Not Exactly a Redesign

I finally started tinkering with my main site again, removing links that were never going to be used and updating the status information for both To Everything a Purpose and Fallen Sparrows. I removed all links and references to the hacked-and-therefore-defunct feedback forums. I redirected the latest news link to this blog and added a direct link to my Flickr site so they can view any photos I post.

So far, there is nothing on the main page that even mentions Knights of the Blood or 411-SINGLES. Because of the way the site is currently laid out, this is where a redesign becomes necessary. Most likely, I expect to center the redesing around 411-SINGLES as that is my main focus at this point. The two current novels will keep there own sections, which will probably stay as they are now. Knights of the Blood may get set up with a similar section, but it’s not a priority. This blog will still be the best source of updates for anything I do, mainly since I can update it from anywhere.

The main holdup for a complete redesign is coming up with some graphics I can use for 411-SINGLES and deciding what the new layout should be. The graphics will be the harder part, as I have not really toyed around with Paint Shop Pro since I did the cover art for Fallen Sparrows. It shouldn’t be too hard once I come up with an overall graphic theme for it. I’ve got ideas, but none of them are rising head and tails above the others yet. Keep your eyes open, though. This is my second update in as many days. That’s gotta be a good sign.

The New Project

Other than fiction and the occasional poem, I’ve never really been interested in writing anything else. Even though I’ve been told several times that it’s harder for an unpublished author to publish a novel than a nonfiction work, my heart has always been in telling a good story. Even though finishing Fallen Sparrows got to be a bit of a chore because of not being able to consistently keep writing it, I knew if I started writing something new I wanted it to be a novel.

Knights of the Blood is still very much alive as an idea, but it is more of a backburner idea now. That’s actually a good thing, since the research for the historical aspects of the novel are going to take a lot of time and taking more time will allow me to develop the story better before I start writing in earnest. What’s surprised me is the book that I am now hard at work on, because it is not only nonfiction but it also has the potential to completely upend my life in very exciting ways.

But first, a little background info. Over the holidays, I experimented with a very popular online matchmaking service that you may have heard of: eHarmony. I must say that the matches that I was notified of were by and large pretty good. The problem was that I couldn’t get any of them to talk to me. The guided communication process eHarmony uses is sound, but I could never get to a point where any of the young ladies I was matched with were willing to communicate openly, as opposed to the canned questions and responses that start the process. It was very frustrating. I knew that if I gave it more time, this would improve, but my finances were such that I could not renew my subscription for awhile. Then, as I thought about it more, I realized that any time that I have ever tried to make something happen for myself in this area, it never worked. I decided that if I got the money to renew my subscription again, I would instead give that amount to God in the form of an offering at my local church. I did that, and I haven’t looked back.

You see, this particular decision was a turning point for me. An epiphany, if you will. I realized that if it was in God’s plan for me to get married someday, He wanted to be the one to orchestrate it. What surprised me was that once I accepted this, I was perfectly content with it. What encouraged me in this was also realizing that being content as a single by no means meant that I had to give up my desire to be married someday.

It was from this realization that I started analyzing some other thoughts I had about being single. When I started putting them all together I realized I had enough material to write a book, and a book that would approach this material from a different perspective than any other book I had seen to date. That meant the book would not only sell, but help other people who have struggled with singleness like I have.

The theme is simple: Contentment in singleness without giving up. The premise: As singles, we set up mental roadblocks or attitudes that prevent us from serving God in our current circumstances. We need to learn to get past these roadblocks and change these attitudes and start serving God now, start serving each other now, rather than waiting for a life milestone that may come later rather than sooner, if at all. We need not give up looking for marriage, but it should not be our focus, else we will miss the blessings and opportunites that God wants to give us while we are single.

My current working title is 411-SINGLES: Contentment in Any Circumstance. The 411 is a reference to Philippians 4:11 where the Apostle Paul, himself a single, tells how he has learned to be content in any circumstance. The research and preparation is going so well, I’m getting ideas faster than I can write them down. I currently have three sets of surveys nearly ready (one for singles, one for married persons, and one for pastors/singles workers) that I hope to distribute in an effort to expand my research past my own experiences and make sure that the unique needs of other singles are being addressed also.

I’m excited. Potentially, this could turn into a Bible study series with video lessons, speaking opportunities, and who knows what else. My youth pastor friend, Bob Johnson likes to say, “See it big, keep it simple.” I’m starting with the book, and trusting God to do wonderful things with it. I personally can’t wait to see what happens.

Has it been that long?

