Jason Halstead's Blog, page 38

The Devil is in the Icebox

No, my refrigerator isn't possessed. We have some strange electrical anomalies and occasionally creepy noises late at night in the house, but nothing ethereal or otherworldly going on. The title of the blog is a bit of word play on the title of the book I'm writing presently, Devil's Icebox. But hey, since you've already read this far, why not keep going and see what I'm talking about?

When I came up with the idea of the sequel to Dark Earth I was excited both by what I had in mind and by the characters. I was also looking forward to the opportunities it set the stage for down the road (e.g. next book or possible spin-offs). Truth be told, I was almost more excited about what came next. But in order to get there, I had to write the book. So I set to it, tapping mostly into how I thought it should be written rather than how I felt it should be. Yes, there's a difference.

I'm very happy to say that things have changed recently. Oh sure, there were touches of feeling throughout the early stages of the book, but I never had it completely overtake me. Well this week I've had numerous scenes unfold that wrote themselves, using me as little more than a rented mule with opposable thumbs for typing. In three days alone I've managed to write over 8,000 words. I'm expecting the rest of the week to give me at least another 5,000, and then this weekend I've slated some serious writing time to allow for at least another 10k. I don't expect it to be finished, but I do hope to wrap it up in the very near future.

Oh, and here's a teaser – the new Lord Baxter and his daughter, Jessica, made a surprise appearance last night. I didn't expect them to show up in this book but they found a way in and they did so style. Turns out Eric has learned a lot and is turning into more than just a competent leader! And sweet, innocent Jessica, his daughter – she's really coming into her own as a powerful witch but she's still holding onto her innocence and morality. Did I mention Percy makes a cameo appearance as well? If you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, then it's time you grabbed yourself a free copy of Dark Earth and found out!

But there's a problem! Something happened last night that often happens in the best of books. The story acquired a life of its own. It wrestled control from me and decided it wanted to twist the events in a new direction. I fought back, fearful that it was going to screw up my plans down the road. Using a voice so seductive it scared me, the story assured me that everything would be all right.

There's always a catch though. It looks like Devil's Icebox is going to turn into two books now. I suppose this is a good thing in every way (more books to write, more books to read). It also will help me tie in another Dark Earth book I've already written and allow for groundwork to be laid out for yet another book I've been dying to write.

Now the bad news, while I may complete Devil's Icebox in the very near future (and hopefully release it mid to late April after editing and cover art), I fear that the follow up book isn't in my immediate plans. What comes next after this one is part 5 of my Vitalis series – and for those curious and possibly frustrated, yes, Squatter's Rights (Vitalis part 5) will take place shortly after Screamer (Vitalis, part 4), and it will explore the people living on Vitalis, especially their unique relationships and experiences. After Squatter's Rights comes the third book in my Wanted series. A lot of people are excited about this one, including me! I don't have a specific plan for it yet but that's not because my mind is blank, it's because I have too man ideas for it and I'm not sure which one I want to go with. If you're interest in starting this series check out Wanted, it's free on Amazon.

So stay tuned my friends, I promise you I'll get the new stuff out as quick as I can, but I won't sacrifice quality for quantity. Oh, and stay tuned for part 2 of my blog-only story, Betrayal's Hands, to be posted this weekend! To read part one click here.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

So Begins the Betrayal

I promised a week and a half ago (or thereabouts) that I'd start posting something fun to read for readers. Well I finally came up what that was going to be! And so tonight I'll start it up. It's a fantasy novel that I'll break up into small parts to share. I'll post the entire thing, re-editing as I go. My intent is to post one part per week – possibly an entire chapter or perhaps a little less. It depends on where the good break points are. So now I'll shut up and throw out the prologue for the story, Betrayal's Hands.

Betrayal's Hands

Prologue

Captain Annalyse Promus moved through the ranks of her soldiers, tapping some on the shoulder or arm, or giving others a comforting smile. She did this each time they were soon to be joined in battle and because of it she commanded not only their loyalty, but also their hearts.

