M.R. Merrick's Blog, page 2

Cover Reveal: The Rise of Genesis

Some of you have been asking about this for a long time, and I know I’ve been dying to show you. The next book you’ll see from me is full of magic and heart and a story I hope to steal your imagination away with. Today I introduce to you the face of that story, created by the incredible Parajunkee. And thanks to the contributions and hard work of Val at Stuck in Books, it’s all over the interwebs! So without any further word babble, I give you The Rise of Gensis.

 

In a world where being Supernatural means you’re in danger, Ash Lawson is front and center. After years of helping others escape ATOM—a government entity known for abusing Supernaturals—he’s captured, and saving himself will prove to be the most difficult task he’s undertaken.

Tryst Rivera is a Succubus and veteran at the Academy, a facility tasked with converting underage Supernaturals into cooperative ATOM soldiers. She’s endured her time mostly unscathed, but when Ash arrives and their lives are tethered to one another, she’s placed in immediate danger.

With escape at the forefront of his mind, Ash struggles with the idea of life under ATOM’s thumb. He’ll die before he converts, but his life isn’t the only one he’s responsible for, and he already has more blood on his hands than he can bear. When a chance for freedom arises, Ash needs to decide how much—and who—he’s willing to risk for a second chance.

Genesis Release Details

Three days. THREE DAYS! That’s how long we have to wait until the cover reveal for The Rise of Genesis. It feels like I’ve been sitting on this one forever, but I didn’t want to reveal it until shortly before the release of the book. Now that the time is almost upon us, I don’t feel nearly as prepared as I should.

Everything is ready. Everything is in order, The cover is gorgeous, the book is fantastic (I think). Yet I’m nervous. Not for the cover reveal, but for what comes after. March 16th will mark the release date for this story, and I feel like I have no clue what I’m doing. For those of you that don’t know, writing is like a roller coaster. It takes forever for you claw your way to the top, and once you`re there, it seems like a blink for you to reach the bottom. From the birth of an idea, to the execution of your first draft, to the publication after rounds and rounds of rewrites and edits, this never stop. What I mean is, you work very hard to do one thing, and when you start to feel good about it, doubt creeps in. That`s the drop. It drags you down hard and fast and before you know what hit you, you`re uncertain about everything. But like a roller coaster, it`s a loop. You don`t stop at the top or the bottom, you just keep going round and round. Getting off the roller coaster means the ride is over, and as hard as it can be, nobody wants it to be over. Not when you`re having so much fun and loving the ride. The good news is, it isn`t a roller coaster for one. Although often times you feel like you`re alone, the reality is I`m on it with you. You just don`t know it yet! But on March 16th. You will!

The Rise of Genesis: The Rise of 2016

On social media and the blog the past year I`ve spent a lot of time talking about struggling with writing and making sure I put out the best book that I can. Because of that desire, it`s been over a year-and-a-half since my last book, Endure, came out. It`s been a long wait for both you and for me. My readers have been so supportive and incredible, I feel blessed for the opportunity to put out another story.

Over the past few years I`ve gone through ups and down in my personal life (who hasn’t), which derailed both my desire to write and my discipline to do so. What surprised me most about this experience is how hard it was to get back to that place. A place where every night after work I sat down and…well, got back to work, but on something I had a passion about. It was a real eye-opener to me on how difficult it can be to not just create routine, but regain it once you’ve lost it. I think it`s important to point out that I wasn’t just trying to create routine, I was trying to obtain the exact routine and work ethic I had years ago. An impossible feat. My life is a lot different now with two kids and a different job, and a small army of pets, and different commitments, etc. But thus far, over the past six months, I’ve managed to carve out a system that seems to be working, and every month I get a little more productive. So that brings us to this, what have I been working on?

