Welcome to THE WRIGHT SIDE

The Big Move

2012-01-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me only moments ago how long it has been since I’ve contributed to my own blog. Shame on me!

I do have an excuse though; want to hear it? Here it goes.

For the first time since 1991 my wife and I decided to move, preparation for retirement, by downsizing into a house that, I think, I’ll begin calling “The Old Money Pit”. You know the type of house I’m referring to; full of character, charm and, oh yeah, lots and lots of problems. It’s called a “shotgun” house built in the late thirties. Even if you’re not familiar with the term, I’m sure you have seen plenty of them. That is, if you have spent any time at all in the oldest parts of the city in which you live. It, like all of them, has two front doors and all the rooms are lined up straight through to the backdoor, hence the name.

And, since downsizing was one of the goals, along with doing away with mortgage payments—forever, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that we have many boxes full of stuff that we have no clue what to do with. Well, not a surprise to anyone but the two of us. Now the question hovering over us like a smelly green cloud is: Did we improve our situation? Was our plan thoughtfully considered? Or, did we just spring up after the notion hit us and jump on it like a dung beetle on a cowpie?

We certainly have no storage space. Our backyard reminds me of one of those junk heaps behind a sad hovel in a third-world country. You know the ones. It’s the view that organizers of feed the children public service spots are really fond of showing us on television, usually right after they show a kid walking next to a sewage sluice. If you have the picture in mind, then you’re seeing the equivalent of our backyard.

A redeeming feature of the place in the beginning was that, although pier and beam construction and about eighty years old, the floors did not squeak. Impressive, I thought. The foundation did need some leveling since it sloped toward the back a tiny bit, but that seemed like no big thing. Now, the floors are level and it’s like walking across a creaking, groaning and popping trampoline. I have no need of an electronic intruder alert. In fact, I dare any crook to sneak up on me in this house. Coming in through the backdoor and walking across the laundry room, I can hear dishes rattling in the dining room. That’s two rooms away!

Will my opinion of this place change? I’ll take the confident approach and answer with a resounding “Yes!”

Even after spewing these negative sounding amusements, there are some really good things to consider. It’s a quiet small town. The train passes through a couple of times a day. People who live closer to the track may object to the sound, but we are far enough away that it is a comforting throwback to a simpler time. Rocking chairs are on front porches everywhere in this neighborhood and people embrace a slower, laid-back lifestyle.

One day while moving furniture, I took a moment to sit on our brand new eighty-year-old front porch and watch leaves from the massive pecan tree rain down with each puff of a gentle breeze. Squirrels chased one another through the treetops and I could hear children laughing somewhere down the street. It was easy to envision Norman Rockwell puffing on his pipe, sitting behind his easel and painting the scene I witnessed.

I’d love to stay and share more, but I must go build another cabinet in the kitchen so that I might empty one more box. This will feel like home soon enough.

Love to all.

Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/mainstream/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/action-adventure/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ historical drama/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/ short story/romance/Untreed Reads/ebook only

“Phobia”/Booktrope/2012/suspense-thriller/print & ebook
“Helping Hand For Ethan/Rogue Phoenix Press/2012/young adult/ebook only
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/young adult/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/ATTM Press/ July 2012/soft science fiction/print & ebook

COMING SOON
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Life, Love, and Lubbock”

Search Daniel Lance Wright on Amazon.com

The "But" Of Criticism

2011-11-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

The “But” Of Criticism

Have you noticed that when someone is about to relate a misdeed, bad situation, or sometimes outright tragic occurrence, they’ll often preface it by saying, “It’s funny, but . . . “.

I heard it twice yesterday and there was absolutely nothing funny about either account; one dealt with friends drifting apart to never reconnect and the other was someone dying before realizing a lifelong dream. Is this simply a way of softening a distasteful topic, yet compelled to speak of it anyhow?

I found myself thinking about this for a time, but as is usually the case, my thoughts on the subject rabbit-trailed. It reminded me of a long held belief developed a couple of decades ago.

I spent about ten years as a junior account executive in small market television. From the get-go a pattern developed during regular sales meetings that, at first, were quite demoralizing. The manager would stand at the end of a long conference table, put on a serious face and begin by saying something like, “You guys have been doing a really good job, but . . . “. The rest of that sentence was of course the truth, according to management. After a time, it became less unsettling and more amusing because I began noticing how often it is used in conversations of all types by all people. At some point along the way, it became downright hilarious and I developed a standard comeback whenever I hear versions of the comment: “It’s all bullshit until you get past the ‘but’.”

The balance of my television advertising career was as a manager. On many occasions, salespeople likely thought I had taken a side trip to catatonia listening to their sad stories of life, jealousies, lost loves and poor sales. I’d stare at them expressionless when a sentence began with, “I’m working hard and doing the best I can, but . . . “ or “She’s really a lovely girl, but . . . “ or “He’s a super nice man, but . . . “ Actually, they simply were not aware of how hard I was working at not laughing at their seriousness; you know, the “bullshit” factor.

So, I just want each and every one of you to know that, from the bottom of my heart, I love you all deeply and dearly, but . . . “

Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/mainstream/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/action-adventure/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ historical drama/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/ short story/romance/Untreed Reads/ebook only

“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/suspense-thriller/print & ebook
“Helping Hand For Ethan/Rogue Phoenix Press/2011/young adult/ebook only
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/young adult/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/ATTM Press/2012/soft science fiction/print & ebook

COMING SOON
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Life, Love, and Lubbock”

Search Daniel Lance Wright on Amazon.com

One Thing At A Time Or Not At All

2011-10-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

“Multi-tasking” is a term that sprang onto the scene over a decade ago to describe anyone doing more than one thing at a time while going about a daily routine; like talking on the phone, writing a letter, and drinking a cup of coffee at the same time to cram more things done into a day. Multi-tasking quickly became proudly hailed as the way to be, the thing everyone should aspire to and the style of most successful business people.

Poppycock!

Sticking with my example, if a person talks on the phone, writes a letter and drinks coffee at the same time, what that person will end up with is a hesitating conversation, a piece of paper with dropped words and coffee stains on it. Each one in need of a re-do.

Although at times necessary, proficiency declines proportionally to the number of tasks undertaken. Nothing gets done well. That’s my assertion and I’m sticking with it.

I was driving home yesterday from Waco behind a woman talking on the phone, she weaved from center stripe to shoulder repeatedly. It was easy to tell the second she ended the conversation, Her car suddenly accelerated and whooshed straight as a string up the highway.

After she turned, I found myself behind a young man in a very big pickup truck holding his phone in both hands atop the steering wheel and texting. That phone was getting much more attention than the steering wheel beneath it. Besides crossing the line and jerking back into his lane a time or two, his speed surged from fifty to seventy then began backing off again. Perturbed and a little concerned for his safety I honked at him. The response was anger and a one-fingered salute.

I thought, “There goes the quintessential multi-tasker.” And, then, I went on to analyze my own opinion of those who dare attempt multi-tasking and how I despise being forced into situations that it’s necessary.

I will admit that taking care of multiple responsibilities simultaneously does, indeed, bring out one’s character and then shines a spotlight on it. The young man in the pickup was clearly having a bad day before I ever pulled up behind him. But, don’t you think, if he’d pulled off the highway and focused on only the text that his bad day could’ve been made just a little better, a tiny bit less stressful? I think . . . yes. Do I believe one should ever be forced into such a lifestyle? I think . . . no. And, after years of forced servitude in such a style, am I ever going to succumb to it again? I think . . . no way in hell.

Now, I must go about closing the sale on a house purchased, getting a house ready to sell, prime my mind for a new job to begin soon, edit four novels to be released in the coming months, write a short story I’ve committed to for an anthology, and finish a novel currently in the works.

But, God as my witness, I’ll do these things one at a time.
Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/mainstream/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/action-adventure/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ historical drama/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/ short story/romance/Untreed Reads/ebook only

“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/suspense-thriller/print & ebook
“Helping Hand For Ethan/Rogue Phoenix Press/2011/young adult/ebook only
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/young adult/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/ATTM Press/2012/soft science fiction/print & ebook

COMING SOON
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Life, Love, and Lubbock”

Search Daniel Lance Wright on Amazon.com

One Thing At A Time Or Not At All

2011-10-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

“Multi-tasking” is a term that sprang onto the scene over a decade ago to describe anyone doing more than one thing at a time while going about a daily routine; like talking on the phone, writing a letter, and drinking a cup of coffee at the same time to cram more things done into a day. Multi-tasking quickly became proudly hailed as the way to be, the thing everyone should aspire to and the style of most successful business people.

Poppycock!

Sticking with my example, if a person talks on the phone, writes a letter and drinks coffee at the same time, what that person will end up with is a hesitating conversation, a piece of paper with dropped words and coffee stains on it. Each one in need of a re-do.

Although at times necessary, proficiency declines proportionally to the number of tasks undertaken. Nothing gets done well. That’s my assertion and I’m sticking with it.

I was driving home yesterday from Waco behind a woman talking on the phone, she weaved from center stripe to shoulder repeatedly. It was easy to tell the second she ended the conversation, Her car suddenly accelerated and whooshed straight as a string up the highway.

After she turned, I found myself behind a young man in a very big pickup truck holding his phone in both hands atop the steering wheel and texting. That phone was getting much more attention than the steering wheel beneath it. Besides crossing the line and jerking back into his lane a time or two, his speed surged from fifty to seventy then began backing off again. Perturbed and a little concerned for his safety I honked at him. The response was anger and a one-fingered salute.

I thought, “There goes the quintessential multi-tasker.” And, then, I went on to analyze my own opinion of those who dare attempt multi-tasking and how I despise being forced into situations that it’s necessary.

I will admit that taking care of multiple responsibilities simultaneously does, indeed, bring out one’s character and then shines a spotlight on it. The young man in the pickup was clearly having a bad day before I ever pulled up behind him. But, don’t you think, if he’d pulled off the highway and focused on only the text that his bad day could’ve been made just a little better, a tiny bit less stressful? I think . . . yes. Do I believe one should ever be forced into such a lifestyle? I think . . . no. And, after years of forced servitude in such a style, am I ever going to succumb to it again? I think . . . no way in hell.

Now, I must go about closing the sale on a house purchased, getting a house ready to sell, prime my mind for a new job to begin soon, edit four novels to be released in the coming months, write a short story I’ve committed to for an anthology, and finish a novel currently in the works.

But, God as my witness, I’ll do these things one at a time.

Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/mainstream/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/action-adventure/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ historical drama/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/ short story/romance/Untreed Reads/ebook only

“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/suspense-thriller/print & ebook
“Helping Hand For Ethan/Rogue Phoenix Press/2011/young adult/ebook only
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/young adult/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/ATTM Press/2012/soft science fiction/print & ebook

COMING SOON
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Life, Love, and Lubbock”

Search Daniel Lance Wright on Amazon.com

YEP, IT STILL FLOWS DOWNHILL

2011-09-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Do you think of yourself as “detail oriented” or a “big picture” person? Maybe you fancy yourself a master of both; I’ll not judge, although I consider the two incompatible if confined between only one set of ears. But, one thing is for darn sure; the world must have both.

Recently, I considered the concept when an annoying person bragged about being a big picture guy. I have always thought of myself as a person that could foresee an end result at the beginning because I didn’t bog down messin’ with minutiae—yes, a big picture guy. But, on that day, I argued the case for being detail oriented just because Mister Annoying boasted the other. In the process, I learned something of myself that needed changing.

As I artfully (my opinion) debated the finer points and benefits of sweating the small stuff, it occurred to me that I was actually building a micro case for the macro mess this country is in the beginning stages of miring in.

Now, this is where I’d expect to hear my first rebuttal with a, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Okay, here it is: I don’t see much, if any, difference in this concept and the cliché of “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians”. Think about it; big picture people lead board room discussions, surrounded by other big picture people who are desperately seeking detail-oriented people to fulfill numero uno big pic guy’s wishes.

And, guess what? Countries like China, India, Pakistan, etc. are masters of sweating small stuff and they parlayed it into a massive defection of talented detail people right out of this country. Those countries, over a period of years, have surreptitiously drawn away a critical number of our technical geniuses, people who have mastered the art of sweating the small stuff, craftspeople of all sorts, electronics, medical research, inventors, and on and on and on. In the meantime, every good boy and girl in the good ol’ US of A has aspired to be that person leading conference room discussions with grandiose ideas for the direction of companies and countries. No one these days seems to care anything about being the person that takes the ideas and brings them to fruition.

Now, we have a government of big pic people tossing out ideas on what needs to be done but their thoughts are falling into an empty well that, once upon a time, was filled with people who implemented all these ideas. Bottom line: A big picture person can’t tell another big picture person what to do and get anything done. Yet, Congress, the Executive Branch and every bureaucracy is doing just that and then collectively scratching heads wondering why nothing changes (ie FEMA and Hurricane Katrina as but one example).

Sorry folks, but any plumber will tell you that crap flows downhill but if there’s no one at the bottom to pick it up, it just pools into a smelly mess. Sound familiar? My hat is off to plumbers and all others in the technical trades that are the ones getting things done these days.

Here’s my lesson to me: Start paying attention to details. I may get bogged down occasionally enroute to the end result, but when all that crap starts pooling, there may be no one around to clean it up except me. And, I’d better know how it’s done because our government sure as hell isn’t going to do it for me. They don't have the expertise and know only a shrinking number of people that does.

Have a great day, y’all.

Daniel Lance Wright, Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads/ebook only

COMING SOON
“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/print & ebook
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Helping Hand For Ethan”
“The Lost Decades”

I remember you

2011-08-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

We are born. We live. We die.

Okay, now that I’ve reduced our existence to the most basic definition; it sort of makes our lives seem inconsequential. I’ve often thought of ants in mounds, thousands of them, bringing food to the queen so she can lay eggs and make more ants and that is the only purpose of a worker ant over its entire lifecycle, to perpetuate the colony. As humans, we track our time on earth better than insects but, in the end, our only true function is to “make more ants”.

By saying this . . . awful thing, do I have you’re sensibilities abraded? Are you ready to poke a stick in my eye and start an argument over it? If so, good! Because, that just means you’re thinking about it in a provocative way.

Now that I have your attention let’s discuss legacy building; when you’ve drawn your last breath, how do you want the world to remember you? Or, do you even care?

Although only an opinion, I believe, and deeply so, that every human that lives, have lived, or ever will live will at some point in life think about this—some less, some obsessed. To parents, a baby is their legacy; to a wood smith, a piece of furniture is a legacy; to a writer, a book is a legacy and on and on and on; simply stated, something tangible that extends beyond a single lifetime. I would argue that, regardless how conscious of it you are, this has a permanent comfortable place in your head, albeit the subconscious for some. And, that makes me wonder if it’s genetically embedded. What do you think? I think . . . maybe.

To some, how they are remembered is not as important as the fact they are; Charles Manson as example. I believe he very much wants to be remembered for what he did, as reprehensible as it was. The same logic would hold true for many criminals, warlords and the like. But, for the greater number, it makes sense to me that people just want to believe and take comfort in knowing they’ve left this world a slightly better place and that someone will care enough to say so after they’re gone.

