The Mad Hustle & Other Travels

Introducing a West Virginia Kirkbride to a Minnesota Kirkbride.

It has been an eventful few months, which is why little of it has been documented here.

My day job has been taking me all over Minnesota. Though rewarding, working for six newspapers between three companies isn't easy. There has been a lot of juggling, and I (so far) have not dropped any balls. I'm aided by the extra hand that I would normally use for my free time projects.

That may not end soon, but it should subside as the summer months take hold. I'm certain I've been saying "next week will be slower" every week for the last three months, but nothing ever slows down. But really, I would hate it if it did. I would have time to write, sure, but I would also feel like the world was passing me by.

If the day job wasn't enough, I'm being pulled in different directions by my past, present, and future novels. I recently got a physical proof of A GHOST CHASES THE HORIZON. Though I've already made changes, it's incredibly satisfying to see such a difficult work finally manifest in print. It's the only copy currently in existence (for another week), and I've been carrying it around wherever I go. I brought it on a trip last week, wherein I got to see a real, live, Minnesota Kirkbride in Fergus Falls (see above photo). This one isn't open to touring – mold and such – and it doesn't appear to be haunted. Bricks don't hold that kind of energy the way raw limestone can.

For my present novel, QUANTUM CROSSING has stalled entirely. It has become the true victim in this flurry of activity. I had some concerns that I was painting myself in a corner, so perhaps it is good to let it ruminate for a while. Still, the fact I haven't looked at it at all since early March, is concerning for such a detail-oriented project. I'm hoping to circle back to it at the end of the year, once A GHOST CHASES THE HORIZON is officially out in the world.

Finally, a future novel has come to light, which has sidelined everything else in the queue. In fact, I just realized my WIP page is no longer linked. Maybe it is for the best at the moment. THE APRIL THAW, CORVID HOLLOW, et. al will need to take a back seat for a little bit.

This new story? It will be something much in the structure of A GHOST CHASES THE HORIZON, but how it will take form is still up for debate. Right now, the concept, the time period(s), the theme, and the title are all there. If only that were enough to make a story.

Here is a teaser, which is all you will get for some time.