Biff Price's Blog, page 5

What I Am Working On Now!

I’ve been asked about what project I am working on at this time? Actually, I am within roughly 50 pages of finishing a dream. The dream is my children’s (and adults, too) trilogy that began about eight years ago. It has been a long road to this point, but not because of a lack of desire to complete it.
Many good tales begin with the words, “Once upon a time…” I had written short stories for each of my four grandchildren’s birthdays. When their respective birthdays arrived, I would read the appropriate story to them. The stories were modeled on things that they liked at their ages at that time.
One summer day in the front yard of our home I was digging in a shrub bed next to my 10 year old grandson. He asked me if I had written a story for his younger sister’s upcoming birthday. I said, “No.” He said, “I wish you would. We really like your stories!”




Biff holding his latest manuscript An idea was born. Why not write an original story for them? In fact, why not write a book instead of a short story. I began the story and had written 170 pages of it when I hit the wrong key on the computer and lost half the story. No matter what I did to try and retrieve I could not get it back. Backing up everything you do is critical, but I had not done so. I felt like a fool. For months I was angry with myself. Then, one day, because I had roughly 90 pages of the original manuscript left, I decided to kick-start myself again. I began at that point and months later I finished the full story of about 330 pages. It is titled The Forest at the End of the World.

While writing the book I had the idea for a second and a third story. Looking through my records, I finished the second book of roughly 330 pages on March 31, 2014. The title for volume two is The Ocean at the Edge of Forever.
The third and final book is titled The Mountain of the King. The trilogy is unique in scope, and it will total about 1,000 pages altogether in three volumes. That’s manuscript-sized in page count. Page lengths may be different when printed.






These books are for children and adults. They may be read by both groups. In fact, they may be the most important books I will ever write. Why? You’ll simply have to read them when they arrive in the world. There are certainly enough bad things in the world to upset us…but these books? Well, they come from a very good source. Why do I mean? You may judge for yourself…

Printed Books vs. E Books

You’re probably aware of the tremendous changes in publishing that have come about because of the Internet. If not, the world has shifted from hardcover and soft cover to no cover at all, thanks to e-books. You can download everything from classics to new releases to your handheld device. It’s no longer necessary to go to your favorite bookstore to buy a book, or to wait until a book is at your local library.


Authors who can’t get into traditional publishing may now opt to publish online through various methods, or pay their own way through self-publishing, vanity publishing, POD (print-on-demand) publishing, etc.


Traditional bricks-and-mortar books stores are fighting to survive. Some major ones have gone under, and others are hanging on. Technology is king. Tablets rule. You can buy and read thousands of books and never leave home. All you have to do is order what you want and it will appear magically on your small screen (or larger screen if you’re using a laptop or PC).


Out Now!!I’ve been asked how I feel about these changes. I have been reading regular books for a long time. In recent years I have tried using a tablet to read a few books. Frankly, I like books you can hold in your hand, but that is my preference.


Coming Soon!!Seven Horns (my publisher) offers The Revolutionists in hardcover and as an e-book, and the sequel (The Reconstructionists), that is about to be published this November, will also be available in hardcover and as an e-book at www.biffprice.com


Whether you like the feel of a real book in your hands, or prefer to click through the pages of a book electronically, is fine with me. I’m simply asking you to READ MY BOOKS! That’s about as straightforward as I can put it. Thank you.

A Hero and A Villian

What character in The Revolutionists was the most difficult to create? Good question. I’ll limit my answer to the first book, although the sequel – The Reconstructionists – is coming in November of this year.Some might think that the answer would be Michael Stonebreaker, the hero of the book. However, if you have read the book (and I hope you HAVE read it – if not, hurry up and do so – Book # 2 will be here soon!) you know there are other characters in it that are interesting.


The Revolutionist is out now!!
One of the more interesting characters is “…the man who loved the Gulf.” What’s his name? Ah ha! He doesn’t have one. Why doesn’t he have a name? I wanted him to be mysterious. I want readers to wonder about him. I want readers to want to know more about him. I wanted him to carry over to another book. Is he in the sequel? Yes! Will we find out his name in the new book in November? You’ll just have to read the book! (You’re making us crazy!) Yes, that has been my intent all along! I want you to be crazy about my characters!


