What the hell happened to Day Forty. I wrote it. I posted it. It was about feeling like I was a marooned sailor on a desert island. I remember because I couldn’t figure out if it was desert or dessert. And I was too proud to look it…

I really like sandwiches. I like other kinds of food as well. But sandwiches never disappoint. I like it when people other food on a sandwich. Chicken-Parm sandwich –better than chicken-parm. Chicken Salad sandwich –better than chicken salad. It works with non chicken foods too. Salmon burger –better…

There is a crystal blue sky today. The birds are singing in my back yard. My puppy dog is cuddled up next to me. And I’m getting ready to visit Brix. Feeling pretty good right now. I was supposed to go to a meeting this afternoon; it got…

I was without internet this morning, so I’m latter today than normal. It was a good teaching day. I fed young minds the seeds of knowledge and then guided them through the intricacies of the day. Or I lectured longly and boringly to a captive audience that couldn’t…

I love a Monday. Started early this morning with a early Dr. appointment. Settling in for some creative work right now. Got some record keeping to do later. Hoping to work out after that and then make dinner for my family after that. I should be a great…

Everyone is feeling better. It’s been more than twenty four hours since a heartbeat in this house, there are ten heartbeats in this house –five human, five animal –like I was saying it’s been more than twenty four hours since a heartbeat in this house has thrown up…

Up early this morning taking care of a sick dog. She has an upset tummy, but is fighting through it like a champ. Walkers? Still barked at. Squirrels? Still chased. Little brother dog? Still bullied. It’s just today there is throw up between the activities on Girl Dog’s…

It’s been a frustrating week in that I have not had time to write since Monday. My medical stuff that I mentioned. Family medical stuff last night. I’m out of routine and I hate that. I may be able to salvage some time this afternoon, but I’m not…

I love October. I love fall. I love cool weather. Not bitter cold, but fall cool. Grey afternoons. Warm fires. Cookies and holiday cheer. Halloween is coming. And the best, Thanksgiving. I’m already working on my menu. Christmas is good too. But I’ve always been a little disappointed…

Prepping for a colonoscopy as we speak. That is all. *posted from bathrooms unknown

I’ve been adrift on the interwebs for a month now. I don’t feel worse. I might feel better. If nothing else there is hope and effort and at least a one in a billion chance of something really good happening to day. It’s easy to despair. It’s easy…

Monday. (I still love Mondays.) It’s gonna be a great day; it’s gonna be a great week. I should finish chapter eleven of Brix this week. I’m very excited because there are only twelve chapters in the entire project. I would say book, but I think Brix will…

My partner and friend is back in town. He was traveling in Europe over the last two weeks. His return was my deadline for some of the deliverables I wrote about a few weeks. I have cognitively planned those items, but not yet completed them. Not to 100%….

Wrote. Got a flu shot. Worked out. Not the best decision I’ve ever made. I wrote well though. And that’s always nice I’m really looking forward to the weekend. Gonna spend time with the family. It’s wife’s birthday. There will be a party with cake and the ice…

I’m feeling reflective today. Probably because I’m going for my checkup later. Some people dread going to the doctor, probably because they are afraid of bad news I suppose. But I rather enjoy it. The doctor’s office is one of the few places I don’t feel badly talking…

Wrote. Worked Out. Made Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Yesterday was a good day. Today is a teaching day. I’m fired up. It’s fun talking to my students. Keeps young. Tomorrow is going to be another great writing day. All is well in my very small corner of the…

Going to get to write today. Life has conspired against me with sick children and sick parents (my parents, not me), so I haven’t visited Brix in a week. But today I’m heading under the sea. As soon as I finish this, actually. I’m fired up. It’s going…

I’ve deleted all the spam comments from the site. I had been neglecting that so it took a while. But now that there are no pending comments the stats page is at the top of my dashboard. And this page tells me that zero people have read any…

I love a Monday. I hear a lot of TGIF, but I love a Monday. To me Mondays are beginnings. I don’t know what’s going to happen this week. It’s exciting. Could be awesome. That applies to both the real world and the imaginary world. In the real…

I have no thoughts this morning. It happens to me sometimes. My depression is often cyclical. And there are days when everything just slows down. Exercise helps. Which sucks, because I really love sitting. The only thing I love more than sitting is laying. So I will go…

Feeling really good today despite more nightmares last night. I’m ready for the weather to turn fall-ish around here, but otherwise it’s beautiful out. Crystal blue sky. Freshly cut grass smell across the neighborhood. No breeze, but I’m sure fall is coming. I got the logo for the…

I’ve been having violent nightmares for the past several weeks. Could be the new house I’m living in. (Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.) Could be the new drug my doctor prescribed. Could be my brain trying to work through the Trump administration. (I wonder if I’m…