They were on the western flank of the assault, as they had been many times. Her elder sister, Sharlotta, had organized the assault, a counter-strike by the Free Peoples of Nordlamar against the Kingdom of Aradmath. The two nations had been at war for years, ever since Aradmath had discovered that a group of radical dissidents, folk who had secretly fled their borders some sixty years past had not only survived, but were thriving in the harsh northlands.

"We're going to put those bastards to rout, eh Captain?"

Annalyse forced herself to focus on the soldier speaking. She smiled and nodded to him. His name was Valus, a young man filled with enthusiasm and promise. Her other soldiers did their best to protect him, as he was the youngest in her unit. With the average age of a soldier in the People's army being closer to thirty than his seventeen years, the more seasoned warriors did their best to see to it that one day Valus would make it home to sire a family.

Annalyse' own age had once been called into question, for she was only twenty and three herself. She'd proven herself many times on the field, however, and few questioned any more. Valus was as she'd been once, born for the thrill of battle and freedom of the road. As she had many times before, she vowed to keep an eye on him and take him under her wing.

Before she could give more thought to it, trumpets sang their brassy song to the winds and the armies were moving. Annalyse raced to her chariot and drove forth, shield and reins in hand. Her horses, matched in all but color, pranced and jogged, picking up the intensity in the air. Anna's brave soldiers marched alongside her, shields and spears held at the ready.  It was a good day for battle.

The vanguard of the People's army clashed into a wall of Aradmath soldiers, sending a concussive wave of sound up and down the line as metal crashed against metal and flesh was split upon sword. Annalyse howled her battle cry, an inarticulate wail which chilled the blood of her enemy. Her soldiers rallied at her cry and charged forward, catching the footmen of Aradmath completely off their guard and neatly slicing into their ranks.

In close quarters, and with spears already blooded, the Nordlamar men and women drew their swords and pressed the attack. Annalyse drove up and down the line, throwing spears from her cache and urging her soldiers on. A few enemies drew close to her from time to time, but those she cut down with either her long bladed spear or the wicked blades set in the hubs of her chariot's wheels.

Suddenly they broke through the first ranks of the Aradmath flank. The soldiers cheered and turned to Annalyse. She looked about to survey the situation, the colors of the kingdom's armies still featured too prominently on the field. She urged her company onward, turning toward the van where they planned to strike next to aid the fighters of Red company.

As she moved her chariot into position, the world fell in on them. Hidden Aradmath archers fired upon them, cutting heavily into Anna's forces. The shaft of a black fletched arrow pinned her forearm to the heavy wooden frame of her chariot. Reinforcements rose up out of hidden dugouts in the ground to surrounded Anna's small group. They fought bravely, but in one fell swoop, victory had been taken from them.

Anna's right hand chariot horse went down and the yoke of her chariot dug a deep furrow into the soft ground. She had long since broken off the arrow in her arm and torn free of it, leaving nothing holding her in the chariot. She flew over the front, landing on her back, dazed, before stumbling to her feet. She drew her sword, and circled warily in the maelstrom of combat. She shook her head in vain to clear it and help her focus. From behind, she was struck a glancing blow to the head from the flat of a heavy Aradmath broadsword. Her vision swam and she dropped to her knees, then the darkness took her and she knew no more.

*****

Having both flanking attempts ambushed and defeated, Sharlotta had no choice but to sound the retreat. Another day of savage fighting with no ground gained or lost, only heavy casualties for both sides. It had already turned into a war of attrition between the two nations. Aradmath refused to let them live in peace, something they had sought to do so many years ago by fleeing the kingdom. Shar cursed and gave the order to retreat, refusing to show worry for her sister, even though she had been informed that Anna's company had fallen behind enemy lines.

