I hate to be a doomsayer but...

Has anyone else noticed the the world is headed to hell in a hand basket? I mean honestly, the way we treat each other is bad enough but when you throw in the government's apparent lack of concern for our well-being and the corporations trying to screw us over at every turn, how are any of us going to survive?

Anyone with half a brain knows we're headed for a major economic depression, and I hate to tell you folks, but we're on our own. Gas prices will continue to rise, which will cause the price of everything else to increase. In Sudbury alone over the past week, four mines have closed! That's people out of work! As prices rise and jobs disappear, how will we feed our children?

I got my hydro bill the other day, and called to ask why, if my water usage costs $53 does the waste water cost $68. Can you believe that the charge for waste water is 113% of the water you use? How does that make sense? It is impossible to waste more water than what you have coming into your house. If a litre comes in, no more than a litre can go out! Their explanation is that it costs more to get rid of the waste. Explain to me how it costs more for water to run down a sewer and through the treatment plant than it does for water coming out of that treatment plant in the first place!

I used to say that only the oil companies could get away with the illegal pricing practices so familiar to us, but it seems that other companies have decided to jump on board.

So where will these companies be when the recession hits and we can't afford to live? They'll be the only ones who can afford to pay each other if this trend continues! Don't expect the government to help out...Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Green, or John Smith's Independent party, it makes no difference! When are we going to get an official in office who looks out for us? Never I tell you, because the entire democratic system is busted. Democracy is a fools dream and we've been the fools. Not that Communism or any other ISM is better. The one and only thing you can count on in this word is YOU.

Moving on the the legal system, where only the rich get justice. If you're poor, you will always be poor! No matter how hard you struggle, no matter how skilled you are, you can't win! My kids want to live with me, but she sure as hell doesn't want me to have them, so I fight and I fight, but still no luck. I've had police reports, children's aid statements, but the court doesn't care how bad she is! My leg was broken because somebody ran a red light and T-boned our car, it's been a year and a half so far and I'm still not back to work! The police report clearly indicates she was 100% at fault and that I was 0% at fault. I had to wait a year, just to begin the lawsuit, and now we wait for their lawyers to respond! Why the delay? Why the wait? This is cut and dried, yet no resolution. I'm told it will take years to reach a settlement if it goes to court. On top of that, my lawyer is going to take 15% off the top and the insurance company apparently gets 35%. So out of my settlement, whatever I get, it will be 50% less than the judge's decision. Let's not forget that wonderful ex-wife of mine who is sure to try for another 25% so I expect to get a couple of thousand and a pat on the back. Well at least I should be able to walk, but running might never be possible.

So tell me folks, what's the point? Why do we bother to fight for our lives when this is the life we are given? I'll tell you why, because religion is also a thing of the past! It's not dead yet, but it is far from thriving. The less we fear some sort of all powerful being, the worse we treat our fellow man. If we don't believe in religion, then it's a short step to stop believing in god, which leaves us with no alternative but to struggle through this pointless existence we call life.

Alright, I vented a lot of steam today, and already I'm feeling a bit better. There's still tons more on my plate, but at least I cleared the air a bit.

Want to prove me wrong? Then tell everyone you know to buy a copy of my book and make me rich. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

Out in the cold!

I can't believe it, We had snow this morning, well technically it was last night. This past week has been cool, mid to low teens(That's Celsius) but all of a sudden it's below freezing and snow is on the ground. Most of it melted throughout the day, but I expect more is on the way. I'm really not much of a winter person, which is an odd thing for me to say considering I moved to Sudbury recently. An intelligent man might have chosen to move south, but not me, I hate the cold so I'll surround myself with it. Lucky I didn't end up in Alaska.

