Category: The Trafficking Consortium

Book 1 in the Consortium series

I Write for Myself

December 29, 2017

Inspiration by Kingsley Amis

I write for myselfI write for myself, and I’m all the happier for it. Writing gives me a sense of joy as I dream up the scenes my characters must navigate. Over the years, many have asked me how I can write such horrific stories where brutality rules. Honestly, I don’t know, except that I tend to get bored with stories that gloss over the human condition and only deal with those seeking to resolve the event.

Yes, I write for myself, and it makes me happy. The other day I stumbled upon the following quote. Instantly, just like one of my characters, I was captivated.

“If you can’t annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.” – Kingsley Amis

I love this quote. Why? I feel in tune with the sentiment. Anyone who has read my books knows that I don’t usually write feel-good stories and there is always a twist to them. They are not for everyone. Nor can I envision ever writing stories that appeal to everyone.

I learned a long time ago that you can’t please everyone. You’re lucky to please most people, which I define as 51% of the population. Fifty-one percent is usually just enough to get a bill passed by our legislature and signed into law. Even then, I don’t believe that most people are happy with the result but are resigned to accept it as it probably better than the alternatives.

So, I don’t write to please everyone. I write to please me, all the while knowing that many will not. Hopefully, others will like what I write, especially if lots of people like my stories.

Examination

So, the question begs, since I write for myself, how can I know whether someone likes my stories or not?

Sales help a lot. I sell lots on a regular basis. Do I foresee one of my books making the New York Times best seller list? How about some producer picking up the option to turn one of my books into a movie? Not anytime soon, I grant you. However, I am hopeful. In fact, I feel that at least one of my books might make the cut and get optioned. Of course, I’m probably wrong. I just need to get the story noticed by at least one producer.

How does that happen? Usually, it’s word of mouth. That and also an agent. I don’t have an agent. I don’t even know how to get one. I’ll work on that one day. In the meantime, it’s word of mouth, which I do use via various means, including advertising.

Besides sales, reviews and email are what I use to determine the direction of my writing. While I post all of my reviews, comments, and direct messages weight more heavily in my decisions on whether to continue a series or write something else.

Decisions

Case in point, my ‘Her Client’ and ‘Consortium’ series.

Her Client‘Her Client Trilogy’ sells well, despite the horrific circumstances of the main character and protagonist. Jolene suffers terribly at the hands of her attackers and turns the tables in the end. Yet many of the comments sent to me by my readers ask the question, “What will Jolene do next?” or they just ask me to continue her story. I seriously considered extending her story, but at this time, I’m not going to. I have too many other stories in my head waiting to get out.

The Trafficking ConsortiumIn the ‘Consortium,’ I originally wrote it as a stand-alone novel, not intending to write further books about Avril. Well, my audience has spoken in both sales and comments sent to me. There is an overwhelming interest to read more of Avril saga and what she can do to overcome her situation. My readers will be pleased when I release the sequel to ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I am well into writing the follow-up book, hoping to release it by spring 2018. Knock on wood. (Ouch)

I Write for Myself

Whether you like my stories or not, I write for myself first and my audience second. I suspect that with this mindset, I may not make my millions but I don’t care. I know many authors who write based on their audience. That may be the path to financial success.

I’ve considered changing my style, and I finally have an idea for a feel-good story, one the general public probably buy and enjoy. But first, I need to finish the ‘Consortium’ series. I have two more books outlined, and I’m too into Avril’s story to bow out. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Stay tuned and find out how it goes.

This is Richard Verry, signing off for now, needing to get back to work. Have a great day and the happiest of new years.

The Trafficking Consortium

The Trafficking Consortium comes to life

December 15, 2017

How did I come up with ‘The Trafficking Consortium?’

The Trafficking ConsortiumComing up with the idea for my novel ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ occurred quite by accident. In the summer of 2016, I suffered a severe concussion which lay laid me for months. After a trip to the hospital, I started seeing doctors and therapists four to five days a week. In the beginning, I didn’t care. They helped me get better.

