No, this is not a Lordy Jesus post. This isn’t even about God per se, except that God is a character in the latest manuscript I just finished. Was it hard to make God a character? No. It wasn’t hard. It’s never hard to make a character. It’s just really hard to do it well. And I hope I did it well.

I’ve written two manuscripts in six months, which is an absolute record for me. But I didn’t know if I was going to be able to write at all, not books anyway, after my dad died. He was my best friend, and he was also my first beta reader,

Dad wouldn’t pick apart my books. It was a pretty up/down vote, which in his tact meant “It’s good” (down) or “It’s really good” (up.) I really miss that. I really miss him. And I don’t know if the stuff I’m writing now has the same heart as the stuff from when he was alive, but I hope so.

It is not going to be out for a while. In fact, Troy Love Story isn’t going to be out for a while, and this manuscript is two out. But my hope is that I haven’t lost my edge, or that I can pick it up in the edit. And if your parents are still alive, give them a hug. You will miss them.

Every time I get on this blog, I make an earnest vow that I’m going to post regularly. And if you go back to the last post, December of 2020, and the post before that, sometime in 2018, you’ll know how good my steadfast vows are. Gas station ground beef patties are more dependable than me.

But I do have news. In fact, a lot of news; maybe I should spread it out over a few posts. Not my style, though. First up in the news category, I got a contract from Bronzeville Books to publish Troy Love Story. It’s going to be edited by a writer that I happen to be a fan of, Joe Clifford, and that is just tops. And the publisher, Danny Gardner, was very moved by the manuscript, and after a long phone conversation, I got that feeling so rare to writers, that my work was vindicated.

So I had some time between hearing from Danny and getting the contract. If you aren’t a writer, know that patience is a must because the process can feel like it’s taking forever. So, out of nervous energy, and maybe a tad of the magic mojo that we all get sometimes, I started writing again. And only a few days after I signed the contract for Troy Love Story, I had my next manuscript, which is tentatively called ‘Lithium.’

Lithium is the story about mental illness, family, and homelessness. I hope it is powerful, because I left a lot on the field with it. In fact, I might have to switch over to scifi for the next manuscript just to refresh.

And that’s pretty much what I got going on right now. I’m going to try to post here, you know, with the stuff I don’t feel is pithy enough for Facebook.