Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Dances with Dustbunnies

What a day.   It took hours but I finally resolved a bathtub leak that the previous owner had going on for who knows how long.  Turns out that if you use glue-together drain fittings that it helps to glue them on STRAIGHT!

But I got a new one and fixed it though.

In the process, I spent so much time in the subfloor with the dust bunnies and spiders that they have adopted me as one of their own.  Big ceremony.  Lots of drums.  I am now a member of the tribe.

Random topic change!

I haven't heard much back on the sneak peek I posted, so hopefully it piqued peoples' interest.

What worked out well as a promo piece is that, while setting up the gameboard for the story, it still gives nothing away. 

All this huge, crazy stuff going on!  What's going to happen!??  You don't know!

:)_
This emoticon represents you salivating for more.

Or, at least I hope so.

As for me, however, I'm off to do some important fiction research.  Or, in other words, kick back with a paperback and space out a little before I have to get up at 3:AM and start all over again.


Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

SNEAK PEEK!!!!!

Just for fun, (and the fact that I'm considering cutting it), I've attached the book's prolog below!

And even if it does get cut, you can be all hipster and in-the-know, like you're having overpriced coffee or something and you say, "Oh yeah.  I know that book.  In fact, I even read the original beginning."

And they'll be all, "No way."

And then you can ask Siri or whoever is in charge those days, and they whole rest of the party will be nudging eachother, going, "Wow!  That guy must be hip and in-the-know!", as you simply fold your arms and nod sagely.

Something like that.

(Also, if you want to PM me on social media or use the email address here on the blog, you can try to talk me away from the ledge if you really like it.)


Live  YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher



Prologue

It happened in the old days.  The age of technology.

The world in those days was alive with tension - like a coiled spring about ready to burst.  World superpowers glared at one another from across (and within) the Earth's great seas.  Ghastly weapons bristled every shore.  Nasties of all kinds, so insidious that they that should never have even been dreamt of, let alone built. 

But built, they were, and in staggering numbers.

Dictators, benevolent and otherwise, amassed great hordes of them.

It was all one big powder keg.  All it needed was a spark.  One leader, more desperate and diabolical than the rest, to gauge the situation, to see the weak link, and to act.  A man like that could knock over the whole house of cards with but the slightest breath and set himself up as master above it all.  Yes, the time was indeed ripe for a bid world domination. 

Tyrants had arisen many times before, but now the pieces were in place for it to happen on a truly global scale.  In the past, innocent people could run, or hide, or immigrate, or defect.  This time there would be no place to run and no place to hide.  In such a universal oppression, there would be no hope of escape in any form.  There could be nothing besides neverending serfdom... or death.  To the cruel dictator in charge, it would matter little which.

Looking back it's easy to see, just like looking back at the Nazis rise to power makes it seem so obvious what was about to happen.  But those who live in such times are always so strangely blind to things going down right before their very eyes.  Blind to their freedoms disappearing one by one.  Blind to seeing what it all pointed towards.

The tyrant in question was not hypothetical like some logic exercise.  He was a real man, who really existed and indeed his minions were already in place!  The hammer blow was about to fall.  The clock was ticking off the final seconds.  And there was only one person, the unlikeliest if heroes, who could change the outcome.

As surely as these good days were built upon the ruins of those, so it is for all of history.  This adventure begins, not in the age of technology, but in a time thousands of years prior, with a mighty people, both ancient and forgotten.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Back in the Saddle Again

My day today could best be described like a WorldWar dogfight.
Particularly the part where the plane goes nnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr KAFOOM!
Crash and burn! 

In my daily planning, I tend to follow the school of thought that says, "List the 2-3 most important things I need to accomplish today.  If you get those, everything else is gravy."

Today I accomplished only one.  The rest:  Despite hours of effort, are still right where they left off before I started.  Can you say frustration?

But it's okay though, because you know what?  I just remembered a verse I read from Proverbs this week.  "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again!"

Yeah, that helps I think.

Also it kind of feeds back into my "Live your adventure" motto.  You know, like in plot arcs and that, where the hero just gets knocked down time after time, and then eventually it looks like they'll win... and BAM!  Worst smack-down yet!

But does he stay down on the mat?  All the crowd is yelling at him, "Stay down!  Just stay down!".  The boxing... ref... guy (whatever he's called) is counting down "4... 3.... 2..."

The righteous man falls seven times (and seven is the Biblical number for perfection, so... a COMPLETE defeat).

But does he stay down?  Nobody would blame him.  NO!  He rises again!

This is one of those blog posts where I don't know if anybody is going to read it -- or care.  But as for myself, through the process of writing it I know I went from defeated and peeved to, "Yeah!  Let's do this thing!"

I hope you did too.  Time to dust ourself off, get right back up on that hobby horse, and...


Live YOUR adventure!
--E.L. Fletcher

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Baaaaaby steps...

Lately I'm getting a little concerned that side projects seem to be moving in.  Okay, some of it, like the bathtub leaking all over the place, is understandable.

But then there's this and that broken and in need of fixing...  pretty soon the immediate trumps the important and I find my savings account one day lower and yet I'm not a corresponding step closer to positive income.

I'm thinking I need a reset here.  Maybe a second month of kung fu?

It might be worth thinking about.   Things are certainly beginning to slip, and that's something that I CANNOT AFFORD!

I'll have to think about that reset thing some more, but for now, one more blog entry, one more editor powow, baby steps, Bob... baaaaaaaby steps...


Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher

Thursday, September 10, 2015

The great fj secret... REVEALED!

I just noticed that if you type f and j over and over it kind of looks like a zipper.  Check it out!

fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj [-]

But anyway.  Today was the last farmer's market with the kids.  Now it's all about online sales, so I need to spend the next week photographing stuff and writing ad copy.

Between that, the same old stuff, getting a final draft professional editor lined up, and getting that old truck running** it should be one killer week.

(** The new fuel pump works great.  Now there is plenty of gas to backfire out the throttlebody and make cool fireballs!  Unfortunately the entertainment value is nearing its end and I'd just rather the thing start.)

Man!  Are we running in circles here, or what?
I like to think that adds up to "progress".

As far as this blog goes, I've also got some more concept art for you guys and I'm thinking about uploading a copy of my much-mentioned daily schedule in case it helps give anyone ideas for their own.

Lots in the works.  Stay tuned!


Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Movie Review: War Room

Today the wife and I went with some friends to see the movie War Room.  Even though the theater had a midweek special, we blew 2/3 of our allotted date money for the month.  (AKA: Don't expect a lot of new movie reviews on this blog.)

But the question is:  Was it worth it?

I'd say, big YES!

The little old lady / mentor character is PHENOMENAL!  She has such a fun and likeable personality, that she pretty much carries the whole show.  Production values are top notch, and the film is littered with Kendrick memorablila... a flywheel, Wrath of God hot sauce, Bobby Lee Duke Ambulance Service...  It's like a Where's Waldo trying to spot them all.

The concept of the film is about the importance and power of prayer, and for the most part it carries it off very well.  There are a few moments, however, like when the woman is shouting at Satan to get out of her house, that might be a little over-the-top for non-Christians in the audience.  Still, these are rare and on the whole everyone is left with the overwhelming sense of, "Wow!  I can't survive without this stuff!".

One of our group said it nicely, "Yeah, I need to watch this movie about once a week".
Too true!  Prayer is one of those things that loses its vitality over time.  Eventually you find yourself lapsing into boredom and doing it by rote.

Like a pilot's pre-flight checklist, it starts to become routine and monotonous over time.  But, "familiarity breeds contempt", and as soon as he loses respect for the importance of it, terrible things can happen.

All in all, see it in theaters if you want to support good Christian films.  Either way though, I agree with the statement above; you'll definitely want to buy it on disk to have around.


Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher

Friday, September 4, 2015

Sin Boldly!

Remember last time, all the bragging about saving money and running a tight ship?  Well... doesn't do a lot of good if you run right out and get a speeding ticket. :((

I average about one a decade.

What's interesting is my knee-jerk response.  "This wouldn't have happened if I never would have left the house."  Technically true, certainly ridiculous, but mostly it hits on something that I've been wanting to blog on for awhile.  So I will.  (I figure I've paid my dues for it, after all.)

Failure always eventually happens when you do stuff.
Truly, the only way to never fail is to never do anything at all.

Fear of failure is what causes people to never step out of their comfort zone.  People never do great things / follow their dreams / strive for something better, because they don't want to fail.

My short answer:  Not worth it!!!

Mike Rowe of the TV program "Dirty Jobs", says "Safety Third".  Which makes sense if you think about it.  If you really want "Safety First", stay at home in your hyperbaric bubble and don't ever do anything.  Working with tools and machinery and all the things he does always has an inherent amount of danger.

Even better, I like what Protestant reformer Martin Luther said.  "Sin boldly!"  (Wear that t-shirt to church sometime, I dare ya!)

Luther didn't want people to sin, Rowe doesn't want people to use a lathe without safety glasses, nor do I recommend exceeding the posted speed.  The thing is, don't let the fear of what could go wrong stop you from taking important action.

You know, fines only sting for a moment, Jesus is all about forgiving sin, and chicks dig scars.
Failure is about 10% as bad as our fear makes it out to be and about 10% as likely to happen as well.

The heroine in my book learns this lesson after getting ridiculously beaten in the boxing ring.  The thing is, instead of backing off, she keeps trying and eventually succeeds in the goal she seeks.
I think that's a lesson we all need to learn!



Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Third Month of Freedom - A Recap

Today marks three whole months of lack of traditional employment.

Even now, there is an uncomfortable lack of any sort of income going on.  I was hoping to see some motion in that direction by now, but I guess you can't rush things like that, hard as you may try.

Aside from the nagging issue of money being necessary for survival though, things are going great!  I know my kids better than I ever have, thanks to spending more than one hour per day with them.  Also, I'm in noticeably better shape than I was when this all started.  That, being due to exercise and cutting almost all meat from my diet.  (Meat is crazy expensive.)

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm a cheepatarian.

We've gotten far more clever about food and things like that.  Every deal in town is on the radar.  It's a pretty tight ship.

Likewise, time too has been stretched to the limit.  We've become far more active and productive as a family.

No doubt about it, it's a healthier and all-around better way to live.

The one trick I haven't yet figured out is, again,  how to get enough income to do it indefinitely.
In fact, I'm not even looking for a lot.  Just enough to get by, you know.

But I guess the one comfort is I'm not without prospects.  If the book totally flops, I could always take a 3 month contract job or something.  I'd hate to.  The idea of going back to the cubicle farm for even that long is far more repulsive to me than I thought it would be.

But a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
And ironically, so do I. ;)

So in summary:  It's a great lifestyle if you can pull it off.
(And I'm desperately hoping that condition can be achieved!)


Live YOUR adventure!
-E.L. Fletcher