StarFleet Carl: Blog

I came up with the idea for this story in 2015, started doing some research in 2016. One of the things I mentioned to Jim7 (my editor) is that when using Wikipedia to research the landing site, they ADDED to the Wiki for Hutch in late 2020 that Hutch had a festival in 2013, where they had renamed the town to Smallville for a day, and have held a festival there annually since then. I went, wow, and then thought that maybe I should have had Cal crash somewhere else.

It's now October of 2021, and I JUST found THIS website:

https
hutchissmallville.wixsite.com/smallvillekansas/facts

I'm just going to shake my head and wonder how close I really am to reality - or perhaps I'm actually channeling thoughts FROM an alternate universe. :)

You know how real life has a tendency to fill your plate up at times? It's been that way around here. We had to take the keys away from the mother-in-law, so she couldn't drive any more. Three guesses which former car salesman (that sold her the car in the first place) got put in charge of getting the most money from it for her? (2017 Subaru Forester Premium with Eyesight, 18,500 miles, added Katskin leather seats - I'm curious what you think I managed to get for it from a dealership as a straight buy bid.)

That was fine, but she then fell, got hurt, and was in the hospital. Upon release, she had to go to assisted living, and that's where she's going to stay. So now we have to get her house in order (literally) so that my sister-in-law and I can market it, since we're both realtors. In the meantime, I've FINALLY had a qualified buyer again (only took three months!), so I've been busy showing them houses, then getting contracts written, and now going through the home inspection process.

On top of that, my wife had knee surgery Thursday. Amazing how when the pain meds finally wear off how much things hurt. (I've had my share of surgeries over the years - same day normally is great, but two days later REALLY sucks.)

All that to say that I'm ALMOST done writing Chapter 10 of Book Four, but I've been almost done writing Chapter 10 for most of the week. I still think I should have 15 chapters done by Thanksgiving ... I've got things figured out in my head, it's just getting the time to get things down now. It's not like things are incredibly convoluted in the storyline or anything, with it all being quite straight forward, right? (Yeah, I laughed at that a little, myself.)

... and I will remember.

Twenty years ago this morning I had showed up to work on a house as a contractor. We started working, and as we do, we turned the radio on to listen to the Bob & Tom show out of Indianapolis. Except they weren't being funny, they were broadcasting what they were seeing on their screens in the studio. The homeowner was there as well, and we were like everyone else - in shock. As we heard more, we realized that this was no accident. The question we all had was ... "Okay, we're at war. Who are we at war with?"

To those who survived that awful day, to those who lost loved ones, to those who raised their hands and volunteered to serve their nation and have done so with honor ... we have not forgotten you.

To those who supported this act against civilization, who cheered when the towers fell, and those who have acted without honor regarding our country ... we have not forgotten you, either.

Remember the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, the rest of the World Trade Center complex, and remember the words that will forever echo through a field in Pennsylvania, paid for with the blood of Americans. "Let's roll."

This brings Book Three to a close. Book Four should start posting around Thanksgiving - at least, that's my goal. I have eight chapters complete, working on number nine. As a full-time realtor, I'm an independent contractor, so I work my own hours. But that also means when I'm working with a client, I'm liable to spend an entire day showing properties. I also will NOT start posting until I have at LEAST a 15 chapter buffer built up, because Book Four is harder to write due to the sheer number of internal and external references I have to continually check, for plot consistency.

If you're wondering why Sunday and not Saturday ... stories post at approximately 8 AM EST. On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11/01, that seemed to me to be disrespectful as hell - which is where I hope those hijackers are right now.

End the fighting. Destroy the bad drugs. Live in peace.

Chapter 29 is uploaded for this Saturday. When I upload Chapter 30 next week - which is the last chapter of Book Three - it will NOT post until Sunday, instead of Saturday, 09/11/21. Wonder why?

I may or may not post a single chapter piece I've been writing this week. It's helped me wrap my head around how our world has changed ... and yet in so many ways remains the same ... over the last twenty years. Putting what I've internalized down 'on paper,' as it were, has been good for me. I haven't changed the way I think about things in general, it's simply allowed me to focus more.

Book Four is coming along fairly well. I'm working on Chapter 9, without what I'd call too many issues. I have zero clue at this point if I'll be able to wrap things up in Book Four, or if this is going to end up with a Book Five. I've some of the combat with Shiva already mapped out in my mind, but I also don't feel like that should be the conclusion of Cal's story. I have had someone suggest that my last scene should be Cal doing something, and then having someone show up, claiming to be the Messenger from Above. End of Story. That seems mean, evil, and totally despicable - which means I like it.

Have a good week, enjoy how Cal bows down and kowtows to Queen Elizabeth, and remember, just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, you found out Murphy was an optimist.