Daniel Fox's Blog

Back when I started writing, I read every article I could get my hands on about 'keeping in touch with your audience'. One suggestion that I must have seen fifty times was to write a monthly blog. And, like most other blogs, I did that at first ...then faded into twice a year ...then not at all.

So, I'm kicking this back off with a commitment to write in it every month. I won't be promising any dates for a novel. Lesson learned. But I will share insights and maybe even an occasional short story, here and there.

Speaking of which, as I'm working away on two more novels (taking forever, I know), I've also started a collection of short stories. This will be a dozen or so short stories, ranging in length from very short to maybe 5000 words. I recently read the first page of one of them to my wife, Anjee. As I got to the last line, she promptly said "Stop! That's it. That's the whole story right there."

I think she's right.

I hope you like it.

-See ya next month.

Gut Brain

There's something in the woods.

Ah shit. I said it.

I didn't really say it out loud, but I did form the sentence in my head. I’ve been trying to avoid doing that, ever since we moved out here. As if doing so somehow made it more real.

A cold chill comes over me, and I instantly regret saying it... or... even thinking it.

Rider, my old Husky, suddenly pulls tight on the leash, as if to run away. He's been more skittish on walks, lately.

Dogs, unlike people, don't question their instincts.

I keep my eyes locked on him as we work our way around the edge of the giant, fallen oak. It’s a landmark on this trail, impossibly huge and covered with a thick layer of furry, pea-green moss. Beyond it, there’s a clump of vines and overgrowth. It gets so dense that it looks almost like a black spot, among all the greenery. I know this because I’ve seen it before, on previous walks out here. But I’m not looking over there this time. I’m afraid I’ll see something. We’re almost a mile from the house. Rider might be able to make it back at a full sprint, but I can’t.

It’s hard to explain, without sounding silly, but I do believe there’s something deep inside all of us that was put there as a sort of security system. It’s the reason you get things like the cold sweat I'm currently having. That pit in the bottom of your stomach. Modern medical articles use the slang term ‘gut-brain’. Call it whatever you want, but it’s our body’s way of saying “get the fuck out of here”.

Rider tugs the leash again, and I pick up the pace, moving us further from the overgrowth, and a few steps closer to the house.

To be clear, I’ve never thought there was someone in these woods. I’m not concerned about some deranged killer, hiding out here. No, it’s not a person. It’s not an animal either. It’s something else altogether.

The best way I could describe it would be to call it menacing. But then, saying “there’s a menace in the woods” might as well be referring to woodpeckers taking down my favorite tree, or a bear shitting on the path.

Whatever it is, it’s older than anything else out there.

Maybe older than anything, anywhere.

And, oh man… it is pissed off.

I can’t tell you how I know this.

Except to say that my gut-brain told me.

Quick update, and a sneak peek at "Novel 3" (unnamed title).

Hi all. I've been a bit remiss with blogging, but this is just me following the old adage "Don't speak unless you really have something significant to say". I've been working hard on a couple of projects (including the 3 book series, still in the works)... But, a few months ago, I decided to focus all of my writing time into my third stand-alone novel. It's in the same vein as my first two books, but more akin to 'In The Dark' than 'Lies That Bind'.

It follows the journey of Ethan Mitchell. Estranged from his (single-parent) mother for all of his adult life, he's now tasked with going back to the hometown he left in his teens, to take care of her funeral arrangements. It is an emotionally charged story of loss, guilt, resentment... and something much darker and more sinister.

I can't wait to get this book launched, and to see what you think of it.

And, as always.... I hope it keeps you up at night.

Here's a snippet:

Chapter One

The Call

The call came in exactly one week before I saw what I saw in that house. The writhing, mangled face.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, just thinking about it.

It seems like an ocean of time between these two things. The call and that face.

Oh God, that face…

But… it’s really only been one week. Not nearly enough time for all that has transpired.

