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Weekly Update: Update o’rama!
The biggest news of the week: Sputtery Truck isn’t so Sputtery anymore.
For those that were playing along at home, I have a Dodge Ram 1500 (yes, I drive a big truck) and I’ve had a check engine light for a couple years. Every time I’ve fixed one thing, something else has set it off. This last round I was getting a misfire on cylinder 7. The Millican assisted me in replacing all the plugs and coils (save one). This cured the misfire issue and the check engine light.
The I got the Check Engine Light once more. Yeah, I wasn’t surprised at this point. The code was no longer a misfire (which we both thought because of the one plug we couldn’t get out. Oh, no. Why would it be that simple? Oh, hell no! Let’s be a TOTALLY different code this time that I’ve never seen. Let’s make Jay work for this one.
fuel system too lean bank 2
What? Really? Too lean? That means it’s getting too much air. So The Millican and I went back through the manifold we needed to take off to get to the plugs and coils and double checked that everything was tight and secure and we couldn’t hear any leaks. Color me confused.
The Check Engine light that has become the bane of my existence would go on, turn off after a couple days, go on and laugh in my face, turn off after a couple days. Well, being that I needed to get Sputtery Truck smogged, I took the opportunity to get it smogged during one of the Check Engine Light of doom’s down periods. The men were happy to see me as no one else was in the shop. The engine was running smooth. I was hopeful.
Hah, silly me. I new something was wrong the moment the guy came back in and said something to the effect of: “Wow! I’ve never seen anyone fail so high before. 8%! You must be getting terrible gas mileage. I have to save this one.”
Yeah, thank you for pass or free retest.
The failure at the smog place showed that I was running way too rich, not way too lean. So I bit the bullet and took Sputtery Truck to get looked at. Again. I explained to the mechanics what I’d done already (an entire history in three part harmony and a bunch of pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it was). They were impressed with all I’d done to keep Sputtery Truck running. I felt proud. Why? I don’t know. Third base!
So they spent about 30 minutes poking and prodding around and finally determined that my O2 sensor on the passenger side before the catalytic convertor was bad. That made sense. It was reading too lean, the engine pumped in more gas to compensate, making it partially flood the engine and causing it to sputtery.
HOORAY! An O2 sensor, an oil change and some fuel injector service and Sputery Truck was back on the road happier than ever. SO! It’s been a few days and still running smoothly and no Check Engine Light of Doom! I’m going to run it for another few days to make sure it doesn’t come on, get it smogged, pay my registration, and we’ll be good once more.
My Favorite Daughter has no tournaments for the month of February. Yeah! Just lots and lots of practice. She’s busy doing her best.
Books! My Teacher is a Zombie and My Teacher is a Werewolf might, just might, find a home in the library. I’m not sure what’ll happen, but one of my favorite daughter’s friend’s mom works at the library and knows the acquisition librarian for the district. She’s going to show her my books and we’ll see what happens. They’re middle grade books and she was excited to see not just the covers, but the titles. I guess middle-school kids are big into the Zombies. WOO WOO!
I put the finishing touches on Golden West Season 1 last night. I’ll be doing some recording and I have the final two episodes written. I know I’m slacking off on that. I’m sorry! Life has been full of life type things that have prevented me from sitting in front of a mike in a quiet room.
Now that I’ve gotten that one out of the way, I’m off to finish V&A Shipping II as well as get the edits done on Paradise Palms and Billy Barbarian (My next two books to release). THEN I’ll be working on My Teacher is a Vampire which will see Stanley and the gang during summer school before the get to High School. I then plan on writing 3 books for each grade in the Supernatural Learning series. Each story is stand alone, but will build on a bigger picture. So if someone were to read them all, they’d be able to follow all the threads, but could pick up any to read.
So I might be adding more books to my publication schedule than I thought.
Oh! And just a heads up for any who really care. I’ll be using the pen name R.J. Durmock for books like Paradise Palms, Life of Lists, and other thriller type books. These will have more of an adult theme and being that V&A Shipping, Billy Barbarian, and the Supernatural Learning books are better for an all ages type of read, I don’t want a kid to pick up My Teacher is a Zombie and then Paradise Palms and go WHOA! Didn’t see that coming.