The Rise of Genesis is a surprise project for me. It wasn’t what was supposed to come next. Originally I had been writing The Nova Chronicles, an Urban Fantasy series still in the works, but after my long writing break, I wasn’t ready for it. I began writing Sacred cities, which in the end, I re-wrote three times and the last draft ended at 183k words. I know. I scrapped that book multiple times and started over, I couldn’t nail down what I was trying to accomplish. Maybe I didn’t even know. The reality was that it wasn’t a story ready to be told, and halfway through the second draft of that monstrous book, I said “no more.” I put it aside in a dusty digital folder and decided to give it a break. At that point I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Did I  have only one series in me? Were all these ideas and exciting plots in my mind garbage? Maybe I’m not a real writer. These are the thoughts I battled with for a long time, and a part of me knows that the only reason I kept writing was for the few people in my life that continued to encourage me. The result of that encouragement turned into my next book, The Rise of Genesis. I didn’t outline, I didn’t think, I did only what I love to do–create. I wrote without reason. I had an idea bout a single character, and like the first draft of Exiled, I had a scene in my head and I let it go. A little magic happened then and a story was born.

One of the great things about the break in writing that I took, is it allowed me to fail. Repeatedly. The result of that failure was not just success, but the traversing of a major learning curve. My writing took a step–a big step–and started to culture. It became more refined, I became a little more experience, and I put together something that isn’t just special to me, but possibly the best book I’ve ever written. Something I learned over the past few years is that as much as I love The Protector and all the magic within that story, it’s probably the worst series I’ll ever write. Not because it’s bad, but because it was my first. Every time I sit down and write, every time I sit down and read, every time I take a course or educate myself in some way, I become a stronger writer. That isn’t to say that each book will be a better story than the last, but my writing and ability as a creator grows with each book that I write. And there is something special in that. Chase and Rayna, Vincent and Tiki, Willy and Grams…they’re all my firsts, and as far as firsts go, I think they’re a hell of a way to start. I proud that I get to call that my writing beginning. And honestly, I could go on endlessly about all the things I’ve learned the past few years, but this post is long enough as it is. Lets get to the good stuff, what is The Rise of Genesis?

Well, it’s my next book, hopefully your upcoming adventure, and it comes jam-packed with more of what you’ve come to expect from me: monsters, a supernatural world, fantasy, and of course, magic. There is adventure, a little bit of scare, a lot of action, but more than anything–heart. My heart. It’s an older teen YA Fantasy novel that takes place in our world, although a slightly different version of it.

So without further ado, I give you a blurb. You know, those few paragraphs a writer torments themselves with while they try to condense 130k word Fantasy novel into a few paragraphs that might entice you to read. Lets hope it does the trick.

 

The Rise of Genesis

*

In a world where being Supernatural means you’re in danger, Ash Lawson is front-and-center. After years of helping others escape ATOM—a government entity known for abusing Supernaturals—he’s captured, and saving himself will prove to be the most difficult task he’s undertaken.

Tryst Rivera is a Succubus and veteran at the Academy, a facility tasked with converting underage Supernaturals into cooperative ATOM soldiers. She’s endured her time mostly unscathed, but when Ash arrives and they’re lives are tethered to one another, she’s placed in immediate danger.

With escape at the forefront of his mind, Ash can’t cope with the idea of life under ATOM’s thumb. He’ll die before he converts, but his life isn’t the only one he’s responsible for, and he already has more blood on his hands than he can bear. When a chance for freedom arises, Ash needs to decide how much—and who—he’s willing to risk for a second chance.

 

Reading that again makes me excited! But what does it look like you ask? Well, the cover reveal is coming soon. Very soon. February 8th soon! If you want to partake, sign-ups are open and I hope you can help spread the word. This cover is wondrous, and just like the story, I can’t wait to share it with you! March 15th cannot come soon enough.

Genesis Cover Reveal Sign-up

The time has come ladies and gentlemen. The opportunity to join the pack and sign-up for The Rise of Genesis cover reveal is upon us. If you have a blog or website and want to take part, we’d love to have you. It’s been almost two years since I published something and the landscape has changed a lot. I’m hoping anybody who can lend a hand to announce the new book will be willing. I’m definitely going to need all the help I can get.

The cover reveal is coming on February 8th, 2016, and a little more than a month later, the book be out! Right now I have a soft date of March 15th, 2016. Unless some unforeseeable circumstances arrive, the book should be ready to go. I can’t tell you in proper words how excited I am for this. 2016 is off to a great start and it’s only going to get better.