I knew what that call was about before it even came in. It’s not like I have some sort of sixth sense, and I'm not prone to premonitions or anything like that. But, somehow, I knew. As I sat there, a few hours earlier, in the little broom-closet of an office, I felt it. I didn't know what the feeling meant, at the time, but it was absolutely real. Like the sensation you get when you accidentally drop something. The split-second feeling of "oh shit" as you clumsily try to grab at it, before it hits the ground.

This feeling is always stronger when it's something breakable. It’s as if our reflexes can somehow tell when something is priceless. When it’s something we won't be able to put back together.

As I sat there, filling out my sales reports, reviewing the map for the next day's meetings, the feeling had hit me hard, and out of nowhere. I found myself suddenly resisting the urge to grab out into the space in front of me. I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person, grabbing out at thin air.

But then, this was something that I wouldn’t be able to put back together… and thin air is all that’s left of her now.

Quick update, and a sneak peak at "Novel 3" (unnamed title).

Hi all. I've been a bit remiss with blogging, but this is just me following the old adage "Don't speak unless you really have something significant to say". I've been working hard on a couple of projects (including the 3 book series, still in the works)... But, a few months ago, I decided to focus all of my writing time into my third stand-alone novel. It's in the same vein as my first two books, but more akin to 'In The Dark' than 'Lies That Bind'.

It follows the journey of Ethan Mitchell. Estranged from his (single-parent) mother for all of his adult life, he's now tasked with going back to the hometown he left in his teens, to take care of her funeral arrangements. It is an emotionally charged story of loss, guilt, resentment... and something much darker and more sinister.

I can't wait to get this book launched, and to see what you think of it.

And, as always.... I hope it keeps you up at night.

Here's a snippet:

Chapter One

The Call

The call came in exactly one week before I saw what I saw in that house. The writhing, mangled face.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up, just thinking about it.

It seems like an ocean of time between these two things. The call and that face.

Oh God, that face…

But… it’s really only been one week. Not nearly enough time for all that has transpired.

I knew what that call was about before it even came in. It’s not like I have some sort of sixth sense, and I'm not prone to premonitions or anything like that. But, somehow, I knew. As I sat there, a few hours earlier, in the little broom-closet of an office, I felt it. I didn't know what the feeling meant, at the time, but it was absolutely real. Like the sensation you get when you accidentally drop something. The split-second feeling of "oh shit" as you clumsily try to grab at it, before it hits the ground.

This feeling is always stronger when it's something breakable. It’s as if our reflexes can somehow tell when something is priceless. When it’s something we won't be able to put back together.

As I sat there, filling out my sales reports, reviewing the map for the next day's meetings, the feeling had hit me hard, and out of nowhere. I found myself suddenly resisting the urge to grab out into the space in front of me. I didn’t want to seem like a crazy person, grabbing out at thin air.

But then, this was something that I wouldn’t be able to put back together… and thin air is all that’s left of her now.

As I continue to write the first story in a three part series, I'm struck with the challenges of mapping out all the character arcs and story continuity issues. Don't get me wrong, I quite like the process. But it is certainly more complex that doing so for one story.

See, this will be my first story that is told over the course of multiple books. Although 'In The Dark' and 'Lies That Bind' bear similarly stylized book covers, the stories are not related.

For each of the three parts of this new series, I want to make sure there is a sense of closure or completion as you reach the end. Meaning, I don't want to abandon the characters in a strange part of the story just so that I can end the book (like Frodo and the gang, at the end of The Fellowship Of The Ring). I'm not picking on Tolkien, as he is one of my childhood favorites (and The Lord Of The Rings was initially meant to be one book anyway).

In any case, I'm proceeding with the first story in the series. This will technically be considered a "techno-thriller", at least, as much as I understand that genre, anyway.

I'm still a bit far off from a first draft, but I'm plugging away at it.... using my own set of cheat sheets to track the story. As always, it'll have a big twist. But this time, one at the end of each book in the series. My challenge? To make sure you never see it coming.

As I get older, I'm coming to discover what many people may already know (perhaps much earlier than me, in their own respective lives): The most important takeaways from this life... the only REAL things we get from it, are the connections we make. Sure, that sounds all cliché and maybe even a bit sweet, but if you know me… you know that I don't always mean it that way.

