Well, it took a few days longer than I expected to get organized, but below is a small excerpt from the book in between the open-close brackets.  This snippet is taking from a middle chapter when the main character is trying to unravel the mystery he's entangled in.  Enjoy!

[There had been some unusual things that had happened, and the encounter with Ben in his office had been the most bizarre.  The words you’ve been chosen kept coming back to him.  They kept popping to the surface, and as he slipped into a disturbed sleep, in and out of dream states and back awake again, those words were like the song or advertising jingle that you can’t shake from your mind until something else is powerful enough to substitute them or wipe them out altogether. 

Chosen for what? 

What did plus or minus two percent have to do with it?  Answering that question had become the primary objective of his plan.  Step one was to confirm what Kayo had explained as the most likely meaning of the cryptic scribble that Ben had showed him, and step two was to find out what Ben had meant by those puzzling words.  James hoped the answer was in that office.

Now that the office door was locked, James rethought his contingencies while he went through the motions, not really needing to relieve himself, but standing at the urinal to make sure his cover story was intact.  He wanted, no, not wanted, needed to get into Ben’s office, but couldn’t, so he’d have to try at a time when the office was normally open. 

Breaking in was not only highly risky, it would have placed his behavior in a category of a criminal nature, and not only was he not prepared for that type of activity, the thought of it repulsed him.  He was not going to enter into the realm of illicit conduct, so he had to gain entry in a relatively innocent fashion.  Pulling that off, without anyone knowing what he was doing, and hopefully without being seen, would require precise timing, and some luck. 

After he finished in the restroom, James went back to his office to shut the light off, and then left to go home.  It was nearly eight o’clock, which was still quite early, and he noticed that only a few additional cars had been parked in the lot since he had arrived.  None were vehicles that he recognized.  Contingencies for explaining why he was at the refinery on a weekend had not been needed, but the preparation had been more than adequate, and confidence welled in him as he drove toward the north gate to make his exit.]

Time Flies-Project Update

Working on my final draft, but also collaborating on a different writing project that has consumed much of my time, and taken away some time I would otherwise have devoted to this book. So, not to make excuses, but this has slowed me down a bit. Nevertheless, I will push on. 


My current goal is to get the finished manuscript into editing by mid-December 2017, so I have approximately one month to tweak this draft.  Publishing the finished work will depend on the editing process, but I hope to have it done in the first quarter of 2018. 


As a writer I have found that by reading my own work, I am never satisfied, and routinely find ways to improve the writing.  That said, it's difficult to determine when enough is enough.  I could go on indefinitely with self-editing and re-writes, but I know that is extremely counterproductive.  I am not experienced enough, however, to have a formula or know just when is the right time to move past writing and into professional editing. 


I'm hopeful that this current effort will result in my desired level of completion and perfection, full well knowing that true perfection cannot be achieved, but I do intend to strive for it.  This is truly an exciting time for me, with the end in sight, and nearly palpable. 


My next blog will include a sample, but I haven't decided if it will be a chapter or smaller excerpt.  I intend to have that posted by next Sunday, so within 5 days!