Anna was young and not yet a mother, something Shar couldn't understand. She assumed that the girl had followed in her footsteps, hoping to gain glory as her sister had. What Anna could never know was that Shar would trade all her victories for a life of peace and quiet with her husband and their children back in Argondiir, her home, and the capitol city of Nordlamar.

For now she had a stalemate to deal with, and many men and women that would need healing and a chance to recover from this latest stalled offensive.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Making Goth Look Good

My Voidhawk series started with the first book I'd ever had accepted for publication. It was actually a collection of novelettes that I strung together into a super-novel. After I finished I had a lot of story left to tell, so I wrote a sequel called Voidhawk – The Elder Race. That one was just as long as the first but it blended the original style of telling mini-stories into an overall plot that revealed itself to me as I wrote it. When I finished it I knew that the characters had more stories in them to tell. Heck, some of the abuse a few of them went through demanded more attention.

And so, after the first two mega-novels I split away and worked on Voidhawk – Redemption. That tells the story of one of the Voidhawk's crew as he struggles to come to terms with a lot of the anguish of a life poorly spent and a second chance he never wanted. It was a lot of fun for me to write and in the process I feared that the main character had evolved from being my favorite person to torture to my favorite character in the series.

The story of the Voidhawk and crew didn't end with Redemption, but it did take a hiatus. Well that break is over. Voidhawk – The White Lady, is ready for consumption at long last! The White Lady follows more of the Voidhawk's crew. They reach a new world with a race rumored to have the knowledge and power necessary to help them solve their personal dilemmas. Along the way their troubles multiply time and again. They meet new foes and new friends – although at times its difficult to tell the difference between the two.

And hey, check out this amazing cover by Willsin Rowe!

The official blurb:

The people of Kelios have an unlikely group of saviors in a cursed priest, a confused sorceress, and a woman with a damaged soul trapped in the body of a teenage girl.

The three members of the Voidhawk's crew came to Kelios seeking council with an powerful race of beings called the Fayer. Along the way they run afoul of the unholy army of The White Lady and vow to stop her. The only problem is that the answers to Bekka's problems may come from the very being they're determined to destroy.

Voidhawk - The White Lady, by Jason Halstead

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Amazon

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Amazon UK

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Barnes and Noble

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Smashwords

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Target Practice

For people like myself one of the most beneficial skills in existence is being able to target a market. Sure, the first step is identifying the market, but beyond that I need to be able to find it and make them aware that my material exists. Short of spending large amounts of money on advertising, it's often a difficult task to master.

It occurred to me the other day that my blog, while an avenue for communication, might not be serving me as optimally as it could be for talking to my target market. Common topics on this blog involve my experiments and research into writing and trying to share news of my books with the world. I've snagged a few readers along the way too, which is great, but the majority of the people who read my blog are other writers (writers read books too). I'm always trying to learn from my peers as well as share my insights with them, but I'd guess only 1% (or less) of the readers out there are writers as well.

So how do I find a way to bring in more readers to the blog to see what I'm doing, what I've done, and what's coming next? That's the real answer, and now I'm going to try some various things to see if I can make it happen.

I could offer to do more reviews on my blog, but I'm finding that the people most interested in reviews are either the writer of the book(s) being reviewed or other writers. Some readers will wander by, but by and large they're looking at the reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony, or wherever they're buying their books at. Let's be realistic, when we're talking about the $.99 to $3.99 price of an ebook it's not a major purchase that requires a lot of research. So I may continue to do an occasional review here and there, but don't look for it to make a big dent in my blog's content.

I've never been shy about admitting that I'm more than willing to give away some of my books. The first book in each of my series is either free on Amazon (and other sites) or it will be as soon as I can make it that way. That's called a loss leader, in marketing parlance, and it gives readers exposure to my writing and if they like the no-risk first book, they can get additional books in the series. Well my latest gambit is to leave scenes or samples from my books on my blog from time to time, as well as the introduction of a blog-only series of posts that will eventually turn into a full fledged story.

