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Give A Timeless Gift:  Your Favorite Book 

11/24/2014

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Recently I shared with someone the history behind one of my most treasured possessions and I thought I would share it again here. 

As you may know, I didn't start reading until I was in my twenties.  My biological father, who I didn't see from the age of 7 until around the age of 15, used to send me books and encourage me to read.  He was an avid reader, and when I did finally start reading, I loved talking books with him.  We shared a lot of the same interests, so I could always trust him when he'd hand me a book and tell me to read it.  Books like Some Kind of Hero by James Kirkwood, The Painted Bird by Jerzey Kosinski, Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon, Books of Blood by Clive Barker.  Four of my favorite books of all time and all handed to me by my father. 
The gift with a picture of my father on the left

There was one book, though--that he sent me for Christmas when I was 15--that was one of his favorites.  The year I received the book from him was essentially the beginning of our relationship.  I didn't read the book for 10 years.  By the time I had, my dad and I had a very close relationship.  The book was brought up several times throughout the years where we would discuss our fondness for it and for the author.  He no longer had a copy, and on a few occasions he expressed the desire to own one and read it again, as it had been decades since he had.  He didn't just want any copy.  He wanted the hardback version, like the one he had gotten me.  This was an age where getting a rare book wasn't as easy as jumping on eBay.  There was a real hunt involved, so for his birthday one year I gifted the book back to him.  He loved that I did that, and with what had slowly and unexpectedly become a tradition, he gifted it back once again years later. 

And then he died, with the book in my possession. 

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It's my most cherished book.  Not because it went on to win "Vampire Novel of the Century" and spawn three movie adaptations, but because it holds more than just a story about the last man on earth.  It's a reminder of my relationship with my dad, his patience with me as he waited for me to finally share in one of his favorite past times, and our link to the book.  One day when one of my boys are settled down, I'll gift the book to them and they can keep it in the family from there. 

We're in the season to give gifts, so I would encourage you to give someone a copy of one of your favorite books.  They may not read it right away, but that's the wonderful thing about books.  They don't go out of fashion.  They are timeless.  The story continues to sit there on the shelf ready and waiting for you to crack that spine and breathe deeply, the wood and ink that emits from its pages.
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Throwing In the NaNo Towel

11/18/2014

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The title says it all.  The bad, the good, and the relieved.  As you know, I've been excited for months for NaNoWriMo to get here.  What I wasn't prepared for was to move at the beginning of the month, which cut into my writing time significantly.  The move was rather spontaneous.  We had an opportunity that was too good to pass up, and we grabbed it immediately. 

By the middle of this month I was nearly 20k words behind.  Last night I realized in order to successfully finish NaNoWriMo this year I would have to write nearly 3,000 words per day, every day, for the next two weeks.  This isn't that hard for a few of my writer friends, but for me at this point in my life it's next to impossible.  Toss in my day job, time with the wife and kids, trying to unpack and organize--not to mention the consistently growing "to do" list I have that comes with living in a new house--and squeeze in some writing for my book coming out next year, and I still don't have enough hours in the day.

I was slacking on my duties around the house so that I could try and meet my daily word count.  This caused an unnecessary amount of stress on me (like moving doesn't carry enough stress as is) and laying too much on my wife, who has been very patient and understanding.  
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Even this lonely bookshelf calls my name to fill its void and bring it to life once again

I have been very adamant about not giving up my first year of NaNoWriMo, but I had to really ask myself what should my priority be right now.  Contributing my free time wholeheartedly to the transformation of my new home for me and my family, or 50,000 words worth of bragging rights.  There is always next year, and I've made peace with that.

That being said, after 12,000+ words in, I have officially thrown in the NaNo towel and have been defeated by the mighty 50k word dragon.  It's a relief to say, because I can now focus on what matters most at this point in my life:  Contributing heavily to all that comes along with turning your home from an empty shell to a warm and homey lair.  One that helps the wife and kids sleep comfortably and wake up excited to spend another day in it. 
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While Supplies Last...For A Limited Time Only...As Seen on TV...Here's How To Order!

11/1/2014

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Yes, it's the first day of NaNoWriMo.  No, I haven't started yet.  Yes, I know I told you that you wouldn't hear from me much, let alone right here at the starting line well after the gun has been fired, but I have good reason and it is brief. 

This weekend only, I have offered my short story "One for the Road" as a FREE e-book for your Kindle-friendly device.  You can get it right now free!  If you don't own a Kindle, how about an iPad?  iPhone?  iPod?  Android?  PC?  Blackberry?  Mac?  Every one of those offers a free Kindle app so you can get all the Kindle e-books you want.  

It's currently holding the #1 position under teen/young adult, #6 under literature/fiction, & #21 under horror, all within the short Kindle reads categories.  Download now for free, read later when you've got the time or devour that sucker now. 
If you find that you enjoy "One for the Road," please consider leaving me a review at Amazon and/or Goodreads.  It's very helpful.  If you check out the 10 reviews I have thus far, people seem to really be digging it.  I hope you do too!   

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a novel to write. 
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