R.J. Smith's Blog: THE MADHOUSE, page 6
May 3, 2017
Monsters in the Woods
FOLKS, FRIENDS AND FANS, I am glad to finally be able to sit here at my 27″ iMac and ponder the last four years with you all. As many of my fans are aware, the last 48 months since my bicycle accident has
been filled with surgery after surgery. I have suffered through 8 surgeries with another shoulder surgery coming up. Five of the nine surgeries have been horribly intrusive and serious surgeries which all required months and months of physical rehabilitation sessions. I am in awe of the surgeons who put my body back together and I am thankful to Orthopedic Surgeons, Dr. Scott Webb, Dr. Scott Wisotsky and laser surgeon Dr. StephenWatson, who all worked tirelessly putting me back together. So, the repairs continue.
Recently, I traveled to Tampa to be deposed by the opposing council in my civil lawsuit. I don’t know what I expected as I have never been involved with something like a civil deposition in my past. Although I knew I had the facts and truth on my side, precognitions toyed with my brain and I was sure the three defense attorneys were going to be mean spirited people who didn’t care about what happened to me. AND, I guess that may be true. BUT, the opposite was true, at least while in the depo. The three lawyers representing The City of Belleair Bluffs, The Town of Belleair and the Ajax Corporation were professional and dignified people who made the hearing bearable. I had to ask for numerous breaks because of back and shoulder pain, but they were very accommodating. I had expected them to lie and try to downplay and put words in my mouth as to what had happened to me. But at least in the hearing… the opposing counsel made me comfortable. The next steps in this terrible experience are things called “Case Management” and “Mitigation” before a trial happens sometime next year. I am not sure what is case management or mitigation, but I can’t wait for this all to be over.NOW, onto the reason why you’re all here. MONSTERS IN THE WOODS has been a four year struggle to write because of all the injuries. BUT finally, I can announce that the manuscript is complete, has just returned from the editor, Glenda Findley, and is pending copyright. Finally, I am only days from overnighting the 350 page YA horror work to my New York City Literary Agent, Joyce Keating, and U.K. Agent, Robert Snow. Unfortunately, because of the financial strain these injuries have caused, I can no longer publish through my company, Storyteller Entertainment, LLC, and I cannot enjoy watching my novel plashed across the pages of the New York Times, LA Times, USA Today or the Times of London. Because the accident and injuries prevented me from attending book signings and appearances I have not had the opportunity to go out on my last two world tours. No tours, no sales and no income.
SO, that leaves Monsters and me in the hands of Joyce and Robert. They will have to do the heavy lifting of geting the work before senior editors at the traditional publishing houses in
order to try and sell the work as apposed to putting it out there myself. Now, when someone picks up the novel, I will get 19 to 28 percent royalties as opposed to 70 percent when self published. But, my publishing company has no choice in the matter, as STORYTELLER is now near bankruptcy and will not even be able to publish other authors, which was the company’s charter.Then what does that mean to the consumers and fans awaiting publication of the novel? It’s going to be a while LONGER before the cogs of the publishing industry work a deal, hopefully, in 2018. So, be patient kiddies and know that this novel is a Harry Potter like comet streaking through the night skies. The reviewers have all givin the manuscript high marks, and for those of you who know the business, that’s a damn miracle. Although, I must remind you all, The Santa Claus Killer is a 4 1/2 star rated novel and Emmy Award fiction selection and Cataclysm a 4 star piece of literary genius. (hahahhahahaha)
That’s all I have as to the progression of Monsters in the Woods. The work will, of course, be entered into the Edgar Awards, The Book Awards, The Beverly Hills Book Awards, Book Pipeline and the World Horror Convention. In the end, the book’s success lies in the hands of readers and pundits. I have complete confidence in their comments. AS to what is next…. BEACH BODIES – Book#2 in the FBI Serial Killer Task Force. This novel follows in the shadow of The Santa Claus Killer and many of the main characters are back. Rico, Mike, Mei and also some new sub-caracters. BUT remember, I am still undergoing surgeries and rehab, so although I hope this novel does not take four years like MONSTERS, ultimately it is up to the progression of my heath and ability to sit at my Macbook Pro or iMac to write the story. That’s all folks, so as we enter into spring and then the dreaded Florida summer, I wish you all Godspeed.
Updated by the author on 5/3/2017
December 12, 2016
November 11, 2016
October 31, 2016
CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL, AND WE ARE KILLING OUR PLANET!
WATCH the informative DOC to learn what you can do to slow the oncoming surge! RJ
CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL, AND WE ARE KILLING OUR PLSNET!
