#GoJetsGo

Trust me, I'm working on the first Queen's Guard story today. But in honour of the 10th year for the return of the NHL to Winnipeg and advancing to the 2nd round it only seems appropriate to share some of the images and feelings I captured on my crappy little digital camera back in 2011 the day that the announcement happened.

Few things n life not involving family are as special as this day was for so many of us here in Winnipeg.

And during this time, it's important to remember the things that unite us.

AK

Some very old school Indy Wrestling

 

Because sometimes it's important to remember where you started. Namely in front of about 30 kids in a community centre on a Wednesday night in 1998. Wearing a mishmash of grungy crap and having no regard for your body or the rules of engagement.

Yknow. Being in your 20s.

Enjoy. 

AK

Book 4 Outline Complete and Misc

Managed to finish the rough outline for Book 4 yesterday (yes it has a title, no I'm not revealing it yet.) The way I plot these stories is such a frustrating combination of "I have a plan" and "I'm flying by the seat of my pants" but it's the only way I know how to do this. After 25 years of wrestling I prefer having a launching point, some middling ideas and a big finish. But how I get there is what happens along the way.

Which is what happens in all creative pursuits. The best ones see how it feels and live in that moment.

Also messed around with the layout of this blog a bit. That seemed in the moment more important than actually working on something. So, if you dig how it's been shifted around, awesome. If not, well ... awesome.

Looking forward to doing my part and getting my 2nd AstraZenca dose when it's ready and available for me. Speaking as a relatively healthy fella in his 40s without any underlying issues or concerns I'm happy to take the hit so that others can take advantage of the Pfizer or Moderna shots if they're more comfortable with those. Whatever it takes to beat back this virus and get people back out into the world please and thank you. My little girl misses her friends and family and I'd like to feel comfortable in my spandex in front of paying crowds again before I turn 50.

On that front I'm looking forward to trying out the new ring gear I bought last summer. Because, why not? Also reminds me to take my home workouts a bit more seriously. Just because the gyms are closed doesn't mean i get to sit on my fat ass getting fatter. Even though this is definitely my preferred mode of existence if I'm being honest. Sitting on the fat ass, typing madly away and expressing my thoughts in stories of adventure while consuming massive amounts of coffer and / or whisky.

Stay safe everyone. The light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

AK

Long Weekend Thoughts

 I put this thought out on the Twitter last night but felt like expanding on it a bit today.

Somehow, in spite of the difficulties in the world with the frustrating COVID restrictions and more, I quietly had one of the more enjoyable long weekends than I've had in a while.

From being a panelist talking about #UrbanFantasy tropes during a Friday evening Keycon event. To a relaxing Saturday spent mostly playing with my daughter and my dogs. To a Sunday where heading to Morden, MB to catch Godzilla vs Kong on the big Drive-In Movie screen (and reconnecting with an old friend) was the clear highlight. To finally having the weather turn glorious and getting a bit of a sunburn while finally finishing the new paint job on the deck and fence.

Oh yeah, and listening to the Jets defeat the Oilers in back to back Overtime thrillers on the radio made the heart of my teenaged self weep with joy after all those Smythe Division heartbreaks from the 80s and 90s.

I mean... this is the kind of weekend we all work towards, isn't it?

Back to the grind now. While not quite done the layout phase for Book 4 should be done this week with any luck. I quite like the shape of it though the real test will be in seeing how it flows once Joe is back in the driver's seat and explaining the action.

Home workouts are frustrating but I seem to have found a rhythm that is keeping the mind and body in sync. It's also keeping my heart rate somewhere in the mid 150 range for the duration. So, I'm either doing something right or having a series of minor heart attacks. Six of one ...

More to come soon. Thanks for checking the blog out if you are. And if not, thanks to Google for giving me a place to write the thoughts down aside from the notebook I will eventually lose after running it through the laundry.

AK

So. Patreon.

 Yeah, I haven't launched anything yet. I mean, I'd like to. I've got a page all set up and ready to go. But currently I would feel weird putting it out into the world before I had more content available.

I mean like, besides my self published novels. 

Or my collection of matches from the archives over the course of 25 years.

Or old merchandise.

Or old gear that I'm no longer using.

Huh... okay, I do have some things to offer aside from witty repartee here on the Blogosphere and the occasional update on my writing.

Guess I just feel weird about setting up a page that's basically like being an online busker. Not that I oppose buskers or anyone who's on Patreon . Heck I have a few creators on there that I currently support myself.

Let just call this final incentive to get together  the minimal equipment I need in order to finally start recording things like a bi weekly podcast. Or the audio versions of my novels. Or even the audio versions of other peoples novels, random V/O work or whatever.

Maybe it's finally time to do this?

At least the page is ready to go.

More or less.

AK

Book 4 Progress and Other Thoughts

One thing that's clear to me as I move forward in the Overdrive stories is that coming up with plausible real world stories to set these characters in is a challenging balance. While every first instinct I have is to make things louder, make the violence really pop and have more risque moments flood the pages ... At my core I have to remind myself what these books are about.

They're about Joe, the people in his life and how they connect to each other in relatable ways.

Maybe that isn't the flashiest or the sexiest option for a reader. But as a writer it is the story I am compelled to tell.

So as I navigate these waters of upping the stakes and broadening Joe's world there are few things I like more than putting normal, pedestrian struggles and concerns in his path to offset the plot. Because while plot is important, the story is in the characters and their struggles.

