Michael Richards's Blog, page 2

September 27, 2011

Decision: Difficult but Hard

If you follow me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/wanyman), you'll know that I recently mentioned that I had a difficult decision to make, but cryptically, I didn't mention what that decision was.  Now, I think, I'm ready to tell you.

I have decided to put off college again for a while.

There are good reasons for this, of course.  Believe me, it was difficult to make.  As you know, I started back in college last winter, after taking a fifteen year break.  I went for a total of two quarters (winter and spring), and graduated from Freshman to Sophomore.  I was also signed up and ready to go back this Fall, but for various reasons, I pulled out at the last minute.

One of the reasons it was so hard to make this decision was because I had so much support from everyone for my decision to go back to school.  I got a lot of praise from family and friends, and I even made the Deans List my first quarter back.  School was great fun, and it felt so good to be learning again in a professional, class-room setting, even if most of my classmates were young enough to be my children! 

But I decided that I needed to stay home, at least until my wife finishes school.

Let's me honest: her job prospects are much better than mine.  She's healthy, and has a bright future ahead of her.  Me, I'm pretty much unemployable.  Who'd want an employee who could go completely paralyzed, or have a seizure, with little or no warning?

Also, we recently moved to a small town, an hour outside of Spokane, and 45 minutes away from the university.  I began to feel very strongly that my kids needed a parent at home, someone they or their teachers could rely on to come to school if they happened to be sick, or hurt, or whatever. 

So once again, I'm the stay-at-home dad.  And that's OK.  I actually feel right about it.  I feel that I am where the Lord wants me to be, and that's a good feeling.  Sometimes, especially as a parent, we must sacrifice our own desires for others. 

And now I must go; I've got dishes to do!
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Published on September 27, 2011 09:08

May 30, 2011

The Fifteen-Year Freshman

I had expected to have written in this blog much more than I have done since I opened it.  But I've been a little preoccupied since January.

As you may have guessed from the title, I've returned to college to try and finish my degree.  I'm not very far along, so I'm still a Freshman.  I'd started college back in 1995, attending the University of Utah down in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I was determined to work my way through school without going into debt with student loans, and because of this, school took longer for me than for others.  Taking one or two classes a semester, I completed about 28 credits before having to quit at the end of 1997. 

I got married in January 1998, and spent the next thirteen years having a family.  I concentrated on work, as I saw my family as my first priority, always intending on going back to school.

Late last year, I began feeling like I should go back to school fairly soon.  My wife, who is currently finishing her Bachelor's in Business Finance, gave me her approval, and so I applied to attend the winter quarter.  School went very well.  I took three classes--Psychology 100, Introduction to Literature, and History--all of which went much better than expected.

It's been great to be back in school, studying and learning.  But I've decided to take some time off school again, because I've discovered that having both parents in school has been hard on the kids.  Without a parent to be home, home life has been a bit unstable.  Like I said, family comes first.  I'll probably wait until my wife has finished her schooling before I go back. 

In the end, I think it will work out fine.  In the meantime, I'll resume my place as the stay-at-home dad.
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Published on May 30, 2011 00:04

May 8, 2011

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there!  Time for us all to stop the busy rush of our lives for a moment, and reflect upon the sacrifices our mothers made for us.  The very fact that you are here upon the earth means that she gave birth to you, which was a sacrifice in and of itself.  Each of us entered mortality through a veil of blood and pain, suffered by our dear mothers.

My mother gave birth to me way back in 1973.  I was her second child, and she had five more after me.  How she took care of us all and stayed sane, I don't know.  I didn't really appreciate all the hardships mom suffered for us until I had kids of my own.  Cooking, cleaning, helping us with homework, remembering everyone's birthdays and holidays, taking extra jobs outside the home when money was tight to provide for us...when I think back, I see her as a tower of strength; a colossus striding the earth with endless energy. I thank the Lord I was blessed with such a wonderful mother.

I hope all of you take the time to think similar thoughts of your own mothers.  Even if you neglected to send a card or a present, at least give her a call (provided she is still around).  If she has past on, then spend some time in quiet reflection, and perhaps say a little prayer, thanking the Lord for her.

Have a wonderful day!






