Life As I Know It

If asked if my glass is half empty or half filled, I'd have to respond by saying it is bottomless. 


I'm 47, but nobody thinks I am. They say I don't act like it either (whatever that is suppose to mean).  What do people think someone my age should act like? I'm crazy (in a good way), and I'm not afraid to be myself. I think people should laugh more and complain less. (I'm working on the complaining less part). 


If your are in the over 40 age bracket, you are expected to be mature, but in my experience, being mature is overrated, plus mature sounds way old. I'm not old, yet. Life begins at 40; you know who you are and what you want. 


I have what you'd call a hyperactive personality. It's one of the reasons I maintain the level of insanity that I do. If I stop for too long, I know I'll sink to the bottom. I have been at the bottom, and it's not a good place to be.


I'm a writer, and that has allowed me to be who I am, and write what I want. I have written a thriller, which allowed me to work out all the negative energy that was embedded into my psyche. Right now, I feel like the not so distrubia kind of person. I embrace life for what it is, and strive every day to maintain a balance between work, writing, and family. 

Open your eyes

Every morning I drive by the same man waiting for the bus. He's not the sort of man most would go near, but I want to buy him a cup of coffee. I worked at a restaurant in 1995, and he came in there and drank coffee for most of the day. Reality check. There are people out there that most would never go near because of how they look, and that's sad if you think about it. 

I wonder if he is homeless or if he lives in a room somewhere. I heard he maybe even had money. He has wandered the streets of Saginaw for fifteen years that I know of and still does. I know this because I see him all the time. 

I bet there is someone where you live that everyone shuns because of the way he/she looks, but is that right? No. These people are perceived as "freaks" or worse just because they look different. If you think about it, we all look different, it's what sets us apart from the pack. 

I'm a crime writer that has written a thriller, I wonder how many people think I'm a freak. 

Sixx Am's CD "This is gonna Hurt," is a collection of songs that touch my heart deeply. One song is called "Skin," basically about letting someone see who you are, not judge you by your skin. Behind the skin are amazing people you'll never take the time to know. 

I'm a crime and thriller writer that is blessed to have a job at a hospital where I can take time and get to know the person behind the skin. 

Thoughts for the day: be happy you have a roof over your head and food on the table because so many do not. 

The new direction

I don’t know where my vivid imagination came from; I only know that, as a child, I was an avid daydreamer. I kept the daydreams alive inside of me or maybe they kept me alive.  Either way at age 45 I started a journey of a lifetime. I started writing. (Oh god if only I knew).

I’m a crime and thriller writer that is working on putting the finishing touches on two books to self publish as eBook on Amazon, Smashwords, and other outlets. 

The first is a thriller, “The Bone Extractor.” I think the title speaks for itself. It’s about a serial killer who extracts the entire skeleton from his victims with surgical precision. The cover features a likeness of actor Kane Hodder as “Bonesaw,” done by dark artist Nick Rose. 

My second book is a senior sleuth “Armed and Outrageous” with a zany cast of characters. Agnes Barton is 72 and thinks of herself as conservative, but her partner in crime Eleanor Mason, who is 82, is making it impossible. Despite their antics, they somehow manage to look into the disappearance of a tourist. 

I have not thought lightly about self-publishing eBooks. I have researched the subject extensively. It’s no longer the dirty word it once was and ultimately the goal is to write books that people will enjoy reading. 

I know this road is not an easy one. The full brunt of hiring an editor and marketing the book is on my shoulders, but I have decided one thing – it’s time for me to invest in me.

Finishing editing is cause for celebration

I submitted a book to a publisher on May 11, 2011, since then I wrote and finished editing another book "Armed and Outrageous." If you're a writer you can't just sit around and wait, you need to keep writing. 

I wrote 1,000 words a day and decided I don't much like writing 80,000 words. Armed is around 61,000 words, which is perfect for what I have in mind. I lost sleep worried and drove myself half insane, but I did it. 

In Armed. I was able to do the one thing every writer needs to do at least once, be yourself. I have extensive experience caring for seniors and writing humor isn't that much of a stretch for me. People have said for years I'm crazy, and I think they’re right. I can find humor in just about every situation. 

