Keeping it Real

First off, I want to start out this blog entry with a huge thank you to all of you readers out there who take the time to review, ‘like’ my author page, and email me pertaining to my books. Feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it is positive or constructive. One of the best ways to improve is hearing from others about my work! So, to get this started, THANK YOU!

Tying in to feedback, I want to broach the subject of the realism in Through Smoke and Backfire: The Sequel to Through Smoke. I’ve had a couple of people get back to me with concerns of the language used within these books. A few have said that the language was a bit harsh and inappropriate for the story. That is definitely an understandable concern. I have thought about this common thing that is brought up in emails to me. I want to apologize to those who didn’t like it. But I’d also like to explain why I wrote them the way I did.

I want to keep the story as real as possible.

I don’t want you all to think I’m handing out an excuse. I’m being truthful when I say I’m keeping it real. I grew up around firefighters and emergency personnel. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but they tend to have mouths like sailors. It’s almost like it comes with the job. I guess there really isn’t a 100% certain reason as to why this happens – I just know that it does happen.

Think about the TV show Rescue Me. Yes, it’s a fictional show about the FDNY. Denis Leary was the creator/writer/producer etc etc…. However, to not ramble, he has family who is also in this kind of business. If you’ve ever even seen just five minutes of this show, you’ll see that the language is even worse than what I’ve done in my books… It is what it is. I don’t want someone getting back to me and say that the book isn’t how the real thing is.

So… when asked why I felt I needed to put that type of language in my books, the quick and simple explanation is that I want it to be as REAL as I possibly can. Again, I apologize to those who found it offensive and unnecessary. I hope that you can still find enjoyment in the plots in the books and the writing. I keep you all in mind when I’m writing new material – your concerns and feedback do not get ignored, I promise you that!

I appreciate each and every one of you – yes, even those that do not enjoy what I put down into words. You all make me a stronger writer. I couldn’t ask for better readers!

Happy reading to you all, and I hope a wonderful book is in your near future!

J.R.

New Project Idea

After talking with my writing buddy about different possible books to do in the future, we came up with an idea that I’m going to try out.  I’m thinking about compiling several short stories together all based on the same characters.  The short stories are going to be based on everyday life of a family of four.  Before you go thinking that it’s going to be boring about things we all endure, I’m going to try to make it as entertaining as possible. My goal is for the reader to come across this book and find that it is a way to vent from their own personal lives.  Maybe the reader can relate to things the family endures, or be thankful that they have never experienced certain events and tribulations that they have read about.

So far I have two stories done.  I’m trying to do a few comedic stories, a few emotional stories, a few sad stories, as well as a few “steamy” ones.  Right now, what I’ve come up with in regard to characters is a working class, blue collar group of people who live in Texas, right outside of Austin to be exact.  The father is going to be a basic handy man around town, the mom is an administrative assistant at a farmer’s cooperative, and the two kids (a boy and a girl), are teenagers.

I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out just yet. It’s in its very early developmental stages on how I want to tackle this new project.  Right now I’m really excited about the new idea.  I know of a lot of authors who have several short story books out there and have had some good response from them.  It probably won’t be a long book and I will probably sell it for pretty cheap.

And to those who are wondering, I am also still considering a book three to Through Smoke.  I want to see how the sequel, “Backfire,” is going to do. I’m hoping to get it published on Monday (March 12) at the latest. It has gone through several edits and I want to do one more run through before I make it available to readers. 

If you’ve got any questions or comments, or any opinion on this new idea that I’m pursuing, feel free to let me know here on the blog, on the Facebook author page, or through email.  All of my contact information is at the top of the page on the right!

Happy reading!