Steven Cross's Blog
October 26, 2019
New book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z3HCPCQ
My new book, Drowning is available for preorder right now and will be officially published on October 29. Give it a look.
Drowning
My new book, Drowning is available for preorder right now and will be officially published on October 29. Give it a look.
Drowning
August 8, 2018
Finally: The Sequel to Fall of Knight
Over 70 of you rated Fall of Knight, the saga of Dean Knight who battled mental illness and bullies as he struggled to discover the secrets of his family's dark past. Many of you also wondered about a sequel. Well, after a long winding journey the sequel, Home for a Knight. The publisher who brought Fall of Knight to you went out of business, and since then, I have wondered what to do. Finally, I just decided to write it on my own, and it can be found on Amazon. I would appreciate it if some of you bought the book and left reviews. You can purchase it in paperback or for Kindle. Thanks in advance for all the support. If you know someone who might be interested in Home For a Knight, I would appreciate it if you passed the word along.
December 31, 2016
Dreams are for more than those who sleep
CROSSBYTES:
Chasing your dreams will not guarantee you'll catch them, but not chasing them will guarantee you don't.
I have heard people criticize others for their foolish dreams or their "pie in the sky" plans, and it angers me when I hear it. While it is true that there are many dreams that go unfulfilled, that does not mean that it is the end of life as we know it. I'm not sure that I fall into the category of those people who believe that everyone has a destiny that he or she will fulfill regardless of what happens to impede that destiny. I like to think of destiny in this way. Picture cows in a fenced-in field. Within the fenced-in field, the cows have freedom of movement though other obstacles, like other cows, for instance, might get in the way. I think we are fenced in not necessarily because of our destiny, but because of our environment and our DNA. For instance, I once dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but I was not born with the talent that would get me there. Now, some of you may say that I could have practiced more and prepared, but even then, there are too many things that would have been completely out of my control. Injuries. Scouts not finding me. Anything could have kept me from reaching my dreams. Now, I'm talking around in circles here, but let me try to get to the point. We have to have dreams and goals because if we had no dreams or goals, we would not go out and test the waters of life. We would merely float on the currents of chance. At least when we are chasing our dreams we have some control over our destiny.
It's quite possible that a dream you chase might lead you to a reality far greater than your dream. It's quite possible that you will chase your dreams and you will get them. One of the things that you and I must always examine is how much we learn in striving for our dreams. Is the victory in the striving or is it in the winning? I don't believe that any dream we achieve can give us complete fulfillment anyway. We may accomplish everything we have ever wanted and still have something missing, something that goes deeper, something spiritual. But I will leave that subject for another day. When I was in the eleventh grade, my dream was to teach, and I did for over 30 years, but even then, I wasn't completely satisfied. We can never stop dreaming and never stop reaching because when we do, we stop living.
On to another subject. Speaking of Dreams.
I feel like I found a hitherto missing Christmas present this morning. In the mail, I got the paperback copy of my book. Deliver Us from Evil. It was a dream of mine to write a religious, horror novel for young adults, and I did it. Today, I saw the end results, and I'm pretty happy. This coming week I'll probably be getting a royalty check. I know it's not going to be much but I'm still very happy about it. I invite you to take a look at it at the following link. If you decide to buy it, let me warn you that it definitely does have horror elements. If it were made into a movie it would probably be PG-13.
Ah, movies, that's another one of my dream. Even though I'm probably too old to do it, I'd love to sell a screenplay. I wrote a screenplay for this book a while ago, and I durn near optioned it to an independent producer. In fact, we had gotten to the point where we were discussing price and subsidiary rights and then he felt a calling to do something else. This was a dream that was dashed to pieces, but I got over it and I didn't quit. I'm still working.
You can find Deliver Me from Evil on Amazon.
Chasing your dreams will not guarantee you'll catch them, but not chasing them will guarantee you don't.
I have heard people criticize others for their foolish dreams or their "pie in the sky" plans, and it angers me when I hear it. While it is true that there are many dreams that go unfulfilled, that does not mean that it is the end of life as we know it. I'm not sure that I fall into the category of those people who believe that everyone has a destiny that he or she will fulfill regardless of what happens to impede that destiny. I like to think of destiny in this way. Picture cows in a fenced-in field. Within the fenced-in field, the cows have freedom of movement though other obstacles, like other cows, for instance, might get in the way. I think we are fenced in not necessarily because of our destiny, but because of our environment and our DNA. For instance, I once dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but I was not born with the talent that would get me there. Now, some of you may say that I could have practiced more and prepared, but even then, there are too many things that would have been completely out of my control. Injuries. Scouts not finding me. Anything could have kept me from reaching my dreams. Now, I'm talking around in circles here, but let me try to get to the point. We have to have dreams and goals because if we had no dreams or goals, we would not go out and test the waters of life. We would merely float on the currents of chance. At least when we are chasing our dreams we have some control over our destiny.
