Ryan Cek's Blog

It's Wednesday night, one night after the highly divisive 2016 Presidential election. I've had trouble getting to sleep these past two nights thinking of the positive actions I can take. Tonight I finally have fallen into a deep sleep. I have no idea what time it is, but it's early morning because it's still dark.

I'm awakened to a sound so loud that my house, my bed, and my body are all shaking in unison. What a lovely harmony! I'm a bit freaked out. "The aliens are coming to take me away!" "The aliens are coming to wipe us out for electing Trump!" Those were my immediate Mulder thoughts, as inane as they may be.

I'm brought back to Earth by the sound of a train whistle. Whew! Just a train. The loudest train I've ever heard, but a train nonetheless. I've grown up and lived about a mile from train tracks my entire life and I've never heard a train like that. It got me to wondering what the hell that train was transporting. Large trucks, tanks maybe? That was the only conclusion I could come to.

Hearing trains, inevitably my Grandpa Tony comes to mind. Every time I heard the whistle of a train I think of him. He collected Lionel train sets and was a true passion of his. After his passing, these trains stayed in the family as a constant reminder of the man.

It's Veterans Day as of this writing so I'm doubly reminded of him and his courage and toughness. Although I believe we should honor our veterans every day, it's still good to recognize their sacrifice. Though recognition is not enough as so many vets are severely disabled physically and mentally. The high suicide rate highlighted by the 22Kill organization must also be addressed more effectively. I realize this blog has gotten a little off track.

After contemplating, maybe my grandpa was speaking to me from beyond the grave, expressing his anger. Maybe it was a message that I need to finally take action to create something positive in this society. It's a daunting task, but it really doesn't have to be. We can work together to make a positive change in this world, regardless of who is running things. If Trump has done anything he's shown that many of us want things to change. Being divided or violently acting out solves nothing. Gandhi and MLK preached nonviolent protest and that seems to be lacking these days. We can do better, and I believe we will.

Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I'm off to a great start. I'm trying a different approach this year. Instead of writing 1,000 words every day in pursuit of the 30,000 word goal (the average length of a novel, I'm starting off with 3,282 words and slightly decreasing the amount of words each day. The last day I'll end up having to type only one word. My goal for tomorrow is to reach 6,562 words. That's 3,280 words. I can do this! If I don't reach 6,562 tomorrow, please yell at me.

"Phantom Rising" is officially the title and it is a sequel to "Chemtrail Dystopia" Part two of the Mike Pocaro series.

Okay guys I'm going to let you help me choose the title of my second book, the sequel to "Chemtrail Dystopia". The writing is going a little slower than expected so the Christmas deadline seems unlikely. Havng the title might push me along, though.

Here are your choices: Underground Rising, Anonymous Rising, Risa From the Underground, Rise of the Underground Network, Unearthing the Underground, or Battle of the Underground. Or if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments. I just might choose yours.

**SPOILER ALERT**

This book pics up a few months after "Chemtrail Dystopia" ends. Mike, Dan, and Garrett have hooked up with a group of hackers Garrett is friends with. Number Two is rising to power and nobody knows the whereabouts of Kristy (Number One). That's the most I can tell you. Even I don't know what is good to happen yet.

You can buy my book in ebook form on Smashwords for free until the end of the month. Just use the code shown on the page. Spread the word!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...