What about politicians? Think about this; most people in public office are from wealth, often multiple generations of it. They have already experienced the material side of life and are looking for something more, something that money cannot buy, although public offices can be bought and are on a regular basis in this country. People with the most money win elections. Period! But, that’s an argument for a different day. I’m referring to power, admiration of the masses, the ability to manipulate people and situations—thus, leave their name(s) attached to something for future generations to remember them by. All we can hope for is that, while trying desperately to build a legacy, they actually do leave the world better than they found it. Nonetheless, I say it’s a huge reason they run for office in the first place; to become known for something and then remembered for it. Is this a bad thing, a bad reason? I don’t think necessarily so. There are many motivations; this is just one, but a big one . . . or, so I believe.

This blog began as the result of something I saw recently on a sit-com. Not a place you’d expect to find thought provoking material, right? Well, sometimes we just have to turn over a few rocks, no matter how unassuming those rocks may be, before we discover something profound. Here’s the scenario: A home is broken in to and a pre-teen boy is accused and arrested. The real criminal plants a stolen item on a dead homeless man found by a dumpster in the alley and that man is accused, thereby clearing the boy. As a small group of residents stand around the body and discuss it, they come to the conclusion that he will be just another John Doe, living an unremarkable life and dying the same way. But, the real thief with some remorse says, “At least he’ll be remembered for something.” And that’s all it took for my head to start whirling out these thoughts.

So, as you go about your business today, give a little thought to how you believe the world will remember you. Afterwards, ask yourself: Is this how I want to be remembered? You have the power to make it anything you like but you really need to get started on it.

Now, if I can only follow my own advice. . .

Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007/print & ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads/ebook only

COMING SOON
“Phobia”/Booktrope/2011/print & ebook
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Helping Hand For Ethan”
“The Lost Decades”

Let's Talk Weather

2011-07-24T04:30:00.000-07:00

I know I’ve mentioned in previous posts my hesitance to put political and/or religious views out there and use them as a platform for debate. I prefer, instead to keep social discourse neutral; light and fluffy, if you prefer. I consider myself the Switzerland of party chat. I have no desire to change your opinion, nor the patience for you to attempt changing mine. But yesterday, as sweat trickled in rivulets down my face, baking under unfettered brilliance of another Texas summer afternoon, it occurred to me how a subject as universally benign as the weather, or used to be, has become a political football. I suppose it’s just one more marker of the age in which we live.

I’m certainly no meteorologist (although I played one on television for eighteen years back in the day), so starting an argument over the validity of global warming is not my goal. I just want to talk about the weather. I’ll leave the debate for the likes of Exxon-Mobil to tell us it’s all poppycock and for environmentalists to counter with a huffy, “No it’s not!”

To me, the casual observer, the weather extremes we’ve noticed around the world don’t seem all that unusual when the focus remains at each location, most having suffered the same fates before, and in some cases worse, from a historical perspective. As examples; Indonesia and Japan have experienced tsunamis before, Joplin, Missouri (or the area) has suffered damaging tornadoes previously and will again, I’m sure. Hurricanes will hit the Gulf Coast, snows will fall in the north and floods will happen along rivers. Even my wonderful home state of Texas has suffered droughts before, many times. Although devastating to livelihoods and lives, there is nothing terribly unusual about any of these events.

But, let’s change the point of view ever so slightly; consider the frequency of occurrences. Doesn’t it seem that weather extremes are becoming the norm from season to season and not simply sensational aberrations?

I suppose the argument might be made that this is just the price of inhabiting a “living” planet. The earth is in a constant state of flux, after all, therefore extremes are cyclical in nature. Right? You know, like the seasons, only over a much broader period of time. Point of fact: The Ice Age certainly didn’t happen as a result of man pumping harmful and toxic emissions into the atmosphere. The earth, itself, did that with volcanic eruptions so numerous as to create a winter seemingly without end.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: This guy is siding with Exxon-Mobil and just doesn’t want to admit it, but . . . not necessarily.

Have you ever wondered if an animal from the age of dinosaurs could even breathe the air in today’s world? I’ve wondered many times and I have serious doubts. Consider the amount of cancer and respiratory problems among people today. There seems to be toxicity in our atmosphere that is not naturally occurring but we, as adaptive beings, may have developed a level of immunity to most toxins we breathe. Unfortunately, just not good enough to prevent diseases from rampant airborne particles tossed willy-nilly into the air in our modern world.

Who do we blame? Do we blame anyone? Would any one of us give up our collective addiction to life simplifying technology just so we might breathe a little easier? What if that global warming thing is true and byproducts of manufacturing to satiate these addictions is changing our climate negatively? Would we then change our ways to preserve the earth? I think not.

I, for one, know the depths of my addiction. I love cars, central heat and air, computers, time saving appliances and on and on and on. Oh well . . .

Whether you believe it or not, this really was a post about the weather.

Daniel Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009/print & ebook
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007/print & ebook
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX/print only
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads/ebook only

COMING SOON
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012/print & ebook
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934”
“Phobia”
“Helping Hand For Ethan”
“The Lost Decades”

These Dreams

2011-07-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, if dreams are supposed to be the windows to the soul then what in bizzaro world (otherwise known as my mind) have I been looking out on? Lately the slumber-time movies have been thought provoking and, yes, even a bit unsettling. One thing is certain; the whole experience is brought into question. What is it, exactly, that is firing the ol’ neuron transmitters lately. It must be one hell of a light show between these ears in the middle of the night.

I haven’t had a nightmare that could be described as frightening since I was a very young child. But, the dreams I’ve been having lately should throw me into a cold sweat. They don’t. And, that, unto itself, should be scary. Good heavens, am I just that jaded to surreal gruesomeness?

I must assume, for sanity’s sake, that my dreams are a convoluted mix of everyday events combined with potential novel plots that race through my head on a daily basis, sometimes hour to hour, depending on how active those creative juices happen to be on a given day. I fear that if a psychiatrist crawled inside my head and looked around, I’d be drugged and restrained drooling in a padded room.

Quick example: I am approached by a midget with cotton blond hair and huge anime baby blue eyes. I am sure this tiny creature wants to kill me and proceeds sizing me up for that purpose. I’m then compelled to shake his hand and introduce myself, all the while realizing he is raising a pistol in the other hand to shoot me as I look over to see bloody corpses of previous victims. I am calm . . . too calm . . . ridiculously calm.

Any dream interpreters out there?

This is no more, but no less, odd than any of the dreams I’ve had lately. They’re all strange. I wonder if this is a sign of diminishing mental capacity. Is it possible my resting mind cannot differentiate real from fantasy any longer? Maybe fantasy is preferable to reality and my head is simply in transition. If so, when that transition is complete, will I lose the link with the here and now in favor of what might be, or could be?

Like anyone else, I’ve always had the occasional strange dream, of course. But, there was a time when those dreams made no sense whatsoever, just images and flash scenarios; other times dreams dealt directly with reality and usually created a story, of sorts. Back then, they were always separate dreams. Now, my head has apparently become a stew pot of the real, could be real, might happen someday and the out-and-out fantasy of mythic proportions. Not only that, they all have a beginning, middle and end.

One thing I do know without question; all these dreams provoke endless hours of thought and contemplation. But why, and is it worth it?

Maybe, I should stop questioning and start taking notes.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads

Coming Soon
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Helping Hand for Ethan”
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934
“Phobia”

Too Stupid To Know

2011-07-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

The more I learn, the brighter the spotlight is on my stupidity. At least once a day, but usually many times, I say, “I didn’t know that.” I read and try to keep up with the world around me, but it’s a losing battle. The fact I learn today has no relevance tomorrow, or so it seems most days.

Life was so easy during the teen years; I had many of the privileges of adulthood, yet possessed the wisdom of a gnat. You know the age, when we’re the most intelligent beings on the planet. During those years, we simply don’t know how much we don’t know. It’s such a blissful time.

The first giant step towards realizing the depth of our stupidity begins the day we commit to learning; for some that might be college; for others maybe later, much later. Unfortunately, I slipped into that latter category. And, I don’t believe we can include those years through twelfth grade at all. It’s the rare child indeed that consciously wants to know things about the world beyond personal purview; so rare, in fact, not worth mentioning (my apologies to the few true prodigies out there).

During my final year in high school, the only things worth knowing were what everyone was doing Saturday night, who would be doing them, and how I might fit into that scenario. For heaven’s sake; what else did I need to know? That’s why, that year, I was the most intelligent person on earth. I was convinced.

Some exceptional people discover early during the college years that learning is really sort of fun and not just a chore to be endured to pass the next exam. I wasn’t one of them. Therefore, I continued to be quite intelligent and smugly so.

The genuine slide into stupidity began with landing the job of a television news reporter. I quickly discovered that I wasn’t even smart enough to know what questions to ask during interviews. The day I tanked an important interview with Barefoot Sanders in 1972, during his campaign bid for the U-S Senate, was the very day I thought it might be beneficial to know a bit more about the world around me. Don’t try to find out what questions I asked the man, just believe they weren’t relevant to anything that had to do with the political landscape of the day. Suffice it to say, it put a huge crack in that self-imposed intelligence quotient I bestowed upon myself.

By the way, I lucked out on that fiasco. That was in the day we used 16mm film and I just told everyone that the interview was “lost in the soup”; in other words, the film processor ate it. I should have gotten an Oscar for my performance on how frustrated and disgusted I was over losing that jewel of television journalism.

From that day till now, 38 years later, I still cram like I’m expecting a pop quiz, yet I find myself saying, “Gee, I didn’t know that,” far too often anyhow. For every new thing I learn, it only creates a dozen questions in need of answers. So, you can see that the learning curve only gets steeper.

The day is fast approaching that I’ll stop trying to learn all there is to know and go back to being the most intelligent person on the planet.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads

Coming Soon
“Defining Family”/Whiskey Creek Press/2012
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Helping Hand for Ethan”
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934
“Phobia”

Proud Participant

2011-07-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Father to adult son: “When you get home I’ll have a trophy waiting for you with “Participant” engraved on it.”

This was a line from a television show last week and intended to be funny. It was. I laughed out loud. But, it also has been circling my thoughts since. Allow me to explain what led to that comment in the program. A girl leaves her boyfriend because he never does anything. He counters by telling her that he most certainly does; he buys very expensive tickets to watch his favorite baseball team at least once every week during the season. She, in the end, put the brakes on his argument when she said, “Exactly. You spend your time watching life lived, not participating.”

After a short time, the humor vanished. It, in my mind, became a valid indictment of our culture. This is nothing new though. We can watch any newscast, read any newspaper and see at least one article or hear one story concerning obesity in America and the number of hours spent with television, electronic games, the internet and many other diversions, some absolutely mind-numbing. It’s just that it’s the first time I’ve devoted a few of my remaining active brain cells to the subject.

In no way can I sit in judgment of anyone in this discussion. I love movies and I love reading. I’ll watch a fair share of televised sporting events, hours of standard television fare plus numerous news broadcasts. And, let’s not forget the internet and wonderful social networking at sites like Facebook; ergo, the few remaining active brain cells comment. The point is; this is all sideline stuff, viewing life from the comfort of a chair, not living it—a fat fostering feeble fun-fest, so to speak. I don’t think I want to calculate the hours each week spent observing life lived by someone else. I might cry. And, that would put a damaging dent in my declining and jealously guarded machismo.

I think I’ll take a leap, a short one I believe, and tie in the dumbing down of America in this billowing scenario. We have all seen very recent examples of, so-called, leaders in Washington and wannabe leaders who get confused on what the constitution actually says or know American history very well. Do you suppose these people were raised on a steady diet of allowing someone else to think for them while eating potato chips and watching life lived elsewhere? I think so.

With each new age come challenges to be met and overcome. Could it be that the era in which we now live has provided us with too many conveniences, too much contradictory information, too many sources that occupy the mind but never challenge it? I think so.

The first step, I believe, in correcting this is a tiny one indeed, but important; make a point to approach someone today you don’t know. Shake their hand. Introduce yourself. Get to know someone new and find out about them; not because you have to for business reasons but because you want to. And, I don’t mean in a text, email, phone call or any other modern detached way. I’m talking old school, face to face. These days, it may actually seem like a new approach, a novel new way to learn about the world around us.

Before becoming housebound due to age-related problems, my eighty-seven-year-old father used to make daily trips to have coffee. It really didn’t matter where as long as it was in public. It had little to do with the drink and everything to do with participating in life. He would talk to anyone on any subject. In this way, he developed healthy opinions on living, politics and many other subjects. I’ve noticed that since he is at home all the time now that his opinions reflect that and are no longer his own but parroted from favorite news shows. I think his case is a microcosm of the greater problem today.

Am I shouting down televised news shows? No. I’m advocating balance. Do we really have healthy ways of forming opinions these days; or do we adopt others’ opinions and we really have no logical basis for believing what we do and could not explain a stand if called to do so? Is it possible that we just hear something ad nauseam from well-paid opinion editors, religious leaders, etc., until it becomes truth? I think so.

Does this mean that I’m giving up reading, watching movies and television, using the internet and all those other wonderful ways to be entertained and get information? Nope. I just need to get out amongst them more often. I’ll have to make a daily thing of it. After a time, maybe someone will present me with a trophy that is engraved with “Participant” on it.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
Coming Soon
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)
“Helping Hand for Ethan”
“Hackberry Corners, Texas 1934
“Phobia”
"The Lost Decades"

More Than Just Words

2011-06-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

Every novelist has unique ways of making a story more interesting to readers. There are many plot devices to use and, as strict as grammatical standards are for sentence structure and punctuation, it still leaves myriads of ways to combine things to create memorable reading experiences. That said, I am constantly in the hunt for better ways of saying things.

Before I actively became engrossed in building novels, I was always a fan of the well-turned and well-timed phrase; often sticking with me for years, maybe even a lifetime. What once had been pastimes have, long since, become research missions. These days, watching movies, reading, or even mundane conversations are potential sources of things said that may, in the moment and context in which they are spoken, be absolutely profound. Yet, the words used are of little import.

Arnold Schwartzenegger stands on a multi-million-dollar legacy that sure wasn’t built on his acting talent or, possibly, his governing ability either. One thing he did do, and very well, was to leave behind a string of phrases that have, over time, become iconic: “I’ll be back”, “Asta la Vista, Baby” and on and on. The point is; never underestimate the power of the written or spoken word. Of course, Arnold was clearly into well-timed irony. I bet everyone can visualize exactly what he looked like as he said these lines.

Another example of a phrase that has stuck with me that may, or may not, be memorable to you was during the original “Road Warrior” movie when Mel Gibson was just a sprout developing his acting wings. Near the end of the movie, he stood battered and beaten before Tina Turner and her filthy band of n’er-do-wells. She looked him up and down and said, “We do make a raggedy pair, don’t we?” The line follows me to this day. I can’t even put into words why, but it does.

