Mark R. Hunter's Blog, page 107
October 18, 2013
Sequel Mania
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
I was deluged with requests to write a sequel to my first novel. I’m not even exaggerating: There were a few dozen requests. For me, that’s as much a deluge as what used to come through my kitchen ceiling. People like the characters, and want to hang around them for awhile longer, an idea that’s launched many good story continuations.
Sequels aren’t a new idea. I’ve often mentioned The Wizard of Oz, which started out as a book 39 years before Judy Garland slipped on her ruby slippers (don’t get me started on the color changes in the movie). L. Frank Baum’s American fantasy was so popular that he wrote 13 sequels, and when he died others took up the magical torch – there were some 40 official Oz books in all. Take that, J. K. Rowling.
But Oz suffered the same fate many book, movie, and TV series do: Some of the Oz books were wonderful, and some were … not.
Sequels have launched more bad story continuations than good ones. Here are some movie sequels which were, shall we say, smelly:
The Matrix Reloaded. Do you watch a lot of music videos? Imagine the one you’ve seen that had the best visuals, but was also the most
stunningly nonsensical and confusing. There you go.
Battle For the Planet of the Apes. This pains me. I loved that movie series. But this allegorical soap opera was so bad that even I noticed it at the age of 11 – and I’m easily entertained.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. If there’s any truth to the theory that odd numbered Star Trek movies are horrible, this is exhibit A. That James T. Kirk takes on God isn’t surprising, considering William Shatner directed this movie; but Kirk and Spock singing campfire songs is unforgiveable.
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. If it seems like I’m picking on science fiction, it’s because I love the genre so much. With this movie, the opening scroll that once told of intergalactic rebellion changes to … trade and taxes. As in real life, the boring stuff was probably more important, but that doesn’t make it entertainment. Add to that a kid who’s just a downer and a Jedi Knight
committing an unforgiveable sin: Saving Jar Jar Binks.
Speed 2: Cruise Control. Okay, the first movie was about – wait for it – speed. Things going fast. Busses, trains, even elevators. The sequel was about a giant cruise ship. They should have turned off the cruise control.
Weekend at Bernies II. The first one was an actually funny movie about a dead guy. You just can’t pull that off twice, so the sequel, like Bernie by this point, stinks.
Superman III. Maybe it looked particularly bad compared to the two great movies that came before, but let me make this clear: Richard Pryor was a great comedian who just didn’t fit in a superhero movie.
Of course, some of those might be your favorite movies, if you’d care to admit it. Many good sequels have come along, too: Toy Story 2, Goldfinger, Aliens, The Godfather Part 2 … Not to mention Star Trek II, which, yep, even numbered Trek movie. The first one (odd numbered) featured mind-blowing special effects for the time, and one of the best movie scores ever, but Trek fans who showed up to watch it a second time were puzzled to find themselves falling asleep.
I wonder how much hate mail is winging its way to me, even as we speak.
As I say, entertainment tends to be subjective, and just between you and me I liked much of the first Trek movie. Don’t tell.
Lots of things can go wrong with a movie sequel, but books aren’t done quite so much by committee. Generally, if a book sequel fails it’s because the writer lost respect for the characters, stopped caring about the process, or just ran out of ideas. Well, I’m not making enough money from Storm Chaser to be selling out, so it’s not about the process, and if ideas were visible I’d be blind from the cloud of them, chasing after me like little plot mosquitoes.
That leaves characters. Here’s the thing: I’ve got three other novel manuscripts finished: two waiting to be polished a little and one being revised for a publisher. Multiply that by a few hundred and that’s how many ideas for new stories I have. I don’t need to do a sequel to Storm Chaser; I figure if people really like my writing, they’ll come back to check out whatever story I write.
But when I create a character, they become real to me, and I couldn’t stick around real people for the year it takes to finish a novel if I didn’t love the world they inhabit. Like people who demand a sequel to a great movie, I want to spend more time around my characters, and see what happens to them next.
So yes: I’m going to write a sequel to Storm Chaser. In fact, I already have.
In fact, it already sold to Whiskey Creek Press, and it’ll come out in about a year. It’s too late to stop me now.
Of course, there’s also that anthology of short stories set before the events of Storm Chaser, which came out as an e-book last year.
But prequels are a whole other discussion.
I was deluged with requests to write a sequel to my first novel. I’m not even exaggerating: There were a few dozen requests. For me, that’s as much a deluge as what used to come through my kitchen ceiling. People like the characters, and want to hang around them for awhile longer, an idea that’s launched many good story continuations.
Sequels aren’t a new idea. I’ve often mentioned The Wizard of Oz, which started out as a book 39 years before Judy Garland slipped on her ruby slippers (don’t get me started on the color changes in the movie). L. Frank Baum’s American fantasy was so popular that he wrote 13 sequels, and when he died others took up the magical torch – there were some 40 official Oz books in all. Take that, J. K. Rowling.
But Oz suffered the same fate many book, movie, and TV series do: Some of the Oz books were wonderful, and some were … not.
Sequels have launched more bad story continuations than good ones. Here are some movie sequels which were, shall we say, smelly:
The Matrix Reloaded. Do you watch a lot of music videos? Imagine the one you’ve seen that had the best visuals, but was also the most
stunningly nonsensical and confusing. There you go.
Battle For the Planet of the Apes. This pains me. I loved that movie series. But this allegorical soap opera was so bad that even I noticed it at the age of 11 – and I’m easily entertained.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. If there’s any truth to the theory that odd numbered Star Trek movies are horrible, this is exhibit A. That James T. Kirk takes on God isn’t surprising, considering William Shatner directed this movie; but Kirk and Spock singing campfire songs is unforgiveable.
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. If it seems like I’m picking on science fiction, it’s because I love the genre so much. With this movie, the opening scroll that once told of intergalactic rebellion changes to … trade and taxes. As in real life, the boring stuff was probably more important, but that doesn’t make it entertainment. Add to that a kid who’s just a downer and a Jedi Knight
committing an unforgiveable sin: Saving Jar Jar Binks.
Speed 2: Cruise Control. Okay, the first movie was about – wait for it – speed. Things going fast. Busses, trains, even elevators. The sequel was about a giant cruise ship. They should have turned off the cruise control.
Weekend at Bernies II. The first one was an actually funny movie about a dead guy. You just can’t pull that off twice, so the sequel, like Bernie by this point, stinks.
