It's over

So, today, my son's basketball team lost in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe with our poor record, that should have been expected, but I honestly didn't think it would happen. Regular season we ended 2-5, but most of those losses were by four points or less, and in the last week, we figured it out. Oh, did I mention I was the assistant coach on the team? So, I'm not biased or anything. Our last win, yesterday, was by twelve points, and, honestly, my son, Nick, was the guy who changed the team's culture.

I'm not going to say my son is a perfect kid. He doesn't live in the same neighborhood as perfect, the same zip code, hell, maybe even the same planet. But I am in awe of my son.

Since kindergarten, we've been "encouraged" to have him tested for ADHD, and we resisted. Like we weren't good parents if he had it, I guess. But now, he's in the fourth grade, and he was miserable. Yes, he's ADHD. Yes, despite everything I wanted, we finally agreed to have him medicated. If you have thoughts on this, and haven't been through it, fuck you. If you've been through it, then you understand the trauma, the lack of self-esteem; you understand. If you got through it without meds, please, PLEASE let me know how.

Nick, who's in the highly and gifted class,- an actual genius IQ wise - and a brown belt, is going to make the honor roll this week for the first time. This week, he grasped if he plays hard, the team feeds off him. In a game, where we lost 14-13, he scored two points, had four rebounds, one foul and numerous - NUMEROUS - times where he caused a jump ball by tying up the opponent. He's not a gifted athlete at this point...he's big and hasn't grown into his body, but he's far ahead of anything I could've ever hoped to have been. (Although, we have the common trait of hitting free throws - Nick was 6 for 6 this year.)

I don't know what karma train I took to get this boy as my son, but it was the best ride ever. No matter what I do - be it writing, curing cancer or making more money than god - raising this boy to be the young man he's becoming is by far my greatest accomplishment. Thank you, Nick, for never giving up. Thank you for fighting every day. Thanks for doing as I say, not as I do. I love you, and have found you're by far the better influence on me, than I could ever be to you.

Hello darkness, my old friend

Anybody who follows this blog, God bless ya...cuz you're some patient mother fuggers.

Yes, I've been neglectful of my duties again. I suck. But I make these promises to myself and I kind of keep them. I wasn't going to post until I finished my chapbook. So, it's done. Took a lot longer than it should have, but honestly, I needed that time to do it right. I'm screwed in the head, and it's the way I work. But, the good news is, "The Unusual Events of a Saturday Afternoon at Big K's Truck Stop and Fine Dining Emporium - A Money Run Tale" is done and will be out later this year from Sideshow Press.

So, what else has happened for me? Well, I had my story "Son of...a Bitch" accepted by the Horror Writers Association anthology, BLOOD LITE II: OVERBITE.

And then the immensely talented Jeff Strand said some nice things about my upcoming collection POSTCARDS FROM PURGATORY. Anybody interested in checking out a really well-written, truly disturbing book, should seek out Mr. Strand's PRESSURE. Probably the most disturbing book I've read since THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. He's also got a bunch of new stuff out that I look forward to picking up.

As for Mr. Strand's review, I kinda thought "Tossing Butch, Saving Theodore" was a deep story about family relationships and finding a sense of belonging. However, there is a lot of laxitives and midget tossing going on.

More about PFP, dropping on or about April 26 - cover and some art by Tom Moran.