O.K., so who is my most enjoyable character? For me, it is a tossup. If Michael Stonebreaker is the most genuinely good person in the book, the opposite would have to be Pierce Armstrong, the really bad guy among many bad guys in The Revolutionists.
A friend and neighbor recently said to me, “Biff…your villains are really evil!” His statement made me feel good. I want my heroes to be GOOD and my villains to be EVIL! Pierce Armstrong and his butler are really horrible people…but wait…wait until you meet the villain in The Reconstructionists (coming this fall)!



The Reconstructionists Coming Soon!!Isn’t this fun? Good versus evil, right versus wrong, nice versus nasty…what’s not to like? It’s fiction, folks…and, if we can solve a few world-class problems along the way…so much the better!






Get The Revolutionists for Nook here Get The Revolutionists for Kindle here

High Upon The Towers

High Upon The Towers
High upon the towersThey saw the gleaming skyAll were unawareThat this day they would die
High upon the towersThey felt the warming sunNot knowing in brief momentsTheir time on earth was done
High upon the towersThey spied the rolling seaSome enjoyed their coffeeWhile others sipped their tea
High upon the towersJust as the day beganThe fire of hell came roaringEnding every plan
Low from a blackened skyThe towers fell to dustShattered, twisted, ruinedA heap of ash and rust
High upon the towersGod looked down and criedAt the evil of man’s hatredAs His children died
High upon the towersAll of them are freePart of God’s great KingdomFor all eternity                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                            Copyright © 2001 Biff Price

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Ireland What are a few of my favorite things? I like to travel. I’ve been in 44 of the 50 states so far, and a fair number of countries, too. Regarding trips abroad, one favorite destination has been to Ireland. I’ve been there a couple of times, and I’ve found the Irish to be extremely friendly. For the most part, they like Americans a great deal. That’s evident from the fact that 45% of the American population can trace its ancestry back to Ireland. It is a very beautiful place to visit, the scenery amazing.
 I have been to Bermuda three times. One of my favorite things to do there is  riding a moped around the island. It is so much fun and the beauty of the island is astounding.


Bermuda 

As to the U.S., we have some of the most incredible scenery in the world. My wife and I  can recommend Martha’s Vineyard - another wonderful island off the coast of Massachusetts - the Grand Canyon, coastal Maine, the Gulf of Mexico, and a whole lot more. Experiencing these incredible sights with my wife has enriched each trip even more.
Grand Canyon
Like many of you, I enjoy good food, good movies and good books. I spoke last week about my favorite authors and you may see a post one day about my favorite movies!  Golf and shooting hoops are also physical activities that are great fun. My absolute favorite activity is riding my bike, and there are a lot of places to ride where I live. The scenery and the town I live in are fantastic, and that makes a ride in any direction a great thing to do. We even have a designated bike path which makes it easier to go for a ride. It also saves on driving the car.
Biking inland
Biking by the water




















 Spending quality time with family and friends makes leisure time very special. Grilling is a great warm weather activity that we enjoy, and being outdoors as much as possible when the weather permits is something that we like very much. I also like beaches, mountains and the incredible scenery of the world that our Creator gave to us. We have more to be thankful for than we can name.

The Number One person by my side in all of this is my wife. She is my companion through life and my support. I love my family and enjoy being with them, as well, and, in my opinion, I have the greatest friends in the world. Someone rich in friends is rich indeed. Nothing beats great conversation about anything of interest, and the diversity of people in my life is fantastic. I also like teaching because my students keep me young in thought, and I have to be quick to keep up with them. This is a good thing. A shared life can be the happiest of lives.

No, life is not perfect, but what we choose to do in life is up to us. It is not “stuff” that makes us happy…it is relationships…and the people we love!

My Favorite Authors

     I became a reader at a young age, and I worked my way through the classics in several different genres by the time I was 18. As I grew older my reading tastes changed. There are many writers that I like, and I admire those who have a true voice, love their craft, and who have a command of the language that can make someone become lost in the pages of their books–mesmerized by their stories and ability to spin a good tale.
     Do I have a favorite book and author? As an author you might expect me to name one of my own books, and I could do that, but there are two books on my shelf that I take out every few years to read again. These volumes comprise collections of the works of my two favorite writers of all time. Both were veterans who fought in World War I, both were British, both became professors in England, and they belonged to a group of writers who called themselves the Inklings. These two men had incredible minds and writing abilities. Having to rate one over the other is difficult, but if I must choose one of them, I will choose the man who created The Lord of the Rings, which I consider to be the greatest work of fantasy literature in the English language—John Robert Reuel Tolkien (J.R.R. Tolkien). 