It's quite possible that a dream you chase might lead you to a reality far greater than your dream. It's quite possible that you will chase your dreams and you will get them. One of the things that you and I must always examine is how much we learn in striving for our dreams. Is the victory in the striving or is it in the winning? I don't believe that any dream we achieve can give us complete fulfillment anyway. We may accomplish everything we have ever wanted and still have something missing, something that goes deeper, something spiritual. But I will leave that subject for another day. When I was in the eleventh grade, my dream was to teach, and I did for over 30 years, but even then, I wasn't completely satisfied. We can never stop dreaming and never stop reaching because when we do, we stop living.
On to another subject. Speaking of Dreams.
I feel like I found a hitherto missing Christmas present this morning. In the mail, I got the paperback copy of my book. Deliver Us from Evil. It was a dream of mine to write a religious, horror novel for young adults, and I did it. Today, I saw the end results, and I'm pretty happy. This coming week I'll probably be getting a royalty check. I know it's not going to be much but I'm still very happy about it. I invite you to take a look at it at the following link. If you decide to buy it, let me warn you that it definitely does have horror elements. If it were made into a movie it would probably be PG-13.
Ah, movies, that's another one of my dream. Even though I'm probably too old to do it, I'd love to sell a screenplay. I wrote a screenplay for this book a while ago, and I durn near optioned it to an independent producer. In fact, we had gotten to the point where we were discussing price and subsidiary rights and then he felt a calling to do something else. This was a dream that was dashed to pieces, but I got over it and I didn't quit. I'm still working.
You can find Deliver Me from Evil on Amazon.
December 28, 2016
Get What You Need
#Crossbytes
Instead of being ungrateful because you do not get all you want, be grateful you don't get all you deserve.
It's easy to forget to be grateful for who and what you have, for what people have done for you, for the gifts and talents that you possess. We are, honestly, entitled to nothing even though we think we deserve all we can get. I say we should be grateful that we don't get all we deserve because no one is "good." Some people are just less bad than others.
The next time you start to think too highly of yourself, remember the people you have hurt, the lies you have told, and the plans you have botched. While some of us get mad because we don't get some gadget or toy that we want, other people starve to death or die in political upheavals and war.
If you have a source of income, a place to live, food to eat, and friends and family, you need to take the time to give thanks for them. It's more than what we deserve.
I'm a fan of the Rolling Stones and I always think about the lyric to their song. "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you can get what you need."
If you have what you need, be grateful. Stephen Crane wrote a poem once in which a guy goes up to nature and says, "Sir, I exist." Nature replies, "That may be true, but it creates in me no sense of obligation whatsoever." Think about that the next time you think some one owes you something.
I have some writing news to report. I took some time to develop my Amazon author's page.
I also did some revision of Deliver Me from Evil and developed a paperback version of Walt Michaels is a Weenie. If you buy a copy of the paperback Deliver Us from Evil, you can get the kindle for 99 cents. If you get the paperback of Walt Michaels is a Weenie, you can get the ebook for free.
You can order either or both on Amazon.
Instead of being ungrateful because you do not get all you want, be grateful you don't get all you deserve.
It's easy to forget to be grateful for who and what you have, for what people have done for you, for the gifts and talents that you possess. We are, honestly, entitled to nothing even though we think we deserve all we can get. I say we should be grateful that we don't get all we deserve because no one is "good." Some people are just less bad than others.
The next time you start to think too highly of yourself, remember the people you have hurt, the lies you have told, and the plans you have botched. While some of us get mad because we don't get some gadget or toy that we want, other people starve to death or die in political upheavals and war.
If you have a source of income, a place to live, food to eat, and friends and family, you need to take the time to give thanks for them. It's more than what we deserve.
I'm a fan of the Rolling Stones and I always think about the lyric to their song. "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you can get what you need."
If you have what you need, be grateful. Stephen Crane wrote a poem once in which a guy goes up to nature and says, "Sir, I exist." Nature replies, "That may be true, but it creates in me no sense of obligation whatsoever." Think about that the next time you think some one owes you something.
I have some writing news to report. I took some time to develop my Amazon author's page.
I also did some revision of Deliver Me from Evil and developed a paperback version of Walt Michaels is a Weenie. If you buy a copy of the paperback Deliver Us from Evil, you can get the kindle for 99 cents. If you get the paperback of Walt Michaels is a Weenie, you can get the ebook for free.
You can order either or both on Amazon.
May 27, 2015
Just an update
I want to thank all of you who continue to support Fall of Knight. If you have not read the book yet, it is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also sign up for the giveaway until June 4. One winner will get a free paperback copy, autographed by me. Or if you'd rather I didn't, I won't autograph it. :-)
The sequel is being written, and I hope to have it finished by the end of the summer, but I don't know if I can manage or not. I believe the sequel is going to be better than the first one. I have so far finished about 15,000 words. I expect it will be around 70,000 by the time I finish. Well happy reading. I wish you all a good day and a good Knight.
The sequel is being written, and I hope to have it finished by the end of the summer, but I don't know if I can manage or not. I believe the sequel is going to be better than the first one. I have so far finished about 15,000 words. I expect it will be around 70,000 by the time I finish. Well happy reading. I wish you all a good day and a good Knight.
