Just a Heads Up, Really

I have always loved politics. Okay, that isn't true. When I was like, seven, I had no idea what they were. I knew Clinton was president, but I could not have told you what that meant. My life was small, don't judge, I wrote stories and hung out at home with my dog. Literally nothing has changed.Except that I really love politics.For this, I can blame Jon Stewart. When I was fifteen--three days after my birthday, actually--my parents began the official process of splitting up. I was never very close with my father to begin with, but this divorce would create a giant, Doctor Who-like time/space rift between us that I feel will probably never be repaired. I'm not crying over this anymore, but it is a sad part of my life. Anyway, that was the same year that I took a Civil War history elective pretty much because I am a nerd. My teacher, a very liberal man living in a very conservative state, was a HUGE Daily Show fan, and I admit I started watching just so I could participate in the discussions he and some of the older students had about politics and current events. Before 9/11, I really didn't understand how large the world is. Yes, on a universal scale we are completely infinitesimal, but in regards to this planet, we are great. Massive. I understood geography. I understood that I was an American. But, I did not understand the scale of the world we live in. I'm not even sure that I knew what the Twin Towers were. Yeah, that's pretty depressing. I was thirteen, man! Boy bands and shit!So, I started watching The Daily Show in a post-9/11 world and, I swear it on my life, the whole of who I am as a person was shaped in those moments. My ideologies, my thought processes, my passion--all of that stems from my Daily Show education. In a lot of ways, as my biological father began to walk out of my life, Jon Stewart became my surrogate father. I am a different person today because of that. Yeah, that's probably cheesy and weird and very millennial-esque. But, it's also true.You may yourself dislike politics, so this news isn't going to excite you, and for that I am sorry. But, I can't deny that I have a passion for the subject. I love understanding and learning about culture; I am fascinated by international affairs. For a long while, I was going to be the next Anderson Cooper--before the talk show--or Peter Bergen--the one that met Osama. I wanted to combine my love of writing with my love of the socio-political world. But, instead, I dropped out of college. Then, I was like, "I should be a doctor."Don't ask me why.Eventually, I came back around to writing. I was able to merge my newest passion--forensic anthropology and forensic sciences--with the very first passion and write a book. (Yeah, I still cannot believe it.) Now, I want to take it a step further and merge my second passion with the others. I want to comment on politics. And society. And have a voice beyond just writing books.But, I'm still totally going to write books.If you just want to be a fan of the books, that is great. I will happily have you in the family and supply you with as much as you can read--as fast as I can churn it out anyway. But, if you've read my book, you know that there is a much deeper message in the story. One that is dear to my heart. One that I am staunchly passionate about. And it isn't the only issue these days that I feel so strongly about. I want to talk about those things, too.It's going to be a long road, but I want to build a career for myself not just as an author, but as a voice. Of course, anything related to forensics, anthropology, or murder investigations that I find fascinating, I'm going to comment on those things, too. My dream, when I was six, was to be an author. My dream, when I was eighteen, was to be a securities expert and political commentator. My dream now is to find the perfect combination. And, finally, after all these years, I feel like I have the strength to raise my voice. So, keep an eye out friends. I'm going to be working on some pretty neat things here in the near future. I have to get around this major convention before I can really sit and focus--I literally cannot sit and focus. I can't even sleep. But, they are coming!FYI, you can now download The Skeleton Friend for iBooks if you have an Apple device. Some people don't have Kindle, and that is no real surprise, so I gave you another option. Shortly, hopefully, it will be available on Nook, we are just working out some issues with my vendor account. I dunno, some bank thing. I'm not really an economist.;)