If you don’t have a blog or a website and still want to help out, sharing the posts on Twitter, Facebook, or whatever your choice of social media outlet is, would be huge! Thank you in advance to everybody who participates in spreading the word of Genesis. It’s coming at you in two months and together, we’re going to take one hell of an adventure!

 

Want to sign up? Click the image below for the sign-up sheet!

 

 

 

 

A cursed forest, a dark past, a friend not forgotten, and a chance at redemption. Three new-found friends have to decide between lives in captivity, or risking their lives for freedom.

Writing Update

I am officially terrible. I have not posted here in months. That doesn’t mean that I’m not around though! I’ve been busting my butt to get the final draft of The Rise of Genesis complete, and my editor is ready for it in January. We’re looking at an early March release folks, which means a cover reveal will be coming at you soon! That’s right, there really is a new book. I wasn’t making it all up!

I’ve spent the past few months focusing on getting back into routine with writing almost every day, and I’ve been successful for the most part! I’m starting to get back in the groove that I was in with The Protector series, and I’m hoping to have two to three new books out next year. The first will be The Rise of Genesis, the second and third will be the sequel to this series and the first in a new series, Sacred Cities. That was the one that gave me all the grief and it’s the reason we haven’t seen a book in so long. I wrote and rewrote and edited that book for a year and it just never came together. As sorry as I am to have been absent, I’m not completely sorry. You all have been amazing, and the last thing I want to do is release something sub-par. Now I think I’m finally equipped to take on the full force of Sacred Cities and trust me, it’ll be worth the wait. It’s an amazing world which rich characters and awesome magic. It was just missing a few screws to keep it all together, and now that I have all the pieces, it’s ready to rock!

As most of my posts state over the last year, I am sorry for the irregularities. I promise I’m getting back on track, and I’ll have some new flash fiction up in my coming posts. Rather than fill this blog with news, I want to put some fun back into it. That’s why I started writing in the first place–it was fun. And it will be again. That’s a big part of what’s been missing the last two years. As things have come back around though, they’ll be plenty of fun to be had. Over the next year, we’re going to jump into new worlds and experience Fantasy on a new level. As I’ve gotten back into routine with my writing, I’ve noticed I have a ton of ideas flying past me. It’s true what they say; creativity breeds creativity. It’s time to grab some of that mojo by the balls and make something happen. Perhaps you’ll get a little entertainment out of it.

 

Until then, stay warm, because it’s damn cold up here.

The Draft is Done!

Back to the grind today at the day job after two weeks off. It was an amazing two weeks, the first of which I spent on a family getaway. The weather was hot, beaches were beautiful, and the family vacation was a blast. The kids had a great time and so did I. It wasn’t easy coming back to reality, but such is life. After holidays, I spent the second week dedicated to my current work-in-progress. So dedicated, in fact, that it’s done. That’s right, I worked my fingers to the bone collecting over 30k words in two days and bringing the first draft of what we’ve known thus far as Blackwood to an end.

After that, I took a few days break. My wife read the rough draft, to which the response was very encouraging, and I spent time making minor plot points for future books, cover ideas, title ideas, and outlining my approach to editing. With those tools in hand, I went back to work and am almost 20% through the first round of edits. This is exciting guys and girls! It’s been a little over two years since Endure  came out, and it’s been a rough patch for me. Life hit hard and knocked me down, I wrote Sacred Cities, rewrote Sacred Cities, ripped it apart and fixed it, and finally I gave up on it. I’d had enough and it was time to work on something else. SC just wasn’t working for me. Thus began Blackwood earlier this year.

During my time writing Blackwood several things happened. First, I realized the issues plaguing SC. I now have the information needed to approach this story in the right way, fixing the mistakes with yet another rewrite. The silver lining of having to rewrite this again is that so much of the development is already done, it’s just a matter of realigning characters and plot points, and actually writing the words. I expect the re-write to be a fairly speedy one. The second thing that happened while writing Blackwood was that I hit my stride again. By that I mean I rediscovered my passion for story telling, something I’d lost in my unexpected two-year frustration. All this is to say it’s come together and we’ll definitely have a new book ready for you this year!