Superman III. Maybe it looked particularly bad compared to the two great movies that came before, but let me make this clear: Richard Pryor was a great comedian who just didn’t fit in a superhero movie.
Of course, some of those might be your favorite movies, if you’d care to admit it. Many good sequels have come along, too: Toy Story 2, Goldfinger, Aliens, The Godfather Part 2 … Not to mention Star Trek II, which, yep, even numbered Trek movie. The first one (odd numbered) featured mind-blowing special effects for the time, and one of the best movie scores ever, but Trek fans who showed up to watch it a second time were puzzled to find themselves falling asleep.
I wonder how much hate mail is winging its way to me, even as we speak.
As I say, entertainment tends to be subjective, and just between you and me I liked much of the first Trek movie. Don’t tell.
Lots of things can go wrong with a movie sequel, but books aren’t done quite so much by committee. Generally, if a book sequel fails it’s because the writer lost respect for the characters, stopped caring about the process, or just ran out of ideas. Well, I’m not making enough money from Storm Chaser to be selling out, so it’s not about the process, and if ideas were visible I’d be blind from the cloud of them, chasing after me like little plot mosquitoes.
That leaves characters. Here’s the thing: I’ve got three other novel manuscripts finished: two waiting to be polished a little and one being revised for a publisher. Multiply that by a few hundred and that’s how many ideas for new stories I have. I don’t need to do a sequel to Storm Chaser; I figure if people really like my writing, they’ll come back to check out whatever story I write.
But when I create a character, they become real to me, and I couldn’t stick around real people for the year it takes to finish a novel if I didn’t love the world they inhabit. Like people who demand a sequel to a great movie, I want to spend more time around my characters, and see what happens to them next.
So yes: I’m going to write a sequel to Storm Chaser. In fact, I already have.
In fact, it already sold to Whiskey Creek Press, and it’ll come out in about a year. It’s too late to stop me now.
Of course, there’s also that anthology of short stories set before the events of Storm Chaser, which came out as an e-book last year.
But prequels are a whole other discussion.
October 17, 2013
Writer's Group and Fire Breakfast
Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights will be available at the Breakfast With the Firefighters Saturday morning at the Albion Fire Station, 8-11 a.m.
On an unrelated note, here’s a photo Emily snapped of me at Yesterday’s Whitley County Writer’s Group:
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2013/...
On an unrelated note, here’s a photo Emily snapped of me at Yesterday’s Whitley County Writer’s Group:
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2013/...
October 15, 2013
Writer's Group appearance tomorrow
Don’t forget the Whitley County Writer’s Group appearance tomorrow at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City – in meeting room B, downstairs. My actual talk will begin closer to 6:30 than to 6 p.m., but I plan to be there by 6 to mingle, talk, have my books available to buy (or at least look at), and hopefully snack.
The Facebook events page with directions is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/16734...
The Facebook events page with directions is here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/16734...
October 13, 2013
Walking Dead fanfiction
I’ve missed writing fanfiction, which has the fun of writing without the stress of selling and promoting. So I came up with an idea: To write a new fanfic whenever I reach a major milestone in my writing career, such as selling or publishing a new work. What do you think? A good idea for relaxing a bit?
This one’s to celebrate the contract with Whiskey Creek Press to publish my Storm Chaser sequel, The Notorious Ian Grant. And, while we’re at it, why not celebrate finally getting another season of The Walking Dead?
Title: Things Go Better
Author: ozma914
Summary: A new weapon is found in the battle against zombies. A very strange weapon.
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
THINGS GO BETTER
Daryl Dixon stared down at the bubbling brown lumps on the concrete floor before him. “What the hell was that?”
He slowly lowered his crossbow, still unsure of what he’d just seen. A moment before, they’d faced a horde of walkers … how many walkers in a horde? At least three dozen, far too many for the four of them to have handled. And almost all, curiously, dressed the same.
“I don’t know …” Rick holstered his pistol and slowly approached the pool of brown liquid, which spread slowly as molasses. It smelled sweet and acidic, with only an underlay of rotting undead. “Guess I never thought about what hazardous materials might have been left behind.”
“This ain’t supposed to be hazardous materials.” Daryl looked up at the huge silver tanks, one of them now split open. “Rick, that .44 packs quite a punch.”
Rick, supposedly one of the best trained of their group when it comes to weapons, looked away. “Yeah, well … I got startled.”
They turned at a noise behind them, but it was Michonne and Herschel, returning from the water spigot the old man had found still working near one end of the factory floor. Michonne kept staring at her sword, specifically at the brownish stain that hadn’t rinsed off and the almost invisible pitting near the tip. She looked close to tears.
“Maybe you can get another one,” Daryl suggested. He took a step back at the glare she sent in return.
The liquid mass began to thin out, leaving the concrete scoured and a little pockmarked.
“I don’t get it.” Shaking his head, Rick skirted the edge of the spill and examined the closest tank. “Well, maybe over time it … changed. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.”
“Yeah.” Daryl grinned. It felt strange. “We should just have … a smile.” Those poor souls must have been trapped all along. Then his friends entered, the tank split from an accidental shot, and the starved walkers just kept walking right into the spray. Weird.
“We were fortunate,” Herschel agreed. “Imagine what that stuff does to your stomach.”
They turned to look through the big windows along one wall, at the red and white logo outside. Daryl had actually been hoping for a little refreshment during their supply run to Atlanta, but now that didn’t seem like such a good idea. Still, they’d found a new weapon, which he was already thinking of as The Real Thing.
They looked at each other. Then they smiled, all of them, even Michonne. “Guess we’ve got some trench digging to do,” she said. “This could be a safe place, for awhile.”
“Well, not right by the tanks,” Daryl told her. Then he grinned again. “I’m thirsty. Think they got any Pepsi here?”
This one’s to celebrate the contract with Whiskey Creek Press to publish my Storm Chaser sequel, The Notorious Ian Grant. And, while we’re at it, why not celebrate finally getting another season of The Walking Dead?
Title: Things Go Better
Author: ozma914
Summary: A new weapon is found in the battle against zombies. A very strange weapon.
Rating: PG
Length: 500 words
THINGS GO BETTER
Daryl Dixon stared down at the bubbling brown lumps on the concrete floor before him. “What the hell was that?”
