Month: February 2019

Michael Ridding Chapter 2 (with Insights!)

*Audible edition, read by Chris Abell, can be found here

2

Wednesday, June 17th
Seven Years Ago
Modern Aquaria
Palm Springs, California
12:16 PM

Life after college had been difficult for Michael.

Shortly after graduation, he moved to Dallas and worked for a tropical fish distribution center. After spending two years making a good living off of something he loved, things took a turn. He suffered something his parents had feared and predicted: A quarter-life crisis.

Desperate to make something more of his life, he saved enough to lease a condo in Palm Springs and started his own aquarium shop, Modern Aquaria. Initially, the shop did well, winning over most of the local aquarium enthusiasts and drawing new people into the hobby. Years later, though, hard times hit nationwide, and aquariums became a luxury few could afford. The shop did worse and worse over time, much to his disappointment. After months of struggling to keep the shop going, Michael was forced to announce that the store was closing.

That was when Benedict found him.

If Michael had a list of the oddest people he had ever met in his life, Benedict would have soared to the top on psychotic wings.

It was the final week of business and Michael was working alone, catering to no one when an unfamiliar face walked into the shop. He was a younger, slightly heavy man who was just shorter than Michael. He wore a long, black wool coat in the hundred-and-six-degree heat. Black denim pants and black dress shoes peeked out from underneath the coat, and Michael could make out a white T-shirt and a black, rectangular pendant around the man’s neck.

“Hey there,” Michael said, welcoming the man as he did all customers.

But the smaller man appeared intimidated, initially drawing back before returning the welcome with a nod and forced smile. He started browsing and was soon lost among the rows of aquariums and supplies.

Looking back, Michael could never place why, but he had felt that now more than ever would be a good time to check the security cameras. Using a system of his own design, he turned on the monitors, knowing that any obvious robbery would be caught on the DVR back in his office. The monitor, hidden under the cashier’s desk, took a moment to warm up before the multi-image screen displayed the four security camera feeds.

He saw the man in aisle four among the tanks of saltwater livestock, hunched over and…

Is he crying?

Michael saw the slow heaving of the man’s chest and the constant wiping of his eyes. He was obviously upset, and he was trying to hide it.

In the otherwise empty store, Michael could hear the man talking to himself, his voice barely audible over the buzzing and bubbling aquarium filters.

“You have to. You need to,” he was saying. “You came all this way, came this far. You can’t throw it away now that you know what he means.”

The man’s head shot up, searching to see if he had been heard, oblivious to the hidden security camera among the décor across from him.

Now, Michael could clearly make out the man’s face. His eyes were red and his cheeks were pink from wiping away tears. He looked down, making more of an effort to compose himself.

Michael tensed. The man could be some kind of nut-bag or drug addict—or worse. He had come across some before; Palm Springs was known for its diversity and acceptance of alternative lifestyles—most of which were accepted and even encouraged—but it was no longer the most “family-friendly” place, once one searched behind the blacked-out windows of supposedly abandoned buildings. Every once in a while, some “undesirables” would creep out from those dark buildings and into the light when least expected. They were far from welcome, even in the famously tolerant city.

Was this man one of them?

Want to read Chapter 3 but can’t wait?
Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller is already out on Kindle!
Get it at the link below!

Buy Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller on Kindle here!
Buy it on Audible using the link below!
Audible edition, read by Chris Abell, can be found here

INSIGHTS!

I still find Benedict to be an odd character. He’s more or less the culmination of several scrapped characters filling this role in early iterations of DenCom and unrelated works. Looking back on the earliest iteration of what I would call the “modern” DenCom crew, the first distinct version of Benedict was a side character who didn’t actually run the company but managed to take over by the end of that scrapped project.

Going back even further, I can find similar characters from what was meant to be the final Michael Ridding story. In this novelette, Michael took on many of Benedict’s personality traits; in many ways, this version of Michael was the perfect combination of Michael and Benedict. I do have plans to recycle this concept into current DenCom canon, but not anytime soon.

Many facets of the series predate Benedict’s arrival, including Modern Aquaria, Palm Springs, Michael, Aron, Andrea, and Granger. That doesn’t make Benedict any less of a character, but he’s led the series in a new and hopefully original direction.

Then again, nothing is original. Look out for that blog post. 😉

Anyway, we’ll go a little more into Benedict in the next chapter!

