Wandering Mojo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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