March 30, 2015
Book available
I am pleased to announce that Fall of Knight is available to order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
March 20, 2015
Book Release Party
https://www.facebook.com/events/82427...
I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow evening from 6 to 10 p.m. Central time and 4 to 8 p.m. pacific time there will be an online book release party on Facebook. You can go to the link above to get there. I know there is going to be some great giveaways. It's a good way to show support for an author. The title of the book being released is Roses are Red ... Violet is Dead written by Monica Marie Vincent. There are also some guest authors including yours truly who will tell you about their books and offer some free giveaways -- which I guess is redundant now that I think about it. I will be giving away three advanced readers' copies of Fall of Knight. An ARC is not the official ebook. It doesn't have the cover, but it does have the full story. I am also going to select one person to win a paperback copy of my book. By the way, thanks to all who have signed up for the giveaway here on Goodreads. So far, 799 have signed up for the contest.
I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow evening from 6 to 10 p.m. Central time and 4 to 8 p.m. pacific time there will be an online book release party on Facebook. You can go to the link above to get there. I know there is going to be some great giveaways. It's a good way to show support for an author. The title of the book being released is Roses are Red ... Violet is Dead written by Monica Marie Vincent. There are also some guest authors including yours truly who will tell you about their books and offer some free giveaways -- which I guess is redundant now that I think about it. I will be giving away three advanced readers' copies of Fall of Knight. An ARC is not the official ebook. It doesn't have the cover, but it does have the full story. I am also going to select one person to win a paperback copy of my book. By the way, thanks to all who have signed up for the giveaway here on Goodreads. So far, 799 have signed up for the contest.
March 12, 2015
Thanks
Thank you, everyone. To those of you who have signed up for the giveaway. To those of you who have reviewed and rated the book. To those of you who will buy the book eventually. I thank you all. Fall of Knight is a book I have always been afraid to write because it hits really close to home. I had a friend who committed suicide. I have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Mine, thank God, has been successfully controlled with medication, but I know that an any time for any reason, that control could slowly slip away. There are thousands upon thousands of young adults who suffer from bullying and mental illness. Too many times we label them as troublemakers and spend little or no time actually getting to know them. It's tough being a teenager. I tried to capture it in Fall of Knight. I hope you buy the book and I hope it disturbs you enough to want to see some changes made. The book ain't pretty, but it is real.
February 15, 2015
Book Send Off
Attention: All of you folks who are interested in a good read.
Author Steve Cross releases his young adult psychological thriller Fall of Knight via Booktrope Editions on April 7th and is looking for people who are interested in joining an exclusive social marketing team dedicated to providing feedback and helping spread the word about Fall of Knight.
As a member of the launch team, you’ll not only receive an e-copy of the book before it’s available to the public but also gain special access to Steven and all of Team Knight through a private Facebook group.
In return, all we ask is that you leave a short, honest review of Fall of Knight on Amazon no later than 04/06/2015, share the release date and your feedback with everyone and anyone you may know, and provide ideas via our private Facebook page on how to reach a wider audience.
Interested? Send an email to vanyad@booktrope.com with your name, email address, and a brief explanation as to why you want to join Team Knight. Those selected will be notified via email and receive their advance reader copy of Fall of Knight.
You can also contact Steve Cross directly at
the crosses@hotmail.com or message him on Twitter @stevecrosswords.
Thank you in advance for your interest and time! Your support is greatly appreciated!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Author Steve Cross releases his young adult psychological thriller Fall of Knight via Booktrope Editions on April 7th and is looking for people who are interested in joining an exclusive social marketing team dedicated to providing feedback and helping spread the word about Fall of Knight.
As a member of the launch team, you’ll not only receive an e-copy of the book before it’s available to the public but also gain special access to Steven and all of Team Knight through a private Facebook group.
In return, all we ask is that you leave a short, honest review of Fall of Knight on Amazon no later than 04/06/2015, share the release date and your feedback with everyone and anyone you may know, and provide ideas via our private Facebook page on how to reach a wider audience.
Interested? Send an email to vanyad@booktrope.com with your name, email address, and a brief explanation as to why you want to join Team Knight. Those selected will be notified via email and receive their advance reader copy of Fall of Knight.
You can also contact Steve Cross directly at
the crosses@hotmail.com or message him on Twitter @stevecrosswords.
Thank you in advance for your interest and time! Your support is greatly appreciated!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
January 13, 2015
Excitement
As the publication of my new book gets closer and closer to fulfillment, I am beyond excited and also a little overwhelmed because there is so much to do and so little time to do it. Fall of Knight will be a good book, especially if you feel like having your mind blown just a little. It deals with two issues near and dear to my heart: bullying and mental illness, both of which I have been victimized by. Yes, I am still crazy after all these years, but it's mostly controlled by medication. For now, what I would like for you to do is follow me on twitter. I post some good stuff @stevecrosswords; Facebook,
http://www.facebook.com/steven.cross.56
and instagram. http://instagram.com/stevecrosswords/
That's all for now.
http://www.facebook.com/steven.cross.56
and instagram. http://instagram.com/stevecrosswords/
That's all for now.
