You Don't Know What Fear Is

Everyone knows about that moment in a tense situation when there is no other choice but to  fight or flee. But, what if there is a disconnect between those two impulses in your brain? What are you left with?

A Houston psychologist sees it first-hand and sets his career on a new path; a career that leads to a violent situation he never expected and may not survive in "Phobia"

Click the link below to read an excerpt:

 http://www.amazon.com/Phobia-Daniel-Lance-Wright-ebook/dp/B008Y6AW6O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1417187491&sr=8-4&keywords=daniel+lance+wright

Give Thanks for Your Family

Sure, we love our families and can't imagine life without them. But, what if that family, your family, suddenly vanished or were taken from you? How would you then describe family? In the past tense?
Four Texas teens go on a quest to find that answer. Oddly, they are not even aware that is the end game of their journey.

"Defining Family". Click on the link to read a sample:

http://www.amazon.com/Defining-Family-Daniel-Lance-Wright-ebook/dp/B008LJC30M/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1417092145&sr=8-12&keywords=daniel+lance+wright

The Lady Pirate

A young eighteenth century woman tortured by her own poor choices. Will she get it right before it's too late? Follow the adventures of the lady pirate in "Where Are You, Anne Bonny?"

Follow the link to an excerpt:

http://www.amazon.com/Where-are-you-Anne-Bonny-ebook/dp/B003SE7O04/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417004216&sr=1-8&keywords=daniel+lance+wright

"Annie's World: Jake's Legacy" now available as an audio book

For those of you that have a difficult time finding time to read or if you're just looking for a way to stay entertained on a roadtrip or lying on the beach without having to hold anything in your hands, allow me to suggest "Annie's World: Jake's Legacy", a soft sci-fi novel, in audio book format. You won't be disappointed. Sample it here:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_mt_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=annies+world%3A+jakes+legacy&x=0&y=0

And, don't forget, "Annie's World 2: New Beginnings" is scheduled for release in first quarter 2015.

Where Do You Look For Inspiration?

As a novelist, I have a muse. It’s not a who but a what – woodturning. Since, by definition, a muse is female, specifically nine goddesses that provide inspiration to the creative arts, I suppose I can give my wood lathe a name like Sweetie or Precious so I can remain within the bounds of that definition.

The word muse is much overused but, most writers will tell you, she/he/it/they are quite real and necessary. Interestingly, I have been told by several that they do not rely on muses, and that their inspiration comes from internal sources. I have a hard time believing that. In my opinion, it’s like saying that their healthy body is a result of internal influences and had nothing to do with external forces – food choices, fresh air, friends, etc.

Here’s my contention: Whether these naysayers realize it or not, they do have muses. I’m not saying the muse has to necessarily be a person, animal, or anything of a grandiose nature at all. It might be the sound of dry swirling leaves on a cool and windy fall morning, the sound and smell of rain, a favorite cup of hot tea, ocean sounds, or sounds of a busy street. Inspiration can come from any source and, sometimes, quite surprising in nature. All it takes is an open mind to allow it in.

A couple of years ago, I was working on a novel (“Phobia”/Booktrope) and was struggling a little with plot direction. I had several choices once I had reached the pinnacle of the story arc. I happened to wake very early one winter morning. It was dark and very cold outside –chilly inside the house too. So, I built a fire in the fireplace. I was alone. It was quiet. I nursed a cup of coffee and stared at the dancing flames. In those flames, I saw what I needed to do with that novel from the point at which I had stopped all the way to the end of the book. That fire, that morning, in that setting was my muse.

Those writers who say inspiration comes from internal sources would have discounted that fire as having had no influence. We all need muses, not just writers or artists. And, we all do. We just have to recognize them for what/who they are and appreciate them.

I’m suddenly compelled to go do something creative. Thank you for being my muse on this day.   

"The Paragraph Ranch" is a great read.

The “Paragraph Ranch”, a mainstream/contemporary story is a big win for co-authors, Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon.