Okay, so I admit I’m not that good at keeping a blog up to date, but it has been a busy few months since my last post. I still keep up with the CSI’s and Shark, though the latter may be dropped if I get to a point where there are too many shows to keep up with. I’m trying to catch up on 24 and Battlestar Galactica but my DVR erased a few of them so it’s going to take a little more time on them. American Idol is another current favorite. There are no clear favorites this year, but this week the girls blew the guys out of the water. Lakisha’s performance was by far the strongest, however, and if she can keep it up she’ll be a major contender for the final prize.

Another contest that has no clear favorites for me is the 2008 presidential race. The Democrats seem so desperate to claim the White House again that they couldn’t give us a break after the ‘06 election finished. The Republicans had no choice but to respond in kind and now there are so many candidates that 2008 promises to be a very messy race. It’s probably best to save any further thoughts on that until the crowd of candidates thins out a little bit and we know where things are headed. I’ll just say I’m definitely not for Hillary or Obama, and not for any prejudicial reasons. Margaret Thatcher proved a woman is more than capable of leading a superpower nation, and there’s no valid reason to claim a person of any minority would be any less fit because of ethnicity. Seriously, if the Democrats can find a good candidate with moral values that match mine, I will absolutely consider voting for them.

Of course, my novels are the main reason I have this blog in the first place, so I should probably update you on that, too. Fallen Sparrows is not finished, but as of today I am one or two sections away from being finished. It’ll probably be just one, as I think I can wrap what’s left up in one section, so hopefully I can knock that out really, really soon. After that, I think I’m way overdue for a main site redesign that will tie into this blog and my Flickr account. Ideas are still shaping up very nicely for the next story, which I’ve now titled Knights of the Blood. I’ve even got a great logo designed for it, but haven’t had time to scan it into Paint Shop Pro and touch it up. Once I do, you can be assured I’ll share it as I don’t put that kind of work into something that only I’ll ever see.

On the gaming front, I just picked up Crackdown a few days ago and have been having fun with that. I got a Wii for Christmas and sunk about 60 hours into the new Legend of Zelda game and loved every minute of it. In my opinion, anyone who has an Xbox 360 and a Wii simply doesn’t need a PS3. Blu-Ray may be ahead in the format war, but it’s still better to wait for the price of regular players to come down. I’m still waiting to see which format gets Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

Last of the old posts

So much for soon, but it is down. There really wasn’t much point in having a guestbook anyway. Even if this site at some point does generate some real traffic, the forum is more than sufficient to make up for it.

Also, because I could, I added my Xbox LIVE gamercard info on the front page. It’s a way for anyone interested to see what games I’ve played on my Xbox360 (when it comes in–I’m still on backorder) and what I’ve accomplished in them. The icon I currently use is a character from the popular Halo games with a black/orange swirl in the background. Bengal colors. Who Dey?! (Here’s hoping for a 13-3 season).

I’ve taken out the placeholders for Deleted scenes links on my books. Aside from the fact that I just don’t get the time to update this site like I’d like, that particular feature would really never be that much of a draw. Again, if someone should be interested, the forum is the best place for something like that.

I really do intend to be more vigilant on updating this site, but who knows when that will be? I’m on Chapter 9 currently in Fallen Sparrows and only have about 2 more chapters after that before I finish my first draft. That’s my top priority, but even finding time for that is difficult. Thanks to those of you who have stopped by and looked around. I really hope you’re enjoying it. Your prayer and support is invaluable. Until next time…

Edit: The gamerpic for my Xbox Live card is (as of this post) Gimli from Lord of the Rings. It may or may not have changed by the time you see it.

Demise of the guestbook

The guestbook will be coming down soon. The only people using it are only using it to subtly advertise stuff like cialis. That is not what this site is about.

Edit: This was mentioned in other post edits, but this post is here for the sake of keeping a complete archive of previous posts.

Site updates and a conference

Time for another update. Fallen Sparrows is complete up to chapter 4 now. I’ve updated some of the pages for its section of the site, repairing a few incorrect links in the process. I hope to get a couple more pages up for it soon, meaning some time this month.

Lord willing, I have a one day Christian Writers’ Conference to attend on April 16th in Columbus (just two days after my birthday). Some of you may remember that I tried to attend a couple of them two years ago when some unexpected car trouble came up. Thankfully, with the car I have now, that is not expected to be a problem. I am looking forward to the learning experience as well as the opportunities it may present. Please pray that this will not only be possible, but aid in getting my stories into the hands of people who need them.

The site itself has been getting some notice, as you’ll see from the Guestbook page. It is always encouraging for me to receive feedback like that. It makes the costs of maintaining a low traffic web site worth it. Every life touched confirms that this is what God wants me to do, and I am thrilled to be able to do it.