That’s all I’ve got for now. See you next week for another blog post!

-S.T. Hoover

What am I listening to?

Super by Pet Shop Boys

This is by no means a new album, but I recently happened upon the vinyl at a book store, much to my surprise. I first fell in love with their album Electric, and suddenly, I had to have everything they put out, one of the first albums I spontaneously found being Super. Now that I have the vinyl edition, I’ll probably play it to death while I edit DenCom 2.

If I had to name my number one favorite thing about the album, it would be the variety of songs. Yes, it’s all pop, but how the album manages to pull off songs like “The Pop Kids” in the same vein as “The Dictator Decides” and “Sad Robot World” is something I’ve done my best to study every time I put on the record.

Both Types of Prolific

I’m not qualified to give you advice.

But I’ve been asked.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered that anyone would look at me and go, “That guy knows what he’s talking about!” And sometimes I do, but when it comes to writing, I can never, ever promise the aspiring author that I will tell them anything they don’t already know.

That being said, I’ve come across a question in my own jaunts into the craft that’s often left me stumped:

What defines prolific?

Does a novel a month mean you are a prolific author? Maybe two a year means you’re blowing past the traditionally-published competition. Maybe one every two or three or five or ten years is the best you can do.

All of the above are fine and have been argued to death by the writing community at large, but I tend to see things differently. It’s a blessing and a curse, I assure you.

When I think of myself, I tend to feel like I’m a prolific writer.

With one book.

Which means, in reality, I’m not a prolific author. But I’m still a prolific writer.

You catch that?

Well, if not, let me explain.

I work hard every time I sit down at the desk. Do I spend some days staring out the window watching the birds come and go from the feeder? Certainly. But something always gets done.

One of my many visitors.

In 2018, I finished between 5 and 6 drafts, depending on your definition of the word, but that’s a whole other can of worms. So how many books did I put out that year?

Zero.

Zilch.

Nada.

Part of why can be read about in my 2018 review post, but I can say I am honestly still proud of the work I’ve done. This past year, I was a prolific writer, but not a prolific author.

To spell it out, being a prolific writer means you write a lot, being a prolific author means you publish a lot. At least, that’s how I see it. I know that’s not how it works for everyone, but for the sake of my own sanity, this is how I choose to handle the craft.

Am I upset a book didn’t come out in 2018? Kind of, but it’s hard to get pissy with myself when I’m looking at a stack of books sauntering through the bottleneck DenCom 2 has currently clogged up. Publishing isn’t easy–or cheap if you want to do it right. Time and patience are a virtue in this profession, one I occasionally forget to embrace. And yet, I can stare at that stack of work and know that each of those binders holds a story someone will love someday.

Not today, but someday.

Even if I die tomorrow, odds are those manuscripts will find their way to Kindle or a publisher where they can be read and enjoyed.

And that is often enough to keep me focused on my work.

This was midway through the year. I managed to spend the second half of the year rewriting that bottom one (DenCom 2).

So, I guess this all goes back to the king daddy of writing advice, a universal truth nearly all authors agree on:

Write.

It’s all we can do, but in a profession that has a way of bringing you down anytime, anywhere, without warning, it’s always good to have something that never fails to make you smile.

But like I said, I’m not a prolific author, so I’m not qualified to say anything.

Right?

Anyway, that’s all for now! See you next week for Chapter 2 of Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller!

-S.T. Hoover

What am I reading?

Jerusalem by Alan Moore

It’s been a while since I’ve read a big, big, big book, and if I finish this behemoth, it will probably be the longest novel I’ve ever read. I’m told it clocks in at over 600,000 words (that’s roughly 10 Michael Riddings!) And that’s after edits and cuts were made. The thing was originally supposed to be 1 MILLION WORDS!

In short, Jerusalem is about the author’s hometown, Northampton (the one in England, just so no one gets confused). It tells a story that takes you through the city’s history in what the author calls a work of “Genetic Mythology”. Sometimes it’s too much detail, but so far, I’m loving it anyway. Whether I’ll finish this monster remains to be seen, but I’m interested enough in what’s happened so far to keep going, even if I can’t always understand it.

Michael Ridding Chapter 1 (with Insights!)

*Audible edition, read by Chris Abell, can be found here

“Humanity has risen beyond the confines of perceptible reality through the art of conspiracy and mystery. Properly executed, the search for something greater has always led to advancement, be the initial hypothesis proven true or false. If the urge to know more, to find something greater than ourselves, was not present, mankind would still be swimming around the ocean, accepting of the deep, endless blue as the only reality.

“But we didn’t. We went to the surface and found a new level of existence, as humanity always tries to do. It is a trait that has led to what should have been a simple, ignorant species, unaware of its own creation and creator, gaining collective will beyond basic instinct.

“If the search for more were to end, humanity would be stunted in its continuing growth, left to only ponder the greater meaning, to grow cold inside as belief in something greater than itself fades away, taking free will and consciousness with it.

“This, my friend, would mark the end of the world.”

-M.P.

Just Beyond the Surface, Waiting on the Beach.

1


Tuesday, July 23rd
Irvine Spectrum Shopping Mall
Irvine, California
3:47 PM


He sat alone in the waiting area of the open-air mall in one of the many wooden chairs. The blue fabric awning of Dave and Buster’s made the bright midday sun and hundred-degree temperatures tolerable.

In front of him was a small, simple black table. His untouched lemonade sat in the center, a growing pool of condensation ringed around the bottom. He held a large smartphone in a leather flip case, responding to messages from his store manager.

He was wearing a pair of Robert Wayne loafers, an older pair from a long dead line that he prided himself in having acquired. They were adorned with an abstract seal, the design reminiscent of an ancient islander’s artistic take on a crocodile. His button-up dress shirt slowly faded from red to black, finally matching his black dress pants.

Michael Ridding didn’t look like he wanted to be bothered.

At thirty-six, he stood six-foot-three with an intimidating face to most. However, those who knew him well only saw it as inviting. His thick brown hair was combed and slicked to his right side, several bleached patches barely visible as his natural color consumed them.

A ringing suddenly filled his left ear, and he reached up to correct the issue. He’d worn a hearing aid the majority of his life and always hated the things. In his youth, they were large, indiscreet units plagued by constant malfunctions. Nowadays, they were barely visible and only squealed on occasion, so he tolerated the minor annoyances.

Michael looked down at the clock on his phone. He’d been sitting for just over fifteen minutes, much longer than he had planned. Usually, he would have gone off shopping to his heart’s content, but it would have been rude to leave his friend and roommate at the restaurant without letting him know.

Aron Sanderson, who was still enjoying his time in the game room, was Michael’s lifelong friend and now roommate. They had been inseparable since they met in elementary school, back when their families lived in Sacramento. They had gone through school together, drudged their way through college in Ohio, then found themselves living not far apart when Michael moved to Palm Springs after managing an aquarium import facility in Dallas.

After Aron lost his home to a wildfire back in May, Michael had let him move in. How long their arrangement would last, Michael didn’t know, but they were content for the short term. Having someone to talk over the work day with was something neither of them knew they missed. In truth, Michael hoped Aron would live with him for as long as possible. Otherwise, it would just be him and the cat again, and however much comfort Granger was, she wasn’t exactly the best listener.

He set the phone down. Sipping his lemonade, he watched the shoppers come and go, most of them groups of young people migrating from one fashion store to another like schools of fish on a reef.

The minutes continued to tick by with no sign of Aron. Michael didn’t worry; odds were, Aron had gotten carried away.

Again.

Normally reserved, when given the chance he would branch out and have some fun. Michael had left him at the skee ball lanes, where he was challenging some kid to see who could get the highest score. It was good-natured fun, but Michael was looking forward to the day when Aron realized how immature he looked. Compared to his best friend, Aron had always been a little less uptight, but the last few years had seen Aron break out of his shell more often. Michael supposed it had something to do with the job.

Michael couldn’t help but reflect on his work. The excursion to the Spectrum was meant to be a cool-down after a long, tedious meeting with their boss while he had been in town. Instead, Michael could feel the sun creeping over the protection of the awning as it lowered, threatening to take his remaining patience with it across the hazy blue sky.

He drew his thoughts inward, letting go of his concerns about Aron. He found himself looking back to the time when his life had taken a dramatic turn. A turn that led him to this moment.

He let the memory consume him, oblivious to the three men getting ready to kill him just out of sight.

Want to read Chapter 2 but can’t wait?
Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller is already out on Kindle!
Get it at the link below!

