Internet Oblivion

It was the simplest of tasks. I just breezed by my web blog where I post my episodes for the series I write, The Dark InSpectre, when to my surprise, the message that greets me is this:

Blog has been removed

Sorry, the blog at darkinspec.blogspot.com has been removed. This address is not available for new blogs.

After reviving myself from cardiac arrest (no easy task), I emailed my editor, Crystalwizard, who informed me that, as it happens, my blog was accidentally deleted. So for those of you who have been attempting to catch up on the latest adventures of Jack Garrett, New Arden's foremost paranormal detective, I regret to inform you that for the near future, that will be impossible. It's gone, gobbled up, sent to Internet Oblivion.

In the meantime, with my editor's help, we're switching to another blog format and The Dark InSpectre will hopefully resume shortly, picking up exactly where I left off. I have the next 4 episodes written and fully intend on continuing this story as long as I have functional use of my digits. In the meantime, I will try and revive myself from the state of paralyzed mortification I find myself in. This was a complete accident. Nevertheless, I find myself extremely worried about what's going to happen.

I had (sad that I am using the past tense) built up a nice little readership for my series. The people I reach via email I'm not worried about. I'll just email them all with the new url whenever it's up. It's the people who found me on their own and bookmarked The Dark InSpectre, and followed it via networked blogs and such. I have no idea how to reach them, whoever they are, or were.

And once the new blog goes up, all the old episodes will have to be reloaded. That's almost 60 episodes altogether. If this task falls to me, it will takes weeks to months. Not to mention the occasional typos and phrasings I corrected after the episodes went online. Those are all lost. And I guess all the page counts and unique visitors goes back to zero. Side note: all those links I have on this blog and my web site for The Dark InSpectre? Don't bother, they don't work.

So I guess I'm kind of in a state of mourning. That's several years of work vanished. Hopefully it will be back soon, and all those who tuned in before will do so again. I really hope so, cuz I've got lots more planned...

Epi 41

Episode 41 of The Dark InSpectre is now online, in which our hero takes a not-so-friendly stroll through his old stomping grounds.

Here’s an excerpt:
Then I strode forward, pushing through the doors and facing the desk sergeant’s station that fronted the wide sea of cubicles and small offices. The sergeant, a grizzled vet named Donegan, looked up. I saw recognition in his eyes, he’d been in Narco back in my day. But his expression was not welcoming.

“Can I help you, lieutenant?” His face was blank but Donegan’s eyes shifted to each person in my little entourage. His surface thoughts showed suspicion as he tried to gauge our intent. There was also a deep dislike of tels. Or maybe it was just me.

Good thing I didn’t care. “I’m just here visiting friends. No, don’t bother,” I added when he moved to press the vid comm button. “Call it a surprise visit.” I pushed through the low swinging doors into the rest of the unit, motioning everyone to follow. Donegan’s eyes narrowed to slits as I passed.

Enjoy: http://darkinspec.blogspot.com/

Separation Anxiety

It's about two weeks until the big annual meeting for my work in San Farncisco. I'll be gone for a week, and work gets completely ludicrous leading up to that point. What that means is my writing time gets very fractured. Grab a few minutes here, a few there. But I try and keep chugging along.

For the novel it's been a very strange month or two. On my wife's first read through, I was keeping up with her edits at a frantic pace, chomping at the bit to revise as I steam rolled through the manuscript. Then I realized I was getting a little too nuts about it and had to put it down for a week or so. The fresh perspective really helps, let me tell you.

I just finished my wife's last edits today, and I'll give it one last read through before I hand it in, but I'm not going to get all tear-my-hair out loco about it like last time. I had originally wanted to send it in before the San Fran trip, but if that doesn't happen, no biggee. I have this vision of me reading it on the plane (I find plane trips are great for getting some work done). So we'll see. But either way, this thing is going to be done in the very near future.

It's weird how I view it presently. I worked on it steadily for over a year, had every tiny twist of the plot firmly in my head. I worked on it in my sleep (not kidding). Now, it's kinda distant, and emotionally I'm fairly separate from it. Maybe that's because in my mind it's finished and I'm moving on. Maybe it's a defense mechanism for when my editor tells me it sucks. Maybe I'm just burnt out after simultaneously writing two big projects at the same time for over a year. Either way, it's a strange feeling. This will be my first published novel (cross my fingers). You'd think I'd be more psyched about it. I'm sure that'll change as I give it one more perusal and the story starts flowing in my mind again.