Wrote. Worked Out Went to the Doctor. Yesterday was a good day. Today is a teaching day. Working hard to enlighten young minds. It’s nice to be around people who aren’t cynical and depressed all the time. Wife is going to be out tonight, so it’s pizza night…

Taught. Napped. Watched TV with my daughter. Yesterday was a good day. I have a long list of things to do today. Writing is at the top, but working on my deliverables is not on the bottom. Mr. Monts will be home from Europe on the 23rd. So…

Plans and Deliverables. Plans and Deliverables. Plans and Deliverables. I am most successful when I am in a book store. So the plan should be to go to book stores. The deliverable would be a list of local book stores that I (Monts) need to contact. The next…

I’ve fallen into a familiar pattern when it comes to marketing. A bit of research followed by a lot of nothing. This week is going to be different. This week is going to be a week of action. I am going to concentrate on plans and deliverables. Plans…

Yesterday was the perfect shabbat. Watched three movies. Made some apple bread and then some turkey burgers. Didn’t think about work at all. I got to spend the whole day in the company of my wife. The day couldn’t have been better.

The feelings of hopelessness are just beginning to set in. (Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.) Soon will come despair. It’s usually at that point that I give up with the marketing efforts. It takes a little bit of rationalization. But not a lot. It starts with…

Didn’t think about work at all yesterday. I was teaching. Today I will spend time noodling, reading, imagining. I’m looking forward to the book festival in November. I’m excited to return to book stores here and there. This has always been a problem of managing dreams and expectations….

A new study came out citing the ills and popularity of social media. I am truly swimming against the tide. If I may take a moment to feel sorry myself, advertising is less effective than it used to be across the board. Several industries are less successful, especially…

And I’ve reached the road block of Social Media. I’ve been here before. I’ve just forgotten. Conventional wisdom is the best most effective way to find the imaginary readers I’ve identified is on social media. Bookstagram and Booktok were repeatedly mentioned –mostly by posts on platforms owned by…

Wrote. Worked Out. Made Dinner. It was a good day. I did not do any additional marketing. But tomorrow is a new day. Today is a wash, today is a teaching day. Maybe I can sneak in some research. Or spend my time crafting my message. That should…

Okay, I’ve identified my ideal audience. I did not like the exercise. Next I have to locate them, craft a message for them, and then get that message too them. Doesn’t sound so hard. Also sounds like something I would normally procrastinate. We’ll see what happens this week.

A new week means new goals. It is time to be proactive, gear up, and do some things I don’t like doing. The first thing I have to do is identify, well, you. Who are you? At the moment you’re imaginary. But that’s okay. I have a great…

Good Shabbas. Spent the morning cleaning windows and running errands. Not the holiest of activities. But very satisfying. Watching movies later. Got some seventy year old westerns. I find it weird to watch a film where all the people in it are dead. I do this often. I…

I feel like I’m being boring. I feel like I’m being boring probably because I am boring. I lead a very routine, rather milktoast, life. And I like that way. I spend a lot of energy making sure my Characters are not boring. Brix is not boring. Brix…

It bothers me that on day two, I switched from words to numerals –Day 2 instead of Day Two. Then I switched back on Day Three. I thought about going with Day 4 and claiming that even days would be numbers and odd days would be words. But…

I can’t find the path to edit the books in progress section of this website. I may not be very smart. I will contact my IT help desk today. But it’s quite frustrating. Almost a frustrating as not being able to write today. Don’t think I’m going to…

Woke up Wrote Worked Out Yesterday was a good day. Today I will be in the classroom siphoning the optimism off of my students. And imparting knowledge to young minds. Later I’ll be having dinner with my wife and walk around the block as the sun goes down….

So coming soon I will be a book festival in Baton Rouge. To prepare for this event I am committing to returning to this website on a daily basis to provide updates on things going on. I fear I am screaming into the void and not speaking to…

I’ve been hesitant to post this entry because it raises some uncomfortable questions. But here goes anyway.I am very concerned about representation in literature. I think more people need to see more characters that look like them, sound like them, and value what they value in our popular…

More ChoicesCharacters have always been easy for me to create. I find the process a bit like shopping with a giant catalog of demographic facts, stories, and traumas and then playing mix and match with these things until you have interesting people.Character creation has always been my favorite…

My first writing professor told me that the act of writing was really the act of making decisions. I not only believed him, I took this lesson to heart. After I finished writing The Bread Will Rise, I decided I wanted to write a Chamber Piece –a Chamber…

Launching a webpage is never an easy task. Multiple decisions need to be made pertaining to formatting, color scheme, content, and security. However, once those decisions are made, the website doesn’t just spring into existence like Aphrodite rising from foam. A website is built like a city, one…

Launching a webpage is never an easy task. Multiple decisions need to be made pertaining to formatting, color scheme, content, and security. However, once those decisions are made, the website doesn’t just spring into existence like Aphrodite rising from foam. A website is built like a city, one…