About three months after my injury, I realized that I was missing something in my brain, that being the creative stream of images and ideas that flow through my mind every hour and every day of my conscious life. Frankly, I was getting scared. Would it ever return? Would I have to live my life without my favorite friend in my mind? After another two months, I was still wondering.

As a change of pace and to get out of the house, I accompanied my girlfriend when she needed to attend a conference in Washington DC area with her daughter. After arriving, while she was out for the day, I stayed behind and pulled out my drawing tablet and pencils. For three days straight, I drew. Not from imagery in my mind but from photographs and what I saw out the window of my hotel room. All well and good, and it was a change of pace that I needed. Still, though, the creative stream remained elusive.

Voilà

A couple of weeks after I returned home, I found myself sitting in yet another doctor’s office waiting to be called in for an assessment. As I sat there, I watched people come up to the check-in window, hand over their personal information, and sit down to wait. Some of the people I saw were quite attractive, decked out in outfits that emphasized their bodies designed to appeal to potential lovers and bedmates.

Watching them, I suddenly had a thought. “What if?” I asked myself.

  • “What if the secretary handed over my personal information to those whose agendas were unrelated to the doctor’s business?”
  • “What could happen?” “Do I really want to share my personal information?”
  • “Can I trust them?”
  • “What can I do if I can’t trust them?”

And for a brief time, my mind ran rampant with the possibilities. On that day and in that instant, a story idea exploded in my mind and consumed me. I had to write it down. In about five weeks, I had written the first draft of ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ After that, I began the refinement process and six months later, the story was published to outstanding reviews.

Oh my, poor Avril!

Avril GilliosPoor Avril Gillios, the heroine in this story. I wrapped her story around the people I observed while waiting to see my doctor. To no fault of her own, she was tagged, kidnapped, and sold into bondage half a world away. Fighting for her life, she never gave up looking for an opportunity to escape. More horrifying, is that she was not alone. Hundreds of people; men and women alike; are taken by the Consortium each year. Most are dead within months. All of them become objects of Consortium members depraved desires. Have you ever wondered how many adults go missing over the years, you should

Her story is one of determination to survive and to return to her old life. Along the way, something buried inside her awakens, and she discovers that despite her disgust towards the organization, she finds that her new owner and master isn’t so bad after all. She struggles with the paradox that she can’t seem to resolve. Her Surviving her ordeal and keeping her soul unstained; drives her work within the system, determined to escape and return to her old life.

In the coming weeks, I’ll talk more about Avril and the Consortium. How I came up with her character, as well as those exposed to her. I’ll write about the motivations of those behind the counter and their private agendas. In the meantime, you can discover for yourself, some of what drives Avril on her webpage at my site.
[https://richardverry.com/stories/consortium/trafficking-consortium/who_is_avril_gillios/]

You can also read the book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ for yourself. Get it on

amazon.com.

Concussion photo

I’m Getting Lax

November 20, 2017

But really, am I getting Lax?

Alright, I admit it, I’m getting lax in writing to you. It’s just that I’m excited to get back into rejoining the human race, and going out with friends and family. While I am still recovering from my injury sixteen months ago, I’m down to the short rows in my progress. By that I mean, I’m probably back to 95% of what I was before my injury. It’s this last 5% that is getting to me. My progress slows the closer and closer I get to 100%.

getting lax in returning from my Post Concussion Syndrome

My doctors and therapists tell me, I may never get back to 100%. I won’t accept that. I will continue working hard to stop forgetting names, words, and concepts that are clearly visible in my mind, just not making it past my lips. Grrr…. And, I still have a constant, low-grade headache to deal with that gets me down at times. Rest assured, I’ll figure it all out. In the meantime, I’m enjoying getting back into the swing of things.