Ok, I’m off to go make some words happen, get some words recorded, get a podcast produced, and find somewhere in there to take a nap.
Until Next Week!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Really, Sputtery Truck? Really?
Today is a day in the office. That means I climb into Sputtery Truck and drive the 30 minutes into work. Yesterday I had Sputtery Truck looked at and I was quite happy it was going to be a minor repair. $200 total vs ~$1000. The issue was the Oil Pressure Sensor. That was replaced. The mechanic said all looked good. I thanked him. Payed him. Drove away.
DING!
Low oil pressure after about five minutes driving off the lot. I picked up my favorite daughter from volleyball practice (she said she had an awesome practice YEAH!) and washed the Tahoe, and took Sputtery Truck back to the mechanic. We watched the truck idle and the pressure bob and weave (up, down, up, down). He said he’d had it connected to an external pressure meter and it read 16 PSI (standard) and never dipped even when the old pressure sensor read low.
So I was semi-confident that driving in today I wouldn’t explode in a brilliant flaming fireball much like the San Diego Fireworks this year (http://youtu.be/JuJHfkXEI-o if you haven’t seen it yet). I got in the truck, hit several stop lights, no low oil pressure. But then I hadn’t had low oil pressure before until it got up to temp.
Most of my drive is freeway so I didn’t have to slow down at any point. It was kinda nice driving in today. Lots of people must be on vacation. At any rate, when I got off the freeway I was fully expecting the pressure to DING! And drop then bounce back up. I kept my eye on the needle. I watched it like a hawk watching a mouse twitch in the grass. It moved slightly. It wiggled a little bit. It felt my intense stare. But didn’t go down.
Then I got to the next red light. And the next. And the next.
No Ding this morning. Color me confused. The engine was up to temp. The only difference was it was a slightly cooler morning. I’m not sure if that made enough of a difference, but we’ll find out when I go home later today. I’m hopeful that Sputtery Truck has been subdued into submission.
I got around 1000 words written yesterday. Being a crazy busy day there weren’t many hours to actually sit and write, but I found a small chunk of time and went for it. And I played a little NetHack. Died a few times, but upset that I couldn’t find the files so I could back up my character and decided to write instead.
We went to the Millicans’ house. It was the Millican’s father’s birthday. There was a fire extinguisher on hand and the room warmed considerably when the cake came out. It was a festive celebration and much food was had by all.
Happy Birthday, Pops!
I’m off to go get this day going in the right direction! I hope you’re off to do the same!
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Saga of the Sputtery Truck
Today is a good day. I took Sputtery Truck into the shop. I was prepared for the worst. I informed them about the truck’s history and waited. They called and said it wasn’t the Oil Pump (a costly repair) and that the oil pressure looked good holding steady at 16PSI just like it should. So it’s the Pressure Sensor that’s bad. A $100 repair. I went ahead and had them perform an engine flush just to make sure everything is clean inside before the installed the new pressure sensor. I’ll be on my way to pick up Sputtery Truck soon.
My favorite daughter is back to volleyball today. She’s just getting over a mouth issue (no, not mouthing off to the wife and I). She’s just starting to be able to eat again after having multiple cold sores and canker sores as well as a minor case of gingivitis. The poor thing couldn’t eat much of anything because it hurt so much to chew. We will be doing a lot of working out over the next few weeks up until tryouts. It’s going to be a busy, busy time.
Last night we took a little drive and did some shopping. We’re getting ready for the Millican’s youngest daughter’s quinceanera. We all need spiffy outfits. If you don’t know what a quinceanera is, it’s a party for a girl when she reaches 15. It’s the Mexican equivalent of a sweet 16. It will be held in Tijuana so the Wife and I have our passports all ready to go. That will be a load of fun.
During the trip my eye, which had been bothering me in the light all day, continued to get worse. I had changed my contact lens, but that didn’t help. It felt like someone had stuck their finger in my eye and refused to pull it back out. Needless to say it was distracting at best, and painfully distracting at worse. I took a nap while the Wife, My favorite daughter and her friend all shopped. When I woke up I thought it might be better. Well, I thought wrong.