Watch Leonardo DiCaprio travel the globe and seek out scientists who state that in 30 to 50 years, my home state, the great state of Florida, will all be underwater from rising sea levels…. it’s already happening… each year, there is massive flooding.
WATCH the informative DOC to learn what you can do to slow the oncoming surge! RJ
October 17, 2016
The People’s Book Awards – The Santa Claus Killer
The Santa Claus Killer by RJ Smith Printed Book A 2013 Emmy Awards Swag Bag Book You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, You Better Not Pout, I’m Telling You Why… Santa Claus Is Comin… Click Here.
May 18, 2016
The Dog Days of Summer!
Here we are again, creeping up to that happy time of year, where kids find themselves jumping through opened fire hydrants, orhiking through the hard packed dirt trails twisting through the woods on camping trips with youth groups and schools.
Attendance at summer camp has dwindled since the time of my own youth, because sadly, few remain. 
Typically something similar to spring break for adults, summer is a time of renewal, the beaches and community pools will be filled with the laughter of moms, dads and kids carried on the mid-afternoon breeze, the aroma of burgers and hotdogs sizzling on the grill…
Ah, summer… no more early rises for the kiddies, no giant yellow busses plowing through the streets… packing its seats with the cacophony of giggling girls, many of whom are gossiping of a popular boy or two down at the neighborhood watering-hole.
That’s when fireworks explode in the human heart, when young love finds its way through towns all across America. These are the times in kid’s lives when memories are made, when a boy meets that girl who cuts her eyes a certain way, brushes the hair from her brow, maybe throws a wink or offers that first kiss to the boy she has been eyeing all year in middle school. That’s the stuff of memories.
When I was fourteen, I found myself at a boys home for abandoned kids. You all know the story by now, the slivers of memories are splashed throughout my books and screenplays. But for those writings, the McQuade Foundation for Boys is now long gone, relegated to the past, and replaced by another organization called Saint Christopher’s, Inc.
About a year ago, I had the pleasure of making a pilgrimage back to my youth and that tree encased campus which still fills my dreams and memories. I suppose it was the best time of my life, back then… where friends were made and moments of joy filled the heart.
Though the staff I knew had disappeared, I found myself again when stepping onto campus. That 
old willow we played under still stands at the end of a driveway and down by the pool, the cottages and rooms were just as I had left them back in 1979. Suddenly, I wasn’t half a century on into the future, but felt like the child I had been, with all those memories and stories.
Except that 14 year old boy’s young flesh had been replaced by a fifty year old body, a wiser intellect now fills my skull and my immature thoughts have been flushed out with the struggle and strife that life presents.
But for those few days I spent wandering the woods, entering my old bedroom and meeting the new age of kids bopping around with rap music blaring form their lips… things had not changed, and that included the things out in the woods.
The Monsters in the Woods is not just the title of a book I was working on before I got hurt. Back in 1975 through 1979, those monsters were real. The stories we uttered around the campfire had a life of their own, attached with a sure as heck possibility that if we ventured too deep into the wood-line, we may not come back out alive. For some reason, those creatures were more prevalent in summer and during the dead of winter. Recalling the tales on my trip last year, I remember glancing over my shoulder when marching through the trees last year, a watchful eye for shadows, a certain
stench and their howl of hell.
Yes, summer is a magical time for kids, and oh how I miss it… don’t you?
*** this article was written over a week long period as RJ cannot sit for more than thirty minutes due to pain***
April 16, 2016
RJ on the Channel 10 News
In Early April, 2016, The Master of Suspense, RJ Smith, was invited to appear on Live News with Channel 10. He appeared with Dr. Ashram Hanna and the orthopedic surgeon, Scott Webb, DO, of the Florida Spine Institute. Fans will remember that on the evening of June 10th, 2013, RJ fell into an un-barricaded and unlighted hole while riding his bicycle at night on a sidewalk. The excavation was done by a company named Ajax Paving, Inc, a Michigan Company that has multiple Florida plants and locations. That accident broke RJ’s shoulder, paralyzed his left arm and fingers and caused serious injuries to the writer’s lumbar and cervical spine. RJ now suffers daily from pain and has titanium plates, screws and artificial materials implanted in his neck, back and shoulder. Here is the news segment where doctors speak about the innovative surgeries that put RJ back together.
March 14, 2016
FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE
FANS, Friends and horror fans everywhere.
I know it’s been some time since you’ve all heard a peep outta me. I haven’t passed onto the hereafter, and despite rumors on the Internet, it is true, I can definitely confirm… I am not dead. Although, as many of my followers know, sometimes I feel like death. But I wont get into that agony here, you all know about the 2013 bicycle accident and the 7 surgeries due to the injuries incurred from it. I know many of you have been waiting… and waiting for the publication of my third novel, Monsters In The Woods. Originally, the 500 page thriller was scheduled to be completed, edited and off to my literary agents by spring 2015. Right now, I should be on a US/UK tour promoting the new novel, but unfortunately… life sometimes throws those curve balls, and we have to deal with it.
