I think it’s pretty obvious I haven’t updated this page in quite some time. I’m going to change that, if for no other reason other than I need to put some systems in place that will keep me accountable. The last time I posted anything here was in February 2017, and, wow, my life has definitely changed in quite a few ways in just a year-and-a-half.

• I’m now unemployed (not by choice).
• I was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at this past June’s Monster Bash convention.
• I’ve released over 380 episodes of Monster Kid Radio, and I’m still going strong.
• I’ve launched the Monster Kid Radio YouTube Channel.
• I’ve started work on audio engineering/production and sound effects creation for the upcoming feature film House of the Gorgon (dir. Joshua Kennedy).
• I did an awesome interview over at The Haunted Cinema (thank, Todd!).
• I’ve lost some weight (with still a lot to go), and am gearing up for a surgery to correct my deviated septum and collapsing nasal valves this week.

It’s been a crazy past 18-months-or-so, but what is perhaps most relevant to this site is that I’ve started writing again. I can make dozens thousands of excuses as to why I drifted away, some of them legitimate (mental health, etc.), but in the end, I have to realize that I’m working with the same twenty-four hours/day that everyone else has. It’s a matter of prioritizing that time, and allowing myself the time to write, deal with “real life” stuff, etc., and if I miss something, learning to be okay with that. I know I can’t expect to make a real go at being a writer, and specifically, being taken seriously and professionally as a writer, unless I actually do the work.

So I’m doing the work.

What does my ideal morning look like? The schedule I’d like to set for myself would look something like this:

• Roll over, turn off the alarm, and get out of bed between 7am-8am (and not letting myself get hooked on doing whatever on my phone, which is what I use as my alarm clock usually).
• Have a glass of water, and go for a half-hour walk.
• Get home, prepare for the rest of the day, have breakfast with my wife, and on the days she works, drive her in so she’s there by 10am.
• On her work days, stop at the Beaverton library on the way home, and sit down with my laptop to bang out an hour’s worth of words. On a non-work day, do it at home.
• On with the rest of the day by 11:30am/noon.

Obviously, this will all change if I find a new job. But until then, I’m hoping to pull this off. And I’ll be using Monster Kid Writer to help keep me accountable.

Wish me luck.