It was, however, better after shopping was done and we went to BJs for lunch (late lunch early dinner?) I knew they made beer. What I didn’t know was that they made their own Root Beer, Blackberry Soda, Orange Cream Soda, and Cream Soda. Not only do they make their own, they do a fine job of it and after three glasses (free refills don’tchaknow) my eye felt better. So I’m saying here and now that Cream Soda is a miracle cure for a sore eye. Results may vary.
The food was great. The service was excellent. I’d been there a couple of times and I still haven’t tried the beer. If the Cream Soda is any indication of their quality of beverages, I’ll be trying a sampler the next time I walk through their doors. I’m in the mood for some good beer just like I’m in the mood for some good poker.
Speaking of poker, I used to be a little into poker. Ok, a lot into poker. I had stopped writing for a spell (a year?) while I played online poker as much as humanly possible. I made some money, but never anything significant. It was more for entertainment. During that time and leading up to that time was heavily into watching poker as well. I also read books about poker, watched training videos, you name it, I was obsessed with poker. I got to know a lot of the players from watching them on TV so when I see their name in the news I would read about them.
Lately I’ve been reading about the WSOP (World Series of Poker). There are a lot of events and I’ve been trying not to read too much about them. I want to see the hands played out on TV, but it’s so hard to avoid any news. I’ve subscribed to multiple poker news feeds so it’s difficult to avoid reading an article when I see a top player’s name in the news feed. I will try to keep from getting too deeply involved. I’ve already got my DVR set up to record the 2012 WSOP. I can’t wait. 🙂
My eye feels better, Sputtery Truck is going to be in better shape for less than I thought, I won a poker tournament Friday, This is starting out to be a great week. Now I need to go find some more pictures of ducks (I want to have an ample supply before I start) and I need to write up some more writing prompts (I also want to have a good supply before I start). Those will be coming daily. Be on the lookout. I also intend to get some more writing done today. Yesterday wound up being a shopping day. We’ll see how it goes.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Still Tired
I managed to hit my goal again. I’m still sluggish after Tuesday. I’ll get over it. At least I’m hitting my writing goal each day. I like that. To Fall From the Sky is coming along nicely. It’s moving in a different direction, but I was prepared for this. It’s not slowing me down at all and I like this new direction. It adds some threat that was missing if the enemy stayed put. Having him on the move is a big help and by doing so it may open up the novel to a sequel should the ending call for one. It could remain a concluded story, but leave a little question in the readers mind of “what happens next?”
I’m quickly approaching the 100,000 word mark on the year. I didn’t think I’d be here so quickly. I’m excited. I didn’t plan any celebrations for hitting that first marker, but we’ll see what happens from here. Maybe I should reward myself with a trip to Fry’s just to look around and spot something I’d like when I do finally hit my goal.
I’ll do an Unorthodox Writing Tip on rewards. I think it’s good to set a goal and a reward for when you hit that goal. Otherwise what’s the point of having the goal in the first place? Let me write that down, I’ll be right back.
Okay, did you miss me? Yeah, I didn’t either.
My favorite daughter had a great practice last night as did the entire team. They were mostly positive, having fun, and playing well. I’m hopeful for this weekend. Two pluses, they’re positive, and the game is close. So half the team won’t be getting up at 4am to make the game.
I haven’t posted about it in some time, but Sputtery Truck is running great. Beyond that the check engine light went off. I’ll need to see if it just burnt out or if the error code actually cleared. It’s been running smooth since the new engine was dropped in. March is marching on and soon it’ll start getting hot. I need to get the AC recharged so I won’t have to drive everywhere with the windows rolled down. The Wife and my favorite daughter can’t have their hair mussed up. 🙂 I kid, I kid.
I also haven’t posted about MixZing. I’m still using it on my tablet. I still use WinAmp on my phone. I use the tablet when at home and the phone when I’m driving. I’m mostly happy with MixZing. There are in app ads, but they’re short and I can get past them quickly enough to do what I want to do. I like the playlist feature, but it adds songs onto the playlist once you complete the songs you’ve added. Not sure if I like that or not. I’d almost rather have it either stop or go back to all songs ans shuffle. I’ll have to look and see if there is an option for that.