The 214 completed pages of MONSTERS just stares at me from the display of my iMac, taunting… a haunted curse so wretched that my den feels filled with the sorrows of hell. (sigh)
I am now bankrupt, as I lost the first two international book tours and all the advertising money and income from book sales. The surgeries and surgeries, and non stop doctor appointments, pretty much rule my life. That strong jogger, gym rat, the muscled guy that I was? All but gone. Now I suffer nightmares, see a shrink and take pretty serious medication to keep the demons at bay.
Between rehabilitation of my serious lumbar spine surgery in December 2015, (YES – I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN FOR THE SECOND CHRISTMAS IN A ROW) and the ongoing recovery, I am JUST starting rehabilitation. Sitting around my hive of computers and writing… that’s just not possible. The pain from the implants in my spine… neck, shoulder… well, it has kept me housebound and bedridden. Plus, the shoulder is acting up, and I am scheduled for surgery #8 on 1 April 2016 – yes, April Fools Day!!
So I ask for your prayers once more… that the surgery will be a success, and that the four months following with my arm languishing in a sling will pass quickly.
I am will soon be sharing with you the hardcover dust-jacket of MONSTERS so it entices you to hang on. One day this summer, it shall get done, but nobody is sure who will be selected to publish or release the saga. Perhaps, if you send all your prayers my way, and ask for spiritual protection of my lawyer Mr. Stephen Barnes, one day this will all be corrected and I will get my life and career back on the road. By the way, if you reside in the Tampa area, western Florida, I sincerely… and highly recommend this attorney, he and his people have kept and continue to keep me sane.
Stay up to date on what is happening by following my Celebrity Facebook and Twitter pages. Expect me to stand back up, brush off my injuries and forge back onto the global stage with a new masterpiece. I always say, it’s never over until that casket closes the deal.
RJ Smith
March 15, 2016
www.rjsmith.net
www.rjsmithproductions.com
FANS, Friends and horror fans everywhere.
I know it’s bee...
FANS, Friends and horror fans everywhere.
I know it’s been some time since you’ve all heard a peep outta me. I haven’t passed onto the hereafter, and despite rumors on the Internet, it is true, I can definitely confirm… I am not dead. Although, as many of my followers know, sometimes I feel like death. But I wont get into that agony here, you all know about the 2013 bicycle accident and the 7 surgeries due to the injuries incurred from it. I know many of you have been waiting… and waiting for the publication of my third novel, Monsters In The Woods. Originally, the 500 page thriller was scheduled to be completed, edited and off to my literary agents by spring 2015. Right now, I should be on a US/UK tour promoting the new novel, but unfortunately… life sometimes throws those curve balls, and we have to deal with it.
The 214 completed pages of MONSTERS just stares at me from the display of my iMac, taunting… a haunted curse so wretched that my den feels filled with the sorrows of hell. (sigh)
I am now bankrupt, as I lost the first two international book tours and all the advertising money and income from book sales. The surgeries and surgeries, and non stop doctor appointments, pretty much rule my life. That strong jogger, gym rat, the muscled guy that I was? All but gone. Now I suffer nightmares, see a shrink and take pretty serious medication to keep the demons at bay.
Between rehabilitation of my serious lumbar spine surgery in December 2015, (YES – I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN FOR THE SECOND CHRISTMAS IN A ROW) and the ongoing recovery, I am JUST starting rehabilitation. Sitting around my hive of computers and writing… that’s just not possible. The pain from the implants in my spine… neck, shoulder… well, it has kept me housebound and bedridden. Plus, the shoulder is acting up, and I am scheduled for surgery #8 on 1 April 2016 – yes, April Fools Day!!
So I ask for your prayers once more… that the surgery will be a success, and that the four months following with my arm languishing in a sling will pass quickly.
I am sharing with you the hardcover dust-jacket of MONSTERS so it entices you to hang on. One day It shall get done, but nobody is sure when or how that will happen. Perhaps, if you send all your prayers my way, and ask for spiritual protection of my lawyerMr. Stephen Barnes, one day this will all be corrected and I will get my life and career back on the road. By the way, if you reside in the Tampa area, western Florida, I sincerely… and highly recommend this attorney, he and his people have kept and continue to keep me sane.
Stay up to date on what is happening by following my Celebrity facebook and twitterpages.
RJ Smith
March 15, 2016
www.rjsmith.net
www.rjsmithproductions.com
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