A few years back, at a family reunion, an uncle I hadn’t seen in many years walked up to me and stood very close looking up at me. I assumed his vision was poor and wanted to see if he recognized me. I became uneasy because he just stared without saying anything. So, I answered the unasked question, “I’m Bettye and Kenneth’s youngest. Zane is my older brother, but I’m the better looking one.” After another few seconds he squinted and simply said, “So you say.” Suddenly, I had another well-timed line that has followed me and shows up occasionally in my stories. That uncle is gone now, but I remember him fondly for those three simple words.

More recently, in the movie “Avatar”, Sam Worthington’s character, Jake Sully, said several times, varying it only slightly, “Sooner or later we all have to wake up.” When I first heard it, I think I missed the next several minutes of dialogue because that line went round and round in my head as a profound statement applicable to so many different situations. But, there’s nothing exceptional about it as a stand-alone comment. The reason I’ve chosen to write about this today is because yesterday morning, I woke mouthing the line, “Sooner or later we all have to wake up.” I don’t know why I was saying it and can’t be sure it wasn’t aloud.

It would be nice to know, though, what my avatar was doing all night.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads

COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)

What A Fox!

2011-06-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

For many years, I’ve chosen to start my day about 4 a.m. It started many years ago when I had no choice but to begin early or lose my job. I had to learn the hard way about consequences of oversleeping. That’s a story for another day.

I’ve never cared for breakfast foods, so that naturally led to lunch before noon, usually long before. Sundays, I take it to extremes and have brunch about nine. I could call it breakfast, I suppose. But, my food choices just don’t coincide. They are, by anyone’s definition, appropriate to later in the day. For example, this morning I stir-fried a Chinese dish, garlic almond chicken.

I’m sure by now you think this is about food and the appropriate times it should be eaten; not at all. I just didn’t want you thinking me weird because I had Chinese food so early on a Sunday morning.

What this is really about, are those times when my thinking is as clear as it gets—when problem solving is easy (or as easy as it ever will be)—when secrets of the universe tease me just beyond my fingertips—near enough that it encourages me to reach farther and, at least, attempt to pick that lock and see what’s behind that door I can’t quite put my hand on.

This morning, soy sauce in hand, listening to Enya and staring through the dining room window to the woods beyond, I determined that if the world could see what I did at that moment, there’d be no wars, no hostilities and, maybe, we could all just get along.

A rabbit came flagging that cotton-tail across the yard followed closely by a fox. Apparently the fox favored an early brunch, too. Foxes have a permanent den beneath a large cedar tree on the backside of the wooded acre behind our home. So, it was no surprise. I’ve seen them often—lots of rabbits, too—no surprise there either. Now, for the shocker, that fox put on the brakes and reversed. It ran the other way. The rabbit came out of the woods chasing it.

I set my fork on the edge of my plate and leaned far forward, just to make sure of what I was witnessing, mind you. At first, I thought the rabbit might be rabid and the fox realized it figuring he’d search for a meal elsewhere.

The fox began running in a wide circle, the rabbit followed until the circle tightened to a point that I couldn’t determine who chased whom. The fox stopped and the rabbit leaped at it. The fox jumped back. Then the fox leaped over the rabbit.

It occurred to me those two unlikely candidates were playing, just playing. I could only assume that the fox had a full belly from some other source and the rabbit sensed that. There was absolutely no animosity between them. They were at peace. I could fill a few fat chapters with the thoughts that episode spawned, but the end message was simple and concise.

What I witnessed, I wished for the world.

My garlic almond chicken suddenly tasted a little better.

Have a great week.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads

COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”
“The Last Radiant Heart” (re-release)

Just a Trip To The Mailbox

2011-06-02T05:44:00.000-07:00

It has long been known that extended walks can kick-start thinking and creativity; no secret there—increased blood flow stimulates it—simple as that. But, I’m amazed how many ponderous thoughts circle my brain on a simple jaunt to and from the mailbox, about a hundred yards from the house. Usually those thoughts deal with things I see—birds, trees, sun, clouds—those sorts of things. But, yesterday it was all about the mail in the box that sent thoughts reeling.

If you’re thinking that it must have been something wonderful at one extreme or awful at the other then you would be pretty far off base on both assumptions; the fact is I can’t remember what it was specifically; three separate pieces, I think. But, that’s exactly the reason thoughts were spawned. As I looked at the credit card offers, satellite tv promotional material, AARP insurance offer, or whatever the waste of paper and postage happened to be, I tried remembering the last time I’d received mail that wasn’t an attempt to make it through the eye of a needle into my bank account; which, I must say, is dusty, musty and covered in cobwebs. Fact is: I couldn’t remember the last time I had received welcomed mail of any kind.

As I sighed frustration at having wasted another trip to the box and began walking back to the house, I remembered that I’d heard, once upon a time, the Postal Service whined about unfair competition because email was not charged for and pressed for laws that it should be. I laughed aloud.

I kept right on chuckling when it occurred to me that the Postal Service’s mindset on how to become more competitive is to cut services and raise rates, not become creative and offer unique services and better ways of doing old things to attract business away from email, Federal Express, United Parcel Service and all the others. Why shouldn’t they think that way? That’s how the government taught them to think; competition is for everyone else, not us.

“We should not have to compete; we’re the freakin’ Post Service!” or so they would likely bellow and probably have.

If you think not, then just take a hard look at the current budget crisis in Congress. That’s exactly what our lawmakers are arguing about now. And, in the end, both parties will be responsible for cutting services and raising taxes—not one or the other. But, that’s a rant for a different time.

It’s amazing how the mind rabbit trails over not seeing interesting stuff in the box. By the way, yesterday’s mail was not opened or even made it inside the house. Instead, it was dropped into the trash can on the way. Still, I suppose it’s that tenuous lure of getting one piece of mail that will make all those worthless round trips worthwhile that keeps me going out there and checking. Besides, it’s an opportunity for synapse to fire a little faster and come up with stuff like I’ve written here.

I wonder if this thought is any more important than the mail I received yesterday; probably not.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Who We Are and How We Got To Where We Are

2011-05-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

There have been countless songs, poems and stories written about people that come into our lives and then move on like smoke in a breeze. I think about that often. Do you?

In each of our lives, from the moment of self-awareness as a young child, infant maybe, people begin passing through and leaving impressions beginning early and then afterwards for a lifetime. The person that leaves that indelible print on our psyche may never personally reappear in our lives but, that individual shares responsibility for who we were, become, are, and will be. We are undeniably products of that presence, no matter how brief.

Of course there are parents, siblings, first loves, classmates and friends but that’s not necessarily who I’m referring to. It’s all those others; doctors, neighbors, teachers, friends of friends, people met in passing at dances, restaurants, church and other public functions—people on the periphery that touch us and move on.

How many events, situations, faces, or verbal exchanges have you had, good or bad, that is burned so deeply that you’ll never forget them? Interestingly, I’ll wager there are many you can think of, that, to this very day, affect your opinions, how you feel about certain things, or maybe just a cozy feeling you want to hang on to for a lifetime?

There are many I claim as Facebook friends that my personal association with can literally be measured in mere seconds over four decades ago, yet, are crystal in my memory and have left their mark on my mind and in my heart. I would even go as far as to say that some do not remember me at all ... doesn’t matter, because they effected me profoundly in some way.

Of course, we should never forget our friends and family, but what about all the others?

Allow me to set a scenario, a true example of what I say here: It is 1986, Carnival Cruise ship, port of call-San Juan, Puerto Rico; passengers and crew with shore leave are disembarking. I find myself in a slow moving line and a young man with cottony blond hair turns to me with a smile and says, “Hi, I’m Afrikaaner. Are you American?”

I loved his accent and was touched that he took the initiative to strike up a conversation. “Yeah,” I replied, “I am. Are you on vacation?”

“Oh, no, I’m your cabin steward.”

Of course I was immediately embarrassed I didn’t recognize him out of his white uniform. In fact he had on a plain white t-shirt, beltless Levis and flipflops with a rolled-up Playboy magazine in his hip pocket. I’m sure I flushed red; my face was hot. “I’m sorry I didn’t—“

“Oh no, don’t apologize. You have no reason to remember me but I’ll always remember you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re the only person in my section that shook my hand when I showed you your cabin. I’ll always remember that small kindness. Some bad things have happened to me lately and I wasn’t having a great day. But your smile and handshake changed that. I hope our paths cross again after this cruise.”

This was the first time in my life that it penetrated my thick skull that what we say and do, even the smallest things, can have a profound impact at times.

Now, I think of all the mental snapshots I carry from a lifetime of similar encounters and realize that not a single one can be discounted as unimportant.

This is my way of saying thanks for strolling into and then out of my life because you left your mark, and it is good.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth

2011-05-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

You know, it’s not supposed to be the geek that shall inherit the earth.

Something I think about often, and worry about a little, too, is that our entire functioning world hinges on those things that can be plugged in to a power source. As tech toys flood world markets at an alarming rate, we as humans, and supposedly sentient beings, are actually losing our humanity at the same speed. We are but a collection of numbers and symbols in a database somewhere and, therefore, living and existing at the pleasure of people who know how to manipulate those numbers and symbols.

I think, though, I want to take this discussion in a slightly different direction. Let me set a hypothetical scenario for you. Let’s say it’s the year 2012 and Osama bin Laden’s replacement is much savvier about technology than his predecessor—not how to use it, but what ceases to happen without it. Politicians and power moguls can argue all they like that we have too many redundancies in our grid system to worry much about terrorism on electricity production. I’ll only buy into that premise to a point. For the most part, I choose to believe that such talk is self-serving to maintain central control even as many different companies distribute power. The reason is simple, distributors distribute, they don’t produce.

How many remember the northeastern power outage of 1965; how about the one in 2003? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Blackout_of_1965

It’s not worth boring you with technical jargon or excuses for the outages. I’m not intelligent enough for that anyhow. But, what is fascinating to note, is how little it took to take down a huge chunk of the northeastern United States in an instant. And both times it stayed down for a frighteningly long period. Now, multiply that by two or three other central power producing locations.

I think you know where I’m going with this; the U-S, with the possible exception of the military, would be blind, deaf and dumb. How long do you think it would take for panic and mayhem to set in, sides chosen and warring tribes to emerge battling over scraps of food?

I challenge each one reading this to look around and count the number of young people you personally know that have no clue how a loaf of bread is made or what from, where ham comes from or how to make it, how to make cheese or butter, have never gathered eggs from a coop, have no idea how to spin yarn, sew, weave, build a chair from tree branches, or even something as simple as walking into an open pasture and knowing what is edible and what is poison. This list could go on and on. Unfortunately, these are the people that now rule the world and are currently breeding offspring that think their futures hinge on new products from Apple and Microsoft or how well the stock of one investment company does versus another, or what political party will best serve them.

I think I’ll get to work writing a novel of catastrophe and call it, “The Geek That Inherited The Earth” or maybe, “The United States Unplugged”. Of course neither have much hope of a happy ending if I insist on too many truisms. I would have to go whole hog and create a fantasy world because, really, who’d believe society could collapse just because someone pulled the power plug. Absurd. Right?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Are Print Books in Danger Of Extinction?

2011-05-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

The following is a partial reprint from the May 19th edition of Business Wire. It is a fascinating sign of the times in the publishing industry. I wonder where it will go next. -dlw

(NASDAQ:AMZN)--Amazon began selling hardcover and paperback books in July 1995. Twelve years later in November 2007, Amazon introduced the revolutionary Kindle and began selling Kindle books. By July 2010, Kindle book sales had surpassed hardcover book sales, and six months later, Kindle books overtook paperback books to become the most popular format on Amazon.com. Today, less than four years after introducing Kindle books, Amazon.com customers are now purchasing more Kindle books than all print books - hardcover and paperback - combined.

"Customers are now choosing Kindle books more often than print books. We had high hopes that this would happen eventually, but we never imagined it would happen this quickly - we've been selling print books for 15 years and Kindle books for less than four years," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. "In addition, we're excited by the response to Kindle with Special Offers for only $114, which has quickly become the bestselling member of the Kindle family. We continue to receive positive comments from customers on the low $114 price and the money-saving special offers. We're grateful to our customers for continuing to make Kindle the bestselling e-reader in the world and the Kindle Store the most popular e-bookstore in the world."

Recent milestones for Kindle include:

Since April 1, for every 100 print books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 105 Kindle books. This includes sales of hardcover and paperback books by Amazon where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded and if included would make the number even higher.

So far in 2011, the tremendous growth of Kindle book sales, combined with the continued growth in Amazon's print book sales, have resulted in the fastest year-over-year growth rate for Amazon's U.S. books business, in both units and dollars, in over 10 years. This includes books in all formats, print and digital. Free books are excluded in the calculation of growth rates.

In the five weeks since its introduction, Kindle with Special Offers for only $114 is already the bestselling member of the Kindle family in the U.S.

Amazon sold more than 3x as many Kindle books so far in 2011 as it did during the same period in 2010.

Less than one year after introducing the UK Kindle Store, Amazon.co.uk is now selling more Kindle books than hardcover books, even as hardcover sales continue to grow. Since April 1, Amazon.co.uk customers are purchasing Kindle books over hardcover books at a rate of more than 2 to 1.

Politics and Religion

2011-05-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

It is said that if one wants to keep a party light and happy then avoid the topics of politics and religion, and rightfully so I believe. It shouldn’t take a genius to realize that every war ever fought since the beginning of time had one or the other as root justification for mayhem and death.

One possible argument against this notion might be disputes over real estate. Maybe. But, even then, I think if one backtracks from the geographic boundary disagreements a contentious argument over politics and/or religion will be discovered that set the territorial dispute in motion.

I am of the mind that no one on this planet can change my beliefs when it comes to either of these topics. So, when a friend or acquaintance broaches the subject of either, I don’t just avoid it, I run. If I know they can’t change my mind; what would make me believe I could alter their opinion? These are not things that can be discussed when stands differ. It will quickly escalate into a debate, then into an argument and then, voila, the seeds of another war have just been planted.

Consider this: When a friendly discussion of politics or religion begins, the first to speak will open by saying, “In my opinion...” But, what the discussion partner really means is, “And, now, listen to my undeniable, indisputable fact...”

Yep, if I find myself in that scenario, I smile, listen to the, so-called, opinion and usually say something tremendously clever like, “Really?” I’ll quickly wrap with, “Nice talking to you”, and then walk away—no harm no foul and that person remains a friend.

Now, if you take this micro example and apply it to the macro, respect for other nation’s views on politics and religions would be a giant step toward elusive world peace. Everyone says they want it. Do they really? Or, do people just want a planet filled with clones of themselves? The clone thing makes sense to me. And, as far as world peace goes, I'll quote my daddy. “Ain’t gonna happen ... just ain’t.”

So, reeling back this world view to a personal one, my wife will just have to suffer through my political and religious rants whenever I feel the need to give opinions a voice. I guess this means there’ll be no peace in my world either.

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Wandering Mojo

2011-04-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

It seems as though I must reinforce my mojo with increasing frequency. The mojo I speak of is my work as a novelist.

