I've been writing, editing, and rewriting the five stories I plan to produce this year. With any luck and yes, Lady Luck plays a major part in this tedious process, my next story will be ready by May or June. My editors will have plenty to keep themselves busy. Hopefully, they don't revolt on me. 

When my internet connection went down and in the midst of fixing it, a thought occurred to me like a shot from The Dark. At first I was too annoyed to pay much attention to the notion that did its best to distract me from the task of unplugging all of the cords to allow the router to reset. This Luddite likes the conveniences technology offers, but detests everything involved with achieving those advantages. While waiting for things to come back online, the idea struck me again. Since I had some time to kill and needed a diversion from my annoyance, I gave it some thought. 

Before I knew it, an hour had passed. See what I mean when I say how distracting ideas can be? Oh, what is this concept? See, I'm still distracted by it! 

Anyway, the thought involves a series of ideas, all wrapped around one another. That's what took so long to noodle through, and why I ignored it at first. I knew it wouldn't be a fleeting notion. Once I unloaded the Thought Train, the simplicity of the idea struck me to the core. It's something that never occurred to me before that "aha" moment. I don't know why, but it didn't. 

I still haven't told you what it is? Oh, yea. Patience, My Dearies. Coolness doesn't happen everyday, not for me. When lightning strikes in a bottle, one just has to marvel in its glory. 

Alright, alright. Enough basking. What would happen to a single point of reality that has already been isolated from all others, if it were to be divorced from time, infinity, and paradox? 

See what I mean? The notion is a complex one. The simple term for a point of reality that has been isolated is a singularity. Check out my latest Passing Thought on my Thought Train for an elaboration of that concept. The go-to idea of disavowing or divorcing the singularity from time or infinity would be to call it a paradox. By taking paradox off the table of possibilities, one is left with a conundrum. What now? Does the point collapse, or does something else occur? 

Concepts are the basic building blocks of reality. Time and infinity are two of the biggest. Paradox serves as a gap-filler, or release valve. In any event, paradox does much to maintain cosmic continuity when reality is faced with alterations that bring into question its fundamental integrity. Taking time and infinity out of the equation, does just that. 

Without time, the space can have no past, present, or future. Infinity provides possibility. Without that, one might ask, just how limited is this space, and how is this point able to maintain its integrity? Since movement is a concept with a time component, without the element, does it mean nothing can move around within the space, and what would those implications be? Take paradox away as well, and if this point had a personality, it would be heading straight for an existential crisis. 

I need to do some more thinking on this problem. It has piqued my interest, but I need to finish up some editing before it gets too late in the morning. I do need to sleep sometime. If any of you have any ideas about this conundrum, do drop me a line. Otherwise, keep it dark and real!  

The release of my newest E-Book, The Shade's Tale, has brought a flurry of questions about the power underlying The Cosmos about which I write. I take for granted the power of ideas because that has been the basis for the power structure of my universe for so many decades and is the way I think about reality. I forget my readers are new to my notions of power. With that in mind, now seems to be the appropriate time to explain some of my thinking about ideas and power. 

To get a full grasp on what I'm talking about and a true understanding of my thought process, you need to rethink the way in which you view ideas. To me, concepts are so much more than a dictionary definition. Ideas have a life all to their own and are all but tangible to me. They are completely substantial to the characters I write about in my stories. Thus, the fantasy aspect of my work. 

I begin with the dictionary definition of any given idea. Then, I think and go broader. I let the concept rumble through my mind without any preconceived notions of where the idea should go, or how it should move about within my cerebral space. I ask myself a series of questions.

What are the ramifications of the given idea? How does the notion move through reality? Does it sashay, or does it flit about? What does the concept feel, and how does it do that? With what other notions does the idea associate or struggle against? How would it feel to reach out and touch the idea? Would it feel hot, cold, sharp, soft, or like something else? If it could talk, what would the concept say, and how would it communicate? What does the idea look and smell like? What is the notion's connection and importance to The Cosmos? Is it central, peripheral to existence, or does it have some other relationship? 

If you think about these questions and allow your mind to wander as you read my stories, you will become immersed within a fantasy world full of characters you will come to adore and others you will love to hate. It will be an experience unlike any other. At some point you will wonder why other authors haven't treated ideas in this manner. Fantasy will never be the same for you. That will be the moment the penny will drop, and your understanding of my work will have fully materialized.   

My friends and family have long thought my personification of ideas to be strange, maybe even a bit bizarre. This manner of perceiving concepts is what has made me successful with every endeavor I've ever undertaken. It's what has made my role-playing games different, and the reason behind the unique quality of my stories. I see no point in writing about what has already been written. My brand of dark fantasy goes where no other writer has dared or seen fit to tread. 

Not all ideas are equal. Some concepts are wild, unruly, and simply out of this world, while others are simple and down to earth. The juxtaposition of ideas is where the true conflict within my stories reside. Characters wield concepts to get their desired results. Their very existences are notions unto themselves, as are the physical properties that surround the characters. They combine ideas to express their intent and accomplish feats, some of which are simple and straightforward, while others are beyond the pale.

My characters imaginations are their only limitations. Even The Cosmos is an idea to contend with in the scope of my stories. The resolution of the butting of heads when ideas collide is where the meat of my tales reside. If this point is all you come away with at this moment in time, then you are a long way toward understanding my creative process and most importantly, my story arcs.  

Hopefully, this post answers most of your questions. If not, check out some of the posts within my Thought Train. Many of those posts expound upon some of the big ideas found within my stories. Until next time, keep it dark and fantastical and remember, ideas are more powerful than the pen, which are mightier than the sword! 

My, how time flies! The last time I posted to this blog was before Thanksgiving. I apologize for my absence and hope you'll be understanding on that account. So much has happened since my last post. 

The most exciting event was the release of Book One of my first trilogy, THE SHADE'S TALE. That story went live as an E-Book just before the New Year. Being my longest work yet, at around 126,000 words, it was a monster to edit and format. Finally, it's up and running. Yippeekiyay! 

I poured so much creative energy into THE SHADE'S TALE over these past weeks and thus, the reason for my lack of posts. I believe this story is my best work to date, but I always think that. I do love all of my babies. Each one has something different to adore! 

Christmas was as festive as ever. There is nothing about the holiday I don't relish. Shopping with my wife, daughter, and best friend went off without a hitch. As we enjoyed the decorations, lights, and spirit of the whole affair, lots of goodies were found by all of us. My wife and I drove around at night on a couple of occasions and devoured with our eyes the twinkling light displays on and around the houses we passed. We didn't have a white Christmas, but we didn't have a blue one either. 

Our time in Vermont between Christmas and New Years, put the cherry on top of our Christmas cake. On New Year's Eve, fire dancers and fireworks made for a fabulous evening. We rocked in The New Year with the jolly and enthusiasm usually reserved for the man in the red suit. Rain didn't dampen our spirits one bit! 

As I write this post, snowflakes are falling from the sky. It's beginning to look like a winter wonderland out there. Would've been nice for Christmas, but as they say, better late than never! 

Well, I think I've brought you up to date on everything that's fit to print. I'm going to smoke a stogie and watch the snow blanket the world with a white quilt. Until the next time we meet, enjoy the winter revelry that is hopefully blanketing your neck of the woods!