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Published on May 08, 2011 09:32

October 13, 2010

Book Soon Available as Kindle E-Book

My new book, Dead Wind Hollow, will soon be available as a Kindle e-book download through Amazon.com, for only $6.95!  This is exciting because it allows those (like myself) who like reading books on an electronic book reader the ability to purchase a download for their device.  I hope this will go a long way to getting my book out there.  So make sure to tell all your friends who have a Kindle or similar device about this new electronic edition!  You can even read the book on a computer or cell phone by downloading the free reader application from Amazon.com!

Many people have asked if I'm going to be working on another Simon Quinn mystery soon.  I do have a new story in mind, which I'll start working on in a couple of weeks, but I'm not too clear if Simon will be in it.  I have to give it some more thought, and decide if the story is right for him, and what part he will play in the plot.  But, whichever decision I make, I'll let everyone know here!

I'm also trying to complete my commissioned ventriloquist figure.  I'm a little behind, so I need to bust my buns and get it done.  Pictures and details about my progress coming soon!

Take care everyone,

Michael
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Published on October 13, 2010 19:05

October 9, 2010

The Book is Available for Purchase!!

My new novel, Dead Wind Hollow, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com!  It will also soon be available to order from major bookstores like Barnes and Noble, but you can order it right now by going here!  Buy as many copies as you can and give them out as gifts and things!  I'm broke and can use the money! :)

Not much else is happening, other than the usual family stuff.  I've been feeling pretty sick lately, combination of a cold, sinus infection, and nausea, but I'm feeling much better.

I haven't done much on the ventriloquist figure I've been building, but during the last few days I've done some work on it.  I've been working on hooking up the mechanics of the eyes and mouth, and working out how to do the wiggling ears.  I've been debating with myself on whether I'm going to do raising eyebrows or not.  The eyes have been the most trouble.  I've had to cut out and reshape the eyelids several times.  But I've finally got them the way I want them.

I will have more details on the figure build, with pictures, soon!

Coming soon, I'll be hosting a giveaway of copies of my novel at GoodReads.com!  GoodReads is free to join, and it's a great little forum for those of us who love to read.  You can create lists of books you've read, want to read, and can share your literary interests with others.  You can even connect with actual authors.  In a previous post, I mentioned that I have an author page there.  You can find it here.  There are quite a few authors who are members of GoodReads, and many of them have giveaways you can sign up for!  Just go to goodreads.com, and sign up for a free account.  Then go to the author page here to find the list of giveaways!
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Published on October 09, 2010 19:48

October 2, 2010

My First Novel is Being Published!

Hello everyone!  I write today with GREAT news!  I have finally finished writing my very first complete novel, and I have just submitted it for publishing!

The last time I wrote anything about writing I was working on a science fiction novel called, "Dead Gods Weeping".  This is a story I'd been working on for about ten years, and it still stubbornly refuse to go where I was leading it, like a big untrained dog. So I locked it in its kennel some time ago, and changed gears.  Last November, I joined a group called "National Novel Writing Month" or "NaNoWriMo" for short, and took up the challenge to write the first draft of a manuscript in 30 days.  I decided to steer clear of science fiction or fantasy, which has given me so many problems, and instead tried my other favorite genre, mystery/suspense.  I thought of a tantalizing story, and dove in.

I successfully completed the book by November 30, 2009, which is the first time I'd ever completed anything I started, as far as writing novels goes.  Since then, I've labored on making the story publishable.  I've gone over every line as carefully as possible, eliminating errors and adding things as they occurred.  It took much longer than I had intended, due to the other things I've had to do, like looking after the kids, cooking and cleaning, attending my other husbandly duties, and spending the necessary amount of time being ill and unable to move (as some of you know, I am disabled, and have problems with episodic paralysis and seizures).

I thought I was done this summer, and sent the book to about fifty different literary agents and publishers.  As expected, they were all rejected, so I took a second, third, and fourth look at my manuscript to find and fix any problems and inconsistencies.  I consumed a dozen books on writing and technique, and even communicated with a few well-known writers through email.

Meanwhile, I decided I didn't want to go through the traditional publishing methods, at least not yet.  Because of my health problems, I am extremely wealth-challenged, and I frankly don't have the resources that others have.  I can barely even afford Internet access as it is.  In any case, I wanted my story to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.  So I began researching other publishing methods.

