The Writing Life:

It’s been a tough week for writing. The need to move out of Croton Manor has taken priority.

A big part of our upcoming exodus has been the need to find a home for a 113 year old B. Shoninger upright player piano. The piano has been a part of Nancy’s life since she was a child. She has quite an attachment to it. During her teenage years she was a latch-key kid. She came home from school every day to an empty house and the piano occupied her time and kept her company. It is an old friend to her.

We’ve tried for months to give it away, to find a home for it, but it seems no one today wants an old piano. It’s a shame that I’ve had to disassemble it and haul it to the dump. That process reminded me of the scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey, where Dave disassembles HAL, module by module. All the while HAL is pleading for his life. At every step, every touch, the old piano cried out in the same way.

Otherwise, life is full of daily decisions about what possessions are going with us and what will go to storage, or what is being disposed of, to thrift or the dump. Those decisions are mentally consuming and often emotional. There has been little or no time for work or other things. My one accomplishment in September was to post an essay about the Great Chicago Fire, memorializing the event 153 years after the fact. The point of the essay is that we all owe an apology to Mrs. O’Leary—and her cow.

The Research Desk:

Research is a daily occupation for a writer. Especially if one writes historical or Biblical fiction. I often lose myself following rabbit trails that have stolen my interest. In that regard, a recent conversation about Sheol, and how it might be different from Hell became the latest game-a-foot. I began researching the meanings of both Sheol and Hell, then focused on the scripture in 1 Peter 3:19; most often interpreted, along with other scripture, to mean that Jesus descended into Hell or Sheol where He preached salvation to those who would hear it.

Soon, a story idea began to develop and that turned into an outline and that to the beginnings of a first draft. So, here I go again. Completely off track, following a strange white rabbit who claims to be my muse. Before you know it, I’ll be caught up in a Mad Hatter’s tea party, completely off the rails and missing my next deadline.

Faith & Work:

For me, faith and work go together. They are inextricably intertwined. In fact, faith must and does shape every aspect of my life. What you believe about life, about the world, about the supernatural, who we are, where we’re going, and what motivates us, will most significantly shape your view of the world. How you see the world will shape the way you respond to it. That’s how I see it. And that’s how and why I write about faith, life, and the spirit world.

This week, whenever I could make time without distraction, I’ve been working on the third novel in my Gray Empire series. It’s called “The Rift,” and it’s about division; between people, cultures, and secret societies. In spite of many distractions, I managed to get well into Chapter 19, called The Majus Scroll.

In it, Rick and the team find an ancient scroll written 2000 years ago by Simon Majus of Bible fame. One mystery of the scroll is how it got to Rosslyn. The answer to that is deeply rooted in The Rift that took place a thousand years ago. Bound within a strange ring of black obsidian, the scroll holds a vital clue to the treasure known as the True Grail, and to a nameless enemy who has been covertly manipulating Rick’s quest from the start.

The Business of Writing:

It is a business, writing. Like any art intended to sustain the artist, there is an aspect of business. “Business,” however, implies some commercial exchange that results in profit. Though that may be true for some authors, in my case, it feels like a cruel joke. Calling what I do a business is something of an overstatement. Nonetheless, no matter the volume of my revenue stream, the “business” of writing consumes too much of my time.

At this point in my writing career, too much of my process is focused on brand promotion and not enough on the art of writing. So, this week, as part of that ongoing effort, and in remembrance of the Great Chicago Fire, on October 8th of 1871, I wrote and posted an article on my website in sympathy and defense of Mrs. O’Leary and her cow. Oh, yeah. Did I mention maintaining a website is another drain on time and energy? Just one more aspect of the “business” of writing.

Community Connections:

I write about community connections on my blog, On The Lagoon. My latest article is about Eve Air Mobility, a new urban flight company joining our business community on the Space Coast. Check it out from the link above.