Major New Development...

I've had a major development in the progress of my current book project. Groundbreaking even. I have been working on this project for over three years now and feel like I am nearing the end. But just haven't been able to push myself over the finish line. I even have some good ideas about what I want the story to be. OK, enough whining and excuses. One of the central character(s) in the denouement is going to be the Texas Rangers. As I was thinking about this I recalled that one of my classmates from A&M is a retired Texas Ranger. I thought, you know, I should call him up and see if he would collaborate with me on this book. Not only would that be interesting and fun in itself, it would give my novel a sense of realism, adventure and excitement not otherwise possible. The lore of the Texas Rangers is something everyone likes to read about. These guys are real life excitement and adventure. They are the real deal.
So I email him and tell him a little about what I'm doing and ask if he would be interested in helping. He sends his cell number and says to give him a call. A couple of weeks pass and I finally get around to calling him. He says, I'm in Houston right now, why don't you stop by my hotel after work and we'll talk about it.
We haven't seen each other since we graduated from A&M thirty-nine years ago. Yes, we're old men now. We had a good visit, caught up a little without going into much detail then talked about the book project. I gave him a rundown on the project, what I'm doing and what I am planning to do and how me could help me. He's a very nice gentleman and was agreeable to helping with the project and collaborating with me. I believe his ideas and experiences with the Rangers will bring a dimension of realism and adventure to the story  that otherwise would never be possible. I think this will be the nudge that pushes this book over the edge from being a good story to being a great story. I am excited.
During our conversation he noticed my boots. Nothing special, just a pair of plain, black Justin Ropers. He said, if you're interested, there's another pair of boots you might want. He pulled out his cellphone and fingered through a few screens then showed me a photo. They were custom made boots by Justin, full quill ostrich with the Texas Ranger badge on the shaft. He said Justin offers them to the Rangers, one pair a year at about half what the same boots would cost in the stores. He said if I wanted I could have his allotment for this year. It took a while for this to sink in. Custom made Justin boots made specially for Texas Rangers. And I could get a pair. I am getting a pair. Oh yes, I'm definitely getting a pair.
I'm thinking this will provide the motivation I need to get this effort going again. I haven't made much progress in several months, frankly because I couldn't generate the ideas I needed. Kind of an extended writer's block I guess. But I think the spell is about to be broken. Now I can just put on my Texas Rangers boots and let the ideas flow.

A good read, a very good read...

As a writer, I read a lot. It's kind of like practicing. Professional athletes practice a lot. That's one of the things that makes them so good. That, and a boatload of talent. If we could practice six to eight hours a day we'd all be able to play whatever our sport is much better. We wouldn't be pros but we'd be much better at it than we are. To hone our skills and expand our knowledge we read. It's sort of like 'practice' for us. And we all have our favorites, as in genres, writing styles and authors. Mine, I like action thrillers (of course...). Some of my favorite authors are Joshua Graham, John Irving, Robert Dugoni, David Baldacci, Jay Giles, Scott Turow, Dean Koontz, Harlan Coben, John Grisham, Jeffrey Small, Sandra Brown, James Patterson, Vince Flynn, John Sanford, Robert Goolrick, Sean Chercover,  Jeffrey Archer, John Rector, Michael Connelly. Sorry, got carried away.
I just finished one by a new author though, one I haven't read before. Paula Hawkins, it's titled The Girl on the Train. It's a sub-genre called psychological thriller. I love books that are so well written that they keep your interest so well that you literally don't want to put it down. And this one does that. Her character development is so good you have no problem creating these people in your mind as you read. I've spent a pretty fair amount of time on the tube in London and I can 'see' Rachel sitting across from me and the expressions on her face. When the action really gets cranked and the denouement is unwinding, your pulse will quicken. You may have been reading just before you were about to fall asleep but that will have to wait. You just have to know what's next.
I'm sure this young lady will be drawing a lot of attention in the near future. She's signed a deal with a major publisher and will be on an eight city tour in the US soon. She's a Brit in case you were wondering. The English have found some really good writers in recent years. TL James with her sordid tales of sex and debauchery. Not my style but lots of people like the porn novel. JK Rowling is the master with the kids novels. Read her debut with her first adult novel, she needs to keep her day job writing kids books. And now Paula Hawkins with the thriller. This girl has found her niche. If this is your genre, pick up The Girl on the Train. You will have trouble putting it down. I guarantee it.

The Audacity of hope...