The Trafficking ConsortiumAlso, I am writing, though not at the pace I was when I had lots of free time on my hands. My followup book to ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ is well underway. It’s entitled ‘Perfect Prey.’ Anyone who has read the first book will understand the meaning of the title. The first draft is about 60% done, with lots of scenes that need integration into the overall story. Not to fear, I’ll figure it out. I also have a clear understanding of what the third book in the trilogy will entail. Unlike when I wrote ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ which I expected to be a single, stand-alone novel, Avril’s story is evolving into a trilogy. I hope to finish it by the end of the holidays and begin editing it for real before turning it over to my editor for the heavy red-pen. 😉

More ideas

Plus, I want to finish these two books soon, as I have ideas for more normalized novels that don’t involve crime and punishment. Wouldn’t that be a change in direction? One might even call them romance novels, not that I have read any. I just like the snippets I’ve been writing and sharing with my female friends. They are encouraging me to take this turn, and I’m likely to do it.

In the meantime, sales of all of my books are doing well. I am thankful for the host of people out there who are reading my works. Please, consider writing a review. Good or bad, I enjoy reading them. Plus, they give me incentives to continue writing and refining my talents. Thanks, everyone.

maggicalExpressions
maggicalExpressions

Might I also suggest that you check out my online art gallery at maggicalExpressions. When I need to take a break, relax, and unwind, I tend to draw and paint. This gallery displays a collection of most of my favorite pieces. Let me know what you think. Most are available for sale, either as the original artwork or prints at a substantially reduced price.

So, overall, am I really getting lax? I kind of doubt it.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

The Trafficking Consortium

Shocking but Happy Discoveries

October 22, 2017

Discoveries

I discovered something fascinating the other day, discoveries that shocked me, and made me very happy. It has to do with sales of my books, specifically, my printed versions.

Amazon had sent me an email regarding the royalties for my sales for the past month. Usually, I just delete them as they do not contain any specific information that I am interested in, other than a payout is coming. However, the format of one of those emails was different than the rest. I was intrigued.

Upon opening it, I realized that it was different than the standard fare, and denoted sales from an unfamiliar source. Digging deeper, I logged into my Amazon account and checked. Nothing. Huh?

Investigations

Discoveries regarding paperback versions of 'The Trafficking Consortium'After following sales channel after sales channel, I was stymied. I couldn’t figure out who generated these sales. Amazon is good at identifying transactions. They just don’t offer the seller information on who the buyer is, that is without paying for it. They know how to make money.

After investigating all of the sales channels my books are available through, I checked one last source. A source where I don’t expect many sales, as it prices my books reasonably high, considering the costs of producing the book.

I realized that this email had to do with sales of my paperback versions. WhooHoo!

Findings

People are buying the hard copies of my books. What’s more, I dug deeper, finding that I had a spike in paperback sales back last January. I missed that.

What an honor. Sure, it’s easy to purchase and download an eBook and read it on your favorite eReader. But holding a book in your hand, smelling the paper and ink, and feeling its weight as you turn the pages, well that is entirely something else altogether. I know many a reader who prefers holding a real book as opposed to the electronic version.

Most sales were people buying the book ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I suspected that. However, I noticed that someone bought every one of my books on the same day. I’m astounded, pleased, no, happy. This one person is not the only one. I noticed several sales of all of my books over the course of the month. To be honest, I’m shocked but very pleased.

Gratitude

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read my books, including ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele,’ and ‘Her Client Trilogy.’ You don’t know how much that means to me. What can I say? You, my fans, are fantastic.

And, oh, by the way, thank you Amazon.com. None of this would be possible without you.

Missing Person, Adult Female

Missing Persons, Human Trafficking

October 8, 2017

Reviews

I recently received a review of my book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ a story about missing persons and human trafficking. As much as I love five-star reviews, this reviewer gave a single one, and I love it.

The Trafficking ConsortiumSo far, readers are on one side of the fence or the other. To date, there have been zero mediocre reviews. They don’t comment on the writing, the grammar, or other such vital issues regarding a book. They all write about the story, either it’s terrific, or they’re too horrified, denying to themselves to think it might be genuine. Awesome. People are reacting to my story. Nice!

The latest review states:

“I don’t think this crazy sadistic world needs someone giving them horrific ideas to make people even worse.”

