Book Two

They say a broken clock is right, twice a day. The term "Beginner's Luck" exists for a reason. If you haven't already heard about it, look at the image on the right. I wrote the book in that goofy bastard's hand. Me. It was in the second grade when I started writing my first story, and it wasn't until eighteen years later that I published my first book. No matter what my answer was at any given time, I AM what I want to be when I grow up: an author. I want to say that it was because of hard work and dedication, but it wasn't - not entirely - I want to say that it was because of my unwavering self-belief, and constant work to fulfill my dream - but it wasn't. 

I wrote Chef to run away from my problems. I wrote it as a means of hiding through the most intense hurt I've ever felt. The fact that It was my single greatest coping tool is irrelevant. For seven months, I buried myself in this story so I wouldn't have to feel anything, except for the emotions of my characters (which on occasion reduced me to tears). It is only in retrospect that I can look back and be grateful for it all. No matter why or how, I am an author, and I have a whole lot of stories I want to tell you all. 

Everyone who does a lot of reading can tell you about an author whose first book was amazing, brilliant, made their lives make sense, was so good that they rushed to the nearest bookstore to pick up that author's next book... and was horribly let down by it. As a reader, this is absolutely devastating. We've invested ourselves in this author, raved about him or her to our friends, recommended that everyone read this book, only to have the author fizzle out on their very next work. 

It is my goal to not disappoint you all. 

In June I met Max, and had my first taste of a new idea, an idea that explores love, creationism, sci-fi, the macabre, and the human soul. It explores ideas and concepts, and dips into genres that I have no interest in, and have done absolutely zero reading in. This idea, and Chef, both have that in common. What I want to do with the idea is so exciting that my disinterest in the genre doesn't even matter. That is exactly why I'm going to write it, starting November first. 

Over the last week, the story I've been building has become immensely complex - to the point that I wrote a crude outline of it, which I never do (I wrote Chef week by week, finding out what happened next as I wrote it). With the building of the complexity of the story, my excitement for it grew, as well, and I realized that the story will likely be more than three times longer than Chef, and will be the most structurally complex story I've ever written. 

As with Chef, this next book is going to be a big experiment, and I will be sharing most of the first draft here on the blog. There are going to be parts of the story that won't show up on the blog, mostly for pacing reasons, but I promise you will not be missing any of the main story. 

Most importantly, this is my second book. The book that will either tell you that my books are worth continuing to read, or if the rest of my writing career will just gather dust. I'm getting ready to start writing, but I feel a weight on my shoulders: the need to perform, and admirably so. I am going to log off now, but I will leave you with a promise...

My second book will be something you've never seen before, and you will not be disappointed.