I’ve just finished the second draft of a Dragon’s Brood short story that I’m probably prouder of than anything I’ve ever written. That’s kind of a scary place to be, though. ✍🏼😱📚

NaNoWriMo thoughts: There is no better feeling then when your characters take over for you (the author), and you’re just along for the ride. 💜✍🏼

The new single by George Michael is really great. 💜🎵

I don’t read memoirs or biographies very often. Most of the time, there might be one every year or two that I pick up and enjoy, but frequently not even that many. I’m a novel reader for the most part, but every now and then, a great bio comes along that changes everything.

Except in the month of October 2019, there were three of them, all extremely different from one another. I wanted to highlight them here, in the hopes that my readers may check them out as well.

WHAM!, George and Me

Andrew Ridgeley has long been known as “that other guy in WHAM!” To fans like me, though, he was a bit more than that. I grew up a tremendous fan of WHAM! and George Michael, and Andrew’s memoir of his time with George in WHAM! is a fun trip down memory lane. As a mega-fan, I knew a lot of the stories here already, having lived through them at the time, but there were some new gems as well, and some things I’d damn near forgotten about. For fans of George Michael’s incalculable talent or even just of 80s culture in general, this is a fun romp.

Side note: Like so many inexplicable decisions made surrounding George Michael’s music releases in the United States, the book is entitled WHAM!, George Michael and Me for us yanks.

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

What can I say? Elton John rocks, and this is a must-read for any fan. It’ll have you laughing and crying, sometimes at nearly the same moment, and it gives remarkable insight into his life, career, and creative process.

I was born just a little too late to have lived through Elton’s 70s era, but I was a big fan of his body of work throughout my life. It was a ton of fun to read about the first quarter or so of his career that I missed experiencing first-hand.

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church

Megan Phelps-Roper is a remarkable woman. This memoir chronicles her life inside the toxic Westboro Baptist Church, her realizations about what they were doing, and her subsequent escape. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read—and certainly the best memoir. If you only read one memoir this year, this is the one. It’s an emotional ride that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it.

Today, NaNoWriMo starts in earnest for me. Good luck to everyone participating this year. I have several pieces in the works and coming soon. Thanks to all my readers for their continued support. 💜📚✍🏼

It is so crazy that in 2019, I am still forced to buy freaking CDs imported from other countries because new albums aren’t being released digitally worldwide. This is so stupid and inexcusable. This just keeps happening. Madness! /endRant 🎵

I’m a lifelong Lego enthusiast, and I’m also blind. I am beyond ecstatic about the news that Lego has launched a new website with building set instructions in text, audio, and Braille formats for visually impaired builders. They’re starting out with four sets and plan to roll it out to the rest of their products next year.

The Washington Post has a great article about it here. I highly recommend reading it, as it goes into depth on the genesis of the project.

Guess who has already ordered two of the available sets?

And, damn, there’s a new 6000+ piece Hogwarts Castle set out…I’m in trouble. 😱

This weekend, there were two mass shootings in the United States in less than twenty-four hours, leaving dozens dead and injured. These are not even the first this week. Tragically, there will likely be more next week…perhaps tomorrow…or before I even finish writing this. More Americans have died to gun violence in the last forty years or so than in all the wars we have fought in during our nation’s history. Is this who we want to be?

While families are slaughtered in our streets, we tear others apart at our southern border. We detain asylum seekers and US citizens alike in concentration camps, without regard to the morality or legality of doing so. Children are traumatized for life; families are irrevocably destroyed; and innocent lives are lost. Is this who we want to be?

Wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, and record heat waves sweep across our nation, destroying homes, livelihoods, and lives. Climate change is here, and countless more lives will be lost in the coming years. And yet, for decades, we have done nothing to avert disaster, despite the clear warnings of both science and the world around us. Is this who we want to be?

If you are still supporting the Republican Party and their chosen standard bearer, then I ask you to answer these questions. Answer them silently; answer them to yourself. I don’t want to hear your answers. I ask only that you reflect on what they answers are for you, personally.

• Do you want thousands to be murdered every year by gun violence?
• Do you want families to be torn apart and children caged like animals?
• Do you want your children or grandchildren to be faced with famine, fire, or flood?
• Do you want to live in a nation whose laws are written to bolster racism, misogyny, homophobia, and countless other forms of hate?
• Do you want to live in a nation who allows its people to go without healthcare in order to keep its wealthiest citizens and businesses from paying taxes?

These are the things the GOP stands for. They pronounce these values loudly and proudly, through both word and deed. It doesn’t matter what you say your values are; a vote for the GOP is a vote for “yes” on all of the above. Can you live with that?

Who do you want to be?

I’m a California native now living in Pennsylvania for many years, and it is endlessly fascinating (and amusing) to me to observe the linguistic differences between those two regions of the country. Here’s a small sampling for your entertainment.

To Be or Not To Be

“My car needs to be washed,” says the Californian.

“My car needs washed,” says the Pennsylvanian.

“WTF?!” say my ears. It feels like absolute madness to leave “to be” out of that sentence, and yet it is common and widely accepted in Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio.

Sweeping with Sweepers

“Are you going to vacuum the rug with your vacuum cleaner?” asks the Californian.

“No,” answers the Pennsylvanian. “I’m going to sweep it with my sweeper.”

Huh? Vacuums do not sweep. They, uh, vacuum. A sweeper sounds like some sort of space-age mechanical broom used by Rosy on the Jetsons. You could, perhaps, say that you’re going to suck with your sucker, but I think we’re all better off sticking with “vacuum”.

When is a Mac not a Mac?

