Person Holding Pen, editing manuscript

Making Progress with the Consortium Prequel

June 22, 2024

Hey, my loyal readers, I am happy to say I’m making progress with the Consortium prequel. It seems like I am on track for a summer release as I had hoped.

So, here’s my process, in case you’re curious. Sometimes I will write an outline. Most times, I don’t as I usually take the book on a different path from the outline. However, the outline comes in handy with the opening of several chapters. Once I feel I have finished the first draft of the book, I go back and read it like one of you, a reader. That’s where I see all the mistakes in grammar, continuity, and shit like that. I rely on a pair of mark up pens for this task. They dry up way too fast.

Then I go back to the beginning and do a first edit. This takes the most amount of time, as I don’t like turning over poor manuscript to my editor full of crappy things I could fix. Over the years, I’ve gotten better at editing, as I learn more with each pass. This edit is mostly for grammar and spelling. Then, you guessed it; I do it again, adding continuity and fixing poor sentence structure to the process.

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June 9, 2024

June 9, 2024

It’s June 9, 2024. I just realized it’s been six or more weeks since I last wrote, and I apologize. Where has the time gone?

This is a quick note to inform you that May was an extremely hectic month. I got little done with working on my next book. Sure, there’s been progress, but I’m not happy with how much I got done. I’m still determined to get this book out by Summer’s end. Cross your fingers and wish me luck.

A quick note for April

April 27, 2024

Things have settled down even more over the past couple of weeks. I’m spending less and less time with paperwork, doctor follow-ups, and Medicaid shit for my domestic partner. I’m feeling less stressed as a result. Nice! I’m now trying to catch up on sleep to reawaken my creative mind. I’m also doing something else to achieve that goal.

I’m working on a short prequel novel in the Consortium series. I aim to write a short novel introducing the series’ main characters. I plan to offer it for cheap or free as a lead-in to the rest of my books. So far, it’s coming out well. I’ve written 14 out of approximately 20 chapters. I hope you will embrace it as much as it deserves, considering I’ve been off the writing cart for the past year.

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Did you see the North America solar eclipse?

April 13, 2024

Solar Eclipse

Here, where I live, I should have seen the solar eclipses’ totality. Did I? Fuck no. The day before and after the solar eclipse, the skies were clear of all cloud cover. It would have been beautiful. The day of? Heavy, thick clouds covered the entire region. Mother Nature was certainly screwing with us. All it did for us was get dark for a few minutes, light returning minutes later. It wasn’t worth us getting the solar eclipse glasses. It’ll be 24 years before it crosses North America and over a hundred years before it crosses above my home. I plan on being there for that event. 😊

total solar eclipse diamond ring
Photo by Beth Fitzpatrick on Pexels.com
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Whirlwind dealing with the Government

March 14, 2024

Hello all my faithful readers. Where has the time gone. I know. It’s been a whirlwind dealing with the government. I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about without having to explain things.

Hummingbird

For me, it started 7-8 years ago when I got injured on the job. I still deal with the after effects from that incident. Getting the help I needed, even after paying into the system for decades, was like pulling teeth that just didn’t want to come out. I’m writing about Worker’s Compensation, an insurance program here in the U.S. that workers pay into with every paycheck in the event of an on the job injury. I thought it would be straight forward. I got injured on the job, I had documentation galore supporting the injury and subsequent claim, and yet, I had to hire a lawyer to force them to pay up. We all know all the jokes about lawyers. Let me tell you. Mine are worth it.

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Excuses

January 16, 2024

Excuses, I hate making excuses

No Excuses
I Hate Making Excuses

That’s right, readers, I hate making excuses. Yet, that’s all I seem to do these days. I could and would manage it if it were as simple as writer’s block. It’s not. Being a full-time caregiver is hard on me emotionally as well as physically. Can you imagine working 120 hours a week for no pay? No? I can because that is what I’ve been doing daily since June. I’m tired. I’m not making excuses, but damn, this has got to stop soon.

I have a plan, though, and it is slowly making its way through the process. Damn, is it ever so slow? At this rate, I would like to write again in February. Wish me luck, because that is my goal. I love plans that have goals; else, why have a plan to begin with?

I hope you’re staying safe, warm, and cozy while dealing with this nasty weather front covering most of the country. If you’re staying inside and bored to death, pick up any book, not just one of mine. But here is where you can learn more about my books, most of which are available on Amazon. Happy reading.