Next week I’m up North for some training. Work related stuff. I’m already planning in my head what I’ll do about my writing time. I will write while away. I will blog while away. I will NOT miss a day. I should probably plan on what I’m going to pack. Hmm…
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Some actual updates
Shin Splints: The front of my legs still hurts after I exert myself doing activities such as helping out at volleyball, wandering around the grocery store, helping out at volleyball, walking to my truck too quickly (I park in the street away from the living quarters), helping out at volleyball, going up and down the stairs too many times, helping out at volleyball. The plus side is it only hurts for a short time afterwards and not into the day after like it had been. This is making me happy though I’m not ready to try out my ‘land legs’ any time soon. I still have yet to get up to the gym at our complex, but I intend to start going very soon. Hopefully this weekend.
Sputtery Truck: The check engine light is still on. The registration is due, but I don’t have to smog it this year. I know why the light is on and it’s nothing critical that cannot wait at this point. I’m happy that each time I go out I can start it up and it doesn’t look like Spy Hunter with a billowing cloud of smoke pouring out the back end. This was usually followed up with it overheating and that hasn’t happened either. I’ve kept an eye on the fluid levels and all looks good. It’s on the road to recovery.
Action Pack: Currently I have Mike Plested’s audio. I’m waiting on Scott Roche’s and I need to record my own. I’ll be recording the promo as soon as I get the audio from Mike. We have the cover art for the ebook edition of the stories that will be available at Flying Island Press. I’m waiting on my friend who shall be known as Mike Lafayette to produce music for me. He will be out after the 25th and assures me that I’ll have music before then. This will be just in time to drop the first episode on the 29th. Nothing like cutting it close, eh?
Writing: I’ve been going at it slower than I’d like, but I am catching up to my annual goal. At one point I was 5000 words behind. I’m now less than 3000 and gaining ground with every word I type. I’m having fun with both my research and my writing. If I wasn’t having fun, I’d be putting projects aside. It’s great to see my word counts going up.
Getting Caught up with Friends: I hadn’t spoken with Kimi Alexandre or Jack Mangan in some time. Sure we’ve exchanged emails, but it’s nice to get on skype and just chat with online friends that you don’t get face time with. Online chatting will keep you caught up with some goings on, but there’s nothing like hearing another person’s voice to get caught up on everything.
My Favorite Daughter: If you haven’t guessed, it’s been a lot of volleyball. I’ve been helping out at practices and it’s really great to see how the team is starting to really mesh and play as a unit as opposed to individuals. All I can say is my kid rocks 🙂 but I may be biased.
Jack Kane: Edits are progressing on book 1 and plotting is progressing on book 2. Mike and I have been using Google Docs crazy and the more I use it, the more I like it. I’m sure there are a lot more features in there that we aren’t using, and as we find them, we’ll use them.
Scriviner: I’ve been using scriviner to edit Jack Kane. I’m really liking the interface and I can see now why so many writers rave about it. As soon as I’m able I’ll be buying a license for it and I’ll be moving all my works into the tools. I’ll also use any notes I put into scriviner up onto the wiki page I created and am currently not using. I do have every intention of getting everything up and in there.
MixZing: I’m still liking this music app on my tablet. I haven’t run into any issues and the ads only come up when I open the app and I can live with that. I have the widget on my homescreen and it works great for a shuffle and for playing entire albums. So far, no complaints other than the EQ will cause the tablet to lock up so I just don’t use it.
Work: Work is going GREAT! Frickin love my job. I’ve been doing a big mix of paperwork and documentation and a little bit of coding and I think this is what’s been slowing down my daily writing output, but the job does come first. It’s been a great start to the year with only a couple of unexpected bumps along the way, but nothing we can’t get past.
Sorry this is such a long post today.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: The Morning After
This was supposed to be published on the 6th. Looks like it got saved as a draft. Oops.
