For those of you who have read my epic fantasy series CHRONICLES OF FU XI, please know I am currently working hard to finish the series. The final installment in the series, Book 4, is about 1/4 complete in first draft form. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I expect it to be ready for an editor by spring. Completion of this novel is my number one writing priority.  I have to close this chapter of my life. 

I wish to thank those of you that have read the series thus far. Thank you for your patience. I have a job and a family that must come first, and I write when I can write. I am thankful I am able to write, and even more thankful there are people out there in the big world that have read and appreciated my books. My writing isn't for everyone, no writer's work is.  When I do find a reader, especially one that leaves a review, it means a great deal. External validation isn't required, but it doesn't hurt. 

So, in closing, 18 first draft chapters and 42,000 words in the can. Extremely productive this morning. I want to write more, but I must go to work. Tomorrow I start a virgin chapter, which is only sketched out in scene placeholders and subtext. These are the bones I will put flesh upon.

Thank you, 
Brian

I've been out along the Wiregrass backroads and highways retracing the 1824 Three Notch Road to the best of my ability. I'm working on the sequel to Abandoned Wiregrass, and it's been a lot of fun and a lot of fun of hard work.  Check back for updates. 

BREAKING NEWS: I've started a companion blog to this blog. "Rule One Book Reviews" is a dedicated blog strictly for finding and reviewing indie books. It will be entirely separate from The Illusion Exotic blog. I'm still going to blogging here about this and that, and promoting my writing and photography.

Rule One only has one purpose - quality and impartial book reviews. ​If you would like to know more about it, click here and check it out.

I'm excited to announce I've signed with Sutton Publishing (America Through Time) to publish a sequel to Abandoned Wiregrass. I will announce the title as publication draws closer, but look for a release in late 2025 of early 2026. My deadline to the publisher is September. I've got a lot to work to do between now and then. I have a working title, but I'm not going to release it until publication date draws nearer.

What I can tell you now is this project will focus on the western Alabama Wiregrass, retracing the steps of some of its earliest pioneers. The book will have on foot in the present and one foot in the past. My artistic goal with this book is to "up my creative game" on light, composition and subject.  ​This will be a larger and more ambitious project than Abandoned Wiregrass. This will be a photography book, but with a heavy history flavor. It will not exclusively concentrate on abandoned structures, but will highlight what is beautiful and new and vibrant in the Wiregrass as well. 

Abandoned can be beautiful. Rediscovering what was lost and forgotten is often the first step to renewal.

I'll be posting updates and sample images from the upcoming book. Keep checking back! In the meantime, if you haven't purchased a copy of  Abandoned Wiregrass, you can purchase it on America Through Time, Barnes & Noble or Amazon. 

Its been many weeks since I posted here. Sorry.

In order to you have a successfully platform, one must produce content. Lately, I've failed in that department. Life has been too hectic to take many photos or to even write. To be honest, I'm a bit tired. Grateful, but exhausted. I've been on the road a lot, and its good to finally be back home. The holidays are coming and, quite frankly, I don't think I'm ready for them. I haven't begin shopping and the decorations are still in storage. Time to get busy! 

Regardless, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, and spending time with family. For the first time, my oldest child will not be with us for the holidays. He is fully adulting now, and due to job demands cannot make it home this year. That fills me with both pride and sadness. 

Yet, I have managed to take a few photos here and there. This is one of them from a few weeks ago, while I was passing through Crenshaw County. Photoshop has a tool that allows one to turn an image into a oil painting (sort of). The image seemed to lend itself to that filter, so I used it. It doesn't work on most images, but it worked on this one.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, several of my novels (Black Sea Gods and the Golden Princess) go on sale starting Black Friday.  

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Last week was hectic at work, but I did manage to get some writing done. I dropped about 1000 words on a manuscript that has been sitting around since at least the late 1990s. I set it aside years ago to concentrate on "The Chronicles of Fu Xi," but now I've picked it back up in an effort to complete it.

It's funny looking back at your old draft manuscript. The process makes most writers cringe, myself included. However, that's not the case with this manuscript. It's been at least five, maybe even ten, years since I've read chapters from this unfinished work. I don't cringe when I read them (well, most of them). I think it's some of my best work, but it's unfinished. My wife doesn't comment on my writing much, but she has stated in the past that she prefers this manuscript to my work on "Chronicles of Fu Xi." I really need to figure out a way to complete it.
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But why? If it's so good (at least in my head), why can't I bring myself to finish it? In this blog, I'm going to talk myself through the problems I'm having with this manuscript. Maybe writing about them might help me break this decades-long logjam and get the project moving. You're welcome to listen in.

I spent most of Sunday morning inventorying completed chapters and story outlines. I have perhaps 50-60 thousand words, lots of good scenes, a rough story idea, but no solid plot structure. That's what stopped me last time. How do I progress this story with solid characters and great personal interplay? Where do I take it?