This is a tale that anyone can relate to, as shown through the eyes of the main character, Deanna “Dee” Bennett-Kaufman. The youngest in a family of three siblings, Dee is a single mom of a college age daughter and charged with the temporary care of an injured and aging mother. The problem for Dee is having to leave an academic life she carved out in the northeast and travel back to where she was born, the South Plains of Texas to care for her mother on the home place, the family cotton farm where she grew up.

Dee’s challenges begin immediately. She is a college professor and forced to walk away from the job, straining her to get student responsibilities wrapped up from a remote location before graduation. She is on a deadline to provide a book draft to a publisher that she hasn’t finished writing, or even finished researching. Not only that, but she left a boyfriend at home and worried about losing him. And, attendance at a much anticipated writing fellowship in Massachusetts is put into jeopardy by this familial duty. The woman has a problem.

An interesting and tremendously entertaining metamorphosis begins from the moment her feet land on the sandy loam of West Texas. Is it possible that this cotton farm, far from the nearest metropolitan area, a place she sought so desperately to get away from as a teen, can amount to more than the sum of its sandy parts?

You will enjoy walking with Dee, discovering the answers with her. As you do, it will become impossible not to develop an affection for, and kinship with, Dee, her family and her friends. I believe I can safely say that anyone will see themselves at some point in this book. It’s the type of story that will follow you days after it’s finished. I highly recommend “The Paragraph Ranch” by Kay Ellington and Barbara Brannon.

–Daniel Lance Wright, author of “One Day in Lubbock”, “Phobia”, “Annie’s World: Jake’s Legacy”, “Paradise Flawed”, “Where Are You, Anne Bonny?”, “The Last Radiant Heart”, “Six Years’ Worth”, “Helping Hand for Ethan”

Summer Doldrums

It’s not unusual at all. Many people sink into slumps. It doesn’t matter whether the endeavor is drafting a novel, repairing a plumbing problem, or needing a good time. When summer doldrums settle in, everything is a chore and nothing seems important or fun enough to act on. It’s late August, afternoons are hot and I’m deep into the ho-hums.

Looking back to the months of May and June, it seems almost inconceivable, now, that I took a story idea that had been floating around in my head for months and hammered out roughly forty thousand words and took the story arc to near mid-point in less than four weeks. It was an exciting time. I babbled on to my wife incessantly about taking the story this way or that. So much so, in fact, her eyes would glaze over with disinterest and her head would go into automatic nod mode. That didn’t matter, because I was into it and eager to progress the story.

Lately, I’ve been coming into my backyard to my little sanctuary where I do my writing and stare at the novel draft. If I get five hundred words down, it’s a miracle. Since that time in late spring, little has been added to the draft. I have slammed head-on into the summer doldrums.

Of course, I hope you read and can identify with this blog, maybe even enjoy it. But, the cold truth is, I’m writing this entry instead of working on the novel draft as a possible means of jump starting the mojo and get my head back into the writing game.

Before I had a blog to vent and share thoughts, I indulged often in “free-writing”. It’s a technique for overcoming such times as these. It’s easy. Sit at a keyboard and begin typing. Type what? You may ask. It doesn’t matter. Whatever is crossing your mind. Complete sentences? That doesn’t matter either. I assure you that, at some point in the process, thoughts will become cogent and you will begin writing an honest story, article, or essay and intended none of it when the process began. It’s amazing how it works. In fact, it works better when all thoughts are random and seemingly unconnected. That’s when the sub-conscious takes over and eventually settles on what is most important while in league with your fingers on the keyboard. If your thoughts are already solid, there’s no need to be free-writing anyhow. Just sit down and get busy on your writing project. But, if you sink into an unmotivated, directionless slump, give it a try. Honestly, early in my writing career, free-writing turned into several award winning short stories. And, that’s the truth.

I’m feeling better now. Sharing has a way of doing that. Have a wonderful day, y’all!