On my mind... and there's a lot.

Sometimes you just need to vent.

            I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me feel lower than learning that a new carpet is more important than health and safety of a worker at my work place. Just recently as you may have guess, we got a new carpet! Yet with the way our stock arrives (on skids that can be hundreds of pounds on a single load) is left down at the end of the hallway when it has to be taken across to the other side of the building.

            Before, it was placed before the doorways of the room they were destined to be in, since the deliveryman had an electrical lift to do it. But since the new carpet (that apparently costs 50,000 dollars) head office wants to keep it ‘in the best condition possible for as long as possible’.

            In other words, everything had to be moved by hand down a hallway on small carts and at least twenty trips.

            My brother works hard and normally he can get this done on his own in half the time when everything is where it needs to be. But now, my own workplace is more concerned about the damn carpet that WILL be thrown up on in just a matter of time, than to have the stock placed away properly, safety and more efficiently.

Nice to know where the employees stand on the ‘food chain’ of priorities.

            We’re below the carpet.

            Well I am going to sit down and see what I can write out tonight, to be honest, I haven’t written anything in a few months. Some other things have been on my mind, but it’s about time I sit down and start writing again. Who knows, it can be my way out!

            As an update, my campaign on Indiegogo has finished, I didn’t raise any donations, but I am not the least bit upset or concerned. Sometimes it’s best to do things yourself when you really want it. Besides, perhaps it means that I shouldn’t rush it.

            Recently I have sent the novel of Mythic Blood to Black Bed Sheets for consideration to be published for their 2012 line of books for the summer. Keep your fingers crossed for me and hope for the best. I really like what they have to offer and know the people who run Black Bed Sheets. They are more than willing to lend you an ear and give their honest opinion. Here’s hoping and I will keep you posted.

            Recently I have been painting masks for some of my vampire characters, some have turned out great, others I still think I need work on. But that’s what the masks are for, to better visualize the character and personality.

            On a recent note, one has really come to light! Thank to the lead singer David Draiman of Disturbed, quite frankly, I think this character is just for him! We’ll have to wait and see how that turns out, but inspiration can come from anyone and anywhere!

            I hope that my friends and readers in the States have a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving. Here’s to you, and be careful when it comes to shopping on the black Friday deals!

            In the mean time, I have a free short story for you to read, it’s a lead up to Mythic Blood, it was once the prolog, but found it took up too much space and attention from the main story. I hope you enjoy, and comments are most welcomed.

The sample can be obtained through this link, or (believe it or not) Itunes! Click on the book section of Itunes and type in Shannon Lee or A taste of Mythic Blood. It’s free to download.

Until next time.

bah I missed a day... or more

            Well so much for trying to blog every day. Sorry about that. I had a long day at work just the other day.

            Strange thing though. I had the strangest dream just the other night, and yet it started at work. We have to mark down the week of the stock when it arrives, yesterday, I was writing 20 on some boxes since it was week twenty and all. When my hand began to make 6’s rather than 0. So I accidently wrote 26 on some items but was quick to correct.

            Then just the other night, I was dreaming that I walked into a strip mall. One of the stores was a hot topic, yet not the same caliber as the ones you see in the mall. Almost like a clearance outlet or a little store that was trying to be a hot topic. Anyway, I remember walking around and finding an item in a discount box. It was apparently a Criss Angel rhinestone bedazzler… you know the thing that allows you to put rhinestones in your clothing? Yeah, that thing.

            Well I picked it up and figured I had to have it. And the cost… $0.26!

            When I woke up this morning, I knew there had to be something about this number. So where do we go to see? The computer!

            I checked out the dream dictionary and found that the number 26 has various means. One mainly being that it represents Karma and the earth. I’ve been itching to do some gardening for the past little while. I got some plants that want to spread roots! But there was another meaning to it. 2+6=8 which represents nirvana. A sense of mind and awareness, I had been considering meditation, now more than ever, I really should take it up.

            I have also recently regained my creative flow, mainly for the second novel that I had been trying to force and idea for. But now, one part of the story is coming in clear as day. It’s just reworking it into the pages I have already written and the parts I did like from the original concept into the story. Not simple when you want it to flow properly. But I’ll figure it out sooner than later.

            It’s rather funny when I serve people at my place of employment. They all look forward to the long weekend and ask me if I was as well. I don’t get a long weekend. I work this week every day but Thursday. Mind you I am not complaining (for the moment) but it’s money, time and a half on Monday. But still, people are surprised that I don’t get a long weekend.

            My work place NEVER closes. Never ever, and I can vouch for that. Even during the HUGE power outage a few years back. We didn’t close, in fact, we were one of the first people to have electricity back up and running! Second, even at Christmas and all other holidays, we’re open.

            Man, it sad to say that we never close for any holiday.

            Anyway.

            I’ll be savoring today, get some writing done and whatnot before my long week before me. Wish me luck, it’s going to be nuts!

just blogging

            A new day a new blog.

            Granted the day has just started and it seems much like the last, but that also depends on what you make of it.

            Just yesterday, I went to godaddy.com and purchased my websites at the advice of Brian Keene and his writer’s workshop. Solid advice too, since if you think about it, when you’re ready to publish and you want a website up and running, get the name first before anyone else! So that way you don’t have to buy it off of someone else later and pay through the nose.

            I have been managing to tweak the website just slightly, I will have to invest more to make it better, but all in due time. For now what I have is what I have and more will be added as soon as I can figure out where to go with it and what my next move is.

            Writing seems to be on the back burner today, I’ll be heading for a mall outing with my older brother before I have to head into work. Money is money right now.

            Also I got to get me a lottery ticket!

            Well, I don’t quite know what else to say here today besides thank you for reading, I am certain something more exciting is on it’s way soon enough. But until then, I will make this a habit and blog every day.

surviving the weekend

Ok, it’s about time I start talking about my vampires again.

First off. Happy Birthday to my Big bro Ryan! He turned 28, see Ryan, you are more than half way to 50 now! HAHAHA!

Ok vampires.

Some of you may not know, but I work at a movie theatre for the time being. I survived the rush of the Twihard fanatics. Eclipse came out this past weekend! I am not a Stephanie Mayor fan by any means, in fact in a last blog I freely confessed how I would mock her writing. But I am not going to do that here, it’s not fair and I would be no better than the people who made fun of my writing in high school (deep breath)

Ok, the real reason why I am writing this blog is recently, I found myself just about finishing the bones of two books. Problem is these books are not to be released until later down the line. My series goes in a certain order, yet I found two of my characters have been more than verbal. Not to mention the ideas seem to just flow out of me for them. One is on trial, the other is writing about his life.

Isn’t it strange though? I have all these ides for books later on in the series, and yet, I haven’t even started on the second novel! Hmm, perhaps I need to rework the order or have something go in place of the original idea I had in mind for it. After all, sometimes the ideas don’t come because they aren’t ready. Or I am holding myself back, waiting for the right reason to writing.

(A publishing contract could get the creative juices flowing, don’t you think?)

I am rather excited and looking forward to hearing from the publisher I submitted to. I feel really good about this, and cannot wait to see what comes of it. My friend Alexandre Tuis is also excited. The artist who created Dante for me, we got to talking and I told him that when I am published, I would be delighted if he would create my book into a graphic novel! His talents and my story it would made for a fantastic series I believe. Time will tell, and I have a great feeling that wonderful things are going to happen very soon.

In the mean time, I am going to see what I can bring myself to create, what characters will come to life and tell me their story. What fights there are to win, and enemies to make in the vampire world.

(Not real ones of course!)

Until next time my friends, stay thirsty.