He slowly lowered his crossbow, still unsure of what he’d just seen. A moment before, they’d faced a horde of walkers … how many walkers in a horde? At least three dozen, far too many for the four of them to have handled. And almost all, curiously, dressed the same.
“I don’t know …” Rick holstered his pistol and slowly approached the pool of brown liquid, which spread slowly as molasses. It smelled sweet and acidic, with only an underlay of rotting undead. “Guess I never thought about what hazardous materials might have been left behind.”
“This ain’t supposed to be hazardous materials.” Daryl looked up at the huge silver tanks, one of them now split open. “Rick, that .44 packs quite a punch.”
Rick, supposedly one of the best trained of their group when it comes to weapons, looked away. “Yeah, well … I got startled.”
They turned at a noise behind them, but it was Michonne and Herschel, returning from the water spigot the old man had found still working near one end of the factory floor. Michonne kept staring at her sword, specifically at the brownish stain that hadn’t rinsed off and the almost invisible pitting near the tip. She looked close to tears.
“Maybe you can get another one,” Daryl suggested. He took a step back at the glare she sent in return.
The liquid mass began to thin out, leaving the concrete scoured and a little pockmarked.
“I don’t get it.” Shaking his head, Rick skirted the edge of the spill and examined the closest tank. “Well, maybe over time it … changed. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.”
“Yeah.” Daryl grinned. It felt strange. “We should just have … a smile.” Those poor souls must have been trapped all along. Then his friends entered, the tank split from an accidental shot, and the starved walkers just kept walking right into the spray. Weird.
“We were fortunate,” Herschel agreed. “Imagine what that stuff does to your stomach.”
They turned to look through the big windows along one wall, at the red and white logo outside. Daryl had actually been hoping for a little refreshment during their supply run to Atlanta, but now that didn’t seem like such a good idea. Still, they’d found a new weapon, which he was already thinking of as The Real Thing.
They looked at each other. Then they smiled, all of them, even Michonne. “Guess we’ve got some trench digging to do,” she said. “This could be a safe place, for awhile.”
“Well, not right by the tanks,” Daryl told her. Then he grinned again. “I’m thirsty. Think they got any Pepsi here?”
October 9, 2013
Disaster Preparedness: Turtles, Fizz Floods, and SnowFire Tornadoes
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
I recently received an e-mail from a local utility company informing me that September is Emergency Preparedness Month.
I got it on October 1st. I guess they just weren’t prepared.
Still, it’s an appropriate follow up to Fire Prevention Week, and a reminder would be good for us any time of the year, not just when I’m working on deadline. I mean, the Feds shut down, so it’s not like they’re going to show up if somebody drops Mentos into the local Coke bottling plant and your town is overwhelmed by a fizz flood.
Which I believe is an upcoming SyFy Channel original movie.
The thing is, most of the things you should do to prepare for a disaster are good for any disaster, so it’s not like you have to specialize. Your emergency kit is going to have much of the same stuff whether you’re cut off by a blizzard, flood, tornado, or all at the same time, which in Indiana isn’t impossible. The other day vacuum cleaner salesmen rampaged through Albion, but I was prepared to hide out for days in my basement. If Churubusco was attacked by a herd of angry turtles …
Wait, let me check something ....
Huh. If Churubusco was attacked by a turn of angry turtles (who knew?), or if Huntertown was attacked by a mob of …um … hunters, you’re still going to need to eat, drink, stay warm, and listen for alerts from the Emergency Broadcast system:
“The Center for Disease Control reminds you to keep fingers and toes away from angry reptiles … and wear orange.”
So create a disaster plan, build an emergency kit, learn first aid and CPR, and for crying out loud, tell no one that you stockpiled a year’s supply of chocolate. People have killed for less.
Here are some of the things you should have in your emergency kit:
One gallon of water for every person, per day. Remember, if the power goes out for an extended period of time, the water supply could be affected. Or the water supply could be contaminated by zombies, or angry turtles, or angry turtle zombies. You should keep a two week supply, which in my house would mean 28 gallons if you include the dog. I have my water in jugs labeled “fuel”, and fuel in jugs labeled “water”.
Somebody steals from me, they’ll get a nasty surprise.
A two week supply of non-perishable, easy to prepare food—you might not have gas or electricity. Got cans? Great. Got an electric can opener?
I have two fifty pound bags of dog food. Hey, it’s good stuff, very nutritious. Makes gravy with water.
A flashlight and battery powered radio. And here’s a crazy idea—batteries. They make hand cranked versions of both, but I figure I’ll be cranky enough after two weeks without The Big Bang Theory.
Yeah, no TV. Panicked, yet? Get some books.
A first aid kit. It should contain stuff for first aid.
A week’s worth of your favorite medications. If you get stuck with kids in a home without TV, internet, or video games, you’ll need to be medicated.
Personal hygiene items. Let your imagination do the walking.
Cell phones and chargers, and since we covered the electricity thing, keep those cell phones charged. They usually work even when the electricity goes out, so at least you’ll have Candy Crush.
Emergency contact information and personal documents. That way you can call people with those cell phones to let them know you hit level 80.
Extra cash. I don’t know, find some. I usually keep at least two dollars in my couch cushions.
An emergency blanket. Yes, you should have blankets around the house, but have one packed in your kit in case you have to run for it. On a related note, you might want to keep maps of the area in case you’re one of those people who gets into a rut, only takes one way out of town, and finds that one way blocked by something truly terrifying, like road construction or mimes.
A multi-purpose tool. You’d be surprised how handy those can be. I’d throw in a roll of duct tape, too, since that stuff is handy for almost everything and can also be used to quiet down the kids after the fifth or sixth day.
Personally, I’ve also got a huge supply of candles and—on a not unrelated note—a fire extinguisher. Candles have some advantages, but rarely do homes get set on fire by flashlights.
While you may need a few more items to drive off zombies, vampires, and politicians (but I repeat myself), the basic stuff really is good for just about any disaster or emergency. Here in Indiana it’s not unheard of to have blizzard and tornado warnings in the same month, and don’t get me started on the Great SnowFire Tornado during the Drought of ’88. If you want to get serious about it (and you should) try going to a website with fewer jokes, but a lot more information:
http://www.redcross.org/prepare
And be prepared. ‘Cause I’m not letting anybody near my stockpile of chocolate.