Prior to beginning this blog post, I found myself looking at a blinking cursor on my computer monitor while glancing to chapter notes of the current manuscript I’m working on. Yet, fingers lay idle upon the keyboard. At one point during these few minutes the irony of what I was in the midst of occurred to me: I had no intention of typing a single word, just blankly attempting to fulfill some vague commitment to the cosmos to write some everyday which isn’t happening. For most of a month, I’ve engaged in this inane ritual repeatedly. Why?

It’s tantamount to a sprinter donning running clothes, putting on spikes, hammering in the starting blocks, getting into them and setting up for the big race, posing in a start posture, waiting for the crack of the gun, but it never goes off. Like this hapless track star, I don’t seem to have control of the starter pistol, yet desperately need to be in the running.

At some point near the end of March, I joyfully finished a draft on chapter seven. Since then, chapter eight only has that title centered across the top of the page, nothing else, nary a single word. Every morning, I open MS Word, find that page and stare at it for a time, eventually moving on to something else.

I know what you must be thinking: “Writer’s block, huh?”

In my humble opinion, it can be safely said this is not the case, not in the strictest definition anyhow. Writer’s block, to me, indicates a writer’s sudden inability to determine the direction a story should take. This is definitely not my problem. I know exactly where I want the story to go over the next twenty chapters (plus or minus). I even have chapter eight mentally mapped. I just can’t convince myself (or, should I say, I can’t kick myself in the butt hard enough) to make it happen.

If anyone should see my wandering mojo, please send him home. He’s lost, cold, under-nourished and can’t seem to find his own way back—poor little guy.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads
"Prank" and "Tornado: Wichita Falls 1979"/Canis Latran Anthology

COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Books 'n' Authors 'n' All That Jazz

2011-04-21T04:22:00.000-07:00

It was a nice surprise that I discovered in the mailbox today; notification by Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas that I’d won two literary awards in the Sixth Annual Canis Latran Writing Contest. It’s held annually in conjunction with a major literary and musical arts affair called “Books ‘n’ Authors ‘n’ All That Jazz”. The event draws authors from all over this big state of Texas. It was designed, and continues to be, a spotlight on Texas authors.

I won the fiction short story category and also creative non-fiction in Canis Latran. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 2:15, Saturday, April 30th in the Alkek Fine Arts Center on the campus of Weatherford College.

The umbrella event, “Books ‘n’ Authors ‘n’ All That Jazz”, is a daylong affair from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m.

It’s my greatest desire that everyone, new friends and old, will drop by for a handshake or a hug and a book. See you there!

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press 2010/ ebook available
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Dancing Away”/short story/Untreed Reads

COMING IN 2012
“Defining Family”
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”

Books Authors 'N' All That Jazz

2011-04-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, I'll be participating in an event in Weatherford, Texas and Weatherford College that's developing strong legs called Books Authors 'N' All That Jazz. I'd like to invite all reading this blog to drop by for a hug, handshake, and a few signed books of your choosing from a large contingent of authors. The event is fun and festive.

For all Texas authors I've posted the entire announcement, just in case there are some who aren't aware. There's still time.

Books 'n Authors 'n All that Jazz IX‏

Authors: Five weeks and counting, and we’ll all be gathered at the Alkek Fine Arts Center, ready for the 9th edition of Books ‘n Authors ‘n All That Jazz. It’s amazing that this is our 9th year, and I, personally, am so pleased to be a part of an event that has become a much-anticipated cultural event on our Weatherford campus. We have YOU to thank for that. BAJ is all about you, our Texas authors, and we will work hard to make this a great day for you.
I have attached the overall agenda for the day, including the schedule of workshops that will be presented throughout the day. Also, below, I’ve outlined information that will be helpful to you who have not participated before.

Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of Saturday, April 30th:

· Doors will open by 7:30 a.m. for you to come in and set up. Directions can be found on our College Web site (www.wc.edu - "About WC" link on the left). Texas Hall, inside the Alkek Center, is a very nice venue for our event - easy in and out, and handicapped accessible, of course. Restrooms are at each end of the building. Classrooms, where we will hold the workshops, and the theatre are within a few feet walking distance. Anyone who comes into the Center for one activity or the other will have easy access to you Authors in Texas Hall.
· Some of you have asked about near-by motels since you are not within a short driving distance. There are many to choose from, but two most convenient would be the Super 8, 817-598-0852, or the La Quinta Inn,817- 594-4481. Two other choices nearby are the Hampton Inn, 817-599-4800, or the Holiday Inn Express, 817-599-3700. Rates are reasonable. There are other hotels, as well, and a couple of B&Bs. Check out our Chamber of Commerce website for more information about our little town. We have a lot of to offer – antique shops, good restaurants, the beautiful parks - especially Chandor Gardens – all kinds of things for you to check out while you’re here in Weatherford, Texas!
· When you arrive at the Alkek Fine Arts Center, please check in at the Registration Table. A volunteer will greet you, hand you your name badge, and will show you where you are to be seated. You have been assigned a table space with one other author. Some of you have requested seating next to or near a particular colleague, and we have accommodated those requests. Student volunteers from our Phi Theta Kappa (honor society) will be on-hand to help you fetch and tote your books, if you'd like assistance.
· This will be a good time for you to turn in your “fee” for participating: the two books – one for our College library and one for the door-prize drawing. This year, in order for the attendees to be eligible for the door-prize drawing, which will be a basket of all your books, they must get at least 10 autographs from you authors. The autograph sheet will be on the back of the program, so please remind the attendees about that if they forget to ask you for your autograph.
· You should have approximately 4 feet of space for your books display. Tables will be covered with a white tablecloth, though, you may, of course, bring a covering or "accent" of your own to best display your work. One chair per author will be provided, and those of you bringing a second person to assist with sales need to let me or Evelyn know that, so we'll be sure to have plenty of chairs. Please know that space is limited, and while we certainly welcome your guests and space usually can be arranged, I cannot guarantee their seating at the table with you. The Author is the featured participant at each table.
· If you need or would like to request special arrangements for seating, please let us know that.
· You will need to bring whatever else you need to conduct your sales. We are not set up for electronic charge cards, sorry; however, many of you, I know, have those small, "sliders" for credit cards.
· Also, for your comfort, small portable fans will be plugged in behind the tables. Even on a cool day or with the best of air conditioning on a warm day, it can get a little stuffy with all those tables arranged in one area and, we hope, hundreds of people coming in and out!
· The Authors' Hospitality Room will be located in the service kitchen, just down the hallway from Texas Hall. We'll point the way. Coffee, tea, juice and water, along with breakfast pastries, will be available from about 7:30 a.m. - 10 ish. Then additional snacks and fruit will be set out, until lunch time at Noon, when fresh hot pizza of various kinds will be delivered for you. This is complimentary. If you have special dietary needs, you will need to bring your own food, but everything in the Hospitality Room is free for you.
· The attendees will have the opportunity to have a free lunch as well, sponsored by the editor and publisher of our local popular magazine, Parker County Today. Their sack lunch picnic area will be on the west side of the building, outside. Most of them will be coming from the workshops on the east side of the building and will walk right through Texas Hall where you will be. So be prepared to see a lot of people around 11:45 or so. We’ll hold off on serving YOUR lunch until all the attendees who have reserved a sack lunch have a chance to talk with you.
· We have advertised that Authors will be present in Texas Hall from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is impossible to tell you how many books you will need to bring with you. Last year, some authors sold out and left early; some sold few or none, but MOST authors, on average, sold at least 8-12 books, some as many as 20 or 25, and one sold 42, nearly all he brought. There is just no way for me to advise you on this. Most authors told me last year that our event was their best-selling event yet, but I had one author vow never to come back because he didn't sell one book.( He was the one sitting there with his arms folded and looking down at a book in his lap most of the day – NOT engaging the attendees in any way…’nuff said…)
· There's no way to predict what the public is buying on any given day, but we are doing everything we can to GET people there for you! Last year's attendance was over 350. (Check out our Web site at www.wc.edu/calendar click on the BAJ link on the right and you'll see the kind of info that our public is seeing. I have placed ads in several papers (all of the ones in our five-county service area) - scheduled right up to the day of the event; radio spots, and, of course, I talk about it on my radio show all the time (Books 'n Authors on Saturday mornings, 10 a.m., KYQX-FM, 89.5). Posters are going up all over town, as well as event info on electronic marquees. Fliers will be distributed at numerous club meetings in the next weeks.)
· If you'd like some of the posters or fliers, then let me know, and Evelyn and I can arrange to get them to you. You might have a writing group, or a library nearby or a restaurant that would allow a poster in their window, especially if you live within our area...
· You’ll notice on the agenda that at 2 p.m., we have scheduled the annual Canis Latran ("The Coyote,") Writing Contest awards program. This is when we will present the winners of the contest and allow them to read a portion of their work to the audience. You are welcome to join us at that, if you’d like. The program begins with the "....'n All That Jazz" performance by our Jazz combo, and they’re good!
· And, of course, we have several workshops going on throughout the day. You may want to attend one of those. Attending the workshops and/or theatre activities is strictly up to you; we realize, of course, that you are attending Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz to sell your books and meet 'n greet your readers! If you choose to leave your tables, we will have volunteers in Texas Hall to ensure your belongings' safe-keeping. Last year, volunteers even finalized a few sales for our Authors while they were in the theatre!
I have had the privilege of meeting most of you at our event or at another book festival. I want to make sure I talk with each and every one of you sometime during the day. Please find me during the day if we should miss connections early on. I will have a few details to attend to through the day, especially early in the day and may be seen scurrying about a bit, but I'll be easy to find. Just look for the lady whose gray hair is going grayer by the minute, right before your eyes! :-) Also, my assistant, Evelyn Payne (a lot less grayer than I...) will be available, as well. We'll both have on great big name tags. You can't miss us!

Seriously, we will do everything we can to make this a wonderful day for you. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need anything or if you have suggestion on how we can do anything better for you next year. There will be an evaluation form in your Author's Welcome Packet that will be at your table.

I think this covers several details of the day. I am very excited about Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz IX; in fact, it is my favorite event of the year! We want it to be the very best we can make it and make it a great day for you! If you have additional questions or know of something I have left out in this informational e-mail, please let me know.

See you on April 30th!

Linda Brooks Bagwell
Director, Communications & Public Relations
Weatherford College
225 College Park Ave.
Weatherford, Texas 76086
817-598-6274, office

"The Last Radiant Heart" Review

2011-03-27T03:20:00.001-07:00

I received a nice review on my latest novel, "The Last Radiant Heart" from Galand Nuchols of the LoneStar Nightwriters and also the author of "Dragon Hatchling". I'm tremendously pleased to share it:

"The Last Radiant Heart will capture the imagination of those who dare to examine the possibility of parallel universes and what could happen if a man were gifted with the ability to travel between them. A must read for science fiction lovers. Before the end of the tale, however, the reader may ask, 'Is it really fiction? Could it happen?' ”

Coming in 2011

2011-02-14T03:49:00.000-08:00

It’s with great pleasure that I announced my latest novels are now in contract and tentatively scheduled to be published later in 2011 through Virtual Tales. Below are blurbs about each. I hope your appetites for good stories are whetted.

(“Defining Family”)
It began as an innocent prank by four Texas teens to get out of the North Texas Children’s Home for a short while on a Saturday night. The plan goes terribly wrong. Samantha, Rebecca, Amanda and Aaron suddenly find themselves on the run from the law. Convinced blame of a horrendous crime will be on their heads, eluding the law is the only way. As the week passes, each comes to realize that running away from that problem wasn’t the ultimate reason. Flight from the law transforms into an October odyssey of discovery for four teens searching.

(“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”)
Two centuries have elapsed since global economies collapsed with little hope of resurrection. Jake Henderson, a loner, wanders the former state of Texas foraging for food and seeking shelter anywhere he can find it. He happens upon, and witnesses, the murder of a young woman. A ten-year-old girl traveling with the woman is traumatized and left speechless by the heinous crime and left orphaned. From that day, she begins changing Jake’s life in ways in he could never have imagined. Annabelle, as he chooses to call her, descends from failed genetically manufactured prototypes in the early part of the twenty-first century. This delicate appearing child is anything but, destined to become a savior to many in a world out of control.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007—paperback, ebook
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009—paperback, ebook
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010-paperback, ebook, eSerialization
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ 2010—ebook only
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”/Virtual Tales

Not So Private Thoughts

2011-01-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

WARNING: The following is a piece I wrote a decade ago and recently re-discovered it. It is absolutely politically incorrect, but I laughed out loud upon re-reading it. Whether you choose to laugh with me or chastise me is entirely up to you. -dlw

The number of ways a single notion can be interpreted is cause for my never-ending fascination with how the human mind latches on to a myth then repeats it ad nauseam until one day it becomes the truth. We say it aloud so often it eventually hardens into irrefutable fact.

No getting around it. We’re all guilty of it. Even if we just think it, same thing. Once given life, that cute little notion will grow into a strong, healthy truism.

You know what I mean, like standing before the mirror and staring until the reflection looks good. The longer I stare, the better I look. “Oh yeah. I’m the man!”

Sometimes it’s dangerous to think aloud. Even worse, to put those thoughts in print so it can’t be denied later. But, I’m going in head-first anyhow.

It bears mentioning that I’m semi-retired; meaning I can’t afford not to work after walking away from a 32-year career in television. To fill that financial void and get motivation to stay fit, I became a personal trainer at a local health club. So, my mind was in that particular channel one Friday evening, not so long ago.

The wife and I searched out the best restaurant deal and followed that with a walk through the mall, taking in a sale or two and, of course, some good old-fashioned people watching. The latter was more to my liking. The sales I left to her. Circling a rack of clothes like buzzards over road-kill wasn’t my style. The eye-popping iridescent “75% OFF” sign just wasn’t enough to hold my attention—never has and, likely, never will.

Hearing a nearby conversation, I was unable to resist eavesdropping, just to understand another’s point of view about the mall experience, mind you. With hands stuffed deep inside my pockets, I nonchalantly looked and found more interesting action than the melee-in-the-making at the sale rack.

Like the Kilroy figure, popular among World War II vets, I peered over a pile of sweaters. I saw an attractive woman, maybe a tiny bit overweight, talking to a clerk about a dress she held up. She fondled the fabric. I thought she did that in a strangely seductive way. But, that’s probably a whole other story.

“Do you think this dress will have a slimming effect on me?” she asked.

With the media covering obesity in America almost daily, I couldn’t help myself. My mind took that question and ran with it. In six months will she be back buying another garment? The question becoming, “Will this dress camouflage my widening hips?” Let’s round this timeframe out to a year. Will she then be asking, “Does this dress hang loose enough over my ballooning thighs and butt?”

I’m not saying we shouldn’t attempt to dress attractively, but people like that drop-dead gorgeous woman carrying a few extra pounds…with an obvious fabric fetish…consulted the wrong person. That clerk would have told her anything to ring up a sale, like sale prices are real discounts, for example, and, “Oh yes ma’am, that dress makes you look like a 98-pound super model.”