“I need to withdraw some cash with my ATM card,” says the Californian. (ATM cards may alternatively be referred to as a debit card.)

“I’m going to withdraw some cash with my mac card,” says the Pennsylvanian, apparently not referring to a line of personal computers. In fact, it’s a name that was used for ATMs by a Pennsylvania-based bank in the 1980s that has just stuck. “Mac” was shorthand for “Money Access”. Another regional bank here apparently called their ATM cards “George”. Imagine if we all went around saying that we need to use George to get some cash! 😱

This One or That One?

“Is it this one or that one?” asks the Californian.

“Is it this’n or that’n?” asks the Pennsylvanian.

This one (this’n?) threw me for a loop the first time I heard someone say it. It sounded so alien to my ears that I really grappled with understanding what was being asked.

Prolly

“Perhaps, but probably not,” says the Californian.

“Perhaps, but prolly not,” says the Pennsylvanian.

“Prolly” (rhymes with “trolly) amuses me a great deal when my wife, a native Pennsylvanian, uses it. It’s like saying, “Meh…we don’t need 37.5% of that word. Let’s just throw it out!”

In 2019, we still do not have a spam filter for snail mail. 🤔

Thanks to Turning Another Page for their review of Haven Divided to round out the audiobook tour. The tour was a lot of fun to participate in. 📚

My thanks to Crossroad Reviews for this review of Haven Divided 🎉📚

I created a music playlist available on Apple Music or Spottify. Check out today’s stop. on The Dragon’s Brood Cycle audiobook tour for commentary on each selection. 📚🎵

I was asked to put together a list of my top ten favorite fantasy novels for today’s stop on The Dragon’s Brood Cycle audiobook tour. Spoiler: I cheated. Check it out on Jazzy Book Reviews 📚

My thanks to Valerie Ullmer for hosting week 2 of The Dragon’s Brood Cycle audiobook tour! I enjoyed writing this guest post for her blog about my literary inspirations. 📚

y thanks to Turning Another Page for their review of Haven Lost as part of The Dragon’s Brood Cycle audiobook tour! 📚

Question: How do you manage to write such vivid descriptions in your books as a blind author?

I’ve been asked that question so many times over the last few years that it seemed like I should write a blog post about it to point new inquiries to. It isn’t that I mind answering or find the question offensive or upsetting in any way; it’s only that the places where this question generally comes up (e.g. on Twitter) don’t lend themselves to thorough or satisfying responses. So, for the record, here is the best answer I can give.

First, I didn’t lose my vision until I was six-years-old, giving me a strong foundation of what the visual world is like. I won’t deny this has helped tremendously, but it is not the main or only reason I write the way I do. I think anyone can write compelling visual descriptions; some have more of a knack for it than others. Plenty of bestselling authors can spin great stories without being very good at visual descriptions at all—Robert J. Sawyer comes to mind. Other authors thrive on describing the world they are building in rich detail, like Anne Rice.

Second, you’ll notice that in the paragraph above I was very specific about visual descriptions. The fact is, descriptions should be wholly immersive for your reader. There are at least five senses you can pull from, and all should be used in your writing at appropriate times to “draw” a picture of the setting you’re creating. Many readers won’t even realize that you’re doing this if you’ve snared them with your story. A character noting the smell of a flower might conjure the image of a rose in your reader’s mind; the feel of the steam upon their face will make them “see” the rich dark brown of the coffee. The point is, don’t get hung up worrying about the visuals. They should be there, but play to your strengths when you need to.

I credit a lot of my style of descriptive prose to Anne Rice, who is often praised for her ability to place the reader into preternatural situations and making them feel like they’ve actually lived them. She is the master of exploiting all the senses and drawing pictures, not just with words, but with experiences.

Next, I’ve always been a particularly visual person in general. Everything I touch, hear, smell, or taste acquires a color, texture, or picture in my mind. When i use an app on a computing device, I build a visual map of its interface in my mind. This is something that happens naturally for me, but it’s also a technique that can be learned. Build “pictures” in your mind as you experience the world around you. If those pictures need to be more tactile than visual, that’s fine. Image the sun as a (very hot) basketball, or the moon as a buttery croissant. (Damn, now I’m hungry.)

Looking back at the initial question, I can’t help wondering if I really answered it. I certainly can point to signposts along the road that have led me to where I am as a writer, but, as many writers will tell you, we mostly don’t know how we do what we do. So much of the creative process feels like magic as it’s happening.

If you’re an aspiring author who happens to be visually impaired, the best advice I can give you is to read as much as you can and, most important of all, just keep writing.

If you have a blog or podcast that is book related, or just want to chat about the creative process in general, I’m available for interviews, guest posts, etc. Feel free to reach out here or via my website.

I did an author interview for today’s stop on The Dragon’s Brood Cycle audiobook tour. It was fun! 📚

Today’s stop for The Dragon’s Brood Cycle tour included a review of Haven Lost by the Book Addicts Reviews. I’m so happy that so many readers are enjoying my books! 📚

This was the song for our first dance at the wedding, two years ago:

Song of the Day: I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) — by George Michael & Aretha Franklin 🎵

Wow! I’m so flattered by this review of Haven Lost by Crossroad Reviews! 📚

Today is my wife’s and my second wedding anniversary. We’re celebrating with a chill day and making dinner together this afternoon. ❤️

I’d also like to thank Jazzy Book Reviews and the Book Junkie Reads for hosting the audiobook tour over the weekend! 📚

The audiobook tour for The Dragon’s Brood Cycle continues with another stop which, among othero things, includes character profiles of three of the series’ protagonists! 📚