News news news... I've decided to participate in NaNo WriMo this year. Not only will it be a challenge to me as a writer, but it will hopefully allow me to meet a few of the northerners who are now my neighbors. For any of your interested in checking out my profile, here's the link. Feel free to check back throughout November to watch my progress, kick me in the butt, or add me to your list of friends. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it is basically a self-challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I've decided to increase the challenge by writing a historical fiction, though is is beginning to take on the qualities of an alternate history. To be honest, I won't know until I actually start writing (Which isn't until November 1st) but I'll do my best to stay on track. I have the spark of a good idea which I hope will turn into the fires of inspiration. Cross your virtual fingers for me.

I'll have more news by Friday about the state of my leg, I get the cast off on Thursday and they'll evaluate, but most likely it will be recast for two more weeks.

'til next time, keep reading!

And don't forget to buy a copy of Chroma Shift - Assassins' Treaty to enter the riddle contest! Click the picture to find out more!

Torture and suffering

Me again, I know it's been a bit since my last post. It's hard with this darn broken leg. Obviously I am alive and well after my surgery, which is great. The operation was a success, a metal plate was placed just below the knee to secure my Tibia plateau. I had to wait for two days afterthe operation before they could put a cast on it, those were miserable days,but I'm feeling a bit better now that my cast is in place. It's bright orange, in honor of the upcoming holiday (My favorite time of the year!) It's not all roses and wine though, I'm always in pain, but more so when I sit at a computer. Thankfully my girlfriend brought one down to the living room for me to use. It's a hard road living with a broken bone, but I'll survive. The worst thing about it is the itching. I know everyone says that about a cast, but it's worse, because I have a large incision below my knee, so I can't shove something down there to scratch with. If I did, I' likely tear out a few staples. So it's not just the pain, it's pure torture. I wonder if they did this to people in POW camps? Anyone with information about that is welcome to pass it on o me.

On the professional side of things, Tiger's Realm has come back from the printers and I'm just waiting to receive my galley from the publisher. I'm so excited to see the book in print! my next article should be coming out in October's edition of Futureale magazine, I'll ell you more when I know more. I received a review for my "Hunted By Chaos" short story and was pleased with hat I red, check out the review. Don't forget that you can also read the companion to that story completely for free, it's called "Flight into Chaos".
The cover art fr my next short story has been finished and an be seen here. I think it looks really creepy, which is great since it's my first horror/thriller story.

Til next time, keep reading!

Pain and humiliation

Well, it's just my luck. My leg was healing well, a few more months of working out and I might have been well enough to work (Although my physiotherapist kept saying that from day one, so who knows if that's true). Either way, it's not gonna happen now... Coming down the stairs last week, my knee on my good leg gave out (The surgeon had told me about the Crepitis in the knee, but it didn't buckle often, so it shocked me when it did happen)
Of course I put out my other leg to stop the fall, but missed the step (a couple of steps actually) and landed with my leg stretched out, the knee locked. This had the unfortunate effect of jamming everything together in the leg. This in turn fractured my Tibiae Plateau, or in layman's terms, the little ball part where my shin meets the knee. So here I sit, cast on my leg, going into surgery on Friday and hoping it will heal faster than the last one, cause I don't think I can stand being out of work for much longer. Sure, I'm getting some money now from the Insurance company, but not as much as my paycheck would bring.
"But Kevin, you're an author" you might say. Trust me, author's don't make a lot of money...publishers seem to make it by the truck load, but we author's are the same as any other staring artists (Unless you're super famous like Stephen King).

So, money and sanity are my two main reasons for wanting to get better. This couldn't have come at a worse time. With the release of Tiger's Realm, I had all sorts of things planned to promote the novel. If I'm not better by November, I'll have to cancel my book signings, which I was really looking forward to. Tiger's Realm is the best book I've ever written and i really wanted to get out there and let everyone have a chance to buy it. Keep your fingers crossed for me and maybe I'll sign your copy too!

Aside from that, I wanted to add in again that the contest for Assassins' Treaty is still open. We have not received a correct answer, so pick up a copy today and solve the riddle!

til next time, keep reading!