That’s the clerk’s job. No sale—no revenue, no revenue—no job. What would we expect a store clerk to say? “Oh, sweet heavenly Jesus! You look like a sausage in a microwave about to explode.”

I don’t think so.

She should be asking a personal fitness trainer at the local health club how to mold her body back into what she had obviously been a short time before. Listening to others opinions concerning appearance is a slippery slope. In fact, mothers aside, I can’t think of anyone capable of that level of honesty.

Listening to gushing store clerks will doom her. She will metamorphose into a jewelry laden, perfume reeking, makeup encrusted delusional woman waddling into an ice cream shop, clearly seeing something different in that mirror beyond the double fudge ripple barrel than the world sees.

What good are toe rings and ankle bracelets if she can’t look down and see them?

Of course, if I said anything remotely resembling this thought, I would have ended up with her handprint on the side of my face, not to mention my wife’s embarrassed and emphatic denial of knowing who I am—and, rightfully so.

Instead, I stood quietly and admired her physical attributes for the way she appeared at that moment. I feared she stood at a fork in the road (yes, I chose the word ‘fork’ purposely), taking baby steps down the wrong one. My over-active imagination created an image of her fifty or more pounds overweight, attempting the equivalent of putting racing stripes on a pig.

You may be thinking I’m crass and rude…that I’m the pig. Maybe I am. Don’t know. But, thoughts like this are common, I dare say.

As I turned away to, again, mind my own business, I conjured a happier twist and chose to believe she dropped by to check out the sale, but was actually on her way to pick up a diet book before going on to the gym.

I have the personal training thing down pretty well. At some point, though, I may need to address my people skills.

Nah. I’m good.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Movies Versus Novels

2010-12-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

I’ve concluded that I’m a closet romantic. I hide it well though, below layers and layers of testosterone-laden attitude.

Although I call it research, I watch chick-flicks frequently. Lately, thanks to Hulu, I’ve seen a series of formulaic romantic Christmas stories, too. They all end the same with a happy turn that dampens my eyes (don’t tell anyone). I thought it was worth a few moments of analytical thought on the subject.

The first question I asked myself was: Why will I watch a romantic movie but wouldn’t consider reading a romantic novel? I think it’s a valid question since I write novels and really want people to read my work. I don’t believe the answer is a difficult one at all.

A movie, you see, is over in less than two hours with little attachment to the characters, just a brief emotional moment near the end and, voila! It’s history, whereas, a novel is a true investment in the lives of the characters by the reader. Readers become attached to, or repelled by, the characters of a book and memorably so, if written well. These characters will live on and stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Not so with a movie, as a rule. In fact, I’ve watched many movies that I thoroughly enjoyed but a year later remembered only snippets of it, if at all.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that on a scale of how well a story is remembered would put a great movie, a blockbuster, on par with a mediocre novel. And, this is not a slam at the movie industry. It’s a simple matter of producers and directors not having adequate time to delve into the depths of each character. So, we, as viewers, don’t ever develop true emotional attachments to them.

In a novel, personalities are so well developed that we begin to identify with characters because they remind us of ourselves, spouses, siblings, children, or others in our lives and we actually put recognizable faces on them as we read. That’s just not so in movies.

If a movie attempted such depth of character, it would be a twenty-four hour movie, and that’s just not going to happen; no one would watch it. It would also cost as much to produce as the entire annual budget of some third-world countries.

So, I might be comfortable enough in my own skin to watch a romantic movie and enjoy it, but to read romance novels... well, that just might shatter a few self-imposed boundaries. To become attached to the characters of a romantic novel (and I certainly would) might cause my romantic side to come out, totally out. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011
“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales
“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Taking Care of Business

2010-11-03T06:29:00.001-07:00

The infamous “They” say that the only two sure things in this life are death and taxes. I’d like to add to this list the certainty that people will always exist that want to take what is not theirs to take and they don’t care whom they harm in the process.

If anyone receives an email from my hotmail account (that begins with wrightthing), please disregard it. That email account has been hijacked and I no longer have control or even access to it. And, unfortunately, I don’t have enough information that is different from the hijacker’s to prove that it is indeed my email account. If the wrightthing email happens to be in your email contact list, eliminate it. And, I apologize if you get an email asking for $500 to finance my trip home from west Africa. I don’t need the money and I’m not in west Africa. I can’t say for sure if I’ll ever need $500 but I can say definitively I’ll never be in west Africa.

Now, on to happier things; I have a book signing scheduled for Saturday, November 13th, 10a till 2p at Hastings in Waco at Bosque Blvd and Valley Mills Drive. It will feature my latest novel, “The Last Radiant Heart” but I’ll also have available the popular earlier novel, “Paradise Flawed”.

If you’re within driving distance, please drop by so I can shake your hand.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010

"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

COMING IN 2011

“Defining Family”/Virtual Tales

“Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy/Virtual Tales

Just A Rant

2010-10-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

Making a living, generating an income, is and always has been man’s foremost consideration. In the beginning it was simply bringing meat back to the cave (or wherever).

In modern times, little has changed except how that meat gets to be in the cave. These days, we beg the guy with the keys to where the meat is stored to allow us to serve him in some capacity so we might be sliced off a hunk each week (or month, or year) to take home to the hungry mate and offspring.

Now, for the point of this rambling; has anyone noticed lately what’s happening to the guy holding the key? He seems to be having as much trouble as the rest of us. That key he so jealously guarded now opens an empty locker. Small business is hurting because of the gross favoritism to the behemoths, those “too big to fail”. This is a disgusting and totally false premise. “Too big to fail” is simply catering to contributors and, maybe even, an excuse to begin the nationalization process. Smaller competitors would pick up the slack in a matter of months, if not weeks or days. “Too big to fail” is pure bunk and absolutely anti-American.

With unemployment at, or near, 10% means 1 out of every 10 Americans is without access to someone holding the keys.

I realize this may sound like a statement in favor of one political party or the other, but it goes far beyond that. While Washington, Democrats and Republicans, battle it out in a popularity contest for their “entitlement” to lifelong luxury at our expense, they seem blind to the fact that the well they so liberally dip from is drying up. The only difference between the parties is what they spend money on. They both spend huge amounts to fund a bloated system, most of which need not exist at all. A huge portion of the bureaucracy could collapse and go away; no would miss it.

Does anyone remember the MMS (Mineral Management Services)? Who even knew it existed before the BP spill in the Gulf? Lo and behold, come to find out, they regulated or controlled nothing and did only what the oil companies expected of them. They rubber stamped everything oil companies sent their way. Congress was up in arms and incensed over that news, like it was some kind of revelation and they had no idea oil companies had that much influence.

We need to wake up. Of course they knew! They, too, are recipients of that very same money machine. The puffing up with indignation was for show to the American public, and only occurred because the word got out that MMS controlled or supervised nothing. All the hearings lambasting BP and TransOceanic and even all the banks and car companies before those, were purely for show. Nothing... absolutely nothing of substance came from any of those hearings. The final chapter of this little drama is the simple fact that no one is talking about it any longer and MMS is back to drawing their government paychecks and doing whatever it is that bureaucrats do that have no impact on the business of government. How many other bureaucracies exist that are blips on the landscape, yet cost hundreds of millions of dollar each year?

As crass as it may sound, all (yes, I said all) decisions are first and foremost made to garner favor from those in control of the big coin purses, and it begins with the thought, “Now, what can I get out of this for myself?”

If some benefit is inadvertently bestowed upon the masses for the greater good, it’s an unexpected side effect and not the reason. But, it will be utilized by our, so-called, leaders come next election so they might use it as campaign fodder to extend their “entitlement” one more term.

No, this is not at all an issue of which party should be in power; it’s an issue of the people exerting influence over the parties because both are much more interested in preserving a power base than the health and future of this country. The machine is broken and those in charge are deaf to its grinding gears.

Everyone is aware that Congress votes itself pay raises with no discussion. Anyone care? Everyone knows that they have the best and cheapest health care in the country. Anyone care? Everyone knows that they retire with pensions that will keep them in the top ten percent of “wage” earners in this country. Anyone care?

And, here’s one I wasn’t even aware of until this week. If you or I have advance knowledge of a company’s good fortune through employees of that company and invest money on that information then we’ll be thrown in jail for insider trading. But, if a congressman or senator learns of things through the course of government business about such future things and they invest then they are immune to prosecution. Why?

It’s simple; those that make the laws, make them to protect themselves not us.

The only way to begin changing things is to abandon all party affiliations and vote out incumbents. It doesn’t matter who fills the seat. They need to learn, again, this country is all about the will of people and their jobs in government are public service and not any form of entitlement meant to enrich them personally. After serving, they should go home, get jobs and live under the laws that they passed. But, if the people give up their right, then this corruption will continue. Corruption is a dirty word, but I can’t think of a better one. And, we the people, allow it. Shame on us.

You may not agree with any of this. But, you have to admit, it’s a pretty good collective poke to get us all out to the polls and start voting for real leaders and stop voting for people just because we recognize their names. It’s not a popularity contest! It’s our future!

Now, I need a job. Any suggestions?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

Just Wanted To Share

2010-10-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

I received an email this morning from a person I haven't seen in several decades and she commented on my latest novel, "The Last Radiant Heart". I wanted to share it:

I just have to tell you that I am sitting in my patio room, listening to my Blue Lacys bark at a a 'possum and to flamenco guitar playing on the stereo....and I just read the first chapter of The Last Radiant Heart. I could read no further without telling you how brilliant it is. I mean it and I can't wait to read the next chapter and this email in interrupting me so goodbye! Talk to you later, my re-discovered friend. -Brenda

If you haven't bought my latest novel, "The Last Radiant Heart", please do. I promise it's a great read. While you're thinking about it check out my other titles. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002NKB2PC

The Contrarian

2010-10-04T03:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been one and never realized it, until I received the latest publisher rejection letter. And, I’m not sure whether I need to hang my head in shame or stand proudly and wear it like a badge of honor.

Okay, that’s enough set-up suspense. I’m referring to the fact that I am a contrarian.

Reflection on it began when a Houston publisher sent me a very nice rejection letter on a manuscript I’d queried him on. He complimented the writing, the structure and the style and then he let the bomb fall by stating he didn’t think it would sell. That began a rampant flow of analytical juices flowing through my brain.

I’ve always been told to write what I know about. I’ve been doing that; and did on that particular manuscript, too. But, if it won’t sell, what’s the point... personal satisfaction? Here’s where my drummer splits from the parade and heads out alone; you know, that different drummer we always hear about.
When I first began writing novels, working with things I had knowledge of actually never crossed my mind as the intelligent choice. I just did it, but for a totally different reason than you might imagine. It was a conscious choice to not write another military, detective, cop, espionage, or medical thriller. There are many fine authors that are all over those genres and, at any given time, half or more are on the New York Times Best Seller List. Smart money said do it. But, I had to be the contrarian and take my chances in less plowed fields.

Once I figured out that that choice would likely keep me on the verge of destitution, it became clear that I’ve always had a penchant for going against the norm. That was not an isolated case.

If everyone is cheering one team, I’m quietly rooting for the other. If market advisers are saying some stock is the buy of the century, I’m looking at a little known competitor struggling to stay in business (I’ve lost lots of money thinking that way). At a party, when all the guys were buzzing around some blonde chick like green flies on a manure heap, I drifted over to the girl standing alone and appearing amazed by the pattern on the wallpaper. I could go on but I think you get the point.

So, you see, this behavior is nothing new. It’s just that I’ve finally realized it and in the process of accepting it. I, honestly, have risked too much in my life harboring opposing views and, sometimes for no good reason. Still, I’ve come to believe it’s not what I am but who I am. Is that so bad?

I do realize now that if I’d chosen to go along with popular beliefs more frequently in my life, I may have been driving a luxury car and living in an expensive loft somewhere by now. I suppose though, if I’m going to be a contrarian, I might as well be the best one I can be.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

The Last Radiant Heart Debut

2010-09-29T04:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I debuted my new novel, “The Last Radiant Heart”, at a book signing at Hastings in Lubbock, Texas and the next day thirty miles down the road in Brownfield.

Two reasons for these two locations: Part of the setting and plot in LRH are near these two towns and, secondly, I grew up there. Both were successful and I want to thank everyone for caring enough to stop by, visit and buy my book.

I hope everyone within the scope of this blog will pick up a copy today. I invite you to go to www.virtualtales.com where you’ll be able to read the first four chapters. I’m positive you’ll find it entertaining and invite your comments about it at wrightthing@hotmail.com .

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

Press Release - "The Last Radiant Heart"

2010-09-20T03:49:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Now in Print & eBook: THE LAST RADIANT HEART by Texas Author Daniel Lance Wright

Vancouver, WA (USA) — September 17, 2010 — Virtual Tales, a privately held publisher of trade paperbacks, eBooks, and eSerials spanning a variety of fiction genres and styles, announced the paperback release of the science fiction novel THE LAST RADIANT HEART by Waco, Texas author Daniel Lance Wright. This enthralling time-travel novel tells the story of Jack Dane, a reporter who would have preferred insanity to the truth about his family. But the unwanted power within him can be invoked whether he wills it or not, and will take him and his friends on a paranormal adventure that will shatter his ability to believe.

Ask for THE LAST RADIANT HEART at your favorite bookstore, or buy it online at the Virtual Tales website, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other outlets. It is available in most eBook formats through Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Books on Board, Diesel eBooks, eBookMall, eReader.com, FictionWise, the iBookstore, Mobipocket, Powells, Kobe (ShortCovers), the Sony Reader Store, Virtual Tales, Waterstones, WHSmith and many other outlets worldwide. It is also available as an eSerial exclusively through the Virtual Tales website. Interested readers can view the first four chapters of THE LAST RADIANT HEART for free by visiting the Virtual Tales website, or by sending an empty email to radiant-heart@virtualtales.com.

THE LAST RADIANT HEART

Genre: Science Fiction

Print

Paperback: 218 pages

ISBN-13:978-1-935460-38-1

ISBN-10:1-935460-38-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010935467

Retail Price: $13.95 USD

eBook

ISBN-13: 978-1-935460-40-4

ISBN-10: 1-935460-40-4

Price: $6.95 USD

Virtual Tales is a privately held partnership founded in 2006 to publish original works of general and genre fiction in multiple formats, including print, eBooks and eSerials. Trade paperbacks are available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other outlets throughout the world. eBooks are offered in a variety of formats, including ePub, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader, Amazon/Kindle and Adobe Acrobat. eSerials are delivered through email as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files suitable for reading on a PC, Mac, PDA, eReader, mobile phone and other devices. Virtual Tales is based in Vancouver, Washington, just north of Portland, Oregon on the west coast of the United States.

# # #

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Sheri Gormley, sheri@virtualtales.com, +1-208.352.0396

No Time For Negativity

2010-09-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve given considerable thought to the sequel for a novel that, itself, remains unpublished as of this writing. That creates an interesting conundrum: How much effort and thought time do I invest in such an endeavor before the first one finds a publisher that will take it on?