—–
Yesterday was SuperBowl Sunday. It’s almost a national holiday. Every year my wife’s family gathers at my father-in-law’s house. He makes some incredible carnitas (the best I’ve ever had) and everyone brings along something to go with it and/or a dessert. It’s a feast fit for a king and I eat as much as I possibly can. Sometimes (like yesterday) I eat too much and need to go to sleep as soon as we get back home.
I didn’t care for either team that made the Superbowl. Say what you like, I have my reasons. Eli Manning turned down the Chargers after being drafted. That never sat well with fans. Belachick got caught cheating and a proper investigation was never performed. So I really didn’t care who won and this gave me no emotional stake in the game.
I usually love the commercials presented during the Superbowl so normally I won’t get up for the commercials. After the first few sets of commercials I was also disappointed and would get up and snack during the commercials.
Then there’s the half time show. Where do I begin. If you like Madonna, I’m sorry please skip the next paragraph.
Madonna is the worst performer of all time. Sure there was a big production around her, but she didn’t not sing one word. She didn’t dance. She barely moved. I know she’s getting old, but this is the Superbowl. People should have higher standards. When you’re singing is clear as a bell and people are waving pompoms in your face and all I can hear is your voice you want me to believe that you’re singing? The only reason I can think that Madonna was selected is that she has a new album and is going on tour. And she expects her fans to pay $300 and up to see her perform. Really? I don’t think so. She’s a has-been that never should have been. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it! Sorry, I was really upset during the half time show and I needed to vent. I personally feel that people who don’t actually sing their songs should be banned from performing.
Sputtery Truck ran like a champ yesterday. Thank you to all who inquired about its present condition. The next couple of days will be telling. I made several errands and drove quite a bit yesterday. The new engine is awesome, it’s just a waiting game to see if I need to replace an O2 sensor or a catalytic convertor. I’m hoping for neither, but we’ll see.
Writing didn’t happen yesterday. With a number of errands to do pre-game and eating more than any 5 normal men (plus 2 helpings of dessert) my brain was just not in gear to write. I’ve written an UWT about this. Even though no writing happened, yesterday was an awesome day. I love spending time with my wife’s family. My tummy today would disagree, but it was some great food. For me, it’s never really about the game, but spending time with friends and family.
How was your Superbowl Sunday? Did you watch the game? Do you avoid the game at all costs? Was it just another day? If you’re outside the states, do you even care?
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Check Engine
So the Check Engine light came on this morning. At least I’m confident that it’s not related to the engine, but the exhaust. I’ve got it narrowed down to one or two parts and they don’t affect the performance of the truck. Started right up this morning and I was on my way into the office. Today is a good day.
It’s supposed to rain today. I’ve been diligent about taking my sinus medicine. Normally I’d be shut down right about now. Happily, I’m not. I’m clear headed and ready to rock and roll. It’s been a long time since I’ve made it through a rainy day without suffering.
As a kid, I used to love rainy days. Growing up in Minnesota it wasn’t uncommon to have a warm rain on a hot summer day. My brother and I would get into our shorts and run and play outside. After a good heavy downpour we’d end up with our tonka toys plowing through every available mud puddle. By the end of the day we’d be covered head to toe in mud. My mom would make us stand by the back door while she hosed us off before allowing us to go inside and take a shower or bath.
As an adult, I learned to dread the rain. Typically I’d get a headache a day or two before a storm and my sinuses would all but shut me down. I could easily go through a couple boxes of tissue in a day and would use the cheaper method of a roll of toilet paper. The day before it would rain would usually be the worst. The low pressure system bring the rain would be doing its best to kill me and my head threatened to explode. It’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I’d almost rather get hit in the head with a bat. At least the pain would subside quicker.
To say I was surprised when the wife told me “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow” would be an understatement. I didn’t feel anything and even as I write this I only feel the slightest pressure. I’ll not be forgetting my meds any time soon I can tell you that.
Yesterday was a good writing day. I accumulated nearly 2000 words. I didn’t get stuck, but after dinner I couldn’t focus as well on my writing so I decided to play around with the blog a little bit. I found new word counters. Now you can keep better track of where I’m at and so can I. It’s great having a visual display of where I am in a story. Heck, where I’m at with multiple stories. I just need to start making those percentages go up quicker.