So what will this story be about? Will it be a new setting, or take place in one of the ones I've already established in one of my books? The answer to those questions is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. I see pros and cons to both. Knowing me I'll probably end up doing a couple of different things – I can't seem to restrict myself to a single genre. And when I finish one of this linked posts and it becomes a full fledged story who knows, maybe I'll wrap it up and publish it (and leave it on here).

So here's to hoping I can show my appreciation to the book readers of the world with some free content. And in the process, lure in a few of them to hopefully try out my books! To my writer friends rest assured I'll be happy to share the results of this experiment as the data becomes available.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Fire Hydrants Beware!

March 1st is the official launch date of Wolfgirl, my latest book in my Lost Girls series (follow The Lost Girls and Traitor). This makes it a trilogy, but don't worry, I have no plans on stopping at only three books. I've already thrown some virtual ink on virtual paper for the next book in the Lost Girls series, Black Widow. I won't begin serious writing on it until later this year though. If you just can't wait there is a novella set in my Dark Earth setting called Voices that actually takes place slightly after Wolfgirl ends and includes a rather important cameo appearance of the main characters.

I'm also running a special promotion on the 1st and 2nd of March that has The Lost Girls, book one of the series, free on Amazon.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, first let me give you a teaser of Wolfgirl:

The world of Dark Earth is the latest vacation thrill for the wealthy. When an all inclusive vacation to see how wild the west really was goes wrong the CEO of a biotech company's family is attacked by natives and one of their number held for ransom.

Lieutenant Katalina Wimple is the perfect woman for the case. Not only does she have the experience, the skills, and the friends with the right talents, but it turns out she has a distant relationship to the kidnapped victim. In order to do the job she has to put personal tragedy aside and return to the world she hates in the hopes of not only rescuing her estranged family, but finding the acceptance that's missing in her own life.

Wolfgirl takes Katalina back to Dark Earth, a place she's grown to despise. As if Dark Earth wasn't bad enough she's also got to spend some time in New Vegas, the wicked step-sister to our own Las Vegas. The difference? Minimal technology and even fewer human rights. For a cop who often becomes a monster so she can fight monsters she might find she's bitten off more than she can chew this time around.

Wolfgirl is available all over the place, find a link below if you're interested and don't forget to tell a friend and / or write a review!

Wolfgirl, book 3 in the Lost Girls series, by Jason Halstead

Wolfgirl, on Amazon

Wolfgirl, on Amazon UK

Wolfgirl, on Barnes and Noble

Wolfgirl, on Smashwords

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

The Value of Mistakes

In my last blog post I mentioned that I made a potential mistake – I read a recent review on one of my books. It turned out to be extremely encouraging and left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling that lasted for quite a while. The only problem was that experience could hardly be classified as a mistake, thus I had little to learn from it. Quite the opposite, rather than learning I believe it conditioned me much like ringing a bell would make Pavlov's dogs start to drool.

Yes, I went back and found another new review to read. This time it was for New Beginnings, the first book in my futuristic science fiction series titled Vitalis. Imagine my dismay when I read this review:

Jason Halstead wowed me again. I took a chance on him and read Wanted and still remember the vivid characterization even a couple months later, despite reading many books in between.

New Beginnings drew me in immediately. I turned the pages quickly, anxious to see what happened but didn't expect the outcome at all. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series, as I believe the conclusion of this initial book sets the stage for things to come. Keep writing, Jason; you're even managing to hook readers like me who would never have considered myself remotely close to being part of your target audience.

Woe is me! How am I ever supposed to learn my lesson when my dopamine receptors keep buzzing with good vibes from these kinds of reviews? I looked a little deeper into the New Beginnings reviews and found four reviews in total, rated 5 stars, 4 stars, 5 stars, and 5 stars in order of review date. All in all, I'd say that's enough of a buzz to get me through the coming week!