This is where I could allow negativity to cloud my forward thinking on the matter. The questions are like buzzing mosquitoes around my ears. I keep swatting them away, but they keep coming back: What if the first one is never published? Will I have wasted weeks and months? Will a sequel be the equivalent of pouring good time after bad?

No matter how upbeat and positive one may be, I think it’s impossible to prevent such questions from assaulting the creative process, maybe even stopping it altogether.

I once heard a wonderful line by an Italian actor in a ‘70s vintage movie called “The Gumball Rally”. He was sitting in the passenger side of a sports car and offering instructions to the driver on how to win. As he spoke, the driver began adjusting the rearview mirror. The Italian fellow abruptly stopped talking and broke the rearview mirror from its bracket and tossed it out of the car. He then said, “You wanta to winna the race? Then you no worry what is behind you.”

I believe this to be perfectly applicable to writing novels. If the desire to write something is strong enough to consume ample thought time, then all the negative thoughts in the world shouldn’t matter. Just do it!

You want to win? Then don’t look back. Forge ahead. The quality of your work will be evident when you act on the fire within you to write it and not cave to pessimistic perceptions that may or may not be valid.

This is as much to reinforce my own resolve as it is advice.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010
“Trouble”, short story/CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX

Just Bragging

2010-09-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

SANTA FE, NM – Danny Wright, from China Springs, Texas, has won an honorable mention from the CrossTIME Short Science Fiction Contest. His story, “Trouble”, will be featured, along with stories from fourteen other authors, in the CrossTIME Science Fiction Anthology, Vol. IX.

Wright is a native Texan freelance writer and novelist. He has published three novels (Six Years’ Worth, Paradise Flawed, and The Last Radiant Heart) and one eBook (Where Are You, Anne Bonny? ), and is in contract negotiations for another title.

“Having spent the first nineteen years of my life on a South Plains cotton farm and the next thirty-two in the television industry,” says Wright, “I’ve seen the world from two distinctly different angles. This divergent perspective on the world helps add depth when bringing together characters from different backgrounds.”

The CrossTIME anthologies feature science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy stories of under 7,500 words that demonstrate the best of the human spirit. This year’s submissions were received from around the globe.

Invitation

2010-09-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

To anyone within the listening area of 89.5 FM in Weatherford, Texas, tune in tomorrow morning (Sat. 9/11) for the program "Books 'N' Authors, hosted by Linda Blackwell of Weatherford College. I'll be visiting with her about my latest release "The Last Radiant Heart" and whatever other topics she wants to discuss.

It should be interesting and I know it'll be fun for me.

Confrontations

2010-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

From the day of first awareness in this life, we all come to know personal idiosyncrasies but never really think about them. The reason is simple: These things are just what make us who we are. No deep contemplation necessary. Unless high on some mind altering drug, we don’t consider our arms, hands, feet and head because they are just part of the total package, like those little things we do, say or think every day, all the time. But, on occasion, something happens that vaults a quirk front and center—not to be appreciated but questioned as an aberration that, maybe, shouldn’t be. That’s what happened to me this morning. I think I’ll call it an epiphany.

As you may have learned about me, I’m an extremely early riser. After about an hour of editing a manuscript, I developed an urge for a Spanish omelette from my favorite breakfast haunt. So, I stopped working and was on my way by 5:30. It was a pleasant drive; not much traffic that early. In fact there were few vehicles at all on the streets, except at the four-way stop I pulled up to. I rolled to a standstill. A second later, two others did, too—one left of me and one across the intersection. Now, I am aware of the first come, first go rule and then take turns clockwise. But, the other two lurched forward and stopped. That’s when I figured the rules were out the window and it became a game of chicken.

I envisioned Clint Eastwood with that squinty stare chewing on that slimy cigar butt and the theme from “A Fistful of Dollars” playing in the background, checking the eyes of all the shifty bad guys wondering who would draw first.

I had no intention of entering that fray-in-the-making in which one motorist had already honked and the other responded with a double beep. At first, I thought it was humorous, although by the rules of the road, I’m the one that should’ve had the right of way. Eventually, the other two felt their way through and raced on down the street; both obviously angry at the other, judging by rates of acceleration.

I’ve always hated four-way stops because, by nature, I’ll go far out of my way to avoid confrontation, if it is my choice to do so. Why am I that way? It would have been my right to take charge and go on through the intersection but I chose not to. It then occurred to me that I do that all the time and it has very little to do with courtesy. It just doesn’t seem worth the effort. Why wouldn’t being right be worth initiating a confrontation? I listen to people rant all the time about politics, religion or other sensitive subjects that I, too, have strong opinions on but I’ll just smile at them while thinking, “Dumb shit,” and never press a point of my own.

It’s important to note, that although I do not instigate confrontations, I’ve never backed away from one that I did not start and will never. So, it’s not a backbone issue either.

This is a quirk I’ve always known about myself but never pondered the potential consequences of such a mindset, until today. And suddenly this peculiarity has become relevant and important. I now look back at several crossroads in my life that, had I aggressively confronted a person or issue, my lot in life may have turned out markedly different, maybe better.

I think this qualifies as an epiphany.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

Deserving Words For Lake Jackson, TX

2010-07-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

I have to make it as public as I know how that the staff of the Hastings store in Lake Jackson, Texas are some of the friendliest and most helpful people I’ve ever met.

I was fortunate to have staged a book signing event in that store on Thursday July 15th to promote and sell my latest novel “Paradise Flawed” and also my previously released novel “Six Years’ Worth”. It was a wonderful success and I’m proud to announce to the world that its success was, in no small measure, due to the helpful attitudes of that Hastings staff. That particular store must be a retail leader within the Hastings family of outlets. If I’m told otherwise, I will refuse to believe it.

My next novel, a metaphysical drama titled “The Last Radiant Heart” is set for release in print, ebook and chapter serialization in August through Virtual Tales. I hope you look for it, buy it, read it, enjoy it and then help me spread the word.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

Book Signing

2010-07-11T04:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday July 15th, 1p to 5p at Hastings in Lake Jackson, Texas – West Hwy 332.

It seemed appropriate I lead with the important part of this post. I’ll have a booking signing for my latest novel “Paradise Flawed” and will also have copies of “Six Years’ Worth” available for sale, too. Beyond that, I want to invite and urge anyone within driving distance to drop by and say hello. I love meeting people. Would you do that?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

Job Interview

2010-07-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

I certainly can’t set myself apart from the rest of our nation when it comes to economic woes. It seems major changes loom on the horizon for me. I wish I had the power to glimpse what they might be.

I need to back up a bit and explain that, I suppose.

Eight years ago I was a happy well-adjusted (by my definition) advertising sales manager for the local CBS television affiliate. And then the unthinkable happened. Top management changed and I was out. I won’t bore you with details, but it’s so common these days that I probably don’t need to.

Companies of all sizes have no loyalties to employees anymore; people seen only as pawns to be moved, shifted or booted, sometimes after decades of loyal service. That’s breeding employees that are either apathetic or willing to sell-out employers to competitors for the price of a song. But, I’m rabbit-trailing. This should belong in a blog unto itself.

Back on point; after I’d lost that job, I wanted to hone writing skills and write novels. So, I did and I am, but the souring economy has unceremoniously forced a decision. I must go back to work full-time if I want to support this writing habit into old(er) age.

After thirty-two years in the broadcast television business, eighteen of those years in advertising sales, I now have an interview coming up to get back into it as a grunt account executive and, maybe, have the opportunity to re-invent myself yet again.

I smile, in a nervous way of course, when I think about all those fresh-faced college grads I interviewed over the years to do what I’m seeking to do now. I’ll be on their side of that desk trying my best to be chatty, witty and charming while displaying an educated interest in the job I’ll be applying for. Frankly, it’s scaring hell out of me.

I keep asking myself, “Why?” I know the job inside and out, even trained many to do what I’m applying for, yet here I sit writing a blog about my interview reluctance. Some of the fears are genuine, though, like the possibility of being seen as over qualified.

I don’t mean to whine, but I can’t get an odd image out of my head; chasing a rolling quarter into the street just to be hit by a truck.

I curse the state of our economy!

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/August 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

New Release: "Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"

2010-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone checks out my latest ebook release: Where Are You, Anne Bonny?

It's available now through http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/ .

If you love the idea of a lady pirate, you'll love this one.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/ ebook available now 2010

"Trouble"

2010-06-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

     I was notified recently that a short story I wrote, “Trouble”, placed in a contest and would be included, along with all the winners, in an anthology. It’s published by Crossquarter Publishing Group of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s a 2500-word fantasy piece that crosses the line into religious territory.
     The book will be available in late July at http://www.crossquarter.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/ .

     I’m eager to read the other stories. Below is an excerpt of “Trouble”. Enjoy:

     No salt had been sprinkled on the thin layer of ice in the alley like it had been on the sidewalk. Patches of it immediately robbed sure footing. Complicating matters, it was sloped to the center for better drainage; he did not have to step at all to slide to the middle of the narrow alley. Forward progress was now only possible by a flat-footed glide, arms outstretched as if tightrope walking. Chester slowed and picked his path. The iciest places were difficult to spot because the only illumination came from a single street light behind him.
     Suddenly, a rat darted across his path.
     His feet went airborne.
     His head came down against a gas meter pipe elbow.
     Pain exploded in his head and the concrete was cold on his prone body, but only for as long as it took to realize it.
     He took a deep breath and sat up. He held his head with both hands and then checked them—no blood; furthermore, no pain. Opening his eyes, he danced fingertips over the side of his head in various places and felt nothing out of the ordinary. Not a gash, a lump, a sore spot—nothing.
     Hey, how come I can see my hand so well? Why is it not cold anymore? What’s goin’ on?
     He looked around for the source of brilliance but it simply could not be pinpointed. Light flooded the alley from all directions, not overhead and not from either side. “What the hell…?”
     “Chester Wiggins?”
     He continued the fingering probe of his temple. “Yeah, I’m Chester.”
     Still dumbfounded, he did not care about the voice. Finally, he looked. When his eyes connected, he scooted on his butt until his back thudded against the brick wall of the building behind him. “Jesus Christ!”
     “I wish.”
     “Who the hell are you? You don’t look human!”
     “I should hope not.”
     “Then who… what are you?”
     “I live here.”
     “The alley?”
     “It’s an alley to you. To me it’s a disgusting little crevice within a cranny under a smelly lump of dung... but I call it home.”

Editing My Baby

2010-05-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

It’s interesting how the mind reacts when self-editing the newborn novel.
We stare lovingly with stars in our eyes and never see the obvious.
Before us is a helpless infant and we, as authors, have the power and the means to either relegate it to bastard stepchild status, even mutilate it, or give it sustenance and the right amount of care to help it reach its full potential as a story that propels readers to another place, another time and into another life twisting emotions to whatever end the author desires. It’s difficult in the beginning to see anything but the most beautiful baby in the world. In reality, it’s an embryo faintly resembling a novel.
As with any parent, it’s a difficult task to nurture without coddling or to discipline without harming.
This morning I sat at the keyboard going over a chapter in a novel now almost six years, by no means an infant, and still unpublished. It was one specific paragraph that spawned this line of thinking. In my opinion it was superbly written—just the right amount of narration to balance crisp dialogue without cumbersome adverbs or overuse of adjectives. It plucked a heart string the way I intended when first written in 2005.
The only problem with it, I came to realize, was that the entire paragraph, every well-placed word, was superfluous to the story. It didn’t need to be there. The story would not miss it at all. It felt as if someone had slapped me and that’s not just hyperbole; I felt a real sting. I loved that paragraph, usually reading it two or three times before moving on.
This is where the infant/parent comparison is most appropriate; when I decided that my only choice was removing it, I might as well have decided to amputate the pinky finger of an only child, a teenage child at that.
I now have a new opinion: When I’m finished with it, this eighty-four-thousand word six-year old novel may be ten to fifteen-thousand words shorter.
If, at some point in the future, the novel is blessed by some publisher, I’ll build a shadow box and next to the published novel will be placed a very well written paragraph. I’ll just let people ask me why.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Summer 2010

Writer's Block

2010-05-09T04:13:00.001-07:00

Where does writer’s block come from?

I suppose the question doesn’t have a pat answer but I think I have a handle on it in my case. It’s a matter of creativity choked off by everyday life—money worries, family problems, backed-up plumbing, and on, and on and on.
Here’s where that handle gets a might difficult to hang on to; I haven’t found the key to make creativity top of the heap. It’s just another thing in the heap.
Wine works well, but it’s certainly not a fix I care to lean on regularly. As time goes on, that cure will surely become the curse. I’ve seen and heard of it happening to many writers, musicians, and actors.
So, let’s start a meaningful discussion: When you hit a wall with your writing, what works for you?
Trust me, any technique offered will be cheerfully received.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Summer 2010

Education and Common Sense

2010-05-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

I experienced a true phenomenon yesterday—a university professor educated beyond common sense. Education and good old horse sense, I am now convinced, can be mutually exclusive.

The man is brilliant in his field and we had a fascinating conversation about the human condition. He eloquently quoted Fritz Perls and Freud, among others. I kept my chin in my palm enthralled with his expertise on what makes humans tick.

He is one of those people with degrees, diplomas and certificates of achievement framed and hanging on his office wall in numbers that left little wall space visible. He obviously had spent innumerable hours studying to have such wisdom available without referencing some dusty old text.

As his time for me dwindled, his mind clicked over to chores he had to get done when he got home, like mowing the lawn. That’s the one that got my attention.

He asked, “Since only the ends of a mower blade are sharpened, how does it cut grass in the center?”

I laughed.

He didn’t.

So, I told him that forward momentum takes care of it.

He had to think about it for a full second, maybe two and then the light in his eyes went on.

Later, while thinking about that odd transformation from enlightened guru to dim bulb within seconds, I visualized an eager young college student holding out a bag while professors, teachers, mentors and instructors filled that bag with knowledge within a very narrow range. The student kept his nose in that bag the whole time, years actually, never paying attention to the world around him. Questions came to mind.

If given the choice, would it be preferable to learn everything there is to know about a subject within a narrow range? Or, should we work at becoming better rounded in our education? Or, does it really matter? Simply asked: Is it better to know a lot about very little or to have some knowledge about many different things?

I’m sure the answer lies with where the passion is. As for me, I have a new respect for Texas rednecks.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Spring 2010

Are There Degrees of Profundity?

2010-04-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Where do profound thoughts come from? Do we just wait for them to smack us on the head?

I learned that enlightenment can begin with an event no more complicated than watching seagulls.

Before we get to the gulls, it bears mentioning, there have been two occasions when seemingly benign comments created circumstances sending my life sailing off into new directions, like a pinball hitting that hundred-point bumper, lighting up all the machinery.

Through my teens and twenties, life was a rather steep uphill battle. At the time, concerns were limited to wondering whether my last ten dollars, three days before payday, would buy gasoline for the car, or a few more groceries. Looking back, those were happy times, the good old days. When the thirties rolled around, income increased and money worries leveled out, even disappeared to a great extent. Life was good.