The connections we make with people, throughout our lives, are varied …to put it mildly. Not only do they come in a vast array of shapes and sizes, but each and every one of them are wildly unique. Even those relationships that have long since been abandoned still leave their mark on us. Maybe it's a long-lost romance that occasionally comes to mind, reminding you of what once was. It could be a loved one, having long since passed on, but still leaving you with a set of memories that never let you forget about the connection. Perhaps it’s an old friend, or a teacher that you haven’t seen in years, yet the connection often remains.

But, what about the other kinds of connections? The dark ones. Those that jolt you awake, in the middle of the night, sweating through the sheets? Sometimes, connections don’t come from a good place, and the echoes they leave can be traumatic or even as disturbing as the person that you originally made them with. We like to think that we don’t actually have connections with the bad people in our lives…or in our past, but we do. The connection was made, in one way or another, when the encounter or relationship happened. It’s the results… the consequences of these types of connections that often make some of my favorite (and most disturbing) fictional stories.

Some connections aren’t even between two living things. Sometimes, it’s a place, or an event, or even an inanimate object that makes such an impact on you. These connections serve up memories that often lead to changes in our own behavior, many years after the object has come and gone. Think of the first time you can remember having ice cream, or a particular bike/toy as a kid. Maybe it was the smell of a particular flower, or a house you lived in. Your first car … or maybe even …a computer game.

The connections between people, events, material objects and the digital world may seem infinitely different. But technology has been adapting and evolving at an unprecedented rate, blurring the lines between human-connections and technology-connections …while most of us don’t even realize it’s happening. And it’s only going to get more advanced and harder to tell the difference.

By the time the general population realize what’s happened, we’ll all be much too plugged into this technology to back out.

Things are about to get weird.

No, that title isn't some play on conspiracies. But it is a bit coincidental that my third novel actually does involve a conspiracy... of sorts. No more details just yet, as it's far from complete.

Over the past month, I've joined an author workshop. We meet on Saturdays (albiet on video calls, like everything these days), and take turns leading the call. In my session, I leaned heavily on the technology that I use to craft stories, and I learned of new solutions from other authors (new solutions to me, that is). Speaking of which, I have learned so much from these other storytellers already, it's enhanced my workflow, and I'm thankful for all of the tips.

I won't bore you, Dear Reader, with deep-dives into "the dramatic curve" or "the three-act structure", but suffice it to say... it's helping me to elevate my stories,

One of the key things we discussed, early into the meetings, was "defining your Umbrella", which really just means "What's a single phrase that helps to categories all of your writing?"... For me, it turned out to be this:

-THINGS ARE RARELY WHAT THEY SEEM.

This slogan is so simple, yet so true for all of my favorite books, movies, or stories - of any kind. It's also a big part of what made me want to write, to begin with. So, it's no surpise that it fits with my first two novels, as well as all of the random scraps of stories I have written here or there (many to become published work, in the future).

Perhaps now, more than ever, my "Umbrealla" fits perfectly for the current novel that I'm working on. I can't wait to get it into your hands (although it will be a while before it's ready).

Until next time...

May your books keep you up at night.

- Daniel

No, that title isn't some play on conspiracies. But it is a bit coincidental that my third novel actually does involve a conspiracy... of sorts. No more details just yet, as it's far from complete.

Over the past month, I've joined an author workshop. We meet on Saturdays (albiet on video calls, like everything these days), and take turns leading the call. In my session, I leaned heavily on the technology that I use to craft stories, and I learned of new solutions from other authors (new solutions to me, that is). Speaking of which, I have learned so much from these other storytellers already, it's enhanced my workflow, and I'm thankful for all of the tips.

I won't bore you, Dear Reader, with deep-dives into "the dramatic curve" or "the three-act structure", but suffice it to say... it's helping me to elevate my stories,

One of the key things we discussed, early into the meetings, was "defining your Umbrella", which really just means "What's a single phrase that helps to categories all of your writing?"... For me, it turned out to be this:

-THINGS ARE RARELY WHAT THEY SEEM.