Speaking of quicker, I’ve got some paperwork to get done. I already know what I want to write during my lunch. It’s raining, I can’t go walk.
Speaking of walking, I’ve got the code to my complexes workout room. I hope to get back on the horse soon. I will post my numbers as I do.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: The Saga of the Sputtery Truck Continues
So the engine and throttle body have been replaced. Berto’s Auto Wrecking in Otay did an awesome job. I can’t recommend them highly enough. Sadly I cannot find a web address for them, but I’m sure this is consistent with many of the businesses down there. They exists to pull parts from old/salvaged cars and put them into your car. That’s what they do and they do it well. I’m a very happy customer and if you’re in San Diego and need a new engine, transmission, or just some random part, email me and I’ll send you their information.
To that end, the check engine light came on, again. I took it back and they ran the code. It wasn’t a hard code with the engine. I took it to a friend of mine and we looked at the code and it had to do with one of the oxygen sensors. It was either the rear O2 sensor or the catalytic convertor. One is cheap, the other is expensive. Being that I was burning coolant, it could very likely be the catalytic convertor, but I’m hopeful it is not. The rear O2 sensor did have a lot of crud burned onto it and with some throttle body cleaner we managed to get it looking nearly as clean as the bank 2 O2 sensors (there are 4 total). The check engine light has been reset, so now we wait again.
I did some writing last night on a new story. I’m having fun with it. I’ll be bopping back and forth between that one and Second Kance. I still need to get Kance Encounter up for your reading enjoyment. I’ve been on a writing spree and it feel great. Even though I know the truck will still need something else replaced, I know it runs and what is throwing the code is nothing critical that needs to be replaced immediately. I’m back to being 3000 words ahead of my writing goal and that feel great.
My favorite daughter has a dance tonight. Afterward she’ll be staying at a friend’s house. She’s super excited about going and has been practicing walking her her new heels. They make her taller than me so I’m not a fan of them. She’ll look super cute tonight so I’m happy she’ll have a good time.
Tomorrow is more Volleyball practice. I’ll try to get in a bit of writing while she’s there as I know the rest of the day will be shot. We’re heading over to my father-in-law’s house for the best carnitas in the world. Don’t know what carnitas is? Oh are you missing out. Well, unless you’re a vegetarian. I’ll post more about carnitas tomorrow. Let’s just say it smells great, it tastes great, and it’s bad for you making it AWESOME! I’ll have my limit of 2 beers during the game. I can’t remember the last time I had more than two at a given function (beers at WFC2011 with Mike Plested don’t count).
I’m not a heavy drinker to begin with so this doesn’t bother me at all. It’s been a great week and it’s going to be an awesome weekend. Well, the wife and I also have plans so I’d better go drag my carcass into the shower and get my self all prettified. I think I only have two hours. LOL Maybe I’ll get ready and write for a while before we have to go. It’s nice to see those word counts going up, up, up!
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Yesterday was a Good Day
Yes, I said it. Yesterday was a good day. Not just good, but awesome!
Knowing that we were going to pick up Sputtery Truck made me happy. Driving it home made me even happier. Writing made me elated.
Sputtry Truck:
It runs quieter than it had, but it was already warmed up because they were ready to close and were moving it .Regardless it felt smoother on the road. The wife and my favorite daughter followed me home. I did have to pull over and stop at one point. I had looked at the engine after pulling out and I didn’t secure the hood all the way. I got a call “Oh no! What’s wrong?” Fortunately I just had to re-open and slam the hood closed.
I did hit a bumpy patch on the road that made the whole truck shimmy and shake and I thought for just a moment that something may be wrong. I took my foot off the accelerator and all was fine once again. So SPuttry Truck, as it will no and forever be known as, is back home. The person who replaced it for me said he’s replaced this engine in other vehicles before which made me feel better about doing the entire engine vs the head gasket(s). I asked him about the Tahoe and he said those engines were beasts and I shouldn’t have any trouble with it at all. The transmission, on the other hand. I may be seeing him again, just hopefully not any time soon.