I’ll be reaching out to my cover artist, Parajunkee Design, later this week on the cover for the new book. The title will be revealed soon! I’ll be busting out edits over the next two to three weeks, and then it’s off to a close friend for reading and if all goes well with her read-through, this book is off to beta readers.

Exciting times have arrived here. We have a new book to actually look forward to, and Sacred Cities will not be far behind. Once I’ve finished this book and it’s ready for publication, I’ll be knee-deep in redrafting the SC story and getting you the first installment in what I think we be a fabulous Post-Apocalyptic adventure!

 

In the mean time, Exiled  is currently free on all eBook platforms, so if you haven’t read it yet or you know it’ll be a hit with someone you know, now is your chance!

I May Have to Quit you GOT

Game of Thrones. I think many of us can admit there is a no-holds-bar story here that really grabs a hold of  us. I haven’t read the books, and I won’t pretend that I haven’t loved the show. I have. I just don’t know if I continue it any more. At least not on a week-by-week basis.

I had no idea what to expect when I started watching it, but it’s quickly turned into a bit of a regret. The reason? Hopelessness.

I get it. I do. The real world is cruel, we suffer consequences to our actions. We make our beds, we lie in them, we deal, life goes on…most of the time. The same is true for a story, and in this case, more specifically, Game of Thrones. Not everybody lives. Or in GOT’s case, everybody dies! It’s a sad truth that we all recognize. It’s like real life! The thing is, I already live in real life. Real life is already difficult at times. I already see death and sacrifice. I’ve already experience loss and pain. I’ve made mistakes and luckily I’ve lived to learn from them. I’ve done all this. Not on the same grand scale of course, but it’s existent in my life nonetheless. I feel it’s safe to say it exists in all of our lives to some degree. But I don’t want to watch real life. I live in real life. I want a story. Something different. I want to be taken on an adventure, and one that I’m happy to be on. I’m not sure I share that happiness with GOT any longer.

 

 

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD***

 

 

When Ned was taken in the first season, I was shocked. That word doesn’t even do true justice to how I felt. It was more like throwing a remote through a TV screen because it was the TV’s fault. I couldn’t believe it. Then Rob, Lady Stark, and a few others and I realized this show doesn’t hold back. How intense!

At first it was gripping. I couldn’t believe they would slaughter my favorites. Soon after the second season, I began to get bored with it. I continued, of course, because I loved what was being created. The tension was…well, intense! The action was thick and the characters were rich. As the story has progressed through, I feel like each season has let me down a little more. That’s not to say it isn’t all fantastically put together, it is. From acting to directing to screenplay–it’s all wonderful. I just don’t know that it’s for me anymore.

The reason for that feeling, I think, is the lack of hope. The entire reason I watch a show or movie, or read a book, is to enter another realm. My imagination joins with the creator’s for a little while and I let them take me on a whirlwind. Sometimes the bad guys win and sometimes I like that. It’s a nice change of pace. But it can’t be the only pace.

The thing is, hope must be kept alive and in long-running sagas, sometimes it must be re-instilled in the consumer of said content. GOT is quickly teaching me there is no reason to hope for anything in this world. Don’t get too attached to a character because they’ll die. Don’t hope to follow a story line because it’ll get sidetracked and the things you loved will disappear and be turned into something else. It’s as if the rules don’t apply because they don’t. There are no rules and nothing is off limits. Although I admit that was part of the charm that drew me in originally, it is unable to sustain me as a viewer forever. I need to be nourished occasionally, not simply starved.

Of course, this is just me. Me being tired of hoping endlessly and never being rewarded. NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS. It’s almost too real for me. I escape to these worlds to experience action, magic, victory and loss via another person in another world, but I’m trusting the imagination luring me along that they’ll keep me safe. GOT doesn’t make me feel safe. At times that’s exciting, but too much of anything is never good. You need variety. GOT continues to kill and slaughter and come up with surprising ways to torture it’s characters, but it no longer surprises me. I appreciate the show, but I think for my own sake it’d be better off left for a binge-watching weekend once the season’s have been completed. I can’t tune in every week, excited to see what is to become of this old world, only to be disappointed each time. Once in a while I need a release. I need something good to happen. If GOT really wanted to trick me and it’s viewers, it should do something positive. I need you to trick me with kindness the way you once tricked me with death. Do something great. Make something wonderful happen. If as a viewer you want to surprise me, don’t just kill another person. There is no more shock in that. Make something amazing happen to someone. Now that would truly give me a shock worth tuning in once again. Why? Because it would reestablish the hope that had been beaten out of me each week for five season. Hope is what keeps me lingering. Take that away and I have nothing left to hang on to.