This slogan is so simple, yet so true for all of my favorite books, movies, or stories - of any kind. It's also a big part of what made me want to write, to begin with. So, it's no surpised that it fits with my first two novels, as well as all of the random scraps of stories I have written here or there (many to become published work, in the future).

Perhaps now, more than ever, my "Umbrealla" fits perfectly for the current novel that I'm working on. I can't wait to get it into your hands (although it will be a while before it's ready).

Until next time...

May your books keep you up at night.

- Daniel

So, a lot has changed since last we ”talked”. Now that we’re all stuck at home, many people are starting to feel a bit stir crazy. While it seems like being forced to stay home is an author’s dream, I have found myself diversifying my interests and at-home activities, to keep the time moving faster. Although I have been writing again, there’s also been time spend with my family: Watching movies, etc.. the usual stuff. Our typical shows are on (The Walking Dead, WestWorld) and we’ve found some new gems as well (I’m Not Ok With This - Netflix, Amazing Stories - Apple TV+). The former being great. The latter being entertaining. I’ve also been working on our weekly Podcast (It’s All Fine and Danjee), reading (The Tommyknockers by Stephen King - again), and staying productive with my day-job (more busy now that ever, and I’m quite thankful for this, as I see others losing work due to these strange times). I hope all of you are doing well, staying home, and helping all of us to get past this as soon as we can. In the meantime, try to keep your mind and body as busy as possible. Although it could be argued that I’m not one to ever really slow down, I do believe that it’s time to reset ourselves. Focus on what matters most to you... ...and remember that, when things go back to normal.

Oh, how time has a way of running away from us. For the first time since I started this blog, I have missed a couple of months of posting. One of my "20 goals for 2020" is to make sure that does not happen again. During the gap, I completed a large-scale home renovation project (with tons of help from my fiancé and her family), installed a Podcast studio in my home, and...perhaps most importantly, started writing a new book. Admittedly, I've been a bit fickle in determining which of the many stories in my head to move to next, and although I've promised a three part young-adult fiction/dystopian series, it won't be next. There's another story that wants to be told first. My next book is tentatively titled "Digital Twin" (although I really do think I'll keep this title), and it is one of those rare stories that has just flowed out onto the page. I may be exaggerating a bit, as I have been meticulously mapping out (and documenting) the story tree, but for me, that part it usually more difficult than it has been with this particular tale. Suffice to say, I cannot wait to share it with you. In the meantime, I've finally moved to a new distributor for paperback books, and I'll be releasing new versions of both 'In The Dark' and 'Lies That Bind' over the next couple of months, with all new covers. Later this year, I'll also be offering hardback versions. Special thanks to Cassy at Pink Ink Designs for these covers. She's quite a talented artist, and my constant back-and-forth feedback ran on and on, over a ridiculously long time span. Ultimately, she captured the vibe I was going for. I've previously shared In The Dark's new cover, so I'm revealing Lies That Bind's new cover here. Enjoy! The Barnes and Noble book signing is still in the cards as well, although I've learned (the hard way) not to commit to a date. I can promise that it will be this year. Until next time!

I’m in the final stages of moving both of my current novels (‘In The Dark’ and ‘Lies That Bind’) over to my new printer. With that, I’m also launching updated versions of both titles. These new version will be followed by an official launch of ‘Lies That Bind’, along with a book signing event in my local Barnes and Noble. It will also mean that both titles will be available in hardback versions (something I’m especially excited about, if only to get my own hard bound copy of each). Details on exactly when all of this is happening will be soon to follow. Work continues on my third thriller novel, set to launch next year - and I also continue to outline framework for a young adult 3-book series I plan to launch in 2021. I’m shopping for a literary agent and a publisher for all four of these books. Wish me luck. In the meantime, here’s the new cover for ‘In The Dark’! Special thanks to Cassy Roop of Pink Ink Designs. Check it out!