I recently received an e-mail from a local utility company informing me that September is Emergency Preparedness Month.
I got it on October 1st. I guess they just weren’t prepared.
Still, it’s an appropriate follow up to Fire Prevention Week, and a reminder would be good for us any time of the year, not just when I’m working on deadline. I mean, the Feds shut down, so it’s not like they’re going to show up if somebody drops Mentos into the local Coke bottling plant and your town is overwhelmed by a fizz flood.
Which I believe is an upcoming SyFy Channel original movie.
The thing is, most of the things you should do to prepare for a disaster are good for any disaster, so it’s not like you have to specialize. Your emergency kit is going to have much of the same stuff whether you’re cut off by a blizzard, flood, tornado, or all at the same time, which in Indiana isn’t impossible. The other day vacuum cleaner salesmen rampaged through Albion, but I was prepared to hide out for days in my basement. If Churubusco was attacked by a herd of angry turtles …
Wait, let me check something ....
Huh. If Churubusco was attacked by a turn of angry turtles (who knew?), or if Huntertown was attacked by a mob of …um … hunters, you’re still going to need to eat, drink, stay warm, and listen for alerts from the Emergency Broadcast system:
“The Center for Disease Control reminds you to keep fingers and toes away from angry reptiles … and wear orange.”
So create a disaster plan, build an emergency kit, learn first aid and CPR, and for crying out loud, tell no one that you stockpiled a year’s supply of chocolate. People have killed for less.
Here are some of the things you should have in your emergency kit:
One gallon of water for every person, per day. Remember, if the power goes out for an extended period of time, the water supply could be affected. Or the water supply could be contaminated by zombies, or angry turtles, or angry turtle zombies. You should keep a two week supply, which in my house would mean 28 gallons if you include the dog. I have my water in jugs labeled “fuel”, and fuel in jugs labeled “water”.
Somebody steals from me, they’ll get a nasty surprise.
A two week supply of non-perishable, easy to prepare food—you might not have gas or electricity. Got cans? Great. Got an electric can opener?
I have two fifty pound bags of dog food. Hey, it’s good stuff, very nutritious. Makes gravy with water.
A flashlight and battery powered radio. And here’s a crazy idea—batteries. They make hand cranked versions of both, but I figure I’ll be cranky enough after two weeks without The Big Bang Theory.
Yeah, no TV. Panicked, yet? Get some books.
A first aid kit. It should contain stuff for first aid.
A week’s worth of your favorite medications. If you get stuck with kids in a home without TV, internet, or video games, you’ll need to be medicated.
Personal hygiene items. Let your imagination do the walking.
Cell phones and chargers, and since we covered the electricity thing, keep those cell phones charged. They usually work even when the electricity goes out, so at least you’ll have Candy Crush.
Emergency contact information and personal documents. That way you can call people with those cell phones to let them know you hit level 80.
Extra cash. I don’t know, find some. I usually keep at least two dollars in my couch cushions.
An emergency blanket. Yes, you should have blankets around the house, but have one packed in your kit in case you have to run for it. On a related note, you might want to keep maps of the area in case you’re one of those people who gets into a rut, only takes one way out of town, and finds that one way blocked by something truly terrifying, like road construction or mimes.
A multi-purpose tool. You’d be surprised how handy those can be. I’d throw in a roll of duct tape, too, since that stuff is handy for almost everything and can also be used to quiet down the kids after the fifth or sixth day.
Personally, I’ve also got a huge supply of candles and—on a not unrelated note—a fire extinguisher. Candles have some advantages, but rarely do homes get set on fire by flashlights.
While you may need a few more items to drive off zombies, vampires, and politicians (but I repeat myself), the basic stuff really is good for just about any disaster or emergency. Here in Indiana it’s not unheard of to have blizzard and tornado warnings in the same month, and don’t get me started on the Great SnowFire Tornado during the Drought of ’88. If you want to get serious about it (and you should) try going to a website with fewer jokes, but a lot more information:
http://www.redcross.org/prepare
And be prepared. ‘Cause I’m not letting anybody near my stockpile of chocolate.
October 8, 2013
Storm Chaser sequel coming out in 2014
Whiskey Creek Press will be publishing the sequel to Storm Chaser!
The Notorious Ian Grant, which should come out next fall, takes place just after the events of Storm Chaser. Although there are general spoilers referencing the end of the first book, I took care to write the second in such a way that you don’t really have to read Storm Chaser in order to enjoy it – although I’d prefer you did.
While Storm Chaser is a romantic comedy, The Notorious Ian Grant is more of a humorous novel with a romance in it –more laugh out loud funny, I hope. The main characters are police detective Fran Vargas, who you’ve met before, and Ian Grant. (Most Storm Chaser characters put in an appearance, including a certain blonde teenager who proved a fan favorite in the first book.) Ian is mentioned, very briefly and not by name, in Storm Chaser, and has a similarly brief appearance in one of the stories of Storm Chaser Shorts.
What’s it all about, you say?
“When infamous party boy and b-list celebrity Ian Grant learns his sister is marrying a cop, he abandons his Hollywood lifestyle and drives straight to Indiana. His plan: to make up for all those times he embarrassed and humiliated his family … by taking charge of the wedding planning. So, Ian’s never planned a wedding – how hard could it be?
The little town of Hurricane, Indiana, is like another world—a world Ian wouldn’t mind being part of, if only people would stop judging him by his previous antics. He might even have a chance at romance with his future brother-in-law’s coworker, detective Fran Vargas. But for Fran everything’s gone wrong since Ian arrived, including the loss of her home, their confrontation with a bullying politician, and an influx of nosy reporters and angry ex-girlfriends.
There’s also the fact that Ian’s wedding planning keeps getting interrupted by someone trying to kill him.
No one ever said redemption is easy.”
If Ian seems familiar, you may have caught a short story I wrote that takes place just before The Notorious Ian Grant, at a low moment in his life:
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2011/...
The Notorious Ian Grant, which should come out next fall, takes place just after the events of Storm Chaser. Although there are general spoilers referencing the end of the first book, I took care to write the second in such a way that you don’t really have to read Storm Chaser in order to enjoy it – although I’d prefer you did.