Sadly, there's no lesson to be learned about focusing on the writing rather than the review reading. In response to past reviews I did make a move to break my Dark Earth series up. Originally I'd called The Lost Girls, Traitor, and the immediately pending Wolfgirl part of my Dark Earth series. Well that is no longer the case! A few people were disgruntled at the span of time, distance, and lack of relation between Dark Earth and The Lost Girls so I've now reserved my Dark Earth series for Dark Earth and the sequel, Devil's Icebox (which is due out in the second quarter of 2012). The beginnings of a ideas for a third Dark Earth book is forming in the back of my head as well.

As for The Lost Girls, Traitor, Wolfgirl, and Black Widow (due later this year) – they now comprise The Lost Girls series, which takes place in the Dark Earth setting. Hopefully that will clear up any future confusion and not mislead anyone.

But for now, if you haven't checked out New Beginnings here's your chance! As Norma Budden and a couple of other people have told me – it's a story that pull you in even if you're not a sci-fi aficionado.

Vitalis – New Beginnings, on Amazon

 Vitalis – New Beginnings, on Amazon

Vitalis – New Beginnings, on Amazon UK

(for now that's it – my Vitalis books are exclusive to Amazon so as to be part of the Kindle Owners Lending Library)

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Against my Better Judgement…

…I checked my books to see if there were any new reviews on them. I found a couple early on for my free high fantasy book, Voidhawk. The first one (also the most recent) left me with a grin stretching from ear to ear. I know, I shouldn't let it affect me so much, but it's hard not to. The reader / reviewer not only got the book exactly as I'd hoped, but she felt similarly to me in regards to some of the other reviews. Without me wasting any more time, let me paste her review here and encourage anyone who might be interested in some pure high fantasy fun to check it out.

"Okay wasn't sure I'd do a review on this one since several others have already said what I would say that this book lived up to the hype from all the other reviewers. My first thought when reading the first few chapters was "Joss Wedon has a pen name?" It really does read like a lost season of the amazing Sci-Fi series, Firefly. You can almost hear the actors and actresses mouthing the lines from the characters in the book. I did enjoy the way the author introduces characters that don't feel like part of the Firefly crew and even makes it seem like some of the characters you think of in relation to said crew seem different. It was fun trying to figure out which characters in the book went with which characters from the series since some were obvious and some were not.

Another reviewer has already mentioned Spelljammer which was an AD&D supplement back before they began having versions 2, 2.5, 3 etc and the rules of engagement, the description of Void Space and the physics remind me of that system. To the reviewer that snorted over wooden space ships and ballistas in space, let me say, "Yes that's how it worked. It is magic, get over it." The descriptions and functions of the various ships was excellently done and I loved the detailed descriptions of Void Space and the various worlds and ports they visit.

I very rarely give books or movies 4 stars. Heck most days I don't even rate my own works 4 stars, but Voidhawk deserves this rating. I have already purchased the next two in the series and am especially looking forward to book 3 which centers around Rosh who was one of my favorite characters from the first book. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves Firefly, AD&D or just a rollicking good fantasy novel. "

I have to admit, as the writer, that I can't wait for this person to read the second book in the series. I think she's going to have her socks knocked off – or at least I hope she does! Not to mention book 4 in the series, The White Lady, which should be out soon. As for everyone else, of course I'm going to suggest trying it out. Voidhawk's free on Amazon, the only thing you'll be out is a little bit of time.

Voidhawk, on Amazon

Voidhawk, on Amazon

Voidhawk, on Amazon UK

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Some Fun and Furry March Madness

I've made mention recently on Twitter about some exciting news, but now it's time to share it on here. It's exciting to me, so just smile and nod if you're not as thrilled as I am. It's been a challenging year, especially the month of February, so these things coming about came at a great time.

The things I'm talking about? First is the pending release of Wolfgirl, the sequel to Traitor. Wolfgirl is the third book in my Lost Girls series, which takes place in my Dark Earth setting. Wolfgirl continues the story of Katalina Wimple and her friends, co-workers, and romantic disasters. It shares something else in common with Traitor, Katy heads back through the portal to New Vegas, the lawless version of Sin City where anything really does go. And what happens in New Vegas only stays in New Vegas if you don't have a big enough gun to get away.