I have begun submitting pieces of Fallen Sparrows to a critique circle on Faithwriters.com. An early response has already confirmed that the first chapter sets up the pacing perfectly. As I get more critiques in, excerpts will appear on the appropriate Reviews page. I also have the option of posting To Every Thing a Purpose as a rudimentary e-book, as well. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

Hopefully, I’ll get another site update soon, so if any of you out there are keeping up with me, you’ll have a reason to come back. Thanks for stopping by. God bless.

Edit: I did get to go to that conference and it was both educational and a blessing. It’ll be awhile before I can do another one, but I absolutely intend to.

Star Wars

All the pages for ‘To Every Thing a Purpose’ that already existed for the previous site format has been ported over to the new format and all the links should be up to date. Anything added now will be completely new. Also, ported over the About Me page and converted the photo of me on the home page to an e-mail link so you can contact me if you wish.

More updates will be coming soon, but not too soon. The Star Wars Trilogy DVDs are coming out today. I may be busy for a few days.

Edit: Oddly enough, this is almost 2 years to the date since Lucas released these DVDs again with the theatrical versions on them. I didn’t buy them since I’m satisfied with the newer ones, but I did pick up Lego Star Wars II for my Xbox360 on trade-in and loved every minute of it.

A much longer update

This has been the first update in exactly seven months, but it has been quite a busy seven months. Unless this is your first visit, chances are you’ve already noticed the biggest change. The format of the site has changed, including new custom-made graphics. Some pages now no longer use frames, but they never really needed them, anyway. The Feedback section still sports the old color scheme, but changing that involves more work and time than I can give it. Since it works well enough on its own, I’m just going to leave it for the time being.

Another huge update lies in a whole new section based on my new work-in-progress, the novel “Fallen Sparrows”. Work has actually begun on it, and it is the main reason a major site overhaul was necessary. As of today, I have almost two chapters completed. The portion of the site for this novel hasn’t been built yet, but you should be seeing it fairly soon. The hardest work was converting the rest of the site, including checking all the links, and most of that is done now. Of course, work on the novel is top priority, but updates are a lot easier and more convenient to do than redesigning a web site.

The “To Every Thing a Purpose” portion of the website is down for the moment, but that is coming next. My apologies to anyone visiting the site wishing to download the novel to read. It will be back up very soon, I promise. It is people like you who keep me encouraged and excited about writing. Trust me, this newest story is going to be awesome.

I’m also going to be expanding each of the novel sections a little bit. Each will have a page talking about the various main and supporting characters. These pages won’t contain any spoiler information, but if anyone’s wondering who some of the real life people are that inspired certain characters, this is where you will find it. There is also going to be a “Deleted Scenes” page for each book. Usually a feature you see on DVDs, I do have a couple scenes from each novel so far that have been scrapped entirely. In the case of “Fallen Sparrows” they have been completely rewritten. These pages are where you will see what was originally written and be able to judge for yourself if I made the right choice in tossing them. They’re more curiosity pages than anything, but someone may be interested.

The most subtle update to the site is an icon with a link in support of the reelection of our President George W. Bush and our vice President Dick Cheney. This is not a political site, so I won’t debate why Bush is the right choice and Kerry isn’t. There are plenty of sites for that, and that is not the purpose for this one. This is a personal site, so I limit my politics here to simply stating that George W. Bush is the candidate I support.

Anyway, keep checking back for all the updates and news regarding my writing and efforts to publish it. God Bless!

Edit: The deleted pages wasn’t so great an idea in retrospect and was just too much in light of everything else I want and wanted to do. Fallen Sparrows is still a great story in my opinion. I haven’t finished because I haven’t been able to get the creative juices flowing at the same time that I’ve had time to write. That and ideas have been coming fast and heavy for the next story.

Also, now that this is a blog, I won’t mind posting political items from time to time and maybe even allowing comments for them (moderated, of course).

Be a Man

There’s a new poem, “Be a Man” in the poetry section. I have a short story in progress that has a lot of promise and hopefully will have it finished and up soon. You may also notice the counter has changed again. This one is hosted by a Christian site and updates when anyone else but me visits the site. Please visit often as a lot of hits will rank me higher on some of the sites I’m listed at, and that in turn will bring more new traffic here. I know the site is still relatively new, but it can be discouraging to work so hard on a site and not receive any feedback, much less any traffic at all. Oh, well. Have to start somewhere, right?

Rate me

The biggest change is the new 5-star rating system in place for the short stories and snippets. The first snippet still has yet to be written as I’ve been concentrating on the site itself. You can see each story’s rating at a glance from the Short Stories index page, and add your own rating to the average from each story’s individual page (“Whispers” can be rated on page 10).
I’ve changed the counter to a hosted script so now it doesn’t update every time someone refreshes the page. With it being smaller, too, it’s now less intrusive.