While Storm Chaser is a romantic comedy, The Notorious Ian Grant is more of a humorous novel with a romance in it –more laugh out loud funny, I hope. The main characters are police detective Fran Vargas, who you’ve met before, and Ian Grant. (Most Storm Chaser characters put in an appearance, including a certain blonde teenager who proved a fan favorite in the first book.) Ian is mentioned, very briefly and not by name, in Storm Chaser, and has a similarly brief appearance in one of the stories of Storm Chaser Shorts.
What’s it all about, you say?
“When infamous party boy and b-list celebrity Ian Grant learns his sister is marrying a cop, he abandons his Hollywood lifestyle and drives straight to Indiana. His plan: to make up for all those times he embarrassed and humiliated his family … by taking charge of the wedding planning. So, Ian’s never planned a wedding – how hard could it be?
The little town of Hurricane, Indiana, is like another world—a world Ian wouldn’t mind being part of, if only people would stop judging him by his previous antics. He might even have a chance at romance with his future brother-in-law’s coworker, detective Fran Vargas. But for Fran everything’s gone wrong since Ian arrived, including the loss of her home, their confrontation with a bullying politician, and an influx of nosy reporters and angry ex-girlfriends.
There’s also the fact that Ian’s wedding planning keeps getting interrupted by someone trying to kill him.
No one ever said redemption is easy.”
If Ian seems familiar, you may have caught a short story I wrote that takes place just before The Notorious Ian Grant, at a low moment in his life:
http://markrhunter.blogspot.com/2011/...
October 7, 2013
Coming to a writer's group near you ... if you're in Columbia City
Albion author Mark R Hunter, who has three published books and writes a humor column that appears in three local newspapers, will be on hand in Columbia City October 16th to talk about writing and humor, and sign copies of his books, and maybe actually be funny.
Hunter will appear at the Peabody Library, at 1160 E Hwy 205 in Columbia City, from 6-8 p.m., in a gathering hosted by the unsuspecting Whitley County Writers' Group.
Anyone who hasn't bought his novel, Storm Chaser (or has, but wants another copy for the Pulitzer Committee) can get two books for a bargain: Readers can buy his local history book Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights, or a humor compilation that includes a contribution by him, My Funny Valentine, for $9.95, and get Storm Chaser for two dollars off, at $12.95.
Mark R Hunter’s first novel, the romantic comedy Storm Chaser, was published by Whiskey Creek Press in 2011, and in 2012 the same publisher released his related short story e-book collection, Storm Chaser Shorts. Also that year, a humor piece by Mark was included in the anthology My Funny Valentine. He’s currently working on a sequel to Storm Chaser, whether his publisher wants him to or not.
In July, 2013, Hunter published a local history book, Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department. His humor column, Slightly Off the Mark, appears in the weekly newspapers Albion New Era, Churubusco News, and Huntertown News, and has widely been proclaimed to be somewhat funny.
As a way of getting ideas (and groceries), for two decades Mark R Hunter has been an emergency dispatcher for the Noble County Sheriff Department. He’s served over 32 years as a volunteer for the Albion Fire Department, holding such positions as safety officer, training officer, secretary, and public information officer. He also has done public relations writing for the Noble County Relay For Life, among other organizations, and served two terms on the Albion Town Council. When asked if he has any free time, he laughs hysterically.
Mark lives in Albion, Indiana, with his wife and editor Emily, a cowardly ball python named Lucius, and a loving, scary dog named Beowulf. He has two daughters and twin grandsons, and so naturally is considering writing a children’s book.
More information about Mark R Hunter’s work can be found online at www.markrhunter.com.
Hunter will appear at the Peabody Library, at 1160 E Hwy 205 in Columbia City, from 6-8 p.m., in a gathering hosted by the unsuspecting Whitley County Writers' Group.
Anyone who hasn't bought his novel, Storm Chaser (or has, but wants another copy for the Pulitzer Committee) can get two books for a bargain: Readers can buy his local history book Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights, or a humor compilation that includes a contribution by him, My Funny Valentine, for $9.95, and get Storm Chaser for two dollars off, at $12.95.
Mark R Hunter’s first novel, the romantic comedy Storm Chaser, was published by Whiskey Creek Press in 2011, and in 2012 the same publisher released his related short story e-book collection, Storm Chaser Shorts. Also that year, a humor piece by Mark was included in the anthology My Funny Valentine. He’s currently working on a sequel to Storm Chaser, whether his publisher wants him to or not.
In July, 2013, Hunter published a local history book, Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department. His humor column, Slightly Off the Mark, appears in the weekly newspapers Albion New Era, Churubusco News, and Huntertown News, and has widely been proclaimed to be somewhat funny.
As a way of getting ideas (and groceries), for two decades Mark R Hunter has been an emergency dispatcher for the Noble County Sheriff Department. He’s served over 32 years as a volunteer for the Albion Fire Department, holding such positions as safety officer, training officer, secretary, and public information officer. He also has done public relations writing for the Noble County Relay For Life, among other organizations, and served two terms on the Albion Town Council. When asked if he has any free time, he laughs hysterically.
Mark lives in Albion, Indiana, with his wife and editor Emily, a cowardly ball python named Lucius, and a loving, scary dog named Beowulf. He has two daughters and twin grandsons, and so naturally is considering writing a children’s book.
More information about Mark R Hunter’s work can be found online at www.markrhunter.com.
Don't Get Fired Up In the Kitchen
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
It goes without saying that the best way to maintain safety in a kitchen is to keep me out of it.
But I said it anyway, and as it happens, the theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Prevent kitchen fires”. Even a group of Congressmen couldn’t argue over whether that’s a good idea. Could they?
“My esteemed colleague doesn’t seem to understand that if all fires were prevented, it would mean unemployment for untold numbers of construction crews and emergency room workers!”
Yeah, I guess they could.
The National Fire Protection Association decides on themes for this important week. Since cooking is the number one cause of home fires, I think they’ve chosen wisely. If only they chose wisely in naming their mascot, a huge and rather over caffeinated looking dog named Sparky.
We don’t want sparks. Sparks are bad, except when lighting campfires, or igniting homemade cannons to flatten alien invaders. Shouldn’t the NFPA’s mascot be named Soggy? Or would that cause thoughts of nightmare scenarios involving puppy training?
I once tried to train our dog to extinguish cooking fires, but he didn’t want to expose that particular part of himself to the flames. Smart dog.
