Given this is a sequel, familiarity with the original would be optimal, but not necessary.  In fact, it might prove helpful to me to know how easy it is to follow without prior knowledge of the original, in case I pick up any readers who don’t realize it’s part of a series.

What do you get if you beta read for me?  For starters, you get a chance to read the story before any one else does.  You’ll also get credit in the acknowledgements.  And once the book is published, you’ll get a free autographed copy (assuming you want it in print) or a digital copy (hell, you can have both if you want. I’m feeling generous .  In addition, you’ll have the knowledge of knowing you helped make a book live up to its potential.

And if all that isn’t enough, you’ll have my undying gratitude.

If you’re at all interested, drop me a line and I’ll make arrangements to get a copy of the manuscript to you (I prefer digitally due to costs, but if you need a copy in print, I’ll make it happen).  All I ask is you be brutally honest, be open-minded (as the author, I have final veto power on any changes) and you be sensitive it’s time-based (although I am trying to leave a pretty wide berth so we all have enough time to get it done).

Everyone else who wants to wait for the final version, I’ll see you (sometime) in June.

Thanks for reading,

 

S.L. Madden

Gimpin’ Ain’t Easy

My loyal fans keep asking me, “Steve, what’s the progress on your upcoming books?” and I answer myself in the mirror, “All things in due time, Steve.  In due time.”

But to be honest, I really haven’t gotten much done these past several weeks.  I can give you a ton of reasons why it’s slow going, but instead, I’m only going to focus on one excuse:  I’m a broken man.

No, I’m not referring to my recently announced separation from my wife and baby mama (although that certainly hasn’t helped things).  I’m talking about my hip.

Yes, like a grumpy old man sitting on my porch, complaining about the weather and talking about the good ol’ days, I have hip issues.  Ever since I was a part of a vehicle sandwich 15 years ago (long stupid story), I’ve had issues with my right hip.  While it’s hardly a consistent pain, it’s stopped me from being more active over the years.  At one point, it only hurt when it got cold, or when a gypsy sneezed over a freshly dug grave.  Over the years, it had gotten better.

Then, six years ago, I was involved in a head-on collision at work.

I took a day off from the accident and spent the next few weeks sore as hell, but I didn’t think much of it.  Several others told me I’d feel it eventually, within the year, but I kept on keeping on.  What else was I to do?  I truly loved my job and had only been at it for a month when the accident happened.  I certainly didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.

Sure enough, a year later, I started feeling pain in my hip again.  It may be a coincidence, it may not, but either way, it was at turns a mild irritation and full-on debilitating.  I tried to exercise, to strengthen my muscles, but every time I did, within days, I ended up in more pain.  After a time, I learned to deal with it, to accept it would be fine sometimes and other times, I’d be on the floor in the fetal position, wishing I could put a hot pack directly on my bones (stupid skin, getting in the way).

What does all this have to do with my writing?  Man, aren’t you impatient?

Last Sunday, I slept on the couch.  Okay, it’s more of a love seat.  It wasn’t the first time I’d camped out there, as I usually bee-lined to the living room whenever one of the animals woke me up in the middle of the night, to avoid them waking up Natalie as well.  When I got up, I knew something wasn’t right.  I was sore and stiff–more than usual–and my hip could barely support my weight.  I spent the day trying to relax, applying heat and taking Advil.  I had bowling that night, and it was a game I really didn’t want to miss.

I was feeling pretty decent by the time I had to leave for bowling.  Not tip-top shape, but I could walk and stand without too much pain.  I made the executive decision to go and I’ve been regretting it ever since (although I must say, I did beat my average).

Half-way through the three rounds (games?  I’m not up on bowling lingo), I knew something was wrong.  I hurt to stand, my hip throbbed when I sat.  I did my best to play on and by the time I was hobbling out to my car, I was sure I hadn’t done myself any favors.

I had to go shopping after bowling and it was there I found myself freezing up.  It was all I could do to keep one foot in front of the other.  If I hadn’t grabbed a shopping cart, I have no doubt I would have ended up on the floor, unable to move, waiting for someone to call out, “Cleanup in Aisle Five”.

Despite my chiropractor’s insistence I stay home, I went to work on Monday.  By the end of the night, I was fully regretting that decision.  I called off on Tuesday after seeing my chiropractor again.  He told me I had a pinched nerve and my spinal column was out of whack at the base.  He gave me the name of a man who gave me some prescriptions and I hoped this would lead me to my road of recovery.

Unfortunately, the muscle relaxers they prescribed didn’t seem to have much effect.  If anything, they made me sleepy and they might even be responsible for a persistent headache I’ve had over the last three days.  My hip has gotten somewhat better, to the point I think the nerve may no longer be pinched.  It’s still really sore, however, and sometimes I move a certain way that reminds me in no uncertain terms how bad off it is.

I was hoping to get in for a massage or some PT, but the car situation has made that rather difficult.  Instead, I’ve been trying to take it easy, stretching when I can, alternating between cold and hot.  It seems to be helping.  Still, I look forward to the day I can go back to my standard level of pain, which now seems like a long-lost utopia.

Oh, what does this all have to do with my writing?  It hurts to sit.  I do it all day at work and my hip feels like it’s on fire.  Even at home, I’ve been more inclined to lay on the sofa than to sit or stand.  While I’ve gotten a few chapters edited this way, it’s really slowed down the process.  Still, I have obligations to keep and I am determined to get (at least) these two books out this year.

And so I set a goal, here and now:  I will have my edits for The Shadow Within done by the end of March.  I still have no idea what the release will be, as I’m hoping to get other people in on the editing process this time (I don’t want to put out another poorly edited book).  I’m gunning for June, as that will mark my two-year anniversary from publishing Ascension.

Wow, has it really been that long?  I definitely need to step it up.

Thanks for reading.

S.L. Madden

BTW, this was my 100th post!  Woo!  Yeah!  All right!  I’m…just waiting for some balloons to drop from the ceiling or something.  Yup.  Any moment now….