Heartache and Other Good Times

It's been a very rough and exhausting week, yet an enlightening one. Man, have I learned some great lessons that will help me for the rest of my life. But I think I still need work on forgiving. I have some values I will not bend on and when someone else tells me they agree, hell, they feel the same way and would never do that certain something... and then their actions contradict their empty words, it makes me furious. But there are a lot of gems hidden inside conflict. Oh yeah. Things we wouldn't learn any other way.

One thing I've learned is that I need to limit my writing time. I've been at it hard for a few years, working 8 hours a day on top of my normal job. That has a hard impact on relationships and there's no one to blame for that but myself. Good lesson to learn. I think I can cut back work to two hours a day (maybe three--then I can get a novel, two novellas and a half dozen short stories a year) and take the weekends off to get out and have fun, learn new things, indulge in other interests I love like music, theater, martial arts, jogging, hiking, art, etc. There is a neat aviator course I'd love to take this summer (I'd probably giggle a lot), and I'd really like to start rock climbing again (Oh, how I miss Colorado.)

I have some great friends. Man, do I. Thank you for the support, for love, for your time, for your advice, for listening, for your faith, for everything. I enjoy the hell out of so many people (though there are some people I'll never like, god knows why.)


Pretty cool to see that the paperback for NURSERY RHYMES 4 DEAD CHILDREN will be available in ***Whitcoull's stores in New Zealand.*** I have no idea where that is, but it sounds spiffy.

NURSERY RHYMES 4 DEAD CHILDREN is also ***#2 on Horror Mall's pre-order bestseller list now.*** Sweet. Thanks to everyone who has dropped their hard-earned cash for a signed/limited hardcover! It's going to be a beauty and include some of my dead flesh (I had to sign a lot of signature sheets!)

My last guest blog is up on ***Blu Gilliand's October Country*** for anyone to check out who hasn't read it. I should have had the next one finished by now but I've been unable to focus as I sorted through a mountain of emotions. I've got things in order now; I'm feeling ready to start on it this week.

Also received news there's a new review of AS I EMBRACE MY JAGGED EDGES in ***Morpheus Tales April Supplement.***

I hope everyone else is loving hard and living large. Embrace those who treat you well because they don't have to give you anything. They do it out of the goodness in their hearts. I'll be back around on Fb and all that pretty soon. Got a bunch of emails to catch up on over the next two or three days! Thanks again!

Don't make me hurt you...

because that's not good for either one of us! You know what is good though?
Been busy with work lately, not my normal job, but it's paying the bills while I scribble. I'm a man of many means. Like Austin Powers without all the fancy outfits.

I haven't been able to write as much as I want to lately but I'm not sweating it. When I do have time I can get some quality work done.

Also got great news from my publisher that involves later this year. Looking forward to sharing that when the time comes!

Then there's this:

*#3 on Horrormall's February bestseller list--Thanks sexy people who have given me your time and money and trust!*

and...

*Horrorworld's review of As I Embrace My Jagged Edges--Thanks T.T. Zuma!*

and...

*Review of Crooked Stick Figures--Thanks, Greg!*

*Another review of Crooked Stick Figures--Thanks, Neal!*

*Another, nother review of Crooked Stick Figures--Thanks person I don't know but like anyway!*

*Possibly another review of CSF or it could be something else. I think it's something else.--Thanks Ken!*



My first two guest blogs are live:

*Number 1: On Becoming a Writer--Thanks, John!*

*Number 2: On Persevering--Thanks, Bec!*



and I'm working on the third one for this weekend--On Knowing What You Want--which will be on the fantastic Mr. Neal Hock's blog: The Bookhound's Den.

I'm also pretty excited about some short stories coming out this spring/summer/fall in Shock Totem issue 4, Apex's Zombie Feed anthology, Dark Discoveries, an antho that I haven't been able to announce yet, and another antho I was invited to recently but need to write the story for in the next couple months. Fun times!

How is everyone else? I hope you're all having a wonderful time!