     We first meet Tolkien’s characters in The Hobbit, a delightful tale about a small race of people—The Hobbits of the Shire—and one Hobbit in particular named Bilbo Baggins who embarks on a very BIG adventure. He finds a mysterious ring on his travels and brings it home. Years later, the wizard Gandalf pays a visit to Bilbo’s nephew, Frodo Baggins, and the three books that are spun by the master writer culminate in a glorious story that was made into wonderful movies later by Peter Jackson. My children gave me a special edition of the books in one volume as a gift years ago that I will always treasure.
     My second favorite writer is Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis). The seven stories that comprise the Chronicles of Narnia hold such a place in my heart as to inspire me to write an allegory of my own in youth literature. The Forest at the End of the World, and The Ocean at the Edge of Forever have been written, and as of this moment I am writing the last couple of chapters of The Mountain of the King, the final volume in my tale. There are plans to publish them in the near future.
    



      I owe a debt to Tolkien and Lewis that I can never repay. Inspiration is nothing without the desire to create what you dream of writing, and then actually doing it. Some things in life are very much worth the effort you put into them, and I believe writing stories to be among those things.
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If I Were President

         
                     Candidates for the 2016 US presidential elections are often asked what would be the first thing they would do to get America back on the right track, should they be elected to office. I’m not running for president, but like you, I have a few ideas about what it will take to restore America to greatness. So,  what would be the first thing I’d  change if I were elected to the office of the President of the United States?
            The short answer would be implementing term limits for senators. This would require major changes to our founding documents, and the people would have to decide this by referendum. No president could decide something like this on his or her own. It would require the American people to make the change.  In my brave new world, a U.S. Senator would serve a single six-year term. A member of the House of Representatives would also serve one four-year term. Neither of these “public servants” would receive a life-time pension, and they would be expected to return to the workforce to earn a living. Their health care would be tied to what was available to the general public. They would have to participate in Social Security. A president could serve two four-year-terms, but stand for re-election for the second term as they do now.
             Along the same lines, and possibly the biggest change I would seek to make, however, would be that Supreme Court justices would be elected--not appointed--to one five-year term. They would no longer be able to legislate from the bench. They too would return to public life and earn a living like the rest of Americans when they were finished serving.             I love my country, and I believe that most right-thinking Americans do, as well. However, we have been out of control since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was enacted. Our career politicians have become the American aristocracy that our Founding Fathers feared. Believing that they will solve the problems--that they created--is like putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop, or handing the keys to your car to a 10-year-old and expecting to get it back in one piece.
           The level of idiocy in Washington, D.C. is astounding. It is only exceeded by the idiocy of the people who keep re-electing them.
For more on what I’d do to put the country back in the people’s hands, read The Revolutionists, And, in the sequel coming this November, I pose an equally outrageous—yet completely plausible—solution to the illegal immigration problem and the Mexican border crisis in The Reconstructionists.

My Writing Process

     Few people get to do something they absolutely love for a living. I'm often asked if I'm a full-time or a part-time writer. The answer is, “Yes.” Ha ha–that makes no sense, does it? Actually, I’m able to write full-time by teaching essay writing in the mornings and writing my novels in the afternoons.       I’ve been teaching essay writing for nearly three years. I have fifteen students who study one-on-one with me during the week. The interesting thing is that my students live in South Korea! They are thirteen hours ahead of me; I begin early in the morning--at 6:00 a.m.--so the time difference doesn't keep them from studying with me. When it is 6:00 a.m. in my world, it is 7:00 p.m. in theirs.  I teach using SKYPE, which is one of the most marvelous computer programs ever invented, and technology that connects me with my students more than half way round the world.     Working with South Korean students, I have learned a great deal about the similarities and differences between our cultures. In that sense, my students have taught their teacher many things. I’ve come to believe that a strong sense of discipline is part of what has made South Korea’s educational system number one in the world.     Discipline is important in achieving educational goals, but I can attest from personal experience that discipline is also key to achieving writing goals. Time waits for no one, so I sit down and write everyday. Set goals: meet them. When I finish the two sequels I am working on now, I will have written seven novels. I’ll be well ahead of the game in terms of reaching the writing goals I’ve set for myself. I encourage every writer to set goals for his or her work, and to do what it takes to achieve them. Working on my next novel!     While my work habits are structured, you might be surprised to find that my writing process is not. I don’t use outlines or formulas when I write. I am a spontaneous writer and storyteller. My work flows organically, and I have been blessed not to suffer from writer’s block. If I feel stumped for a moment, I start writing. It’s my own cure. If I could explain how I write, I would probably not be able to write another word. I don’t really understand it. It just happens. Writing for me is one of the most fun things in the world. If I ever stop enjoying it, I’ll give it up and try something else…perhaps broadcasting?So to sum up, my writing time is scheduled, but the words are free flowing from the worlds in my head to the page where I invite you to share them with me. For example, let me introduce you to hero Michael Stonebreaker—the “guy next door” caught up in a world of political intrigue and a shocking plan to save the United States from an insidious terrorist plot in my first book, The Revolutionists. Or re-join President Stonebreaker as he solves the border crisis and illegal immigration in The Reconstructionists, coming this November.