In our house the kitchen is fairly safe as long as I’m not allowed to cook; and when I am allowed to cook, food poisoning usually takes the number one danger spot. Instead, my wife cooks while I do the dishes, which seems pretty fair. No one has ever started a fire while doing dishes, although I did electrocute myself that way, once. Okay, twice.
Long story.
Emily’s a hands-on cook. She’s cutting stuff up, mixing things together, doing everything the 50’s sitcom wives did while wearing high heels and pearl necklaces. I don’t get it. Do we not have wonderful people in factories cooking this stuff for us, and throwing it into convenient boxes named Banquet, or Swanson? If I could get frozen boxes of freshly washed pots and pans, I’d throw that kitchen sink right out the window.
But frozen dinners don’t protect you from kitchen fires, and her cooking is way better than the lines of little old ladies slapping stuff together in the Banquet family kitchen, so who am I to complain?
Meanwhile, I can speak with some authority on kitchen fires, both because I’m a firefighter and, well … I used to cook a lot.
Kitchen fires are common because that’s where the fire is. Whether you use electric or gas, stuff gets hot, and hot is dangerous. When stuff catches on fire people panic, doing such things as pouring water on the flames—because it’s the kitchen, and there’s water right there, after all.
Here are a few other things people do wrong, when it comes to cooking:
They leave.
Leaving is bad. Almost all unattended fires don’t have anyone attending them. Most stove fires I’ve gone to as a firefighter were unattended, and even if the flames don’t spread beyond the pan, let me assure you: The smell is horrible.
They fall asleep.
Dude, if you’re that tired, sleep now—have breakfast later.
They drink.
Cooking sherry is for cooking. If you’re consuming alcoholic beverages, you should do pretty much nothing else, except maybe watch football or take a nap. Or take a nap while watching football—set an alarm for the halftime show.
They put flammable stuff on the stove.
I have a big plastic bowl with a very odd pattern on the bottom. Kind of dents, in a circular pattern. In fact, it’s the exact same pattern you’ll find on the top of my gas stove if, say, you turned off the flames but didn’t wait for the stove to cool down before you set a big plastic bowl on it.
On any given day, somebody’s stove will have on it an oven mitt, wooden spoon, cardboard food box, or towel. Guaranteed. And every year, 156,000 structure fires are reported that start with cooking. That’s 420 deaths, 5,310 injuries, and almost a billion dollars in property damage. And you know what the worst part of a kitchen fire is? When it’s over …
You’ll still be hungry.
Two thirds of cooking fires start when food itself ignites, which kinda makes sense, and see above about how horrible it smells. Scorched beans and corn especially stink, for some reason. And even though a lot of fires start with unattended cooking, more than half of the injuries come when people try to fight the fires.
Can you fight kitchen fires? Sure, after you call 911 (they’ll wisely tell you to leave), but you’re taking your chances. If you happen to be right there when something in a pan catches, just turn off the heat and drop a lid on it, suffocating the fire.
But a lot of people won’t do that. In a panic, they’ll splash water on the fire, which will cause grease and oil to splatter and spread the fire further. Don’t do that.
Better idea: Have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it. In one of my novels, a panicked character tries to read the directions on the extinguisher after a fire breaks out. That’s a poor time to take a class, people. (And why haven’t you read that book? I mean, other than that it’s not published yet?)
Read the directions and take a class, so if the fire’s very small you can stand with your back to an exit, aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire, and get the heck outside, preferably after you dialed 911. Do I sound too cautious? Well, last year 2,520 civilians died in fires, and another 13,910 were injured. Do I still sound too cautious?
That’s just a quick overview of the dangers, and what you can do about them. Oh, and one more thing: Thanksgiving is the number one day for home cooking fires, so order take-out.
Then you can stay out of the kitchen, and enjoy your nap during the football game.
It goes without saying that the best way to maintain safety in a kitchen is to keep me out of it.
But I said it anyway, and as it happens, the theme of this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Prevent kitchen fires”. Even a group of Congressmen couldn’t argue over whether that’s a good idea. Could they?
“My esteemed colleague doesn’t seem to understand that if all fires were prevented, it would mean unemployment for untold numbers of construction crews and emergency room workers!”
Yeah, I guess they could.
The National Fire Protection Association decides on themes for this important week. Since cooking is the number one cause of home fires, I think they’ve chosen wisely. If only they chose wisely in naming their mascot, a huge and rather over caffeinated looking dog named Sparky.
We don’t want sparks. Sparks are bad, except when lighting campfires, or igniting homemade cannons to flatten alien invaders. Shouldn’t the NFPA’s mascot be named Soggy? Or would that cause thoughts of nightmare scenarios involving puppy training?
I once tried to train our dog to extinguish cooking fires, but he didn’t want to expose that particular part of himself to the flames. Smart dog.
In our house the kitchen is fairly safe as long as I’m not allowed to cook; and when I am allowed to cook, food poisoning usually takes the number one danger spot. Instead, my wife cooks while I do the dishes, which seems pretty fair. No one has ever started a fire while doing dishes, although I did electrocute myself that way, once. Okay, twice.
Long story.
Emily’s a hands-on cook. She’s cutting stuff up, mixing things together, doing everything the 50’s sitcom wives did while wearing high heels and pearl necklaces. I don’t get it. Do we not have wonderful people in factories cooking this stuff for us, and throwing it into convenient boxes named Banquet, or Swanson? If I could get frozen boxes of freshly washed pots and pans, I’d throw that kitchen sink right out the window.
But frozen dinners don’t protect you from kitchen fires, and her cooking is way better than the lines of little old ladies slapping stuff together in the Banquet family kitchen, so who am I to complain?
Meanwhile, I can speak with some authority on kitchen fires, both because I’m a firefighter and, well … I used to cook a lot.
Kitchen fires are common because that’s where the fire is. Whether you use electric or gas, stuff gets hot, and hot is dangerous. When stuff catches on fire people panic, doing such things as pouring water on the flames—because it’s the kitchen, and there’s water right there, after all.
Here are a few other things people do wrong, when it comes to cooking:
They leave.
Leaving is bad. Almost all unattended fires don’t have anyone attending them. Most stove fires I’ve gone to as a firefighter were unattended, and even if the flames don’t spread beyond the pan, let me assure you: The smell is horrible.
They fall asleep.