Wolfgirl, book 3 in the Lost Girls series, by Jason Halstead

The same day I received the finished cover art for Wolfgirl (courtesy of Willsin Rowe), I also received a very suprising email from one of my editors. It turns out she finished editing Voidhawk – The White Lady, a couple weeks ahead of schedule! Maybe that doesn't strike you as a big deal but I only gave it to her less than two weeks ago. I was shocked, but after skimming through it I was also impressed. Either I'm getting better during my rough drafts or there's a lot of finishing touches that need to be put into it. Either way, I launched my cover art requests today. I'd planned to release Voidhawk – The White Lady on April 1st but now it's looking like I may get a mid-March release date on it.

Wolfgirl takes me up to 16 books published. Voidhawk – The White Lady, will take me to 17. With the release of Wolfgirl also be on the lookout to pick up The Lost Girls, the book that begins that series, for free! I'll be running a special on Amazon the 1st and the 2nd so be sure to check it out. Or if you just want to help a brutha out you could head over to Amazon now and pick it up for $2.99. Voidhawk, the first novel in my Voidhawk series, is available for free on Amazon with no deadlines! Grab it anytime and start the high fantasy adventure! Just be prepared to leave your sense of physics behind but bring plenty of fun along for the ride.

Left I forget, the mention of "fun and furry" in the title is not just Twitterbait. Both books have some pretty hefty paranormal creatures / activities going on in them. Not to worry, I'm not on the verge of turning into somebody who has to write about such beings, it just happened the these two books fell into my writing lineup at the same time. I've gotten it out of my system, if ever it was in there, you can … aw nuts, no you can't. I just remembered the one I'm writing now (Dark Earth book 2: Devil's Icebox) has a different breed of paranormal entity going on. I promise, the next one I write won't!

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Weight of the World

Lest anyone feel concerned (or giggling maniacally at the implications), the title of this post is not meant to imply I'm stressed out or feeling burdened. Oh sure, 2012′s been a bit of a bear for me thus far, but with fresh challenges come fresh opportunities. This post is actually about fitness and health – though I'm not that guy who says you have to do this in order to achieve your six pack abs in X many days.

We (wife, kids, and yours truly) are planning a trip to Florida this summer. My wife wants to shave off a few pounds by then since we'll be staying on the beach. I'll admit, the winter has added a little insulation to me as well in my quest to get stronger. For those who aren't long time readers of this blog, I'm a former competitive power-lifter who's still struggling to return to the glory days, though I admit I will probably never compete again.

Anyhow, this post starts with my wife who recently had some redecorating and / or rearrangement done under the skilled hands of a surgeon. That was 4 weeks ago as of today. At the 3 week mark her doctor told her she was clear to do whatever she liked within reason, including exercise. So my wife decided she wanted to try out this P90X program, but she was worried I might not do it with her since I'm all about heavy weights and intensity whereas P90X is more of fat loss / cardio / volume based routine. Being the eternally supportive husband that I am (oh yeah, I went there), I pledged my full support and we tried it out starting last Sunday night.

The first workout was chest and back, then the 25 minute ab ripper routine. The chest and back consists of a lot of push ups and pull ups, as well as some bentover rows with either dumbbells or bands. We had neither at home (sold my home gym years ago when we moved out of Michigan and have been using public gym memberships ever since), so the back workout didn't happen. Push ups though, well anybody can do those, so we did. Out of respect for the intellectual property of the creators of P90X I won't go into detail, but I will say I was impressed with the routine. It really does kick your ass. As an example once a week I work on bench pressing and work my way up to 315lbs or more (I used to do more but there was an incident involving surgery and several months of downtime we I put myself through a custom physical therapy program that worked awesome, but I'll probably never get back into the 400+ range again). So with that benching background, and the knowledge that I'm one of those crazy SOBs that pushes themselves to the limit and occasionally beyond (see mention of surgery above), I was sore and aching for a couple of days afterwards. My wife was in a similar condition, except for her it seemed she'd done some damage to the recent landscaping she'd had done.