Real Inspiration for Fictional Characters

     

     I have been asked if scenes or characters in The Revolutionists have been based on real people or things that actually took place. All fiction carries disclaimers, but the answer is, “Yes.” When I was 14, I had a friend named Lee who, tragically, was killed in a terrible boating accident. That was the first time something I had written was read in public. It was a poem about my friend. It was not very well written because I was 14 at the time, but it was written from the heart. They did not read my name, as I remember; they simply said a friend and classmate had written it and it was included in the eulogy. I was actually sitting in an adjacent room because of the crowd and couldn't hear very well, but I was glad they read it.
     Months before he died, Lee and I were at the YMCA in the lobby one day when we were approached by a local tough guy whose nickname was “Bugs.” Lee and I weighed about 130-140 pounds then, but Lee picked Bugs up over his head like a sack of potatoes and held him in the air. Bugs weighed well over 200 pounds. No, he didn't throw Bugs across the lobby, like Michael does in the beginning of the book, because they weren't fighting…just fooling around. Pound-for-pound, Lee was the strongest kid I ever knew. If he had lived I believe that he would have been the greatest natural athlete the town would ever produce. I still miss him.
The Old Man is my late father-in-law. Yes, his tank was hit by the Nazis, and he and one other man did survive. He loved hunting, but, at the end of his life he did say that his deer hunting days were over and that he simply wanted to look at them. Michael reminisces about him at the beginning of the book. He ran a dragline in the central Pennsylvania coal fields. His oiler told us once when we were on the “drag” with him that he was the best dragline operator in the whole area, maybe the whole state. He could make that massive machine dance without error. He did more to heat the homes of America than any puffed-up politician and all the hot air that has ever blown out of Washington.

     To write good fiction you have to have good models. My life is filled with such people. I've been truly blessed by having such incredible people in my life.
Make sure you get your copy of Revolutionists!

My Favorite Authors and Influences

     It is a safe assumption that most authors have favorite authors. After all, most of us were readers before we became authors.  My list includes J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Anne Rice, John Grisham, Isaac Asimov, Taylor Caldwell and many more. I’ve enjoyed many different genres, and, if I have to choose my top three fiction writers, they would be Tolkien, Lewis and Koontz.
     I wrote my one and only fan letter to Dean Koontz over a decade ago when he published a novel that I saw as a landmark change in his style. He is at the top of his craft these days, and with 400 million books in print, you could say that he is successful. He was kind enough to write back and thank me for my letter. 
     These days I do very little reading of any other work because I am very busy writing my own books. I am working on two sequels right now in two different genres to complete trilogies in two categories. In other words, my keyboard and I spend a lot of time together.
     I can’t point to any single influence because different writers have been important to me at different times in my life. Writers, like everyone else, are motivated by different things. My way of writing is unique – to me – because I am an instinctivewriter. As silly as it may sound, writing is as natural to me as breathing. In other words, I don’t think about it – I just do it. The evolution of words on a page is as surprising to me as it will be to the reader later on. In other words, it’s FUN!          There have been many inspirational people in my life – the grandmother who took me in when I was 4 and raised me, the genuine heroes in all generations – past and present – teachers, college professors, priests, pastors, and friends. My characters are based on the heroism and integrity I have seen in many lives. The evil I write about is obvious in our world. A boyhood friend once said, “When you see truth…it burns you! It can’t be denied.” Yes, I write fiction…but the facts behind it are real.


Please note: The sequel to The Revolutionists is coming to the world in early November of this year. It’s called The Reconstructionists. It also solves a HUGE problem…but I won’t give the story away. You’ll just have to read it.