Messi is Pretty Inspiring

I will never be this passionate about football. Or Anything. Lionel Messi gets a goal in the very last minute against Iran and the announced loses it.

Starting Your Week Off Right

Hey, Monday is coming. Get your game face on. 

#1 Listen to this music:

2: Look at this cat. Try to feel as relaxed and supine as this cat.

3) Try to be as close to your friends as these two dogs:

4: Look at this great food. Because it's good.

5: If this lizard can climb mountains so can you.

Now go out and be awesome. 

Здравствуйте еще раз!

Hello again to my Russian comrades! I'm up to 27 Russian views. Thank you for your support!

Pour toutes les Français, je n'ai qu'un personne visite mon site. Qu'est que-ce passe? Où sont mes amis du bon pays la France? Mon deuxième nation est disparu!

Para todos los Latinos y espagnol: queso, salsa, guapo, fútbol, sombrero, carne y autobus. (Lo siento. Yo no peudo escribir espagnol bien, pero yo lo estudiando!)

To all the Anglophones out there, keep it cool. Roll on.

How I Feel Waiting For Literary Agents to Respond

     Have you ever met that guy who would hit on one girl at a party, get laughed at, then he would hit on another girl? And another? And he would hit on nine different girls until one of them finally said 'yes' to a date invitation? That guy was usually the same guy who, when assigned a project in class or work, would fail once and then go, "Screw this!"

     As much as I hate being 'that guy,' I've definitely learned to be that guy when it comes to writing. Coming up, I have had maybe two stories that were immediately accepted. I've racked up well over a hundred rejections for all my published material. But 99 can turn you down and it's alright as long as one says yes.

     And yes, booze helps. Ask Hemingway.

The Abandoned House in my Neighborhood

In my neighborhood on a hill there is a house that was once owned by a rich lawyer. He never paid his mortgage (allegedly), and was at least $300,000 in debt. He fled Oregon and the last anyone saw of him he was throwing a party on a yacht outside Seattle.

That was five years ago. For a while his neighbors tried to keep up the lawn to keep their property values from collapsing.

A view of scattered debris in the windows.

Boxes, supposedly filled with documents. Some of the neighbors have claimed to spot him (or at least someone) occasionally sneaking in and taking some files.

So yes, this is the 'Heisenberg House' of my neighborhood. Will he ever be caught? What will happen to this house which has fallen to weeds, termites, gophers and garter snakes? Will someone eventually bulldoze it over? Hopefully not for a while. The hill I live on is a sylvan paradise, but it is still a suburb. The spooky abandoned house may hurt the property value but it sure makes it more interesting. 

A Heartfelt Thanks to All My Fans

     Hey everyone, I just want to say a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has checked out this blog, checked out my stories, and maybe even purchased 'The Last Pet Shop in Belfast.' I realize I probably made this blog a little prematurely. I finished writing my novel in April and have been sending it out to literary agents for the past two months. From there, when a lit agent finally accepts it, they have to find a publisher to publish it...long story short, the soonest my novel could hit the shelves would be a year. So I made this blog to connect to fans, literature geeks, and maybe even a few fellow writers who might want to network. To make matters worse, half of my short story bibliography isn't available, as some of the litmags have shut down or they no longer offer the stories for free and you have to purchase an issue of their magazines.
     In short, I have entered into this quagmire unprepared. But what kind of hero would I be if I don't stick through this and give you the best damn random thoughts you'll find on the whole goddamned internet? I am going to continue posting story updates, musings, travel pics, and any news I may have on future publications. To everyone that is reading this and checking into the blog every now and then, I appreciate it.
     Also if you feel to drop a comment about anything (short of spam), that is always appreciated. When I first started writing I was making less than $10 per story. One day I went back to a blog for a particular story I wasn't too proud of, and someone had written,  "Magnificent! (As usual.)" When you are a starving artist working for peanuts those little words of praise from anonymous people are the solid space you land on when you take that leap of faith when you decide to become a writer.
     In short, thanks so much for checking out the blog, reading the stories, dropping a comment, writing a review or rating the novella. I really appreciate any help I get and I am going to try to keep updating this blog on a daily basis. And as for any wannabe authors out there, if you are wondering about how to get published, or want to talk shop, I am happy to help and network so don't be shy!

Thanks guys!

Et si vous voulez parler francais, ca c'est possible aussi! (Je suis desolee pour l'absence des accents, j'ai un laptop amercain)

Three Summits

One of my favorite activities is hiking up mountains. It's always great to look back at the heights I've summitted, in this case literally.

The heights of Mount Rancho Cucamonga. 

Up the Santa Barbara Mountains.

Climbing up Coffin Mountain with my dog Tanner.

Tanner gets tired sometimes.

                                    No, I will not pick you up. I have two legs, you have four.

                   

                                              Resting the in the shade. What a lazy dog.

Always keep moving upward, the view alone is worth it.