When Passion Returns

My books are in a few book stores in my province, but the local Chapters is easily where they are most popular. They’ve been kind enough to give me prime placement on a local authors shelf in the Teen section, and it’s amazing how much better a book sells with cover out on a eye-level shelf. I speak with the managers there from time to time, and occasionally I get to hear a story that really brightens my day.

Recently, while a women tried to find a book her son might actually read (he doesn’t like to do so), my book was recommended. She was on the fence. Was this something he would read, or was it another novel that would get thrown into a pile gathering dust? A second customer interrupted the discussion to explain how her son, who absolutely hated reading, found my book and tore right through it. He read Exiled and Shift in a short amount of time, forcing them to drive in from out-of-town (an hour away) and pick up the next installment. Well, this is all that customer needed to hear to pick up one of my books.

That’s the kind of stuff that changes my life. I wrote Exiled for the express purpose of entertaining readers, but more so, in hopes that I could produce a book that would show a young reader that reading can be awesome. I wanted something that could grab–and hold–their attention. To hear stories about how that is actually happening is an incredible thing, really.

If you follow me on any social media sites, or check this blog from time to time, you know I haven’t published a book in two years. You also know that I’ve been working on new books off and on, but something has been missing. The truth is, After going through a difficult spell, I lost my passion for story telling. It’s not that I didn’t like writing anymore. I did. It’s that I no longer made it a priority. I had gone back to work full-time, my kids are getting older and with that means we are getting busier. I was lost. I didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore. Did I even want to publish? It’s a tough game. Sales spike and fall drastically, leaving you on the edge of seat and an eye on your bank account. Would I make it through the next month? With two little girls I had no choice. I had to make it work. I have others to take care of besides myself, and they have needs I won’t sacrifice like my own.

I’ve written one book nearly three times in the past two years. I couldn’t get it right. Not to the point I was satisfied. I have a cover and a story, but the X factor is missing from it. I abandoned that project a few months ago. I needed to give it, and myself, a break. I started a new book, and I have to tell you, I’m excited about it. I’m excited about it like I was when I first started writing Exiled. It has the magic I need, the pace I want, and the characters I love. It’s going to be out later this year. I’m over halfway done the first draft, and I’ve already been editing it intently as I go. And the book I put aside? Well, in writing this new book, I discovered what was missing from it. The element I foolishly dodged about and couldn’t put my finger on has been caught, which means there’s another book coming not long after this one. And it’s thanks to a few close friends and some readers I didn’t even know I had that this has happened. Their passion for what I’ve already written propelled me to rediscover my passion again.

To say I’m grateful for my readers is a massive understatement, which I imagine it is for most authors. We love our readers. It’s why we do what we do. But I am sorry it’s taken me this long to pull everything into place. It wasn’t a choice I consciously made, it sort of just happened. Not everybody understands that, and I get it. It’s frustrating. But a lot of you do and you’ve shown me that. Thank you to those who’ve supported me through this difficult journey. I will do my absolute best to make sure this story takes you on an adventure that was well worth the wait.

A Power Riddle

Most of us use them every day,

although sometimes in the wrong way.

They can break hearts

or mend them.

They can change lives,

or ruin them.

They can be invisible,

or seen anywhere.

They can tear us down,

or lift us up.

They can hurt us,

or they can heal us.

They can take us on adventures,

or bring us back to reality.

They can confuse us,

or help us understand.

They mean nothing to anyone,

but everything to us.

What are they?

 

 

 

Words. They’re interesting things. If you didn’t know it already, now that you have the answer, you can see how everything above applies.

 

They mean nothing to anyone, but everything to us. 