Dude, if you’re that tired, sleep now—have breakfast later.
They drink.
Cooking sherry is for cooking. If you’re consuming alcoholic beverages, you should do pretty much nothing else, except maybe watch football or take a nap. Or take a nap while watching football—set an alarm for the halftime show.
They put flammable stuff on the stove.
I have a big plastic bowl with a very odd pattern on the bottom. Kind of dents, in a circular pattern. In fact, it’s the exact same pattern you’ll find on the top of my gas stove if, say, you turned off the flames but didn’t wait for the stove to cool down before you set a big plastic bowl on it.
On any given day, somebody’s stove will have on it an oven mitt, wooden spoon, cardboard food box, or towel. Guaranteed. And every year, 156,000 structure fires are reported that start with cooking. That’s 420 deaths, 5,310 injuries, and almost a billion dollars in property damage. And you know what the worst part of a kitchen fire is? When it’s over …
You’ll still be hungry.
Two thirds of cooking fires start when food itself ignites, which kinda makes sense, and see above about how horrible it smells. Scorched beans and corn especially stink, for some reason. And even though a lot of fires start with unattended cooking, more than half of the injuries come when people try to fight the fires.
Can you fight kitchen fires? Sure, after you call 911 (they’ll wisely tell you to leave), but you’re taking your chances. If you happen to be right there when something in a pan catches, just turn off the heat and drop a lid on it, suffocating the fire.
But a lot of people won’t do that. In a panic, they’ll splash water on the fire, which will cause grease and oil to splatter and spread the fire further. Don’t do that.
Better idea: Have a fire extinguisher and know how to use it. In one of my novels, a panicked character tries to read the directions on the extinguisher after a fire breaks out. That’s a poor time to take a class, people. (And why haven’t you read that book? I mean, other than that it’s not published yet?)
Read the directions and take a class, so if the fire’s very small you can stand with your back to an exit, aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire, and get the heck outside, preferably after you dialed 911. Do I sound too cautious? Well, last year 2,520 civilians died in fires, and another 13,910 were injured. Do I still sound too cautious?
That’s just a quick overview of the dangers, and what you can do about them. Oh, and one more thing: Thanksgiving is the number one day for home cooking fires, so order take-out.
Then you can stay out of the kitchen, and enjoy your nap during the football game.
September 10, 2011
The Heroes of 9/11
The Heroes of 9/11
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
I've mentioned before that I’m uncomfortable using the word “hero”. Like many words, it’s overused and clichéd. What is a hero? Not a sports star. Being tough doesn’t make a hero. Not a skydiver. That may make you brave, but not heroic.
Ronald Bucca was a member of the 101st Airborne, then served in the Special Forces and Green Berets while on active duty in the army. He became a New York City firefighter in 1978, and on September 11, 2001, became the only FDNY fire marshal ever killed in the line of duty.
Does somebody become a hero when they take on a dangerous occupation? I don’t know … the flagger who controls traffic during road construction has an especially dangerous job, but I don’t know if you’d call it heroic. You could even argue that a firefighter or police officer doesn’t automatically become a hero the moment he puts on the badge. Maybe – potential hero?
But then, isn’t everyone a potential hero?
Steve DeChiaro is a businessman, and was just entering the Pentagon for a meeting when the building was struck by an airplane. No one would have blamed him for saving himself; he had no legal responsibility to act. Certainly he never thought he’d end up winning the Defense Department’s highest civilian award, the Medal of Valor, for his actions in rescuing and treating people that day.
Sometimes, maybe, a hero is just someone who overcomes their fear and acts – not on a lark, but to do something important, something vital.
Tom Burnett was the vice president of a medical devices company. He found himself on United Airlines Flight 93, and after his plane was hijacked he learned, in a cell phone call to his wife, of the attacks on the World Trade Center. He didn’t know for sure what the hijackers were planning, but it must have quickly become clear that they also wanted to kill.
Burnett must have also known that an attempt to take the plane back would likely be fatal … but that if it failed, they still might keep the hijackers from taking a large number of civilians on the ground with them.
Sometimes being a hero is a matter of relativity. A firefighter might do something on a day to day basis that others see as heroic, while he just calls it another day on the job. But others wouldn’t normally expect to see a crisis beyond a paper jam in the copy machine.
Welles Crowther was an equities trader. The biggest risk for him on the job was a paper cut, or a coffee burn. He was on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the first plane hit.
Witnesses described how Crowther, a former volunteer firefighter, took control, organized people, and got dozens out of the building before it collapsed.
Sometimes it’s the call of duty, of course.
Moira Smith, a 13 year veteran of the NYPD, had already been decorated for heroism. It’s hardly surprising that she headed into the World Trade Center to rescue people, and became the only female member of the force killed that day.
Her daughter would be 12 now. I hope people tell her about her mom.
Or … maybe heroism just runs in the family?
Eric Moreland was a George Washington University student at the time, but also a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. As often happens to off duty emergency personnel, he was just happening by ... when an airplane crashed into the Pentagon.
Moreland, at great risk, charged into the burning building and carried injured people to safety. Then he stayed to help remove the dead. Then he drove all the way to New York to help out at the world Trade Center.
Moreland’s grandfather, Lt. Col. Conway Jones, was one of the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. His father flew 80 combat missions in Vietnam.
Whether it runs in the family or not, some people are just born to serve.
Special Agent Leonard Hatton fought crime as an FBI agent, fought fires as a volunteer, and fought for freedom as a US Marine. He reported the second plan crashing into the south Tower – not from inside the World Trade Center, but from the roof of a nearby hotel. Then he went in. What else could he do? He died that day, but if he’d turned his back on the call for help, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.
There will always be some who suffer for their service.
Jim Ryan survived, but was still a victim of 9/11. A New York City firefighter, he came back to the WTC site again and again, for months. He helped search for survivors, then victims, and as time went by there was nothing left but to search out bits of what were once people.
What else could he do? Over three hundred of his brother firefighters were there.
The cancer diagnosis came in 2006. His lungs finally failed him on Christmas, 2009. He was 48, and died on the same day that someone else grabbed the headlines by trying to bring down another plane, with a chemical bomb strapped to his leg.
On September 11, 2001, 341 FDNY firefighters and 2 Fire Department paramedics were killed; 23 NYPD officers died, along with 37 Port Authority PD officers and 8 private EMS medics.