It’s easy to see it all in retrospect. Living on a plateau, whether financial or from any other perspective, is only comfortable as long as no one pushes us from it. Funny thing about plateaus, no down escalator, only lethal drops. If we’re lucky enough to get there, the battle to keep the fruits of our achievements can be a killer.

Working in the television business in a small Texas market in the seventies and early eighties was a joy, until the station sold and management changed. Suddenly, I didn’t fit. Fear of losing what I had invested years to build pressed my Chicken Little button. It seemed calamity lurked just out of sight, but I expected it to come into view at any moment. I put in twice the time and thrice the effort to simply stay employed. No matter. My goals had been raised to unreasonable limits, support systems removed. They wanted me gone.

Friends came for a visit one weekend. I laid the oh-woe-is-me treatment on a buddy. He tired quickly of hearing it. “Nothing lasts forever,” he said flatly, “Stop worrying about it.”

Comments don’t get more basic, benign or non-threatening than that. But, for me, at that time, it was a life-altering revelation. Like a bullet between the eyes, it exploded the sacred myth that that job should be forever. What the hell was I thinking? He was dead-on right. Nothing lasts forever.

Then came profundity number two. Near the end of that situation, I learned to deal with inevitability, even joke about it. I continued finding or creating promotional vehicles suited to my clients. Admittedly, some of that was to impress my superiors to show them what they would be missing when they let the ax fall.

As I agonized over a proposal and worried aloud about it, a coworker said, “It’s just f___ing television, not brain surgery. Stop worrying about it.”

That’s when I discovered lightning could strike twice. That comment, made in passing, and in jest, scars my psyche to this day, but it’s a funny little blemish. It’s one of those guiding forces in my life I refer to, and say often, just substitute the word television with the flavor of the month. I never change the profanity. It fits all situations.

That former coworker holds a special place in my heart for that comment. He’ll likely never know that he provided me a springboard to another life’s change. All he wanted was a laugh.

When the mind is open, wisdom gets in. But, how does one go about opening a mind? It’s certainly not like flipping a light switch.

Sometimes, a simple summer vacation and a day at the beach can do the trick.

It was daybreak, my favorite time of day. I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed a lawn chair and walked to the beach, no other plan in mind than greet the day while listening to the crashing surf, ready to get my vacation underway.

The rhythmic sound of crashing surf and a steady breeze worked its magic. Troubles took flight—ah, sweet, sweet peace of mind. It felt good. I had nothing on my mind except letting the sound of the surf and sights of the ocean sweep over me.

Gulls gathered at the water’s edge looking into the rising sun, unmoving, even against the stiff breeze. They seemed to be refusing to relinquish a front row seat, like they saw something worth staring at.

I was reminded of a movie where angels gathered on a beach, all oriented east, looking into the rising sun, as these gulls did, greeting the new day. Did the director see this same sight, too?

A cloud drifted across the still-rising sun, shooting streamers of God’s light in all directions. That certainly didn’t settle my seeking mind.

It concerned me that I might be taking for granted what those birds saw as reverent. In their way, they must have been giving thanks for surviving long enough to see another sunrise.

The excited squeal of a small child startled me from contemplation. I looked. People were coming out to enjoy this sliver of paradise. As far as I could see in both directions, people walked to the beach, as if the hand of a director cued them to do so.

At that moment, it was as if God’s finger touched that sleeping part of my brain.

This must have been about the temporal nature of life. A hundred years from now no one on that beach would likely be alive—very few on the entire planet, yet the gulls would still greet each new day and the surf would still pound the beach.

I shuddered.

When life’s drudgery drags you down, someone close will certainly crack wise, “In a hundred years from now, who’s going to care?”

It’s true.

Enjoy.

Life’s short.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Spring 2010

Chicken or the Egg

2010-04-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

As a fiction writer, a concept or premise will come to me by way of something I’ve seen or read and then go about the business of concocting characters to bring the story to life. But, just yesterday, it occurred to me that I have several interesting characters rambling around in my head that have no story home. They’re just interesting people I’ve known, or know of, that would make excellent characters if only I had a story for them.

That got me wondering about other fiction writers. And, it amounts to the classic conundrum: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do other fiction writers build stories around strong characters or create characters to be plugged into a story after conceptualizing a plot line? Or, is there a mix?

As mentioned, I have characters in mind but I’ve never built a story around a single character.

I need to pause and say, though, I’ve yet to write a sequel. That, to me, is a different situation. The story must be built around the character(s). I’m confining this to the genesis of a brand new project.

Somehow, I have the feeling that this might be a polarizing subject if opened up for debate. Who cares? I think I’ll ask anyhow.

Which came first, the character or the story?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010

"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/Spring 2010

Circling Buzzards

2010-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

A Sunday morning tradition I’ve always enjoyed has been to cook brunch, sit with my wife in the dining room facing a window, curtains pulled back and look out at the world as we enjoy the meal. That Sunday was no different, except, maybe, for my state of mind.

Dad is eighty-six. He has only days left in this life. I’ve spent time at his side listening to stories that get increasingly personal as time slips away. I’ve learned more about the man in a week than at any other time in my sixty years. Therefore, it was on my mind. Somehow, I would incorporate those stories into a work of fiction. I figured a cathartic benefit might be in it for me, if for no other reason. That’s when I began to wonder what it is that obligates a person to spill every secret of life when it begins leaching away.

As I ate, two buzzards flew high over our neighborhood and had begun that familiar slow circling flapless descent. It could only mean some creature had lost its life. But, then I thought: Could it be the creature isn’t dead yet? Is it possible that it’s lying on the ground watching death come for it? If so, is it reconciling life, too? These questions born of that view led to a philosophical meandering that held my mind hostage for over half an hour.

That said, it’s only natural I think on the secrets of my own life that I hold. At the moment, none seem important. At best, they’re amusing. At worst, they’d anger or confuse people. So, I leave them tucked away to enjoy, or regret, within my own secret world. Eventually, like the rest of the human race, I’ll be compelled to share them before I die and leave it to the next generation to determine value.

For now, it continues baffling. Everyone that endures a lingering death does it. Why?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Summer 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Italy 1944

2010-03-08T03:23:00.000-08:00

Italy 1944

My father is eighty-six and a World War II veteran. He’s on oxygen round the clock due to COPD. His mind is sharp and relishes staying abreast of current events. But, it’s not his command of contemporary facts that’s astounding, although his knowledge of what’s happening in Washington rivals any of the pundits or politicians on the Sunday morning network news magazines.

When I visit, it doesn’t matter what our conversations consist of, it will sooner or later metamorphose into a war story, usually Italy in 1944. He served some time in North Africa but that hardly ever comes up. Even sixty-six years later it’s amazing the detail he uses to tell his stories. Names, places, ages—all the information necessary to tell a story chocked with descriptive nuance.

This past week he retold a story I’ve heard numerous times about a night in a bar with a soldier he knew. It was in a small town just outside Rome. But on this telling, I learned something new.

As usual, he explained the soldier in great detail using his full name, where his hometown was, how long he’d been in Italy, and many other highly descriptive details of the night and the bar plus its patrons as if he watched a movie in his mind’s eye. I was feigning interest since I’d heard it so many times and casually made the comment, “He must have been a really good buddy.”

He said, “Oh no, I met him at the bar and never saw him again after that night.”

Dad tossed out that comment thinking nothing of it and continued on with the story; whereas my focus on what he was saying stopped cold right there. How could he remember all that about a guy he knew for a few hours and a bar he was in once only?

It has to be the nature of war. All the senses are set on edge and pushed to extremes. This can be a good thing in dangerous situations. One can react instantaneously and get the job done clear of mind. But, after it’s over it can cause post traumatic stress disorder at one extreme while people, like my Dad, who managed to preserve relative mental stability, had an indelible mark made another way—acute sensory awareness that keeps people and events fresh for a lifetime.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve heard them all many, many times and will likely hear them all again. I’ll keep listening because it’s not about the story, it’s about the storyteller.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

A Winner's Instinct

2010-02-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, a relatively warm afternoon somehow wedged itself between cold fronts. I enjoyed the simple pleasure of walking the hundred yards to my mailbox. Afterward, while making a beeline for the garbage can with a handful of credit card offers and other ways to spend money, I saw a roadrunner, but that’s not out of the ordinary since a pair of them live nearby and are neighbors year-round.

What brought me to a standstill was that the bird had a live long snake in its beak. It was obvious that the skinny serpent had no desire to be its lunch. And, it was clear that the roadrunner did not care for its proximity to me. It ran, or so it tried. It was, at first, very comical.

The snake encircled the bird’s legs and tripped it. The roadrunner had gained enough momentum that it slid on its beak before recouping balance and taking off again. This repeated several times in quick succession. That poor roadrunner floundered but refused to release its prey even as it approached a barbed wire fence with a dense stand of dried weeds along it. It appeared impassable.

Well, dear chaparral, it would seem you’ve met your match and might consider shorter snakes in the future, I thought.

The bird suddenly found footing, stood and took wing—snake still clutched and dangling like the tail of a kite. It was a genuine spectacle of nature.

As it disappeared behind a cedar tree to enjoy its meal, my smile faded away as I thought on what I had just witnessed. That bird refused to give. The snake refused to give up. But, in the end, there could be only one winner.

That’s life. That’s what we, as humans, do everyday—try to progress positives in measurable ways, defeating whatever downsides stand in our way.

So, tomorrow when you’re eating breakfast thinking about your day, ask yourself: Today, will I be the roadrunner or will I be the snake?

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Brain Power

2010-02-12T04:10:00.000-08:00

Below is the foreword to my new novel, The Last Radiant Heart, set to release in late spring or early summer of 2010. I thought it would be fun to post it and invite comments. Even if you choose not to leave your thoughts on it, I hope you enjoy the read. –Daniel Lance Wright

Whether beliefs are rooted in creationism, evolution, or any other discipline, there is a point everyone will likely agree on: The human mind functions at a mere fraction of potential.

Debate on the subject creates more questions than answers. Although theories are bandied about, nothing has ever been proven. It remains a debatable and interesting topic of conversation.

If two people can agree that the human mind is only using a miniscule portion of that potential then the question becomes: Is there a story out there—a person—that could provide evidence of a brain fully developed? If so, what would it mean? What would that person be capable of?

Theoretically, such a person would set the scientific and theological communities on their ears. Such a discovery might require an overhaul of thinking that has been around for thousands of years. Since beliefs tend to harden with time, changing that thinking might require a large hammer of truth.

Let’s explore a possibility: What if a person existed that had full use of every square centimeter of brain matter, not just part of it? Furthermore, what if full use of that gray matter did not constitute an increased ability to think reason or control body parts—or any other function considered primary?

The result could be a projection of power that changes this person’s personal universe. In other words, allowing him to physically move from one time to the next, one place to the next, or even one dimension to the next.

Could there be truth in such a story? The popular answer would have to be no. But let’s assume the unpopular answer is correct.

Thanks to near-infinite genetic variations, we are amazing creatures, and amazingly different. Some are capable of tremendous feats of ingenuity while others are tragically challenged to perform the simplest tasks.

What if a scale should exist to measure absolute mind capacity? The difference between the near-vegetative human being and the person with the highest intelligence quotient on the planet is indistinguishable on this scale, both near the bottom. The ability to think and reason is common to both. Their assigned position on the scale already indicates how little difference there is between them. Furthermore, we are assuming a scale to measure absolute mind capacity.

What if thinking and reasoning were only a tiny part of the brain’s planned purpose? What if incremental increases in mental capacity create abilities that compounded with each click of the pointer on our assumed scale?

These extraordinary gifts wouldn’t be considered normal or even believable by today’s standards. Such gifts would be labeled queer aberrations of the human condition. Religions of the world would take it to extremes. Some would assign Christ-like status. Others would call it Satan’s work. But everyone would disbelieve until they witnessed it for themselves. It would test all belief boundaries. Therefore, it makes sense that someone possessing such abilities might desire to keep them secret.

Let’s consider these for example: telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, time travel, inter-dimensional travels and a myriad of others, real or imagined. Small, yet passionate, groups around the world believe in such areas of study. A few openly profess to practice these fringe concepts.

Somewhere, in a lonely position high up on this mind-measuring scale is a nonbeliever. He’s a man of average intelligence—a man that confines such topics to party conversations. But, what he has believed all his life is destined to become irrelevant.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Mumbles and Grunts

2010-01-31T04:18:00.000-08:00

Although not something dwelt on often, it was thrust into my consciousness recently and there it remains. I’m referring to how I speak versus how I write.

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who is also an English teacher; twice she corrected me on poor word choice. At the time I just laughed it off and continued whatever it was that I was telling her. It was later that I began to worry about it. A self-analysis began that I’m now continually addressing, even in this writing.

Maybe I should go back to the beginning. I grew up in a rural environment on the Texas South Plains where verbal communication consisted of profanity-laced and testosterone-loaded mumbles and grunts. Hanging out in the office of a cotton gin listening to farmers talk over a game of dominoes is not the best place to learn syntax and good grammar. Unfortunately, I spent many more hours as a child in that and similar environments than in classrooms. Even during the years immersed in the education system learning better, I didn’t practice verbally what I’d been taught.

Eventually, I broke into the television industry and became a news writer/reporter and so began my first foray into using our language correctly. At the time, I didn’t notice—in fact, totally blind to my habit of reverting to grammatically challenged mumbles and grunts once the red light on the camera went off.

It’s not that I’m into secular flagellation, but the cold truth is when I’m drafting a novel and my imagination is running full-bore through my fingertips the result is the print version of those mumbles and grunts. I had a high school English teacher, now long deceased, that I’m sure cringes with every other keystroke as she looks over my shoulder from her heavenly vantage point. I wager that I spend much more time editing than even the most inexperienced writers whose childhoods were spent around people speaking the language as it was intended.

Now I’m too conscious of it, correcting myself so often that the train of thought jumps track and I end up staring, unable to remember what I was saying. Grammatically challenged mumbles and grunts has evolved into conversationally challenged red faces and question marks.

We have to go with our strengths though; right? Thank God for perseverance. That’s where I shine.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Paying Attention

2010-01-23T03:58:00.000-08:00

Writing novels has been a passion for a couple of decades transforming into a full-time endeavor eight years ago. Looking beyond the story to see the skeletal structure beneath predates both milestones by many years. Early on, I wondered: What is about a novel that will reside clearly and comfortably in the memory for years while others are forgotten shortly after the final word is read?

Once the question was asked those many years ago, so began my pursuit of story perfection. Will it ever be achieved? Of course not, but to seek it in all things, including fiction writing is a duty I will not deny. To improve from one story to the next in small but measurable ways is my goal. At some point, the novel not easily forgotten should evolve—that is the hope.

There are no new ideas; so goes the cliché, but it’s true, even biblical (Ecclesiastes 1:9): “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This doesn’t preclude alternate uses and better ways of presenting old ideas.