And the one that especially makes me smile is:

“Hope and pray this is truly fiction since it made me sick to THINK that a human could treat another human this way. “

Missing Persons

I have to tell you. It concerned me to write this novel, but probably not for the reasons you may suspect. The concept of the story may seem so far out there that it couldn’t possibly be real. While it is a pure work of fiction, I hope and pray that the agency I write about, ‘The Consortium,’ does not exist. Yet, I fear that I am wrong. I honestly believe that they might be real.

Look at the evidence. Each year, thousands of missing persons disappear, forever. No trace of them is ever found. No evidence shows what might have happened to them. And this is just in America. Similar numbers per capita exist in every developed country on the planet. Horrifically, most of the missing are children. Since I won’t write stories involving children, I will keep my numbers to adults.

Adult Missing Persons by race

According to CBS researcher, Tanita Gaither, published May 9, 2013, in Atlanta Updated, “Of the 900,000 reported missing persons each year in the U.S., 50,000 are over the age of 18.” The chart breaks down the missing by race. It seems to me that none of us is immune.

Fifty thousand adults in America, gone. most are never found. The rate of the missing person incidence is growing, from 150,000 in 1980 to over 900,000 each year. Those figures are just those in the U.S. They do not include those reported missing overseas. I can say with certainty, that thousands more go missing and unreported to authorities. I can’t even fathom the 850,000 being children under the age of 18. I’m appalled.

In 2008, 481 British adults disappeared while abroad, and 401 in 2007 and 336 in 2006. (Carole Moore, ‘The Last Place You’d Look,’ [Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2011.]

Where are they now?

Missing Person, Adult FemaleIn researching this article, I wanted to find an appropriate image or two to use supporting the evidence. I was astounded and perturbed to see the sheer volume of pictures of missing people, from all sects of life, race, gender, nationality, what have you. Google images using the tag ‘missing persons’ and you will discover yourself just how fucked our species is. God help us from ourselves.

What happened to them? Are they choosing to disappear? Do they not want to be found? If not, who is culling them from their homes? Were they kidnapped, stolen off the streets? Where are they? Are they dead? If so, where are their bodies? If they are still alive, where did they go? Are they, in fact, slaves for someone’s amusement? Are they bound servants, performing to fatten their owner’s wallet?

A Ring of Truth

While writing my story, I started looking over my shoulder, wondering whether I was being watched and followed. I can’t tell you how many times I debated with myself whether to finish the story and then again, to publish it. I may not fit their profile of acceptable prey, but I believe that if I get too close to the truth, they may want to remove me as a threat.

You may think I am crazy, but I cannot control my feelings. They just happen, and I would be a fool to ignore them. I’ll be honest with you. I am scared and you should be too.

It’s true, I fear that my story may have more than a ring of truth to it. I wrote the story with the idea that the Consortium only culls a few hundred people a year, out of the billions who live on the planet. Could I be understating the number? I hope I am wrong.

I’m not saying that an organization like the Consortium is out there, snatching people for personal gain and satisfaction. I just raise the possibility that there may be such a global outfit.

Follow-up

And still based upon the feedback I’ve received, I’m writing a sequel, to turn Avril’s story into a series. She is one such missing person, a slave to someone’s amusement, and is the main character and victim of the book. It is unlikely that anyone ever reported her missing. The Consortium is superb at covering their tracks. I told her story from her point of view, and at the end, she seemed to accept her new station in life. But did she?

Did she really accept a life as own property, to do someone’s bidding or suffer the consequences? Can she accept her new life as someone’s slave? Can she willing suffer anguish and even learn to do the same to others? Will she learn to torture and kill another human being? Her owner seems to think so, but will she really?

I can’t wait to finish writing her new story.

If you read the first book, you’ll understand why I’m calling the sequel, ‘Perfect Prey.’

Quotes by Roald Dahl

Famous Quotes to Write By

September 11, 2017

Recently, I saw the email signature of one of my co-workers that includes the following quote. She is a career librarian and knowing her; the quote suits her.

(Librarians) “are subversive. You think they’re just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They’re like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn’t mess with them.” ~ Michael Moore, author/filmmaker.

