WOW! Has it really been this long since I posted last? Apparently so.

It's been a busy time, which may be why I haven't written much. As Bruce Springsteen wrote, "I got a little lost along the way." This thing called life has been keeping me busy.

I had to repeat my Paralegal internship. I withdrew the first time because I couldn't handle the environment. I found a different location for the internship, a much smaller law firm that was more to my liking, and I successfully completed it the second time. I graduated from Globe University in March, and I am now a Paralegal (on the civilian side: I already was a paralegal for the U.S. military.) Now I am getting busy looking for a job.

I have also had a serious financial loss recently that has left me upset and unhappy for the last month or so. I am only just getting over it emotionally, and the financial damage will take a long time to overcome.

But I am starting to write again, after several months of inactivity, during which I have tried more than once to get something going. I started a new project called Casualties several weeks ago. I intend for this to be the third novel in my Charlie Rowe series. In it, Charlie, a veteran, tries to help another veteran who appears to be suffering from PTSD. There is, of course, more to it than that.

The problem is, I haven't been satisfied with what I've written so far. I think it lacks depth and gives away too much too soon. I think I need to stop here and start again from the ground up, redoing my outline and adding some character sketches so I get a better handle on my lead characters. I would also like to add a secondary case. a subplot, that somehow ties in to the primary case, in the time-honored tradition of private eye novels (and similar to what I did in Taylor Made, only moreso.) I believe some of it is worth saving; I just have to figure out what stays and what goes.

I also have two other Charlie Rowe stories completed and awaiting beta-reading, False Witness and Evil Twin.I have to find the time to get these done so I can release them later this year. With Casualties stalled, this might be the ideal time to give these stories the attention they deserve.

I also have a number of short stories and other projects I can work on in the meantime. One way or another, I will get something done soon. I just need to start something and stick with it until I can finish it.

Am I discourage? No. I am just glad to be writing again after several months of not getting anything done. As for the need to restart Casualties, and the other work I have to do, well, that's just part of writing. I have been through this before, and I'm sure I will again.

As is keeping this blog more up to date. I must try and post more often in the future, too.

I have uploaded Taylor Made, the first of what I hope will be a series of novels featuring Saint Paul, Minnesota, private investigator Charlie Rowe, to the major e-book retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

All three sites are currently reviewing it, but it should go on sale in the next day or two. Watch this site, or check out my Facebook writer's page for further details.

I plan to publish my newest novel, Taylor Made, this Friday, November 2, 2012, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.com. Taylor Made is a private detective novel set in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. It features a main character I hope to write more about. In fact, I already have another novel and a novellete using the same character that should see the light of day within the next few months.

The graduation date from my Paralegal program has moved back several months. I now should graduate and become a qualified paralegal in March of 2013.

It has been a long time since I have posted to this blog. For that, I can only blame myself. I had a busy quarter in school, during which I felt like I spent every day doing homework. My writing suffered, and I ignored this site.

Furthermore, my main computer, the one that has all my files stored on it, has been in the shop for more than a week while it is cleaned of malware and spyware, and the registry files are repaired. I only hope the repairs work -- I don't want to have to buy a new computer, and not just because I can't really afford it right now.

Things are happening now, however. I have 10 weeks left in school, after which I will be a qualified Paralegal (because I will still need a day job for at least a while.) I am revising and editing one of my novels, and I have a novelette on deck after that.

And I am planning to have my next novel, Taylor Made, out at the end of October. I will have to spend a lot time time this next week or so formatting it to make this happen, but I think it is still possible.

If I can manage it, I hope to get my novelette, Evil Twin, out by the end of the year. This means that, if I play my cards right, I can publish twice more before the end of the year, and a half-dozen times in total this year, including two novels.

 I have written about another project, a novella called Skinny Dipping. I will work on this between other projects. I have decided to substantially change the structure of the story, and I am still not certain it will work. I may eventually compllete it as a movie script as well as a novella.

I hope these humble words are worth the wait.

I will try to be more active on this site in the future.

It looks like I will have to reconfigure my page. I do not feel up to it at the moment. I cannot say I am happy about this, as I am not. I will have to figure this out.

Please just seek me out on Facebook or at any of the e-book sites in the meantime.

In the meantime, I will talk about what other projects I have in store.

First is the Private Detective novel Taylor Made. I will soon be working on another draft, responding to comments made by my beta-readers.

I also have two shorter projects, both novelette length. The first is called Evil Twin; the second is called Skinny Dipping. The first is also a mystery story. The second is a horror story. I am not certain how to classify it, and I wrote it.

These are the projects I am working on, all of which are in various stages of completion. At worst, I want to publish Taylor Made by the end of the year. At best, I want to publish all three and do some serious marketing. I also have several other projects I want to work on for next year, but I am not thinking about any of those right now.