Writing:
I put out a couple of blog posts yesterday. I’m having fun writing some of these and the memories that come up while I write. It’s a great way to purge some information. All in all yesterday was a 3000 word day. Today should be similar. Or so I hope. It is Friday after all.
While lying in bed last night I decided to not play angry birds or read while I went to sleep and instead decided that I’m going to write a little on a story before I go to bed. I didn’t want to work on any of my WIPs and I had an idea for a new story. It’ll mostly likely be around 15,000 words when done. It’ll be more YA/Middle Grade. Just putting down the first 100 words before I couldn’t keep my eyes open was fun. I’ll be working on this a little each night and we’ll see where it goes.
Other WIPs are also progressing. Now that Sputtery Truck is home I feel much more relaxed. Words just seem to flow now. This makes me happy on several levels. The end of last month was a bad one for trying to write and looking at my word count, it’s reflected there.
I still need to get Kance Encounter out and begin work on Second Kance. I’m excited for the sequel. This one will be a little longer than the first. These stories are helping fuel my brain to get back into the Of Gnomes and Dwarves universe that I created so long ago. I can’t wait to begin the re-write (and by re-write I mean starting over from word one, not editing what I had before). I’d written four books and I will be self publishing them. I hope to start putting them out next year.
I have so many projects I’m working on now and many all at the same time. It’s difficult NOT to be excited about sitting and writing. If I feel stuck on one and need to think about a resolution I can hop to another and put words down to get it moving along. I wasn’t a fan of working on multiple projects at one time, but I’m seeing the allure. Now that my brain is mostly stress free, words should flow!
Holy Carp, this post is getting long. I’ll save some words for tomorrow.
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
Daily Update: Waiting Sucks!
So if you haven’t seen it yet, I have a free short story on Smashwords. I really like this story as it gives a briefest glimpse into the life of a person that would otherwise be ignored. It’s not genre fiction, it’s just fiction. It has a slight Christian slant, just to forewarn you. It’s not heavy handed at all, just a story. I had submitted it to a contest a few years ago and although I didn’t win, I got some great feedback from the judges. The picture for the cover came from PayPhoneNews.com and was used with permission. The cover was done by Dan Dan the Art Man. He does great work! Wait until you see the cover for Kance Encounter. 🙂
Yesterday I told you to look for a Tweet telling you that Sputtery Truck had returned home in fine, working order. I reminded the wife that we needed to pick it up. I called her at 3PM to remind her. I forgot to mention that the place closes at 5PM and it’s about a 30 minute drive from our house. So when she got home at 4:45PM and said “Let’s go get the truck!” I was already deflated. My favorite daughter had said about an hour before, “Why don’t we just drive down and get it? Why do we have to wait for mommy? Oh, wait. Nevermind.” I love my kid. It’s a good thing she’s cute. 🙂
So still I wait for my truck to return to me. It’ll be a little more than estimated because another part on the engine needed to be replaced, but I had been expecting that. It’ll still be less than replacing the truck. So the wife will return early today so we can go and pick it up. From what I’m told, all looks good.
More waiting, as I mentioned already I’m still waiting to hear back on books and short stories. I’m going to stop stressing about them and get my butt in the chair and write. While waiting for the wife last night I could have been writing, but instead found other things to distract myself like calling and sending texts to the wife not realizing she didn’t have her phone with her. Not hearing back only got me more worked up and I couldn’t concentrate. Ah well. Today is another day, right?
I’ve spent the last couple days at work writing documentation and building mock-ups. This, at times, can be a tedious process, but it’s something I enjoy. I like thinking through each step and what it would take to build out a larger project. The one we’re looking at isn’t nearly as large as a project I had last year and it’s more modular so a few of us can work on it at one time. It’s neat to see all those parts come together. Again, I’ll be waiting until the client signs off and we can begin the work in earnest. More waiting. LOL
Are you seeing a theme here? It’s a good thing I’m usually patient or I’d go insane. Speaking of going insane…
Until Tomorrow!
WOO WOO!
J.R. Murdock 