First, I don't know where it's going. That's a hard pill to swallow as a professional writer, realizing I just started writing scenes but have no idea where to take it. As my writing style evolved, I eventually found that it's best to start with the ending. If I know what the climax will look like, I can build a story to get me there. Yet, I don't have a solid climax for this manuscript. I have a vague idea of where I want it to go, but not a solid scene in my head. This is the first problem to solve.

Second, my MacGuffin is vague. A MacGuffin is the object that sets the plot into motion and gives the plot purpose. For example, in the Harry Potter books, it's the thing Harry and his friends are trying to find, like the Sorcerer's Stone. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark," it was the Ark. I have several MacGuffins to choose from in this manuscript, but I can't settle on just one. I think it's because just one doesn't satisfy everything I need it to do. That probably means I need to simplify the plot and maybe even axe some characters.

The third problem I have is when the story is set. I started writing it in the late 1990s, and that's where I left it. It went from being a contemporary "urban" fantasy to a period piece. I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm going to keep it set in the '90s because I think it adds flavor, and one of the characters must come from the "Greatest Generation," and if I make it happen today, they would be too old or dead. A period piece demands more research to make sure I have my facts right so it feels like it's set in the 1990s. Computer tech plays a major role in the plot, so getting the state of the art for the mid-1990s is key. All of this adds time.

The fourth problem is that I have too many characters and subplots. Actually, let me correct myself—I definitely have too many characters and subplots. For instance, I'm currently in the middle of writing a new prologue to solidify the MacGuffin, but it quickly spiraled out of control as the minor character in the prologue (who was supposed to be there only to set things up) started to take on too much of a life of his own. What was intended to be a 1000-word section has now ballooned to over 3000 words. There I go again, falling into the trap of forgetting that less is more. If I want this novel to be under 100K words, I need to streamline everything. It's time to make some painful choices.
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The next issue isn't really a problem per se, but it's a necessary and difficult aspect to tackle. This story is dark—brutal, even, at times. Profanity and violence must occur to stay true to the characters. People who have become familiar with my previous work probably won't like or understand it. Some may even recoil. I can't sugar-coat this plot. The characters are who they are. However, amidst the darkness, there is a strong streak of goodness and hope in this book. But for that light to shine brightest, it needs to be surrounded by darkness.

All of these flaws act as poison pills for the manuscript. But it's not all bad news. Every story needs an overarching theme, each character needs a theme, and each chapter needs its own theme. I sort of have an overall theme for this book—the redemptive power of love and the timelessness of love. Yet, as I'm writing this, I've come to the realization that I actually stumbled upon my true theme by accident. I didn't even realize I had written it down inadvertently.

I feel better after talking through all of this. Thanks for listening. Okay, it's time to get back to writing.

If you enjoyed this blog post, check out my epic fantasy series! 

The last few weeks I have been unable to focus on any one project. Important obligations elsewhere have kept me away from the lens, the keyboard and the motorcycle. This is somewhat of a bummer, but necessary. 

Hopefully, I'll have a photo session coming up this week, and I look forward to it. Maybe another behind that. Work continues on two fiction novels: Chronicles of Fu Xi Book IV, and a stand-alone urban fantasy, tentatively titled Quest for the Purple Queen. It's a project I've had in the works since 2008, will be submitted to traditional publishers once completed. I've put it on the front burner because, well, its time. 

In the coming weeks I plan to showcase a sample of the new novel here on my blog. More to follow.

On the photography front, I was recently invited to take photos of a private car & motorcycle show for a friend of mine. I had a great time, and ​I wanted to share a few of the images with you today. 

Speaking of opportunities, I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with photography, writing and maybe just a little riding on the side. I also hope to be attending several art and book festivals as the weather cools down. Please visit my events calendar to get up to speed on book signings, galleries and speaking engagements. 

It's my hope I have two new books in 2024 - a novel and a photography book. Keep checking back for updates. Thanks for stopping by. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Piney Woods Art Festival in Enterprise, Alabama this weekend, especially those who dropped by my booth. The positive response to "Abandoned Wiregrass," as well as my prints and framed art, was overwhelming. I would especially like to thank the Coffee County Arts Alliance for hosting the event and allowing me to attend. Piney Woods has been a vital part of the community fabric in Enterprise for as long as I can remember. This was my first year participating, and I will be sure to return. 

My photo "Winter Chairs" was honored with Best In Show. This kinda blows me away, because there were some SERIOUSLY talented artists at the event. I am honored and grateful. 

It was great to see many friends drop by the booth, including old friends from college I have not seen in many years. I received an unexpected surprise when, in the festival's closing hour,  I heard a voice say "That's my shack!"  Sure enough, it was the gentleman who owns the cabin featured on the cover of Abandoned Wiregrass.  I had not seen Mr. Waters since the day I took that image. We had a great time catching up and talking about the shack's history, and other places around the local area that might be good candidates for future photos. 

I'm not sure when or where my next event will be, as the local art festival scene slows down in the summer. I'll be taking the  opportunity to keep writing my fiction novels, as well as riding the roads (on my motorcycle, of course!) looking for my next photograph.

Keep checking back for updates!

#pineywoodsartfestival #artfestival #photography #awardwinning