Most methods of self-publishing are even more expensive than traditional publishing.  Until I found the great folks at CreateSpace!  This self-publishing service has many methods of publishing, and I found one that worked with my practically empty pocket book.  Working with them, my book is being prepared for publishing as we speak, and will soon be available on Amazon.com as well as other online retailers, as well as many major bookstores!

The book I've written is called "Dead Wind Hollow".  Despite its similar title, it's nothing like the failed science fiction story.  In this story, Simon Quinn, a famous and wealthy sculptor, who also happens to be a dwarf standing only 3'6" tall, is living the good life, until everything is turned upside down with the kidnapping of his fiancee, Samantha.  Unable to wait until the police solve the case, Simon begins his own investigation, and in the process uncovers a dark conspiracy unlike anything he'd suspected.

I had a lot of fun writing it, and I learned a lot about things like police procedure, detective work, guns, and pawn shops as I did the research.  I probably still got things wrong, but I tried to make sure everything was as correct as I could make it.

Why is my hero a dwarf?  Well, ever since I was little, I've been fascinated by dwarves and midgets--people that are the same size or smaller than children, but are in fact adults.  Some of my favorite actors are dwarves, such as David Rappaport of Time Bandits fame, and Warwick Davis of Star Wars and Willow.  I delved into the mind of little people as best I could.  I knew there would be no way I could completely understand what they go through, since I'm more than six feet tall, but I did my best.  I read books about and by dwarves and others afflicted with similar problems.  I even spent weeks (not all together, mind) walking around my house on my knees, so I could see what the world looked like.  It was a humbling experience.

In the story, I do my best to show that someone with dwarfism can do anything anyone else can.  One of the agents I sent my manuscript to wondered why I didn't have my hero use his size as a major advantage in solving the crimes in the book.  I had thought about that early on, and actually intended on doing that when I began writing.  But as I wrote, I began to feel that it would be more valuable to show my character succeeding despite his problems with his size, rather than in spite of it.  I  think I'm right in this, and I stand by the decision.

Anyway, be looking for "Dead Wind Hollow" to be available for purchase online and at your favorite bookstore.  I'm not sure when the process will be completed, but I'll keep everyone updated!

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Published on October 02, 2010 15:26

August 22, 2010

New Client, New Figure

Howdy, All!  How is everyone?  Well, I've been pretty busy over here.  Over the past month, I got a new project underway.  An old friend of mine from high school emailed me.  He'd seen pictures of some of the other ventriloquist dummies I've made, and he requested that I make one for himself.  He is just learning ventriloquism, but thought what fun it would be...
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Published on August 22, 2010 18:21

July 16, 2010

I'm Back! Where the Heck Have I Been?!

Hello Fans!

Sorry for the extremely long absence. I've been extremely busy, and for a while did not even have internet access!

I also haven't done much writing, and none on the science fiction novel I've been discussing lately.  I've put that back on the shelf for later.

Instead, my little family and I have moved to Cheney, Washington.  No, it isn't pronounced like the former vice president's name; it's pronounced "CHEE-NEE".  Natives are very particular about this!  Cheney is a wonderful little...
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Published on July 16, 2010 14:20

March 5, 2010

Dead Gods Weeping: The Prologue

OK, finally, we have arrived at some actual novel writing!

The working title of this novel is "Dead Gods Weeping", like I mentioned in a previous post.  I won't rehash what the book is about.  I'll just let you read it for yourself, starting with the Prologue!





PROLOGUE

    On a silent, dead planet orbiting a lonely yellow sun on the outskirts of the galaxy, a prophet was having a vision.   
    He was tending the fire in the river rock fireplace of his weather-beaten shack when he felt the s...
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Published on March 05, 2010 22:17

February 17, 2010

Making Dummies

Hello again World!

Some of you already know I just started sculpting.  Some of you may even know that I recently made a ventriloquist figure (or "dummy" as you non-ventriloquists call them).  What you may not know is that I just sold the first figure I ever made on eBay!

This is also the very first thing I've ever sold on eBay.  Nearly everybody I know is totally eBay savvy, but I've largely ignored it until recently.  However, I have to say that the whole thing went smoother than I expected.  ...
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Published on February 17, 2010 19:49