When I first read the quote, all I could think of was rubbing my hands together in a nefarious way and grin an evil smile. However, the quote got me thinking. Perhaps, I should change my author signature. So, I went looking for one. I came up with several, but so far, the one I found that suits me, is:

Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl

“I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as they finish the book.”
~Roald Dahl

That is exactly how I feel. I write my stories for fun. I don’t care if you love or hate them. I write for the joy of it, transferring images from my brain to the blank white screen of my writing program. If a reader doesn’t like the story, they are welcome to their viewpoint. I won’t deny them their right to their opinion.

At first, I deeply cared whenever I read a poor review of one of my books. All of them talked about the story itself, how it was not their cup of tea or some such thing. What they never wrote was that it was poorly written, filled with grammatical errors and the like.

I fretted over the reviews. That is until I realized that all of the reviewers read the entire book. They didn’t just abandon it halfway through. They chose to read it to the end. That tells me they liked the story enough to take it to its conclusion.

Success!

Over the past couple of years, I’ve taken a lot of grief about the subject matter of my stories. They are often gruesome and horrendous. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me, “How do you think of the stuff you write about?” or “Is what you write about, something you did or wish you could do?”

How aberrant do you think I am? Okay, don’t answer that.

What is important is, these are just fictional stories. I get my inspiration from everyday life, and I let my imagination go wild. That’s exactly how my book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ came to life. I sat in a doctor’s waiting room, watching people being checked in and asked myself “What would happen if that person behind the desk sent the patient’s file off to someone with no rights to have it?” Within minutes, the entire framework of the book appeared in my head. I spent the next six weeks writing the first draft. The rest is history.

Need I say more?

The Trafficking Consortium

My take on a book review

August 17, 2017

I received a one-star review on my book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ the other day. It contained two words “Terrible ending.” I won’t say who it was that wrote the review, it’s not important. What is important is that the reviewer liked the book enough that they read the entire thing. If they read the entire book, how can it deserve only a single star? There had to be some redeeming value to the story.

The Trafficking ConsortiumNow me, if I’m going to give a book a bad review, I’m either going to do one of two things. Abandon the book during the early chapters and move on to another book. There’s plenty of other stories out there. Or if I choose to read the whole thing and decide to write a review, I will be detailed in my evaluation of the book, pointing out specific things that riled me.

I’ve written a couple of bad reviews in the past, but it’s not often. I grew up taught that if I can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. I guess that is why I don’t write many bad reviews.

As I pondered the review last night, I realized that the book did just what I wanted. It left the reader with a question or a desire for more. While people reading a book dealing with felonious acts want nice clean endings, I like putting in twists. If they want the details neatly wrapped up, prosecuting the offender, and the victim fleeing their harrowing experience, then they may or may not get their wish.

In my case, as I repeat throughout the book, there is no escape for my heroine. Why should the reader think that she would? Is it because they retain hope that she will find a way to freedom? Well, as my readers of my other books well know, I like leaving a hook at the end. This book is no different.

Though I originally intended to write this as a stand-alone novel, so many people are asking for a sequel, and I’m considering it. The hook I left in the book allows me to do that. Who knows, there may be a trilogy in it. I can envision many scenarios that will allow that to come to pass. There couldn’t be a sequel if I wrote Avril’s story so that she found a way to escape to her old life. What’s the fun in that?

I don’t plan on writing a comment on the site with the review. In my head, I’m dismissing the review. Better to leave well enough alone.

Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Snoopy Happy Dance

Time slips by

August 15, 2017

Hello, everyone. I’ve been meaning to write and have gotten bogged down in posting an entry in my blog. Damn, it’s been, what two weeks, since I updated it. Sorry folks.

To catch you up, my regular full-time job that pays the bills interfered with attending to my website, writing, and of course updating my blog. Unlike most careers I’ve worked, the month of August is one of the toughest, most demanding months in the entire calendar. What I actually want to be doing is sitting on a beach, soaking in the sun, drinking a cocktail, read a good book, take a swim in whatever ocean I’m sitting in front of, and of course, writing my next great novel.