I have noticed the following observations; most seniors are snoopy as hell. They aren't afraid to stick their heads out the window and see what the hell you are doing in your backyard. If the police are over at your house, your senior neighbor, will have their ass over their asking the police why they are there. The police will tell them too, why not they live next door, right. 

If a neighbor happens to commit suicide (how horrible right) they will knock, on all the other neighbors’ doors to find out if they know how. Most of us wouldn't dare do that, but seniors can get away with just about anything. They don't care what you think about it either. 

I have noticed a trend where some writers portray someone 62 as being elderly. I think that's a joke. Unless they are an Alzheimer's patient, people 62 are quite able to go about their lives doing whatever they want with little interference from family members. Many are still working too. Medical problems are the only thing that may hinder them. 

Many seniors look damn good for their age, and you better not try and tell them otherwise. I know of some that are very physically fit. Their intelligence can be amazing, and yes, they can still have a sex life. (Viagra remember) They will not act their age, but who does? Not me that's for damn sure.

My story "Graveyard Justice" in now live at Flashes in the Dark

My story "Graveyard Justice" is up at flashes in the dark here inspired by my observation that people that mow the lawns at the cemetery just don't watch or care if they mow over grave markers. I think justice was in order. At just under 1,000 words it won't take you long to take a peek.

Flashes In The Dark is a free site, and I know how most people feel about free markets, they don't count right?? (Kinda like self publishing use to be). I write for the love of writing, and I hope one day to make money doing it, but it's nice to see one of my stories surfacing somewhere besides my blog. 

I plan to write another horror story soon. I have a character that I took from "The Bone Extractor," that is deserving of her own story. She's a little off her rocker, but so lovable in all the wrong ways. 

I'm still editing "Armed and Outrageous" and hope to be finished by Thursday. I hope it finds a home somewhere because I'm having the time of my life editing. It is so funny and over the top that it's downright entertaining. This will be the first in a series of books, written to be a fast read at 61,000 words. 

Live your life to the fullest

In life, you need not just focus on the things you need to do, but also those that love you the most. When it's all said and done it matters not how many hours you have worked or how much money you made.


You'll sit in your bed one day and think how much time you could have spent with an ailing spouse that may not even know who you are anymore. 

Illness can greatly affect how you view your life as a whole. Depression sets in and you are powerless do much about it. What do drugs really do? They can't solve your problems - they become another one. 

Have fun while you can and enjoy your family while they are here because life is just too short. All the money in the world won't keep you from getting sick. 

All that will be left then are regrets.   

Development of a story

What makes a character memorable? 

Think of your characters as people that are living and breathing, not puppets waiting for you to position them. Think about the traits you like or hate about someone and use them. Make your characters believable. 

If you always wanted to go somewhere you have never been, base your story there. It will be worth the two weeks research. 

What is behind your characters that motivate them to react, or do the things they do. Every single character in a book is motivated by something. If it's a husband or wife that has been cheated on, the motivation may be to kill the cheating spouse, and the person they were screwing.

What if they found out later, they had it all wrong? You now have the beginnings of a plot. It wouldn't be the plot, but it will work that way. In this scenario, I think the plot would be the cover up. To what extend would the character go to cover up what they did? Who would they involve, if anyone? 

Give them an interesting back-story. Many people are cheated on, but don't choose to kill. Why did your character? I personally like to make it sick and twisted. I think it makes it interesting that way. 

As a plus, I like to add an attractive man or woman in the mix, maybe both. He/she could be the detective or co-conspirator. Make them unattainable; it's better that way. (I think most of us can relate to that too).

Conflict: you can't let them get what they want. If they are trying to conceal their crime, find someone that will challenge them, a witness possibly. 

Build suspense while you write and break the chapters just when something exciting is about to happen.

You know you'll keep thumbing though the pages to find out what's going to happen next. I'll keep writing until I find out too, lol. 

Climax is a volcano that is ready to erupt and flood the village with molten lava . You should already have quickened the pace of the story to get here.  

Resolution: should have everything brought full circle, and the reader should never be left wondering. Even if, you write a sequel, you should write a book, as it's a stand-alone. That way, you can never lose. I have read many books with the same characters, and I have jumped into a tenth book and it felt as if it was the first book they wrote of the series. 

In conclusion if you ever get bored with what you're writing, kill one of you characters off.