A competition entry, a couple more chapters, and a bit of a hassle...

   Hi guys,

   It's been a while between blogs. In fact, long enough for me to find my childhood movie memories destroyed by the remake of Robocop, and subsequent longing for the original - and a wanting a 6000 SUX. But enough of that and my YouTube journeys (School of Thrones is AWESOME), I have some news to share.

   Firstly, FSJ is coming along OK, I've fixed up several chapters and have moved onto the second Act. Short of spoiling the story, Dresden is about to leave Kirim and head to Caral-Hilde. While I'm there on the Hero of Talbadas tangent, it is my great pleasure to announce that The Torment, The Shadow, The Heart has been entered in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award!

   That's right afficionados and detractors alike, I've entered my book in a contest! I'm hoping this is a step up in the world, and that TSH will pass the first round! So fingers crossed guys, could be big times ahead for twists in fantasy cliches, great dialogue and epic fight scenes!

   Which brings me to my last point, especially the ideal of fighting all the odds. It's not something I actively broadcast, needless to say there are few health issues that isolate an individual like depressions.

   That's right, I mentioned the D-word.

   I'm not going to sit you through the particulars of the rough ride that has been my life. But when you're deeply sad most mornings, worried about how soon it'll be until people find out I'm nuts, worried I might be demented, and not being able to have a full night's sleep. But if you want a feel for it, its imbedded in my current works.

   I'm not asking for sympathy here, just stating the facts that I fight nearly every day, with only the grim determination to pass every day I come across. That said, I'm looking forward to counting my +1s for my YouTube comments, getting some more writing done again, and possibly fighting dragons in Skyrim (if I can stop driving trucks across Europe!).

  So rather than keeping on a low note, I'll let you go on the same old high note. Thus,

   Have a good one!
   T. M. Shannon