Please send me a comment. I’d love to read them. I’ll respond as I can. I hope you have a wonderful day.

2024 is a New Year

January 7, 2024
2024 is a New Year

2024 is a new year

2024 is a new year and a year in review. Despite the strife worldwide, we have more than enough right here in my home, allowing me to step aside. I have enough of my issues to deal with. And yes, the image is a blatant attempt to draw your eye and read my blog.

2023 was most likely the toughest year of my life. I retired from my career job on Feb 1. I looked forward to catching up on my sleep and writing more novels. It took the entire month of February to catch up on sleep. It took the better part of that month sleeping eleven to thirteen hours a night. I didn’t realize just how exhausted I was. I loved every minute of sleep.

March brought me to a place where I could start my retirement earnestly. I started going out more, getting a good start on emptying the proverbial ‘job jar,’ and thinking about and taking notes for my next book. Believe it or not, one doesn’t sit down at a keyboard and start writing. It would be best to have something in mind and a general direction you want to go before you put a single character or word down.

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Merry Christmas 2023

December 26, 2023

Good morning and Merry Christmas 2023. Sure, Christmas was yesterday, but the season continues. Let’s hope that we all make it last.

This time of year, a few days after the Winter Solstice gives us an opportunity to sit back and think of ways to prevent repeating our mistakes of the past. I know I have a lot to think about and figure out how to correct past mistakes. I’m human and I know I make a lot of them.

How am I going to do that, you may ask? The first thing is to take responsibility for my mistakes. Sometimes, I ignore that part of my behavior. The second is that I am going to counseling. I find it very fulfilling and worthwhile. I even get homework, if you can believe that or not. And some of this homework is harder than my college years assignments. These assignments allow me to figure out all sorts of things, especially things I have never trained on, such as social interactions and what makes people tick. I’m finding I am sorely lacking in some of these areas.

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Winter Solstice 2023

December 21, 2023
Winter Solstice 2023

Today is the shortest day of the natural year, Winter Solstice 2023. Starting tomorrow, the sun will rise a little earlier and set a little later in the day. It’ll be slow at first but gradually go longer and longer until Spring arrives.

To me, this pattern of Earth’s trip around the Sun represents the pattern of life. We are born and grow taller and stronger until we reach a steady balance between birth and death. That period is different for each of us, but eventually, it moves past that, and just as the days get shorter, so does our remaining life. For me, the Winter Solstice 2023 is a rebirth of sorts. I believe when we die, we do not fade into oblivion. Our consciousness rejoins the universe we are made of and reborn again. What that rebirth entails, no one knows, including me. I just know we will… I will. The cycle repeats forever.

Does this mean that the stardust we rejoin is heaven? Maybe? I won’t speculate. Does this mean everyone who dies with a stain on their soul or not returns to stardust? Yes, they do. If there is such a thing as sin in the universe, their sins are cleansed, and they, like the rest of us, return to the cycle of rebirth.

For the here and now, it’s what we do with the life we are living and what we do with it. I am trying to leave it a better place than when I was born into it. Others tend to go the other way. That’s sad, but I can do little about that. I can only do what I can, which is take care of myself and then try to care for others. If I don’t have the strength and wherewithal to care for myself, how can I possibly care for others?

Enjoy the winter solstice and the holiday that follows. And if you are looking to do something, might I suggest reading a good book? Here’s a suggestion. Read one of mine.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/Richard Verry

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Just a quick note to wish everyone here in the U.S.A. a Happy Thanksgiving 2023.

As most of you know, it has not been a good year for my partner and me. Between her disease and me, an engineer, taking on the role of a full-time home caregiver has stressed the household too many limits. But that’s alright. She’s still with us and, hopefully, will be for several years to come.

Her neurologist informed us at our last appointment that there is no way to predict how much time she has left. Unlike other fatal diseases, they can chart no metrics on a timeline to approximate how long she has left. It could be six months, six years, and anything between and even longer.

happy thanksgiving 2023

But I am thankful she’s still with us, as her family is as well.

Have a happy Thanksgiving. Just be careful not to overdo it.

And if you’re not sharing it with a loved one, friend, or even an acquaintance, find something to do. Take a walk, go to the park, ride a bicycle, read a book, or do anything that interests you. And remember, I have many good books you can read, you can find most of them on Amazon. If you haven’t read one of my books, check them out. You might be surprised.