She ended up talking to her surgeon and having to go back in the next day to get checked out. Sure enough, where tissue had been healing she'd strained it. Nothing too bad or damaging, but she was told to give her chest 3 more weeks of downtime to be certain. My wife was disappointed but this is another example of a lesson I've learned many times in life – it's better to take a little extra time off to recover from whatever event (strains, pulls, breaks, illness, surgery, etc.) than it is to go back before your ready and end up needing a much longer time off due to an injury.

Now flash back to me – P90X is tough and all but I mentioned I'm a hardcore meat head, right? My original plan was on my usual gym days to do two workouts – my workout and then the P90X one later that night. My wife supported this and intended to join me. Well I was still aching from the horizontal pushing we did on Sunday night but I hit the gym Monday anyhow. And yes, it was my bench night. Since I didn't get the back workout in I pushed myself through the P90X workout with proper gym equipment and also mixed in the regular bench press. I only made it to 295 that day – I think I could have hit 315 but without a spotter I didn't want to have to roll that much weight down my chest. I learned from my prior mistakes – it only took a major injury to make it happen.

And since my wife now has 3 weeks until she can try it again that gives me the time needed to prepare myself for the part of P90X that really sucked. Oh sure, it sucks in a good way (not THAT good of a way, mind you), but it still hurt like hell. The ab ripper routine is 25 minutes of abuse. Imagine yourself nailed to a wall in a spread eagle fashion before somebody reminiscent of Lou Ferrigno picks up a 16lb sledgehammer and hits you in the stomach with it repeatedly. Okay, maybe it's not quite that bad but at the time I might have argued the point. The point is it's 25 minutes of abdominal and other "core" muscle exercising. Not just a bunch of crunches either, though a few are tossed in here and there. I'd considered myself to have strong abs – you kind of have to when you're deadlifting and squatting in the 400 – 600 range. Well here's the difference between strength and muscle endurance. As a matter of fact I ended up straining either my sartorius or abductor longus on my left leg. Those are muscles in the front of your thigh. It resulted in my spending a day walking like I was 100 years old and suffering from a crippling illness. Oddly enough, after Monday's upper body workout and a good night's sleep I could walk fine the next day (still felt a twinge of pain though).

So then came Wednesday, lower body day at the gym. My wife, prescribed 3 weeks of taking it easy, decided she was going to spend 20 minutes on the treadmill then do some lower body stuff herself. Aside from demanding she go easy and not aggravate her injury, how could I feel anything but proud at her determination / motivation? Yeah, my wife rocks. You read it here first. So she did her treadmill then hit the leg press and did some bentover rows of her own.

P90X was behind me (for a little while, at least), so I was ready to get serious about squatting. Historically squatting and I have had some disagreements on and off over the years. One thing that's going well for me in 2012 is squatting though – no problems with form or anything. I've been focusing on more volume up until last week and this one though, but transitioning back into intensity training was easy. My left leg still had that twinge in it but it was barely noticeable so I pushed myself. I worked up to 455 and knew that was my top end. Felt some strain with every set in my right quadriceps this time – the left leg was doing fine though. Later, after another exercise, I hit the leg press to get some good blood flow pumping and worked up to 7 plates per side (the leg press is at an angle and it makes judging weight accurately difficult, not to mention no two leg presses function the same – and a "plate" is 45lbs for those curious). After the squats I was sucking wind hard but I got 'er done.