 

Water is my zone. It’s not my element, it’s not part of my astral sign, but it’s my place of comfort. It helps me think and sort through thoughts and ideas, and on occasion, it gets me clean. While in my zone, I realized something: words are powerful. You didn’t need me to tell you that, and when I thought it, I didn’t think it was news. What really had me thinking is how a word(s) can mean something to one person, and nothing to another. Sometimes it matters who is saying those words. Or does that person matter at all?

Do words themselves hold power? The word hate and the word love can mean everything or nothing to us. It really depends how we feel at the moment they’re said, and who might be saying them. If somebody you don’t care about, or perhaps don’t even like, says I love you, what do those words mean to you? Probably nothing. On the other hand, if somebody you’ve been dating for a while says it, and they’re the type of person that makes you feel like butterflies are shooting cannonballs across your stomach while tap dancing to Living the Vida Loca, it’s a pretty powerful thing. It’s not that the words mean anything different in theory, but they mean something different because of how we perceive them. We don’t care that the first person loves us, but those words were powerful to them. That’s why they said it. But we wanted the second person to love us, and it meant the world to both of us. Can the same thing be applied to books? Art? Everything? Someone might hate your book and that doesn’t bother you, but someone else can hate it and it tears you up inside. It’s the power we give.

Words are in the ears(?) of the beholder. They mean to us what we let them, or in some cases, want them to.  That’s a strange thought. We all know what it means to hate something, yet we can throw the word around a hundred times in a day, hear it from a hundred people, and it only matters a part of the time. Those times are because they’re important to us. Because in those moments, we gave those words power. But based on that, do we have the ability to steal the power back? Do we have the power to choose not to have them affect us? I’m not so sure.

Words are not spoken and then dropped. They don’t just go out never to come back. They’re always picked up along the way and often travel further than we think. As a writer, I give power to words…to stories and characters and people, but whether or not a reader feels that power is out of my hands. It’s entirely dependent on them. Not necessary by choice, but through experience and life and additionally, the power they give my words. Enjoying stories is a two-way street. It requires two people to give a part of themselves to create something…beautiful. But no two people create the same thing. An author that writes a book that millions fall in love with has created something separately beautiful with each of them.

Words, books, art, memories…they all have power because we want them to. We give it to them, both when we create them, and when we receive them. It’s why one story can change somebody’s life, but leave another’s untouched. It’s why a book can take us on an insane adventure full of emotions, and years later take us on a completely different journey. The story didn’t change. The words are the same. The only thing that’s evolved is us. Our minds, our souls, and perhaps most importantly, our perceptions.

So what is this ramble all about? Why did we go from the power of words, to talking about books and art and perceptions? Because it’s important for you to know–and if you already knew but need a reminder–to remember, that you control what you put out into the world, and you control how you receive what comes back.

Look at it this way. The things that happened in high school are long gone. Things that were THE THINGS. The things to end all things. The most mortifying moments of our lives, or the most glorifying, could pale in the face of our current selves. Faced with the same experiences now, a lot of us would probably just shrug them off. So are today’s problems, hardships, and embarrassments, important tomorrow? How about five years from now? When we look back on our lives, having lived sixty, seventy, maybe ninety years from now, what’s going to be important to us? We can’t predict those things, but we can imagine. I know we’re all good at that. It’s how we make problems bigger than they are. It’s how we get more excited anticipating something than we do about actually doing it. It’s how we occasionally remember things better than they were. Imagination is hardwired into our personal universes, so humor me a moment.

If somebody’s words hurt you today, is what they said going to be important in thirty years? Maybe it wasn’t words, but actions. In three decades from now, what do you think you’ll remember about your life as it is right now? If you’re open to it, try it, and if you’ve truly committed to that idea, I think what you’re thinking about right now are thoughts, moments, and experiences you should spend time with. Think about them, enjoy them while they’re happening, and let them make you smile. It doesn’t mean the little things that hurt will stop hurting, but maybe they’ll hurt less, or for a shorter period of time.

 

Give them power.