Time FliesNot going to happen.

What is going on is that I leave work, spend an hour or more at the gym, and barely have enough energy to eat dinner and spend a little time with my girlfriend, only to fall asleep in the chair in the living room. I’m ready for bed by 8? WTF? Multiply this by 14, and you know what I mean.

On weekends, I’ve been able to recover somewhat through rest, but it takes the entire weekend to do it. However, I try to fit in a couple of hours either with formulating and writing several notes for my next novel or by working on my new website design.

I happy to say, I like the new design, and it’s probably ready for real-time. However, I can’t check the security cert yet, which means I can’t check the online purchase modules. Hopefully, I can work with my hosting provider and work out those details this week. If I can, I’ll be promoting the new site this coming weekend. Look for it.

Snoopy Happy Dance

I’ve also been checking sales, and pages read of my books. I’m pleased to see what’s happening. Thank you to each and every one of you who either purchased outright or read my stuff via Kindle Unlimited. The book release of ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ has jump started the lagging sales of my other books. Even the free copy of ‘Her Client’ didn’t do that, as I had hoped. Sales of my other books have also jumped back on the charts.

Thank you, everyone. You are making the months of July and August a happy time for me. One that I seriously need.

As I wrote the last couple of sentences, I couldn’t help but think of Snoopy (from the Peanuts® cartoon) jumping up and down in joy. You put smiles on my face over these past several stressful days when I needed them the most.

Next on the agenda, seriously begin writing the next great novel. Hopefully, I can get it ready for the winter holidays. Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.

 

Addams Family

When family comes to visit

July 18, 2017

My sister just left. Whew, I’m tired. She and her husband arrived last Thursday and departed Saturday afternoon. Everyone had a great time. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. However, I’m still tired. As hosts, I tried to be up early and stay up late until they were ready for bed. So, what was I to do? I stayed up past midnight, ate and drank a bit too much, and talked into the wee hours of the night.

Addams Family
Carolyn Jones (C, sitting) and John Astin (L), with other cast members, during scene from program “The Addams Family.”

I miss my sister. I do. I haven’t seen her for at least two years(?). She lives three hundred plus miles away and until this past weekend, last came to visit me when I first moved to my adopted town back in the late eighties. Since then, I’ve gone to visit her. She has a bunch of kids, and she felt that kind of car ride would be difficult. I understand. So, I visited her as much as I can. I have only one kid, and he’s grown up and moved away. I have no pets to take care of, nor do need to find accommodations for them when I go away, nor deal with the hassles of taking them with me to contend with her pets.

The long and short of it, I’m just glad they came. I miss her.

I even had a chance to chat with her alone, one-on-one. Sometimes, I feel the need to tailor my conversation based upon whether her husband or my girlfriend is around. Even though I know that she is very traditional, she is still open and liberal enough to accept me for whom I am. She accepts me, faults and all. And boy, some say I have many faults.

What? Me? Faults? I kid of course, but that doesn’t change who I am. I like me as I am, and I hate tailoring myself to protect the feelings of others.

So, that is in part, why I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been busy. In the free moments I had, I spent researching how to redesign my website. I found a theme I like, and I’m playing with it to see how it turns out. If not, I’ll move on. Until then, I’m not buying the professional version until I am satisfied. It is going to take some work though. My old theme used page templates that don’t translate very way to other themes. It’s these templates that drive me crazy. They interfere with the SEO (Seach Engine Optimization) routines and are not compatible with the higher end online shopping cart systems. A big PITA (Pain In The ASS). Still, what I’ve accomplished over the past couple of weeks is promising.

Now, on my head issues, cognitive issues are rampant. Do you know how long it took me to remember the word ‘promising’ in the previous paragraph? Way too long, let me tell you. Grrrrr!!!! Periodic chiropractic adjustments seem to work. My headaches live in the one to two range of ten. When they start to grow, doc tells me I’m out of adjustment. Damn, I didn’t know one leg could be shorter than another simply by being out of adjustment. A quick fix and I’m on my way. Even my neurologist is impressed. He’s put me on a decreasing dose of my meds with the intent to hopefully stop within 18 weeks. Knock on wood. Wish me luck.