On 9/11 at least 200 people, faced with the horrors of burning to death, jumped from the Twin Towers. Among the almost 3,000 who died in the four sites linked in the attack were citizens of over 70 nations. I don’t know how many of those people qualified as heroes. A lot of them, certainly. And just as certainly, the dead from that day are only a fraction of the victims.
Every now and then some short sighted person will suggest we stop obsessing so much about 9/11, that we “let it go”. After all, it’s been ten years, right?
They’re wrong. They’ll always be wrong. Ten times ten years, they’ll be wrong. Not only because we must keep this from happening again, but because heroes vanish too quickly, in the flotsam and jetsam of pop culture and the concerns of everyday life. Their memory goes too quickly, just as they do.
Be inspired by their stories. Saddened. Enraged. But never forget.
SLIGHTLY OFF THE MARK
I've mentioned before that I’m uncomfortable using the word “hero”. Like many words, it’s overused and clichéd. What is a hero? Not a sports star. Being tough doesn’t make a hero. Not a skydiver. That may make you brave, but not heroic.
Ronald Bucca was a member of the 101st Airborne, then served in the Special Forces and Green Berets while on active duty in the army. He became a New York City firefighter in 1978, and on September 11, 2001, became the only FDNY fire marshal ever killed in the line of duty.
Does somebody become a hero when they take on a dangerous occupation? I don’t know … the flagger who controls traffic during road construction has an especially dangerous job, but I don’t know if you’d call it heroic. You could even argue that a firefighter or police officer doesn’t automatically become a hero the moment he puts on the badge. Maybe – potential hero?
But then, isn’t everyone a potential hero?
Steve DeChiaro is a businessman, and was just entering the Pentagon for a meeting when the building was struck by an airplane. No one would have blamed him for saving himself; he had no legal responsibility to act. Certainly he never thought he’d end up winning the Defense Department’s highest civilian award, the Medal of Valor, for his actions in rescuing and treating people that day.
Sometimes, maybe, a hero is just someone who overcomes their fear and acts – not on a lark, but to do something important, something vital.
Tom Burnett was the vice president of a medical devices company. He found himself on United Airlines Flight 93, and after his plane was hijacked he learned, in a cell phone call to his wife, of the attacks on the World Trade Center. He didn’t know for sure what the hijackers were planning, but it must have quickly become clear that they also wanted to kill.
Burnett must have also known that an attempt to take the plane back would likely be fatal … but that if it failed, they still might keep the hijackers from taking a large number of civilians on the ground with them.
Sometimes being a hero is a matter of relativity. A firefighter might do something on a day to day basis that others see as heroic, while he just calls it another day on the job. But others wouldn’t normally expect to see a crisis beyond a paper jam in the copy machine.
Welles Crowther was an equities trader. The biggest risk for him on the job was a paper cut, or a coffee burn. He was on the 104th floor of the South Tower when the first plane hit.
Witnesses described how Crowther, a former volunteer firefighter, took control, organized people, and got dozens out of the building before it collapsed.
Sometimes it’s the call of duty, of course.
Moira Smith, a 13 year veteran of the NYPD, had already been decorated for heroism. It’s hardly surprising that she headed into the World Trade Center to rescue people, and became the only female member of the force killed that day.
Her daughter would be 12 now. I hope people tell her about her mom.
Or … maybe heroism just runs in the family?
Eric Moreland was a George Washington University student at the time, but also a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. As often happens to off duty emergency personnel, he was just happening by ... when an airplane crashed into the Pentagon.
Moreland, at great risk, charged into the burning building and carried injured people to safety. Then he stayed to help remove the dead. Then he drove all the way to New York to help out at the world Trade Center.
Moreland’s grandfather, Lt. Col. Conway Jones, was one of the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. His father flew 80 combat missions in Vietnam.
Whether it runs in the family or not, some people are just born to serve.
Special Agent Leonard Hatton fought crime as an FBI agent, fought fires as a volunteer, and fought for freedom as a US Marine. He reported the second plan crashing into the south Tower – not from inside the World Trade Center, but from the roof of a nearby hotel. Then he went in. What else could he do? He died that day, but if he’d turned his back on the call for help, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.
There will always be some who suffer for their service.
Jim Ryan survived, but was still a victim of 9/11. A New York City firefighter, he came back to the WTC site again and again, for months. He helped search for survivors, then victims, and as time went by there was nothing left but to search out bits of what were once people.
What else could he do? Over three hundred of his brother firefighters were there.
The cancer diagnosis came in 2006. His lungs finally failed him on Christmas, 2009. He was 48, and died on the same day that someone else grabbed the headlines by trying to bring down another plane, with a chemical bomb strapped to his leg.
On September 11, 2001, 341 FDNY firefighters and 2 Fire Department paramedics were killed; 23 NYPD officers died, along with 37 Port Authority PD officers and 8 private EMS medics.
On 9/11 at least 200 people, faced with the horrors of burning to death, jumped from the Twin Towers. Among the almost 3,000 who died in the four sites linked in the attack were citizens of over 70 nations. I don’t know how many of those people qualified as heroes. A lot of them, certainly. And just as certainly, the dead from that day are only a fraction of the victims.
Every now and then some short sighted person will suggest we stop obsessing so much about 9/11, that we “let it go”. After all, it’s been ten years, right?
They’re wrong. They’ll always be wrong. Ten times ten years, they’ll be wrong. Not only because we must keep this from happening again, but because heroes vanish too quickly, in the flotsam and jetsam of pop culture and the concerns of everyday life. Their memory goes too quickly, just as they do.
Be inspired by their stories. Saddened. Enraged. But never forget.
June 26, 2011
merge here
I believe, now that I've been given librarian status, that I've merged the various editions of Mark R Hunter into one author. I think. If it's worked, let me know.
Meanwhile, I'm getting nervous about the upcoming July 1st book signing, my first. My fiancee made me a Facebook event page for it, and 16 people have said they're coming -- with 16 more maybe's. I'm very happy (in a way) to say I'm worried about running out of books.
Meanwhile, I'm getting nervous about the upcoming July 1st book signing, my first. My fiancee made me a Facebook event page for it, and 16 people have said they're coming -- with 16 more maybe's. I'm very happy (in a way) to say I'm worried about running out of books.