 

It’s not always in our control. Or is it? In this single, short life we all get, we have to choose what we spend time with, and who. We have to choose what we dwell on, and what we brush aside. We have to choose what we hold on to and what we’re willing to give up. Words are fickle, lovely, beautiful, and terrifying things. So are memories. So is life. We have to choose what and who we give our power to, because there is a catch: we only have so much power at any given time. Nothing is limitless. Power is a type of currency in our happiness. So if we all only have so much power to give, we have to be selective on what we spend it on.

Which leaves us with a question. When it comes to words, people, memories, life, or time, are you giving power to the right ones?

Mystery Project

So as my last few posts outlined, Sacred Cities gave me a run for my money. I worked on it for a little over a year, although there were plenty of down times in between, and I finally threw in the towel…temporarily. I wrote 80k words in it, deleted 50k, then rewrote it up to 185k, had it finished, and partway through my first read through I knew something still wasn’t right. Not just one thing, but a lot of things. There was a decision to be made that wasn’t easy. I had to decide whether to tackle it again, tear it down and build it back up, or put it aside. The best decision I ever made was opting for the latter, for several different reasons.

First, because I needed a break. I think Sacred Cities and I were too close. We were butting heads and I was trying to make it something it wasn’t. I didn’t realize it had a life of it’s own, and I was holding on too tight. I wasn’t happy about it, but I did it to myself, really, and it took me longer than it should have to realize it. The good that came out of it was I learned what it felt like to write against the grain. I forced it when I should have relaxed, and now I know what that feels like. That’s a good thing.

Second, it gave me a chance to start a new book that had been tugging at my creative strings for a while. That is the mystery project, and to refrain from jinxing it, so to speak, it will remain that until I’m certain it’s ready. While Sacred Cities was the book I wanted to come back to the publishing world with, it wasn’t ready, and in all honesty, maybe I wasn’t either. The mystery project is taking me back to square one, a place I seemed to have forgotten: writing for fun. Writing what I want to read. Closing my eyes, letting go, and watching an action-packed adventure come to life.

Over the past two weeks, that’s what I’ve been doing. I let the cursor on the blank page blink a few times and I started writing. It began as a paragraph outline that quickly expanded to a few pages. I created character outlines, back stories, and researched myths and legends and demons and all things that go bump in the night. It was fun again. I never finished the detailed chapter by chapter outline, and that too is a good thing. I felt too much excitement toward the story and needed to start, so I did.

In a short time I racked up 26k words, and the story flowed with rapid excitement. Not only that, but I’m liking what I read when I review my chapters. It’s still exciting the second time through. I’m having fun, the story is coming to life in a way that Chase, Rayna, Willy, and Tiki came to life. I’m seeing a different world, feeling the magic against my skin, and it feels incredible.

Sacred Cities isn’t finished, and it’s not put aside forever either. I know what it needs now, and thanks to the mystery project, I can feel the difference between when something is working for me and when it isn’t. I can tell when I’m pushing too hard and not listening to the story. This project has forced me to change gears, and in turn, it has me excited to get back to work on Sacred Cities again.

This was a huge learning curve for me. Something I didn’t expect to happen. That was probably arrogance or pride talking. I thought I was better than I was, and this has been a humbling, eye-opening, and educational turning point for me. I’m not too prideful to admit when I’ve overstepped myself. I thought I could force some remarkable masterpiece to life because I was that good. I’m not. I never was. I never will be. Stories need to breathe, and as you write them they take on a life of their own. The creative process, as much as it is a writer hitting the keys, is a story making it’s mark on us. As much as we create a work of fiction, it adds to who we are as well. I was naive. I shouldn’t have been. I lost sight of the truth. The process  needs to be respected and enjoyed. I worked hard, but I wasn’t enjoying it, and in turn, I wasn’t respecting what the story wanted to be. I wasn’t respecting myself as a writer. I tried to define something that cannot be defined because it’s an ever-changing beast that will not be tamed. It’s another lesson learned and another stair climbed in the adventure of story telling. It was a necessary lesson, and I’m thrilled to be moving forward with it as another weapon in my youthful, writing arsenal. All of it was a big bump in the road, one that unfortunately set me back on a timeline for my next book, which has meant even more waiting for my readers.

 

Luckily, I have incredible readers and you guys make it all worth while. In return, I’ll be doing my best to make the wait worth your while!