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The biggest task I face as an author is how to keep up with writing while trying to raise my family. Family always comes first. So that does affect how much writing I can actually get done, or how fast I can move on projects. I try to do most of my writing or editing in the morning. It’s when my mind is freshest, and I can multi-task better then, too. But, there are days when things get a little stressful, and finding any time to write or edit is truly tough. So, on the days, that I’m forced to work on something else, I just let go of writing, knowing that I will try to make it up somewhere down the road. Usually, it’s not that far down the road.

For us fantasy lovers, CGI is a Godsend. Sure, reading fantasy books is wonderful. But when it came to the big screen, bringing strange worlds, creatures and characters to life was harder for our genre than most. CGI was first used in 1973 for the scientific movie Westworld, and then for its sequel, Futureworld, in 1976. Where things really start to pick up for CGI, however, was in 1979, for a movie that you perhaps heard of: Star Wars. It wasn’t until 1993, however, when CGI was inserted into movies on a much larger scale in the movie Jurassic Park. It was at this point that stop-motion animation started to fall to the wayside. It would only be two years later when the first fully computer-generated movie would hit the theaters, going by the name of Toy Story. And by the early 2000’s, CGI would become the biggest player in movie special effects. Now, thanks to all these developments, we can go to the theaters and see the scenes from our favorite fantasy books come off the pages to entertain us.

The buck doesn’t stop here, though. One day, I fully expect to be walking around inside a movie as an active participant as its playing out.

On Monday, May 10th, I will be speaking to two classes on the process of writing. Both of those classes happen to contain my daughters. So I think they will get a kick out of seeing Dad up there in front of the class speaking about his job. I love talking to kids. They come up with some of the best questions, and they are so eager to learn. I’ve spoken to a few other classes in the past, and will continue to do others as time permits. If anything, I hope to inspire these kids to either become avid readers or other future writers.

As you can imagine, the worst part about writing a novel, in my opinion, is all the editing. It is a pain, and rereading your book over and over to the point you want to throw up is hard to get through. However, that being said, the outcome is definitely worth the work. The closer it is to perfection, the better reviews it’s going to get (hopefully). Book One of The Snowtear Wars I probably edited close to thirty times. Why so much? Well, it was my first novel, so I had a lot of growing pains associated with my writing. But as a result of me doing all that editing, I have, in fact, become a much better editor of my own work, and can catch things much easier than I ever used to. I don’t expect I will be editing any of my future books thirty times, thankfully.

The family and I just got back from a week’s vacation at Topsail Beach, NC. The weather was warm, in the 70’s. Got a lot of rest and relaxation, to say the least. Only had one day of rain. On that day we went to an aquarium, which we planned to do anyway. Time to get back to editing and writing!

Kindle is slowly growing in popularity. The nice thing is, you can download a new book the instant it’s released. Imagine not standing in line to get J.K. Rowling’s latest and greatest. And it’s cheaper than a new hardback. The biggest thing it has against it, though, is it’s form. Holding a machine to read a story doesn’t have the same comfy feel as holding a book. However, I think it’s a great step in the “going green” revolution. Think how many trees will be saved. On the other hand, more carbon dioxide will be produced as a result of the machines. Well, it’s better to have more trees in the end, I think, for a greener world. I have yet to get a Kindle. The problem is, I do far more writing than reading, so it’s not cost effective for me at this time.

Apparently an object in a nearby galaxy is producing radio waves. Astrophysicists are perplexed by this enigma. The weirder thing is, it’s moving at four times the speed of light and is being compared to a ‘microquasar’, which is formed after a massive star explodes, leaving behind a black hole.

It first appeared in May of 2009. It doesn’t fit the pattern of radio emissions from a supernova, which usually gets brighter over a few weeks and then fades to nothing. This new source is emitting a steady transmission. Whatever it is, it’s new to us.

How to Train Your Dragon

Simply put, this was the best animated movie I have seen since Monsters Inc. I give it a full 10 out of 10.

The images are fantastic, the jokes fun, and the ending has a surprising twist I didn’t expect. As for the storyline, it was okay, pretty average, and not as inventive as Monsters Inc., but it certainly didn’t make me stop enjoying the heck out of it. My kids couldn’t stop commenting on every little thing while they were watching the movie. Good things the theater wasn’t full. And the other people that were there were also commenting here and there, so no biggie. The dragons are the best part, and there are a lot more varieties in it than I ever expected there to be. I really only thought there would only be two or three kinds, but the movie goes well beyond that, and explains a little about many of them. You will not be disappointed, and it is worth it to see in the theater.

Many people ask me where I get my inspirations from when it come to my books. Simply, everywhere. I got the idea for the snowtear flower from a garden magazine.  I needed a central theme, and started looking in all media, and at everything around me. You never know what’s going to trigger an idea, a character, a plot line or a scene. I just have to make sure I write them down when they do come to me! I create names from maps, telephone books or just by combing words. It’s all part of the creative process. You just have to make sure that what you do use, sounds authentic, as if it would really exist. Don’t make your names too outlandish, your characters’ actions unbelievable, or your scenes too foriegn. Readers have to be able to relate, and need to be drawn in to keep reading.

Here is one of my all-time favorite monster links. There are six videos on this page. The second one down on the left-hand side is the best! It’s titled, “Nessie Showed Up.” Have fun. I can’t get enough of that video! Let me know your thoughts…

Link: http://theshadowlands.net/serpvid.htm