Buy Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller on Kindle here!
Buy it on Audible using the link below!
Audible edition, read by Chris Abell, can be found here

INSIGHTS!

This chapter probably went through the most changes of any first chapter I’ve written. I wanted to make sure I opened with a clear picture of Michael, but I ended up cutting a lot of backstory before beta readers and the editor got a hold of it. Among the discarded tidbits were Michael’s rings, which ended up being cut from the book entirely. In earlier drafts, he wore a ring on each finger that signified something only he knew, and we would have found out in later books what they meant to him–perhaps one per book. This is still an idea I love that will probably be recycled into another story or novel someday.

Next was his interest in shoes, which is still hinted at throughout the book, but not to the extent of the first few drafts. If I remember right, we decided to cut this in the line edit phase. Michael originally made a hobby out of collecting expensive shoes, but I decided to cut this since he already had a hobby–aquariums–and because it was a little to close to several of the people who inspired Michael. A recurring theme I discovered in these people was a love of fashion, particularly shoes, but I cut this from the final draft since the aquariums were interesting enough. His love of fashion and such is still implied and expanded on throughout the series moving forward, but I don’t intend to bring it too close to the surface unless the need arises.

Quite a bit was cut out involving Aron, as well. What made it into the final book is about half of what was there to begin with. I originally went into Aron’s backstory in greater detail, the most notable change being a rough date for when he would move out. This was recycled into Book 2, where it’s one of the many issues leading to a rift between Michael and Aron. (NOTE: This could still be cut… again.)

That’s all the insight I have for this chapter. I’m sure I’ll think of more later and may update the post accordingly.

But, for now, thanks for reading!

-S.T. Hoover

What am I listening to?

“The Viles” by Blaqk Audio.

I know, Davey and Jade two weeks in a row. What can I say? Their side project, Blaqk Audio’s new single just came out (at the time of this writing), and they also have a new album, Only Things We Love, coming out in April. Plus, I listened to their albums Cexcells and Bright Black Heaven nearly the whole time I was writing Michael Ridding, not to mention AFI’s Crash Love and Pet Shop Boys’ Electric.

I’m rambling…

Anyway, “The Viles” is great, and I’ve linked to it above because it’s worth a listen, and because I can’t help but give them exposure they probably don’t need.

Anyway, have a listen, and I’ll see you guys next week!

Rebirth: Michael Ridding Serialization and Blog Posts!

Let’s try something new.

Let’s try something new.

Take note, I said “try”.

For the last few months, I’ve been backlogging a lot of essays and pieces of writing I’ve been looking to find a home for. But like so many searches, the destination was right in front of me.

Starting next Thursday, I’ll be posting weekly on the sthoover.com blog. I’ll do my best to keep this consistent, but in the future, we may downgrade to a post every other week, a post every month, or a post whenever I feel like it. So what can you expect?

  • Essays on just about anything
  • Posts about writing
  • Michael Ridding serialization (with insights!)
  • Original fiction (unpublished)
  • Interviews (maybe?)

So far, I’ve banked a couple months’ worth of posts, and I have to say I feel like this is the outlet I needed. After a relatively sparse 2018 as far as published writing is concerned, I’m looking forward to a few months of weekly posts, and I hope you are too.

Before I go, I want to know what you guys want to see. Does what’s up there sound good? Is there anything you know you want to see that I haven’t listed? Do you think you’re interview material? Hit me up in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter if you have any suggestions!

Lastly, as sort of a running thing, I plan to end most posts with a recommendation or short review. These can be books, movies, music, and more. So let’s wrap things up with the first one!


What am I listening to?:

The Missing Man by AFI

The EP came out not long ago, and I’m loving it. The vinyl showed up about a week ago, and it’s been on near repeat ever since. AFI hasn’t done much, if anything, I don’t like. My favorite song’s probably “Back into the Sun”, with “Break Angels” as a close second. I get big DenCom vibes from both songs, which will always make them favorites. Overall, an easy 8 out of 10 for me.


I guess that’s it for now. See you next Thursday with the first serialized chapter of Michael Ridding!


-S.T. Hoover

P.S.: I know I already said this above, but I want to reiterate that I am not holding myself to this schedule in any way, or to the blog itself. Big things are coming up this year, and if that means the blog takes a back seat, then it does. Just wanted to make sure I cleared that up. Thanks for reading!