So how many of you watched Revolution Monday night? I did. Yeah, I know… of course I did. Those of you who know me already know I’m a sucker for most sci-fi, and this show looks like too much fun to pass up. Of course, if you’ve read my book, you already knew that Revolution was likely going to be of interest to me. I mean, come on – an exploration of society after a cataclysmic event destroys our power grid? How could I not like that? 
The bad thing is that the writer in me kept picking things apart in the show. Don’t get me wrong – I really, REALLY enjoyed it. But climbing down into a crashed RV that has apparently been laying on its side for fifteen years, with broken windows, only to find that the white leather seats are still in pristine condition? Sorry, that’s not gonna happen. And clothing that looks new – colors still unfaded, complete with factory stitching – fifteen years after that sort of quality should be available for the common folks. Not likely.
I mean, look at this picture. Even the AC/DC t-shirt looks to be in pretty good condition. Now, you can ask my wife - I am the world’s worst when it comes to giving up on a comfortable t-shirt. If it fits, and it’s comfy, I don’t care how many holes it has, or how badly the collar is worn and frayed – I will hang onto that shirt until it’s not even fit for service as a dish rag. But I don’t think I have any t-shirt that has lasted fifteen years, even with modern washers and dryers. And we’re supposed to believe that a post apocalyptic world is easier on clothes than I am now? 
All that aside, I loved the basic premise (or at least, what of it has been revealed so far), and the action sequences were a lot of fun. The show looks like it has a lot of promise, so I’ll continue to watch and see what they do with it. Hopefully, the networks don’t pull their usual crapola and cancel it before it gets a chance to gain a loyal audience.
Other news:
Gardening – If you follow me on FaceBook, you know I started a small garden experiment. I built a small 2′ x 4′ moveable square foot garden, and planted some Texas Cream Peas, Red Grape Tomatoes, Di Ciccio Broccoli, Buttercrunch Lettuce, Spacemaster 80 Cucumbers, and jalapeno peppers. Yesterday, I checked on them when I got home from work and found twenty Cream pea seedlings, and one cucumber seedling! I guess it’s silly, but I’m pretty excited! It’s the beginning of the Brackett Texas Cream Pea empire! (Insert evil laugh here.)
R2R - This is the week I start working with Streetlight Graphics on the final stages of The Road to Rejas. I’m anxious to get going with this one. The story has been done for several weeks now, and I’m ready to get it released. Unfortunately, SLG seems to be running a little behind schedule, so I have to remain patient. Based on a few email exchanges, I anticipate hearing from them today or tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a cover reveal to do next week! 
Even better, maybe an actual release in early October. Anyone interested? (Boy I hope so…)
SoP – Work on Streets of Payne is moving along. As always, you can track my progress in the meter over to the right. No, it’s not going as quickly as I’d hoped, but that’s par for the course. I’m just thankful that it’s moving, the story is flowing for me, and there is an end in sight. I heard that the cover artist I initially hired for this one is supposedly trying to get back on track with some of the jobs she dropped out on, but I’m not holding my breath. She was supposed to contact me a week ago, and I still haven’t heard anything. Yeah, I’m afraid that particular purchase is just going to be another expensive lesson along the path to becoming a professional writer.
Speaking of learning about becoming a writer, I’ve noticed something over the last couple of months. Late summer months for sales seem pretty slim. I know that the best way to keep sales going for your work is to get more work published for people to read. But even with that in mind, the sudden plummet in sales was a little nerve-wracking. I queried some of the writing groups I frequent and found that it isn’t just me. Some of the old timers confirmed that August through October are consistently the worst months for them. I guess that means I just need to tighten my belt and get ready for some leaner times.
On a personal note -
Last Friday, our Baby Bird returned home for a surprise visit. My wife and I were at the top of the stairs talking about something when I saw our daughter slip in the front door. I tried to keep a poker face, but my wife saw something in my expression and asked what was going on. When I didn’t say anything, she started to get concerned. After a few seconds, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and when she saw our daughter, she squealed like a little girl. 
She told me afterward that my expression had at first led her to believe that one of the dogs had done something evil on the new carpet, and I wasn’t telling her about it. LOL.
Unfortunately, the weekend ended on a less gleeful note when Baby Bird totalled her car while going to visit some friends. She wasn’t hurt, other than a few bruises and a strained neck, but there was the emotional and mental stress that follows an event like that. I wish she hadn’t had to go through it. Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that happens to all to many of us. We learn from them, and move on through our lives, grateful that it wasn’t worse than it was.
And a final bit of news on the personal front – anyone who knows me, knows that I’m overweight. Well, it’s time to do something about it. I’ve said this many a time int he past, and I get started, and then, for one reason or another, I backslide. It’s time for some motivation, and nothing motivates quite so much as public humiliation. So I have decided to publicly commit to a weight loss of fifty pounds. Now, I’m going to cheat a little right off the bat, and state that I’m starting from my worst weight, where I first began working on it. I won’t say what that weight is, since that’s a little more humiliation than I’m prepared to deal with. However, I am going to put another meter in the side bar that will track my weight loss. I weighed this morning, and am happy to say that I lost another pound this weekend, so am beginning the meter at an eleven pound loss. As great as it sounds, that’s basically a wash, since I was down by twenty pounds a few months ago, and seem to see-saw somewhere around the ten pound mark. This time, I’m determined to get the entire fifty off. Of course, then the trick will be in keeping it off.
Wish me luck.
Well, that’s it for now. Time to get back to work. The day job beckons. (sigh)
Stay safe, everyone. 
second annual Red Adept event. I got to meet some folks that, until then, had been nothing more than faceless names and Facebook posts. Let me tell you, these are some pretty amazing people, full of hidden talent – a homesteader, a trained opera singer, a combat veteran, a young woman who entered college at the age of fifteen, some great guitarists, and karaoke singers… these people were incredible. Conversation ranged from nerdy grammar jokes, to the latest political scandals, and I am honored to have been a part of it.
I ran the math, and it turns out that I will have to sell 1815 copies of R2R to make my break-even point. (sigh) So if I subtract the four units currently sold, I only have 1811 to go! Woohoo!!! 