But regardless, this baby is getting released from the comfy confines of my computer soon. We'll see if it survives in the wild.

Guest Bloggin

Hi guys,

Work has been crazy building up to my organization's meeting in a couple of weeks, so I haven't been posting as often as I'd like. But I have found time to post my latest column over at Abandoned Towers, so feel free to check it out. Here's an excerpt and link:

"As I write this, I have just returned from New York Comic Con at the Javitz Center in Manhattan. I take my son there every year, and it’s an absolute blast for both of us. He loves to cruise the exhibit floor and check out all the cool stuff and we both love checking out all the wild costumes. What also never fails to impress me are the seemingly limitless new movies, comic books, characters, and story lines that are rolled out at every Con. The creativity on display is simply awe-inspiring. But what inspires all these ideas? Where do they come from? "

Click for the rest.


I can tell you that Comic Con was a blast, when I find time I'll post some cool pictures. In novel news, I need for my wife to finish the last 70 pages or so and then give it one more read through. Then I'll send it off to my editor. Still haven't though of a decen title! :(

Tune in Monday for another Dark InSpectre episode. Have a good weekend!

An Even 40

Episode 40 of The Dark InSpectre is online, in which our hero finds out how to keep a crime scene under wraps, Thought Police-style.

Here’s an excerpt:
I crossed my arms, grimacing. “Whaddaya think the game is?”

He gave me a calculating look, started ticking off points. “Harcher hates tels, spooks most of all. Especially you. He wants you and your unit gone. Gina and Jimmy aren’t around to protect you anymore. It makes sense to discredit you leading up to the investigation hearings. Turn up the pressure from the public, make the Department ease you and your people out quietly.”

Yeah, my paranoia had come up with a similar theory.

Enjoy: http://darkinspec.blogspot.com/

Novel Progress

To the countless hordes who have been flooding my email and phone lines with questions regarding where I'm at with the crime novel I've been writing, I thought I'd provide an update. I have just finished what I believe are my final revisions before handing the whole thing in to my editor. My wife is going to give it one more read-through over the next week or so and then that will probably be it.

I know what you're thinking: "Your wife? She's just going to tell you how great it is!" Clearly, none of you have met my wife. She has read a lot of crime/detective fiction and she is one tough editor, especially when it comes to my stuff. (she's also an attorney, so there's a natural inclination to pick things apart there).

On the first go-round, she pointed out the need for several major revisions. My state of mind got so bad that I got depressed and had to put the manuscript away for about a week. Not that her critiques weren't entirely valid. I just started getting down about the whole thing. But I bounced back and addressed everything and printed out a fresh copy yesterday. So hopefully (fingers crossed), the wife will be satisfied (as if!), and she'll only point out minor stuff. Then it will be off to my editor and time for a whole other round of revisions, I'm sure.

Then I'll get the answer every writer awaits with baited breath upon submitting a manuscript for the first time: Does it Suck?

Stay tuned...

PS. Still don't have a good title for it.

New Episode: It's Up, and It's Good!

Episode 39 of The Dark InSpectre is online, in which our hero has to ask his boss for help at the murder scene if he has any hope of keeping his investigation quiet.

Here’s an excerpt:
Walter shook his head then got up and walked over to the wall of blood, directly across from the smiley face, and stood staring at it. His voice sounded almost haunted. “He’s like a… psychic vampire?”

“Not quite. He feeds on leftover psychic energy, and from what I understand, there aren’t many cases that make it to his age without going crazy.”

His voice was soft. “Sounds like you know about this.”

I shrugged. “I did a bit of research is all.” No way I was getting any more into that.

Walter’s back was to me as he stared at the bloody signature, his surface thoughts giving off horror, sadness. Was that a flash of remorse? Then he turned back to me. “This can’t get out. The normal population will be terrified of us even more, Jack.”

Enjoy: http://darkinspec.blogspot.com/