Clearly, this does not promote plagiarism; instead, it should encourage us to pay attention to the world around us. Within other works lie gems to be transformed and refitted to a different use. It could be anything; a better plot direction, ways of improving dialogue flow or even an amusing or dramatic phrase or word providing the perfect device to turn a story or conclude a scene.

Do not simply scan newspaper articles, study them and every novel, movie and conversation; there are gems of wisdom waiting for you to glean. Inspiration comes to advance the search for perfection one baby step at a time. The only secret in the process is to keep taking those steps. That unforgettable novel will come together.

If it’s a brand new idea you are waiting on before you get down to business then... well, good luck with that.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Make A Difference

2010-01-14T04:11:00.000-08:00

I’ve seen it all over the internet for some time but it continually resonates in me: “Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the less there is and the older we get the faster it spins.” It’s simply a clever little truism, nothing profound about it.

Setting long-term goals is always changing because, with the passage of time, they’re getting closer together and my definition of long-term is under constant assault. The clock echoes louder and chances to make a mark on this world dwindle.

Is this a selfish desire? Somewhat, I suppose. Am I alone in this wish? Not at all, I’m sure. I submit that every person that has ever lived, at some point in their lives, wondered, worried and possibly agonized over the legacy they would leave behind. I am no different.

Politicians run for office to make a difference but, in the end, all they want is to be re-elected. Obviously, a politician is not what I aspire to be because they, long ago, ceased to be statesmen; all they want is to placate the right people to remain in their comfortable situations with a sense of power over people. I criticize but I fear I might be the same.

Each one of us, worldwide, must choose our battle and make a positive difference. It is up to us, as individuals. And, that is possibly the answer; do something good for someone or some group but do it quietly, just because it is the right thing to do and then urge those recipients to pay if forward.

I’m left with a desire, in my rather humble capacity on this planet, to make a positive, uplifting and forward thinking difference for the better. Should I fail at that, there’s always running for public office.

But, for now, I’m thinking Haiti.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

The Rabbit Died

2010-01-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

The rabbit died!

No, no one is pregnant. The rabbit, our pet rabbit, literally died. Now for the most difficult thing to admit; it was my fault.

My wife went out of town for a few days and said, “Look after Stinky (the rabbit), would you?”

Of course I said that I would, no problem, consider it done, go have a good time.

I didn’t feed or water Stinky for three days. I refuse to offer more details than that, other than to say that his name fit the end result. I feel awful!

Newton’s third law of motion says, “To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

I learned that in elementary school but had never considered it; I mean really thought about it, until Stinky took the well-lighted tunnel to paradise. Have you ever considered it... the tiny little decisions made every day that fan into the future causing potentially catastrophic changes?

Let me set a scenario for you: I call in to work that I’m sick, just because I’m too freaking lazy to get out of bed. My project partner loses his job because I wasn’t there to help him make a deadline; his wife divorces him because he’s unemployed; he commits suicide because he loved her so much.

Don’t try to convince me that this is illogical or over-simplified because I’m now a devout believer that this happens every day in this crazy world. Granted, there may be a few more episodes between these high points and it might take years but the fact is; it happens. We just never look back to notice.

So, when your spouse asks you to feed the pet, for God’s sake, do it.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

My Muse

2010-01-08T04:41:00.000-08:00

Where is the well from which your inspiration springs? What is your muse? Who is your muse?

Anyone interested in creating something with little more than desire and raw material floating disconnected in the mind knows well the importance of these questions. They must be answered and dealt with before a single word is written, a lone note played, the first colorful stroke of paint applied to canvas or the first chip hammered from formless marble.

I’ve asked these questions of many and have received answers that always seem to point at a single person, endeavor or situation. As examples: spouses, friends, long walks, sunsets, sunrises, fall days, spring days, holidays, stargazing, and on and on, adinfinitum. And, I always felt left out because I knew of no single person or experience that provided me with inspiration... until a few minutes ago.

It’s cold outside, so the fire in the fireplace is crackling and cozy. Cup of coffee in hand, I sat gazing into lazy flames with no particular thoughts other than appreciation for warmth on such a frigid morning. It was yesterday that I struggled with a story arc for a novel I’m working on and, after a dizzying session of mental badminton, I gave up and made stew. Not only did the conundrum return this morning, it began playing out in meticulous detail in the flames of the fire. Within the span of mere minutes, I not only had a plan for the direction of my story, I also had the answer to that elusive question: Who/what is my muse?

If you’re thinking the fireplace then you already know part of the answer, but I now know the answer is infinitely larger. My muse is not a single person or thing but, rather, it is everything and anything; it is everyone and anyone. It is whatever I’m looking at or experiencing, whomever I’m talking with and all those examples above and more—a receptive mind—eyes open and observant—ears recording the nuances of daily life.

Anyone believing that the ability to create lay without then the smolder within will suffocate.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Maybe Tomorrow

2010-01-06T04:03:00.000-08:00

As the years reel by, I find that procrastination has become part of me. As a writer, I suppose it might be compared to writer’s block. But, that’s not my problem; it has nothing to do with my time devoted to the stories I write. It’s everything else; nuisance jobs and projects that seem to keep me on a treadmill.

It’s worth a mention that I’ve always had an aversion to tasks falling in the “maintenance” category.

Working until my fingers bleed and my eyes bug on things with a shelf life of decades has always been more my style—things that would fall in the creative category—writing stories, building things, woodturning, etc.

But, if it’s duties like mowing grass that will need cutting again in a week, or painting a house that will need another coat in a couple of years, or vacuuming a floor that will be dirty again by day’s end; these are the type things that seem like a waste of precious effort. This is where the adage “Life is too short” fits so well.

When life winds down and it’s my turn to see it flash before me; do I really care to see blinking images of neat lawns, clean carpets or a neatly painted house? I think not.

Now, I must go take a shower. There are a few maintenance routines I haven’t abandoned which, if I ever meet you, you’ll appreciate.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Man in The Mirror

2010-01-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

I am a skeptic that would make a garden variety doubter drop in awe. Example: I don’t trust mirrors.

How many times have you been gazing into a mirror and saw a reflection of something you couldn’t believe was real and had to turn and see it directly before you’d believe it? Although my skepticism runs deep, I submit that this is a more common phenomenon than anyone would readily admit.

Yesterday I was doing my usual grooming shirtless in front of the mirror and, although conscious of it already, I began to examine my broadening girth—truly studying it. But, I had to look down at it before I’d believe there was twenty excess pounds my belly button punctuated that didn’t belong there.

The next time you’re at the gym, with all those mirrors around, and you’re admiring and patting yourself on the back for your appearance; you might consider getting a second opinion. I believe mirrors can reflect an ideal at one extreme and a lie at the other.

The next thing you know, I’ll be wondering if my shadow is more real than I am.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

In The Zone

2010-01-02T04:31:00.001-08:00

I am amazed at any novelist that can write under the stress of varied conditions; like kids running through the house, extraneous noises in the neighborhood (mowers, trucks, barking dogs, etc.) or even something as innocuous as a television droning on in another room, not even loud enough to understand a single word. I have gotten writing done on several of these occasions but the only time that I am truly prolific is when I’m in a zone and the focus tunnels to the story in front of me and my fingers crawl over the keyboard as uninterrupted thoughts are sparked and hit my fingertips at the same instant. The joy I feel when it all comes together is indescribable. My time to write is early morning; usually from about 4:30 until approximately 8:00, maybe longer if the story crescendos to an intense level and demands focused attention a while longer. After this period of my day, the ol’ brain begins picking up random thoughts of things left undone from the day before or errands that need handling; you know, all that stuff we call “life”. But every morning my goal and desire is to hit that zone and put a minimum of two thousand words in print, preferably more. Now, if I could only get my multi-tasking wife to recognize and understand the importance of that zone.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-30T04:43:00.000-08:00

The favorite topic this time of year is New Year’s resolutions. Some say, “Never make ‘em.” Others say, “Never keep ‘em.” That must mean the group that makes them and keeps them are truly unique and the lot of them would probably fit in my living room.

There’s no need to bash resolutions though. It’s noble that people even want to change themselves or their circumstances for the better. The rub is when that little Nay bird is flitting around in the subconscious because what one resolves to accomplish is daunting when looked at like trying to swallow a pill the size of that New Year’s day ham in the center of the table in a single gulp.

One small change in the way resolutions are made could be the difference between success and failure. Instead of saying (for example), “I’m going to lose twenty five pounds this year.” Why not simply re-frame the goal this way: “I’m going to work toward losing weight in the New Year.”

Now, doesn’t that sound much more doable?

I realize it's an over-simplification, but, let’s not stop with that minor change; resolve to make daily resolutions towards that end. Every morning, get out of bed and say aloud, “Today I’m going to skip lunch... just because.” Or, “Today I’m not going to eat that mid-afternoon snack.” Or even, "Today I'll have an apple instead of a donut for breakfast."

There is a saying in the business world that goes something like this: Insanity is doing the same things day after day but expecting different results. This is certainly applicable to the making of resolutions.

So make your resolutions and then begin changing your routine in tiny, manageable ways every day. You’ll get to where you’re going; I promise, and it’ll be quite painless, too.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Start Marketing Your Book - Paradise Flawed

2009-12-29T05:25:00.000-08:00

Start Marketing Your Book - Paradise Flawed: "

Daniel Lance Wright

Author

Paradise Flawed

Read Now - http://bit.ly/7pceNl

A Real Tongue Lashing

2009-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

Trivia time: What’s the strongest muscle in the human body per ounce of tissue? If you guessed the tongue, then you’ve just won the right to smile. Enjoy the moment!

Any statement espoused as fact really should be given a reference source for credibility, but I confess, this tongue thing came to me embedded within a forwarded email. You know internet tripe that you probably spend more time erasing than reading.

How could you not believe it, though? Gee whiz, between eating and talking, it has to be the most exercised muscle of them all. We may be stumbling onto the fitness craze of the near future, purposely weakening a muscle so the rest of our body has a chance to become lean and strong.

Think about it.

Since we are attempting to provoke beneficial thoughts, and we’ve already mentioned a muscle pretty well taken for granted, let me remind you that, as you pump up those major muscle groups, to make all you women appear and feel svelte and all you guys to have major guns and barrel-chests, don’t overlook all the smaller muscles in your body. It takes magnificent harmonizing of related muscles, big and small, to do things like rotate the arms forwards or backwards three-hundred-sixty degrees, rotate the neck, the wrists and the legs.

If you think it’s unnecessary to concern yourself with the minor muscles, then consider this; you work out in the weight room, cardio room or aerobics room hard for months and you’re feeling pretty darned cocky about your level of fitness.

Sounding familiar yet?

Then someone invites you to, let’s say, go water skiing for the first time in a year.

Yep, you know where this is going. Don’t you?

The morning after the day at the lake and you’re so sore that sitting up on the edge of the bed may just be wishful thinking for a time.

I would urge everyone to dedicate a day to the smaller muscles of the body and work on range of motion in all the appendages. Your body will love you for it.

One word of caution, though; any resistance used in full range-of-motion routines should be very light—if any at all.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

When Conservation Becomes Self-serving

2009-12-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

I've always been proud of the gas mileage my little Buick LaCrosse got, usually around 29 mpg. But a couple of weeks ago I noticed that I seemed to be running out faster, so I checked the mileage. It had dropped to between 25 and 26 mpg. That very day I read an article in the newspaper that said gasoline that was a 10% ethanol blend would drop gas mileage about 3 mpg. So, my question was answered. That's when I began wondering about ethanol as a means of conservation; is it? Does it conserve gasoline? Does it conserve anything? Or, is it simply an alternative fuel? Consider this: Ethanol shortens the life of an engine (documented fact), therefore more vehicles would have to be purchased/junked at a faster pace. How much fuel and petrochemicals are involved in the manufacture and/or disposal of automobiles. I submit that the paltry 10% gasoline savings at the pump will ultimately use many times that amount in crude oil in the process just mentioned. Oh, and by the way, that 10% gasoline savings at the pump is directly offset by the 10% loss in miles per gallon. So, in summary; I believe the manufacture of ethanol is indeed a necessary endeavor as an emergency backup fuel, but don't ever try to convince me that it's a means of conserving crude oil or gasoline.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright
Author of
"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009
"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007
"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010
"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

The Art of Conversation

2009-12-22T04:18:00.000-08:00

I've never considered myself to be terribly adept at the art of conversation; in fact I usually become tense when things go quiet and forget questions I meant to ask or topics I wanted to discuss. This came to mind yesterday when I was re-introduced to a fellow writer and shared coffee and a lengthy conversation. Lorelei Buckley (author of "From The Other Side"/Wild Child Publishing) is a wonderful conversationalist. I was instantly at ease and we shared ideas and traded stories for two hours. But, it wasn't my ability that kept it going. She knew how to frame questions and toss out interesting ideas that kept me wanting to keep on visiting much longer than we did. I was so impressed that I'm looking forward to our next conversation. And, I've vowed to work at improving my contribution to it next time. I believe the art of conversation is not a genetic thing; instead, it's something rehearsed over and over until it nears perfection... and I'm way behind.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010

"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Avatar

2009-12-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

I went to see Avatar yesterday. Frankly, I thought it did a magnificient job of living up to the hype and, since it cost $300,000,000 to produce, I should hope so. It was visually stunning. About halfway through it, I began to notice the comparison to the American West when white settlers were in the process of driving Native Americans out. It was not an overt comparison, but a comparison nonetheless. It is well worth the price of a ticket and, of course, an overpriced drink and box of popcorn. Oh, and by the way, I now have a crush on a ten-foot-tall blue woman with a tail and huge golden eyes. She almost looked human.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010

"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

Read For Pleasure

2009-12-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

I just received what I thought was a good answer for why a huge majority of people don't enjoy reading for pleasure and it came from a high school English teacher. She believes, as I now do, that kids are forced to read novels in school as an academic exercise and made to write essays on them. That instantly puts this type of reading in the "chore" category. It made a huge amount of sense to me. I don't know what I should do about it except, maybe, turn my rant on the schools. And, maybe, we need more J. K. Rowlings out there to get the younguns interested sooner.

I'd love to have more opinions on this.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010

"Anne Bonny, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010

A Thought

2009-12-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

It still amazes me how many people I run into on a daily basis that think of reading as a dreaded chore. I would appreciate suggestions on how to change that. I'm not sure what it is in a person's past that leaves them with that opinion but it's unhealthy. Each time I ask, the standard answer is, "Dunno. Just don't like it."

Could it be that the answer lies with the speed in which we live our lives in this modern world? It would seem a logical answer except for the fact it doesn't bother a huge segment of our population to put life on hold for an entire Sunday afternoon to watch a couple of football games. So, that couldn't be the problem.

I just hope reading for enjoyment isn't confined to a shrinking number in this country.

Daniel (Danny) Lance Wright

Author of

"Paradise Flawed"/Dream Books LLC/2009

"Six Years' Worth"/Father's Press/2007

"The Last Radiant Heart"/Virtual Tales/Spring 2010

"Ann Bonney, Where Are You?"/Rogue Phoenix Press/May 2010