I think that was the title of Obama's book, wasn't it? I think it was an appropriate title for my blog post today. You'll see why after you have read it.
About 18 months to go in the Obama presidency. About 18 months before a new president is elected. I think that's pretty exciting, getting a new president. Not that I'm confident that the new prez will be a great one. Hell, he may not be great. But after what we've been through the past 8 years, how much worse could it be? I suppose it is actually possible, but any reasonable person knows it isn't likely. I know, there are some that don't agree with me, they'll defend the prez and engage (or attempt to...) you with a lop-sided conversation of what he has accomplished. Let me engage you in such a conversation for a moment. Our national debt has increased more under his watch than all presidents who preceded him COMBINED. We have national healthcare now. I know, call it whatever you like, but a spade is a spade. More people have insurance than ever before you say, millions lost their insurance they had before and had to pay higher premiums to get more. And lest we forget, this is the first and only piece of major legislation in the history of our country that was passed 100% unilaterally. Not one, single Republican vote. If that's not shoving down our fucking throats then tell me what is... And while it was being debated (calling it a debate is the joke of the century..) the Speaker of the House said, "We've got to pass this bill so we can see what's in it..." Now that's crossing the zenith of stupidity. Scandals one after another. Fast and Furious, IRS targeting conservative groups and individuals, the Benghazi attack, Bowe Bergdahl, the contraceptive mandate in ACA (thanks Sandra Fluke), military intervention, or lack of, against ISIS, the New Black Panther voter intimidation case, Operation Choke Point, Presidential Policy Directive 20 (Edward Snowden), Solyndra, the VA scandal of 2014. And the list goes on. And on. At present the POTUS is attempting to get a bill passed that would allow the TPA to be approved. Only he has run into opposition from his own party because they see it for what it is. It gives him the power to negotiate the deal without the approval or involvement of Congress. Isn't that how our constitution works, the system of checks and balances you know?... Does this behavior come more from arrogance or stupidity? I wonder.
Defend him all you want, but don't expect me to listen. Most of the people in this country are ready for a new leader. One who has the interest of the country and Americans as his priority. And who will defend and uphold the constitution. One who will work to improve race relations. One would think having a black president would be a major step forward in improving race relations. Unfortunately, quite the opposite has happened. They are worse now than at any time since the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's. We are sorry Rosa Parks and Dr. King, we are truly sorry.
Yes, we are ready for a new leader. Call that audacity, call it arrogance, call it whatever you like. But we hope for a change that will bring prosperity and growth for the country and for ourselves. We hope for a leader who will help us to leave a respectable legacy for our children. We hope for a better future.

Another Day in Paradise...

Another day in paradise. Living' the dream. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Not at all. We've got it pretty good, considering. The price of oil is down, the energy industry is laying off people right and left and the prognosis isn't good. My own opinion about that isn't the same as most of the industry pundit/geniuses. My take on it; it won't last that long. How long I can't say, but the reason for it is the new technology making it possible to drill new sources and the market is 'flooded' with crude driving prices down. The kew to the solution is when will demand shift gears to start soaking up the excess crude. Presumably China's economic growth has slowed, Russia is in a recession (when are they not in a recession...), Europe also is in somewhat of a recession (actually it's more of an economic collapse for some EU countries) and global demand has slowed as the glut formed. Thus, the downturn in commodity prices. So when does the demand pick back up and what might jumpstart it, well there are a few things that might do that. The first that comes to mind is trouble in the Middle East. There's all kinds of ways that might kickoff, but we won't go into that. But if serious conflict such as a war, on any scale, were to start, believe me demand would go up, and quickly. Tank farms the world over would start emptying in short order. Another situation that might cause an uptick in demand, global economic recovery. Now, what would it take to spark something like that? Some major would powers electing some new leaders that were actually competent and had their nation's best interests at heart. Which is more likely to happen? You tell me.
Yes, our leaders are screwing things up for us. I wont go into listing specific items they are doing that are causing things to be messed up, this would become a very boring blog if I did. But who, that walks the planet have more influence on economic matters that affect our lives than Vlad Putin, B.O. Obama, David Cameron, Stephen Harper, Angela Merkel, Salman of Saudi of Arabia, Abdullah bin what's-his-name of Qatar... Who folks?
I'll tell you who, no one. I'm not saying all of these people are idiots, but I am saying this, and don't misunderstand me. Some of them are. Let me give you another dose of reality, and it doesn't matter if you're conservative or liberal, it is what it is. Our president is one of the idiots. In fact, he may be the leader of the idiot pack. He has done his best, and he doesn't have a lot of 'best' of anything, but he has done his best to undermine Bibi Netanyahu in the recent elections, unsuccessfully. Don't be alarmed, he's not really successful at anything when it comes to being president. And, he's doing all he can to pave the way for Iran to have nuclear capability. What a mouthful, huh? Iran, of all countries having nuclear capability. Any reasonable, educated person would know what the implications of that are. Then why doesn't the POTUS understand that? Another good question. The Ayatollahs, the mullahs, the jihadis, having nuclear capability, and the president of the United States of America enabling such lunacy. They're probably laughing till their thawbs are soaked in urine.
These are indeed sad and volatile times. And that's just the world stage. We all are going about our lives trying to pay the bills, keep our jobs, avoid cancer and things normal people do. It's not easy, life is never easy. One of my favorite sayings, crude as it may be is "Shit happens". Wow, does shit ever happen. The real problem is we have to keep on paying the bills, working, and dealing with whatever comes our way in spite of what these fucking morons do to make it harder. That is, unless of course you're one of those living on the handouts that B.O. doles out to those in need. I guess that's a topic for another day.