Oh, I almost forgot. ‘The Trafficking Consortium‘ is now available in paperback from Amazon and Createspace.com. If  you’re one to like a book in your lap rather than on a tablet or smart-phone, then now is your chance to get it at a decent price. Join the hundreds of others that have read the book. As always, I appreciate your honest critique and review posted on the site from where you bought the book. Thx.

Okay, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed reading about my latest news. Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow!

p.s. Theme photo is from the original Addam’s Family television series from the 1960’s, a take off of Charles Addam’s cartoons, which I devoured in my youth. By no means, do I want to equate my sister’s visit with the Addam’s. I love both, just differently.

Besides, Morticia Addams is hot!

Lightning touches down

Thunderstorms and other things

July 8, 2017

Lightning touching downWe had the most magnificent thunderstorm overnight. Despite their danger and possible damage to our environment, I love watching them form before breaking out in lightning and thunder. I love the feel of the concussive force against my chest as they roll across the landscape. I love seeing the bolts of light gather strength and reach out to the ground in impressive displays of their power.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I protect myself, mindful of the danger. I stay safe and if necessary, flat to the ground. I know the danger, having observed my mother get struck once when I was a kid. The experience scared me to death. Come to think of it, I had forgotten all about the incident until just now. It’s been decades since I recalled watching the bolt jump from the sky and touch my mother, pulling weeds from the garden. She was okay shortly later, but at the time, scary.

Lightning and lit up clouds reaching down

Perhaps I’ll write a story involving lightning and thunderstorms one day.

The other day, I made the commitment to once again, redesign my website. While pretty, maintaining it is problematic. The theme it uses are very restrictive and let’s not get started on the SEO components. I’ve tried to take advantage of several plug-ins only to find that they cannot work with the primary template of the theme. A template used on most of the pages of the site. It’s very discouraging.

So, sometime in the future, probably in the fall, I will release my updated site and add the functionality that I struggle implementing. Wish me luck.

The Trafficking ConsortiumMy latest book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ is selling well. It is outselling the ‘Her Client’ series by a significant amount. It pleases me that it has also brought traffic to my other books, including ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele‘ and ‘The Breakup.’ I still need to finish the third book in the Mona series, called ‘Lucky Bitch.’ The first draft is done but I need to go through it again, clean it up, send it to editing, and well, a whole bunch more before it is published.

I’m still hoping that ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ will take off and launch an exciting future. In the meantime, I’ve been tossing around ideas and framework for a new book. It’s a serial killer drama, and I have already written two scenes for it along with a rough outline. However, it’s too early to tell whether I will proceed with the concept. Time, inspiration and perspiration will tell. So far though, I like it.

Lastly, on my concussion recovery front, I am doing surprisingly well. It seems that the chiropractic work is succeeding. I am ecstatic. However, it’s only been a month and while these latest sessions indicate that I am ‘Holding,’ my body is still reacting to the realignment of my vertebrae. Numerous lightning bolts across the cityHe calls it ‘retracing.’ There’s lots of information on that on the web so that I won’t go into it now. Let’s just say that the nerve endings in my brain must find new ways around the detours to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B.’ They are not happy and tortures my body until they settle down. Much like lightning. The parallels are uncanny.

I’ve experienced everything from vision changes, extreme neural and physical fatigue, and dry mouth. It seems I can’t go a minute or two without taking a sip of water. I wake up with a dry mouth and to bed with one. The dry mouth symptom started minutes after my first adjustment and is only now, four weeks later, starting to settle down. Doc tells me that this is normal as my body is flushing built up poisons.

That’s all well and good, but I need to pee every twenty minutes or so. Too many times I find the bathroom already occupied, as I stand outside, restless as my body jerks around trying to contain the imminent expulsion of poisons.

“Damn it! Whoever’s in there, get the hell out, please!”