Last night I had a hard time sleeping because of the strain in my right quad. This morning I'm limping a little because of it. I want to blame it all on P90X, but the truth is that program is a good program for people motivated and dedicated to making it work. I was very skeptical of it – damn near every exercise plan that promises results in X many days out there is some sort of scam or gimmick. With the P90X you're given 90 days, and that's realistic. Give me 3 months and I can turn just about anybody into something noticeably and functionally different if they're willing to do the work. I've helped friends and family do some amazing things in the past, including a 6 month weight loss totaling 100 pounds. I'm not bragging – heck, I'm not even a trainer for hire (I'd love to do that, I just don't have enough time). I mention that to give credence to my believe that P90X will help a person willing to do the work, but the important part is to know your limits and not push yourself too hard, especially with exercises you're unfamiliar with. This is stressed in the video but when it came to me I know my body's limits – I've crossed those lines enough times over the years. Or so I thought. Turns out I found another line with the new (and torturous) ab ripper routine. I joked on Monday that I can deadlift over 500 pounds but I can't pick my leg off the ground right now!

And for the record, back in 2009 I set state records in Michigan for bench pressing 405 pounds and deadlifting 550 pounds. I was in the 242lb weight class (I weighed 229 and 232 at the times) and lifted in an unsanctioned drug-free federation (Son-Light Power). Both records were beaten in 2011.   It is my goal to one day squat 500 (current PR is 475), deadlift 600, and I'm still struggling to bench 405 again even though it may never happen (I have worked up to 350 last year though).

Why do I do it? Why put my body through that strain and hard work? Clearly it's beyond simply being healthy (especially if it's caused me disabling injuries). It's because I don't want to be that guy who looks like he can pick up a car when it falls off the jack on a buddy, I want to be the guy who can do that. I want a mugger to look at me and my wife when we're out on a date night and think to himself, "I'm not going to screw with that guy!" I was a skinny fat kid and I idolized superheroes and the king of 80′s action, Arnold Schwarzenegger (and I've always been a huge Conan fan, both the books and the original movies. The new movie…blah). I like being strong and I never settle for anything less than what I consider to be the best in life. I want my kids to look up at me and realize all the things that are possible to them if they work hard in life.

I may not be the most interesting man in the world but I do I offer this advice to anyone and everyone, "Stay hungry, my friends."

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.

Triberr – Blog Reach Multiplier and how I use it

If you're reading this, the odds are good that you stumbled across it thanks to Triberr. Triberr allows people with similar interests to get together and use Twitter to retweet each others blog postings. I'm a member of a couple of great groups and that really helps to get exposure out there. My blog has grown to perhaps four or five times the following of what it was before Triberr in the span of a a few months.

It's not just that simple though. Each member of each Triberr group gets to choose whether they send out a tweet about a blog post or not. That, I find, is crucial. I'll be the first to admit I don't tweet about every blog that comes across my desk. More often than not I do, but that's because the people I work with have similar interests.

I'm not being a prick, at least not intentionally, I'm trying to protect my own credibility with my Twitter followers and I'm hoping to prove to them that I value them. I often have conversations with people on Twitter, in fact, and at times I'll scroll through the stream of tweets looking for something and someone new to talk to just because I want them to know I am interested and I do appreciate them. Thus I don't necessarily send out a tweet about somebody's blog on how to bake some gluten free blueberry muffins, but I will tweet on a blog about writing tips or a book review. I usually won't tweet about diet and exercise tips because I find them gimmicky. I've spent years developing my own nutritional plans and exercise routines that work great but I don't like people trying to make a buck off of such things. And then there's the free iPad offers – nope, you'll never get one of those outta me either.

So to my Triberr friends – if I don't tweet about your blog it's nothing personal, it's just me trying to maintain my credibility with my Twitter clan. I've attracted them because we share interests and while a few of them might be interested in learning how to use dental floss to detail hubcabs, the majority are not. I do weigh each blog individually though – who it comes from is irrelevant as far as my determination to tweet it out or not.

To my Twitter followers – well what I just said applies to you guys and girls as well. And yes, even the occasional Twitter-bot (who else is going to post an avatar wearing a skimpy bikini and offering free stuff ?).

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.