Well, here I am sitting at the computer with fingers flying over the keys. I've got to get book #4 written and ready for revision. I haven't begun to think about the cover yet, I just need to write the story.

It's nice to be back in the halls of the great palace at Nubia, steeped in culture. Sometimes I get so focused that when I come up for air I am often put off by people not behaving as they would be expected to in that ancient kingdom. The place and the characters are so real while I write. I can see everything so vividly.

It would be cool if I could really step backward in time and truly see the people I write about. But then again, maybe not. What I write is fiction and if I were to visit these people their differences from what I make up would be quite disappointing. So for now I'll just satisfy myself with the stories that live within my imagination.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Today is the day our nation celebrates our independence from England. The need for our separation from that kingdom was not so much that we believed that England was evil. On the contrary, we share a great relationship with that nation to this day. Rather it was more that we felt the relationship was uneven, unfair. We were asked to share in the costs and support of that kingdom without adequate advocacy for our part, and so began the conflict.

It is much the same for traditional publishing today. This is the reason many writers, myself included, have chosen to go the independent route. It is not that traditional publishing houses are evil. It is more that they are extremely one-sided with little to no support for the writers that create the work that keeps their business afloat, particularly the newbies and mid-listers.

So, today while I celebrate the birth of a great nation, I also celebrate one of my better decisions.

VIVA LA INDEPENDENCIA

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY