As a Thank You for Veterans Day

This week, we take time to honor our Veterans. We say thank you for all that they've done and all that the continue to endure after they've come home.

It's not always easy to come home from the war and return to a "normal life" in the civilian world - and this is something I have tried very hard to portray in Alone In The Light. I have taken great pains to show the physical, mental, and emotional trauma that plagues many of our veterans after they come home.

I wanted to share these experiences with the world. Both veterans and civilians alike - to help understand that when we say "We're fine" that we're not always fine. We like to put on a brave face, keep moving, and soldier on... but it's not always easy.

And so, for the next 5 days - I am giving this book away. As a thank you to my fellow veterans in an effort to maybe help them see they're not alone and as a way for their friends and family to possibly see what's going on inside.

From Monday, November 8th, until midnight on  Friday, November 12th - I will be lowering the prices of my paperback and hardcover to the lowest amount allowed by amazon:

$8.22 for the paperback. (Normally $16.99)

$16.00 for the hardcover. (Normally $22.00)

In addition: The eBook will be 100% free Monday, November 8th, until midnight on  Friday, November 12th this is free to EVERYONE with the Kindle App.

This means I get $0.00 for these sales. 

I don't care about the money. I care about helping to spread understanding to our friends and families.

Please help me say Thank You by spreading this news and telling your friends and family members who want to know what it can be like for those of us facing our demons - within and without.

Lastly - I ask you all to check out these organizations for yourself, your fellow veterans, or your veteran family members:

Til Valhalla Project - Starting in 2019 Til Valhalla Project donates an additional 20% of net proceeds towards reducing veteran suicide; we have now raised over $870,000 toward the battle against veteran suicide. 

Mission 22 - Funding veterans to receive treatment for Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and other issues they may be facing. The Mission 22 campaign has brought veteran issues to millions of people so that they too can make a difference. Awareness precedes change and without it we can not heal our nation. 

The Gary Sinise Foundation - The Gary Sinise Foundation serves our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. We do this by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.

Thank you.

Keep moving forward!

Giving Thanks; An Abridged List Of The Good Stuff In Life

Every year, we sit around the table and give thanks. And with it being 2020 and all, we're having trouble finding those little things we're thankful for... I mean, it's been just a shitty year overall am I right? And not just with COVID... the whole year just seems to WANT to make life suck. 

But we're pulling through... We're moving forward to a better and brighter tomorrow free of the crap that this year will end up leaving by the wayside... And I am thankful for that. I am actually thankful for a lot of stuff... And  here's my list... It's not complete, but I'm calling 90%

I'm thankful for my family.

My wife who loves me and puts up with all of me strange little idiosyncrasies (It's a $2.00 word. Look it up). She lets me do my thing. She lets me lean on her when I need help and she leans on me when she needs it. We are a team.

My kids who, even though I want to sell them from time to time, are the absolute light of my universe. Nothing takes the sting out of a bad day quite like an adorable 6-year-old telling you they "had the biggest poop ever in the history of the world..."

My brothers and their families who are always there if I need them. We don't agree on sports, but we agree on being family... and that's what matters.

My mom and dad are, without a doubt, the only reason most of you even like me. I mean, let's be honest, I won the parent lottery. They're supportive. They listen to my thoughts and ideas and, even when they disagree, don't judge me for it. If anything, our differences have made us a stronger family.

My adoptive family... Those of you who I talk to and lean on when I'm about to lose it. The people who take me hunting and show me how to do things I've never done and laughing at me when I cut my finger off. The recipe-sharing friends on Facebook who have brought me into their inner circle and given me Grandma's super-secret cookies recipe.

I'm thankful for my health. To date, I do not have COVID19 or something worse.

I'm thankful for employment. A lot of people in the music/performance industry are still without pay. They are still waiting for things to change. I was fortunate to find new employment in my hometown and that alone has kept me sane... and insured which is a HUGE thing in our "please don't get sick and die" society.

I am thankful for opportunities that are still around.

I am thankful for science.

I am thankful for antibiotics, science-fiction, and the internet.

I am thankful that we have Zoom and Facetime during this pandemic.

I am thankful for the ability to mute people who are too dumb to spell pandemic, yet fully capable of hitting that share button on every racist meme they can get their hands on.

I am thankful that I can say "no" to spending time with people who are toxic in my life and not feel bad about it... or guilty.

I am thankful that I don't have to say no to people who aren't toxic. You are always welcomed and I will help you in any way I can.

I am thankful for bourbon.

I am thankful for this awesome spatchcocked, buttermilk-brined turkey I'll be cooking tomorrow.

I am thankful that my mental health isn't a giant vortex of anger and depression despite the world we live in.

I am thankful for Hornady Custom 300 grain XTP 44 Mag and the CVA Hunter rifle that fires it.

I am thankful for a freezer full of meat and a pantry full of food.

I am thankful that Angie and I have had the good fortune to publish books.

I am thankful for all the people who have read those books and ask us for more.

I am thankful for coffee.

I am thankful for music.

I am thankful for audiobooks and the people who create them.

I am thankful that I can still hear despite the constant, high-pitch ringing in my right ear.

I am thankful to still be alive after 42 years, 3 colleges, 1 war, 1 marriage, 2 kids, 5 apartments, 2 houses, 6 cats, and a dog... 

I am thankful for my dog, Boomer.

I am thankful to be me.

What about you, dear reader? What are you thankful for this year?

An Open Letter To Jenna Bush Hager's Book Club

Dear Jenna,

I know that November is still several weeks away, but I would like to recommend a book for your #ReadWithJenna selection - Alone In The Light, by Benjamin W. Bass.

With November being the month of Veterans Day, I feel this book would be a particularly good choice. It was written by a veteran and tells the tale of two soldiers who meet in Kuwait and are painfully separated by the war.

Josh Carpenter is a National Guard soldier from Indiana who is injured in an IED explosion on Thanksgiving morning and he returns home, broken and unsure about his place in the world. Before his unfortunate incident, he meets, and falls in love with, Mary Fischer. She is an active duty solder from Fort Sam Houston who works in the Combat Support Hospital at Camp Wolf. After Josh's departure from her life she tries to go home and pick up the pieces of her life, leaving her overbearing mother and setting out on her own - which eventually leads her back to Josh on the campus of Indiana University.

The story is a very personal and real tale based partially on my own life and the experiences I had while in the military. The characters are very real and very relatable and the book itself is receiving great reviews.

I am an independent author. This book was thought up, written, and published by me and my wife. We have no backing of a publishing house, advertising group, or any other support outside of friends and family. It is this fact, as well as the book's overall message of hope and redemption, that I feel it is an excellent choice as your November pick.

Thank you for your time and, hopefully, your consideration. I am very proud of this book and I feel that many people will love it if they only knew about it.


All my best,
Benjamin W. Bass

No such thing as bad press!

The saying goes, "There's no such thing as bad press." - Or so I've been told. I guess that's true, too. Today's local paper featured a front page story about me, my book, and my efforts to draw attention to PTSD, TBI, and veteran suicide...

The article itself is good, but... there's always a but, right? BUT they put the title of my book in the article incorrectly. Not once, but TWICE.

It's Alone In The Light... not Alone In The Night.

Oh well, it is what it is. And, like I said, it's mostly a good article and I hope people will see it and it will draw attention to my book.

In the meantime, the reporter said he would run a correction in tomorrow's edition. If I'm lucky - that, too, will be on the front page.

We can always hope, right?

RIGHT?!

Also - go check out ALONE IN THE LIGHT at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore!

FREE BOOKMARKS!

Hello again, everyone! How are you today?

I'm doing quite well, having filled up on homemade tamales for lunch... You have no idea. They were delicious.

Anyway - I am writing today to inform you all of some free stuff!

I will be shipping out FREE bookmarks to anyone who reads and reviews Alone In The Light.

No catch. That's it.

Leave an honest review on Amazon, B&N, or Goodreads and I will send you this nifty bookmark for your future reading!

Front

Back 

The front features the cover of Alone In The Light and the reverse offers the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Fancy? I'm not sure.
Helpful? - We hope.

So - if you've already reviewed Alone In The Light drop me a link to your review at ben@benjaminwbass.com with an address and I will ship you a free bookmark!

Thank you for your time and your support.

Alone In The Light - A Visual Companion

While the events and characters of my book are fictional - Every place I've mentioned in Alone In The Light is a real place. You can visit all of them... I'd really recommend against F.O.B. Kalsu in Iraq though... And Camp Wolf no longer exists. But Fairland and Batesville, Indiana are both very real. As well as Indiana University in Bloomington. Some of the buildings have changed names since 2005, but the overall visuals are still the same I believe.

I've scoured  spent 30 seconds looking on the internet and found some lovely photos to help act as sort of a visual guide to the book if you'd be interested.

We'll start with Iraq and Kuwait.

Kuwait - Camp Wolf

A small tent city built near the Kuwait International Airport to serve as the APOD or Aerial Port Of Debarkation. This housed support personnel for the theater. Including the CSH or Combat Support Hospital - Mary Fischer's unit.

It was hot, dirty, and featured a pretty good dining facility - as well as access to Domino's Pizza via delivery. Just sayin...

Where Can You Buy Alone In The Light?

In a fictional conversation I've had with thousands of people, I am constantly asked, "Hey, Benjamin, where can I, your adoring fan, buy a copy of your book?"

I'm glad you asked!

Let me break it down for you as it stands now:

Signed Copies:
If you are feeling extra-awesome, you can email me at ben@benjaminwbass.com for a signed copy. If you require it shipped to you, the cost will be $20 via paypal (this includes shipping via USPS priority mail). If you live in the area and just want to meet up for drinks, it'll be $15.

Standard eBook and Paperback:
Currently you can buy both versions of my book (eBook and Paperback) are available over on Amazon.

Both versions are also available to order through Barnes & Noble!

But wait! There's more!

My book, Alone In The Light, was published through Amazon as well as IngramSpark. This means you can have your local library or bookstore order a copy for you through IngramSpark's direct publishing office.

Which is pretty cool.

This also means you can go into a retailer, such as Barnes & Noble or Joseph-Beth, and have a copy ordered for you to pick up in their store! It's a pretty nifty deal in my opinion.

In theory, once all the hoops have been jumped through, the "T's have all been dotted, and the "I"s have all been crossed, this will be available through more outlets such as Apple's iBooks and Wal*Mart's online store. So, if you hate Amazon or just have a strong hankering to support your local Wal*Mart, you can head over to their website, search for my name, and BAM! book.


I will update the links on this page as they become available across the various places. In the meantime, if you've read my book and liked it, please leave a review!

Thanks for reading!

Marketing... sucks.

As a friend of mine told me today, "Marketing sucks."

And it's true. It sucks. Especially self-marketing.

Where do you draw the line between a few gentle reminders to "please buy my book!" and "I'M ANNOYING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU WITH POSTS AND UPDATES BECAUSE I WANT TO SELL MORE THAN 10 COPIES!" ??

Not asking for a friend. I'm asking this for myself.

It's hard to bust through all the chatter out there and actually make yourself noticed. Doubly so when you're trying to NOT be intrusive about it. Auto-DMs get you unfollowed or blocked. Random links to your amazon page go ignored with a simple "like" and then you're left where you started. Topping out at a handful of sales with no big firm behind you to help carry the financial burden.

Just like many indie-pub authors, I don't have much of a marketing budget. So I can't go around relying on ads from amazon or Facebook. I've found limited success in engagement through targeted ads on Facebook... but not a lot. Word of mouth will probably be my best asset - and that relies heavily on the first few people reading my book to like it enough to tell someone else.

Right now, my marketing plan is an 8-step process:

1: Facebook page with some paid ads.
2: My twitter account with occasional posts  - but as we all know, people tend to gloss over these as they're scrolling when it becomes clear the post isn't a meme.
3: A twitter account for my book. From here I can pin tweets, make posts, and possible sell an ad or two via twitter. This should, in theory, prevent my main account from being muted or blocked, while giving me a chance to put out new content.
4: Rely on friends and family to help RT and post links to my book when it goes live.
5: Prayer?
6: Hope REALLY hard that my book is good and people will just buy it.
7: Randomly tackle people on the street, force a copy of my book into their hand, and take $20 from their wallets.
8: Try to engage as many people on Facebook and Twitter as I can in hopes that some of them click the link to my amazon page out of pity.

***Contingency plan consists of duct-taping my book to cases of beer and selling it that way.

And that's about it. I think.

I am welcome and open to suggestions. I have about $100 to use for ads which, as we all know, isn't very much when it comes to this stuff.

How about you? How do YOU market your stuff?

An excerpt from Alone In The Light - Mary Fischer

Ladies and gentlemen!

Hello and a (belated) happy Father's Day to all you dads out there.

I felt that today, as a treat to myself on Father's Day, I'd share another excerpt from my upcoming story, Alone In The Light.

This is an introduction to Mary Fischer, the 2nd POV for my story.
I hope you enjoy it.

The journey to here...

BOOM!!

It's done.

Or I think it is at any rate.

Holy shit, it's done... It's been edited, re-edited, looked over, picked at, and, on one occasion, given the middle finger.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. Do I keep looking it over? Do I keep trying to go through and make it better? Do I just say, "Fuck it!" and let it be done?

This has been a long time coming and now I almost feel like I can't NOT do something with it. I'm mildly terrified. Releasing my prologue last week about gave me an anxiety attack... but now... shit. Now we're looking at a full-on book release.

And I have no idea how to react to this.

This has been almost fifteen years in the making. My first short story about coming home from Iraq was called Alone In The Light and I wrote it in 2004. It was published in an arts magazine at Indiana University. The first version of this was... very personal. It drew far too much from my own life and was less a fictional piece and more of an autobiography.

Over the last fifteen years that story has grown and evolved.

The first major change came when I wrote another short story called Realities. It was a "what if" story... as in "what if I'd met my wife while deployed." The story took my actual deployment and dropped in the woman who is now my wife, A.J. Bass. It was a fun story to write. What would she be like had she joined the army? What kind of person would I meet in this alternate reality? Well... Mary Fischer more or less.

Then the two stories got combined in a random Livejournal entry a few years back... and, well... Here we are. With the finished version of Alone In The Light.

It's no longer the 5,000 word short story about a guy sitting through his first day of class after experiencing war. This is now 120,000 words about two people coming home and trying to rediscover themselves in a world that is somewhat the same as before... but also wildly different. It's been a way to explore and look at my own PTSD as a result of things, and has been very cathartic.

With that all said - today I submitted my proposal for cover art and formatting. I also finished my final edits. Or so I hope.

I am very excited about this story and the chance to share it with the world - for better or worse.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. Thank you for taking the time to follow me on social media and interact with me.  I hope you like this story when it finally launches in a few weeks.

All my best,
Benjamin

Book Recommendation - Junkers by Benjamin Wallace

A new feature I'm adding to this blog - any time I finish a book, I will promptly do a short write-up on it and either recommend it for reading - or for ignoring.

A few weeks back I finished Junkers by Benjamin Wallace - and it goes on the "Recommend List"

My rating system is as follows - and anything between 3 and 5 stars should be considered worthy of buying....
1 star – I didn’t like it - won't talk about it.
2 stars – It was OK - I probably won't re-read this book without a compelling argument.
3 stars – I liked it - The book was enjoyable and I might revisit in the future.
4 stars – I really liked it - Have probably read it twice already or will soon.

5 stars – It was amazing - Will probably re-read this title every year or so.

✮✮✮✮
The Robot Uprising is Here - And It's Hilarious
For such a short book, Junkers is a lot of fun. 

I read the "Robopocalypse" by Daniel H. Wilson and was so disappointed that I almost gave up on the genre as a whole. But along comes Benjamin Wallace with his team of Junkers - Jake, Kat, Mason, Savant and Glitch - and I'm back in the game!

Life is supposed to be easier when robots do all the work, right? Then why are they murdering people? The story starts out with a murder, is followed up by a murder, and ends with another murder or two... and, yet, I found myself laughing and eagerly consuming page after page of this story. 

It's fun, lighthearted, and full of characters that I couldn't help but like - and want more of in the future. Junkers is the Robot Uprising we should all be reading... and we should also be calling our movie representatives and asking for this to be optioned. Seriously, folks, Benjamin Wallace's wit and sense of humor make him a national treasure.


Disclaimer - I am in no way paid for my reviews - which you can probably guess by how poorly they are written... and all opinions are my own.

Book Recommendation - Trackers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

A new feature I'm adding to this blog - any time I finish a book, I will promptly do a short write-up on it and either recommend it for reading - or for ignoring.

Earlier this week I finished "Trackers" by Nicholas Sansbury Smith - and it goes on the "Recommend List"

My rating system is as follows - and anything between 3 and 5 stars should be considered worthy of buying....
1 star – I didn’t like it - won't talk about it. 

2 stars – It was OK - I probably won't re-read this book without a compelling argument. 

3 stars – I liked it - The book was enjoyable and I might revisit in the future.
4 stars – I really liked it - Have probably read it twice already or will soon.5 stars – It was amazing - Will probably re-read this title every year or so.


✮✮✮✮

The Nightmare Scenario Done Right 

I am an apocalypse junkie. I've read almost everything I can get my hands on about stories involving life at the end of things... And the scariest of all scenarios, to me, is an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse). Other books have touched on them and done a fair enough job making that scenario into a work of fiction - but they usually seem like a really over the top "how to" guide for Preppers - not saying it's a bad thing, just that it does make for good fiction. Nicholas Sansbury Smith, however, has made this into good fiction while still addressing the "how-to" aspect of being prepared. 

WWIII begins in the skies over the U.S. with the detonation of three nuclear devices resulting in an EMPs. If that wasn't bad enough, the attack is followed up by a secondary device that take out Washington DC. Dealing with the EMP is least of the problems for former Marine Sam "Raven" Spears and the man he's usually at odds with - Police Chief Marcus Colton... they are in the midsts of a manhunt for a potential serial killer who has come to the quiet, tourist town of Estes Park, CO.

It's good story showing the immediate fallout of life after an EMP mixed with a gripping murder-mystery. I look forward to the rest of the series to see where Smith takes us in the new, dark world. This one story is clearly the doorway into something larger and more encompassing just like Smith has done with The Extinction Cycle and Hell Divers. 

Disclaimer - I am in no way paid for my reviews - which you can probably guess by how poorly they are written... and all opinions are my own.

Book Recommendation: The Extinction Cycle (Boxed Set)

I have stated before that I LOVE post-apocalyptic literature. As such - I have just finished the first three books in Nicholas Sansbury Smith's "The Extinction Cycle".

The box set includes the books Extinction Horizon, Extinction Edge, and Extinction Age and they are one roller coaster ride of action and the apocalypse! 

The audible version is read by Bronson Pinchot - and he does a fantastic job. I've loved hearing the books he has read - my personal favorite being Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree"

I have not finished the entire series yet - I have 4 more to go still. But it has been an enjoyable series so far with all of the despair and daunting helplessness you'd expect in an end-of-the-world experience. 

So - what's it all about?

Apocalypse WOW!!! A Post-Apocalyptic Literature Post.

I am a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories. I have read dozens of books with the same premise - The world has ended, people are trying to still be people.

And I love them. All Most of them.

I don't mean Dystopian novels like The Hunger Games or The Handmaid's Tale - Which I also love - I mean straight-up world-ending, 50% or more of the people in the world are gone and we're watching the last of humanity try to survive just ONE. MORE. DAY...  And it's fucking glorious. I don't often feel the same about PA movies. They're usually good, but trying to depict truly Post-Apocalyptic life on screen is a far more challenging task than in print. There are a few exceptions though.

I just finished HELL DIVERS by Nicholas Sansbury Smith from Audible (Read by the AMAZING R.C. Bray). It's about a group of WWIII survivors living aboard an airship 250 years following the near-complete destruction of the human race. The 2 ships - Aries and The Hive - float above radioactive superstorms trying to stay alive. When they need supplies or parts to fix the ship they send their Hell Divers to the ground to find what they need. It's a very bleak and depressing world... and I picked up Hell Divers II as SOON as I finished the first one. Pick it up - you'll like it. Hell Divers III is available for pre-order too now!!  I think this book could make a fantastic TV series or Movie... I don't like saying "I'd love to see this as a movie" because I feel books are 99% of the time WAY better as a book. But this one has a lot of cinematic themes that could be done well on the screen...

Reading this book has me thinking about some of my favorite reads in the Post Apocalypse genre... there are a TON of them. But I thought I'd share my thoughts on a few of them...

These Books are MADE OF PEOPLE!!

Much like Soylent Green - Books are made of people.

Well, no. They're actually made of paper and ink... but they're FULL of people and characters. And that, in my opinion, can really make or break a book.

Most of these people are complete works of fiction. They come from the brain of the person writing the book and they give them their own lives, personalities, and purpose. And that's pretty cool.

So - what about when we write a story and BASE the people in our story - fictional people - on people we know in real life?  It makes the writing easier and does half of the work for us. We now have somewhat of a background for the character, and some basic traits and habits already in place for us to work with. But is that a good idea? I haven't really decided yet.

I once wrote a short story - okay, it was 72 pages when I abandoned it - where I used the actual names, physical descriptions, and overall ACTUAL real person as the character in the story. Bruce was Bruce. Angie was Angie. And so on... These characters and their struggles were all fictional - but they matched up to their real world counterparts quite well. And - I don't think any of the friends I actually used in the story were ever in a life or death situation following a global pandemic and the rise of feral mutants.... Hmm... I should check on that.

Music Makes The World More Alive...

Well, here we are again with a stab at randomness...

Before I get too far gone - can I just say that "YAY!!!! Black Panther is out and I can watch it again!!"

So... music. Wait... is that where I'm going with this? Sure. Why not?


I personally think it has to be difficult to write a story with music in it. I mean - as soon as you use a current song, your dated. If you come up with your own song... nobody knows it. If you rely on "That one classic rock song by Jimmy Hendrix" there is a 90% chance everyone will know it. Now, if you're writing about time travel, you're golden. You can put in whatever you want and make that song an integral part of your book without the risk of being dated... I think. This is new territory for me.

Some of the books I've read have really used music well - The Time Traveler's Wife (YES... I am
aware that I talk about this book often. It's really good. You should read it. Then we can discuss it together! Which would be AWESOME) has a GREAT use of music in it. Live music when they see The Violent Femmes in concert in Chicago. His mother is Annette Lyn Robinson/Annette DeTamble who is a famous musician and the use of her past performances within the book are 100% spot-on.

But so many bands are mentioned....
The Femmes, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, Joni Mitchell, Sex Pistols... Und so weiter.... there is an extensive list of musical performers in that book. A full list can be found here...  And the narrators of the book did a great job of reading the lyrics when the songs were in the books. It was great!

LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!!!! and again and again and again and again...

May is national Time Travel Awareness Month!

... that is not true at all, but I'm running with it. Especially as I just spent a night with a pacifier-less child who spent 3 achingly long hours of the night telling me in no uncertain terms that she, in fact, wanted her binky. So we're hitting the coffee again today like it's meth and I'm some sort of crazed addict.

She's lucky she's an adorable child. 

But - her binky-less, cry fest got me thinking about time travel. Because, OH HOLY SHIT how great would it be to travel back in time to when she lost the binky - and make sure it didn't go missing!?!?

It also helps that I'm currently reading Paradox Bound for the 2nd time... It's a pretty excellent time travel story by Peter Clines... so time travel is on my mind ALREADY... and her pleas just added to that. And I don't just mean traveling forward in time - I mean jumping around, doing stuff... time is, after all, a wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey thing...

Hollywood needs to re-think itself

Books and movies! Movies and books!!  WAIT!!!  Let's take some anime and make it into a movie as well!!

Why do we as a culture have such a hard-on for movies?

I can say that, in my 40 years of movie-watching and book reading, I have seen MAYBE 3 dozen movies that I consider "amazing feats of story-telling"... but I've read literally HUNDREDS of books that are absolutely AMAZING feats of story-telling.

But my question is - again - WHY do we feel that EVERYTHING would be better as a movie?  Because, lets face it, statistically speaking - most movies suck.

We need to think bigger. We need to think more episodic. We need to get away from the idea that everything needs to be boiled down into a 90-120 minute long, trite representation of an amazing work of someone else.

Storytellers and "writers"...

I'm not a writer. Clearly.  I am a terrible speller. I suck at grammar. And my use of punctuation is... erratic at best.

But... And here's the thing - I can come up with all sorts of stories. And, in my humble opinion, they're not half-bad. The jury is still out on whether or not they're half good... I've run several "short story" groups on Facebook. I have at least 3 failed writing blogs dating back to the days of AOL and Geocities... Generally speaking - people like my stories. Or at least the overall idea of the story I was writing. 

Telling a good story, however, doesn't necessarily stand on its own. It has to be written well. Or else people will just ignore it... or write bad reviews about it online in their blogs. 

Audiobooks... they're like crack only more addicting.

Can I just say - I LOVE audiobooks. I mean - truly.

It's the one thing that has kept me sane and centered on my time driving trucks across the country and my, now 3-year old, commute of 100 miles each day. (Technically it's 96 miles - but I like to round up)

I've listened to some books a dozen times over the last ten years. I've gotten to the point where Ray Porter and Wil Wheaton's voices are almost as known to me as my wife's... In a strictly familiar sense.

I've read listened to Ready Player One about 9 times now... Wil Wheaton nailed that one.

I've read listened to some of John Scalzi's books so many times I feel like I'm BFFs with John Perry and Jane Sagan...