So yeah. Outline is almost done for Book 4, I figure to have a workable thread to build from by the end of the day tomorrow. After that I'll sit on it for the weekend and try to craft something on Monday. It might be the beginning of Book 4. It might be the first of the Overdrive short stories I want to write. Or it might be something else I've had on the backburner for a bit. We'll see what mood strikes me.

In the meantime if you haven't yet checked out my books on Amazon feel free to zip over to the Smashwords website where you can (for a limited time) download an eBook copy of Book 1 "Cowboy Ending" for free with the coupon provided. If you do that, please leave me a review (either there or on Goodreads or your socials or wherever people like to read reviews) if you'd be so kind and consider carrying on with the rest of my writings. 

AK

Revelations About the Dark Side

This is a variation on something I wrote after a prompt from the team over at the ForceCentre Podcast. Much obliged to Joseph, Ken and Jennifer for all the great Star Wars content to keep my ears filled with fun and insightful chats on long assed days of non wrestling / writing work.

Enjoy

***

Without getting into too many lurid details, I recently had an object lesson into the purifying power of Anger.

After first being presented with a series of facts a swell of pure, righteous anger seemed to fill my consciousness. An anger that was so powerful I carried it with me for several days. This is the kind of anger where everything else in my life served as a reminder of the thing that was fueling this level of vitriol. 

I carried in into my writing, my workouts and more.

After a time I was thankfully given more information to the source of my anger, was able to find context and some understanding for why the incident in question occurred the way it did. And as such I was finally was able to release the anger and start anew.

Which was when I realized something awful.

I MISSED the anger.

Not the gut churning, hyper aggressive and waspish attitude parts. But the purity of it. The certainty that my anger was just and righteous. That the reason I was so damned angry had a purpose that would eventually be revealed where I could unleash it all in a fury of lightning strikes and rage.

I also missed the anger because it left behind a sense of shame.

Shame at myself for enjoying the rage. For enjoying the wrong headed sense of certainty in the emotion. Shame for realizing how wrong I was to have let myself get into that state and in refusing to search out other sources of information or knowledge that could have dispelled my anger and actually made a positive difference in my life.

As such, I have realized that this is the True Power of the Dark Side.

Because it is quicker to join you in a fight, it feeds upon the baser instincts within your soul; The Dark Side stokes ones’ anger until it is all you can see. It blinds you to other options, avenues of thought and pathways you could very easily take. And anytime you think you’ve gone too far in your anger, the Dark Side fills you with Shame. After all, if you are capable of all these horrible thoughts and actions and you might not be justified – what kind of a person would that make you?

We are One with the Force When we are Calm and allow it to flow through us in spirit and body. This is the path of the Force and the Way of the Jedi

***

Be sure to visit the links and add the ForceCenter Podcast to your feed if you like having fun, in depth and positive discussions from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. 

And I'll talk more about my Book 4 Layout Progress tomorrow. And yes, I have been working on it today as well. But I thought this would be more fun to share is all :)

AK

Quick Update

 Happy Tuesday. Still roughing out the outline for Joe's next adventure in the Overdrive series. Having fun with some ideas though it's odd diving back into this so quickly, given how long of a hiatus I took between books 2 and 3. Which of course worked to my detriment as opposed to enhanced quality of the product. 

Ah well. 

Trying to explore some different themes and ideas. Really wanting to both expand Joe's world and keep the novels as grounded as possible, with real (ish) world settings. And again with the heavy focus on all things Winnipeg.

Still fun though. Looking forward to sharing some of it with you all once I get it past the scribbling in a notebook stage of creation of course. Yes, I still do that.

In wrestling news I'm planning to begin a more rigorous stretching regime to supplement my home workouts for the next few weeks as we wait for the gyms to reopen safely here under COVID Code Red Restrictions. Maybe not a full DDPY gimmick, but lots of exercises to hopefully strengthen my knees, hips and lower back and get the body a bit more supple.

My personal "bump card" is almost full after all, but if I can get the body into a less husky condition I might be able to extend my warranty for a few more years of in ring activity. Complete with some travel if places will have me.

Oh yeah, and I'm doing a panel for this years virtual Keycon event this Saturday evening. Myself and some other authors will be getting to chat and discuss the process of writing and speculative fiction and so much more. please visit the Keycon Website for all the details and this weekend's schedule.

Finally if you're interested, the first book in Overdrive "Cowboy Ending" is absolutely FREE to download right now over at the Smashwords eBook website. Please mention this to others or take a chance on it yourself. It would be really great to get my downloads and reviews up on Smashwords and diversify the eyeballs from being so Amazon heavy.

Thanks all

AK

Because in 2021 the most relevant way to get things in the public eye is with an Online Blog!!

So yeah, welcome to my new BlogSite. I had one for a while like a decade ago  that frankly became a bear to maintain since I frankly didn't have anything to say at the time. But now in 2021 with a worldwide pandemic making everyone question everything they do and say now seems like the perfect time to try and shed some positivity into the world.

If you don't know who I am (wait, really? How did you get here then?) cool. I'm Adam. I've been a struggling Indy Wrestler since 1995 and a self-published Indy Author since 2013. Before that I have been a nerd, a fan of pop culture, an enthusiastic hockey fan who is unable to skate and a someone who is very interested in his own fitness despite the ongoing #WarOnDadBod you will inevitably see me mentioning.

The purpose of this page is to do what most pages are to do I suppose. Consolidate eyeballs onto the things I am working on. Things I am enjoying. General witticisms. Podcasts I may be listening to and whatever struggles I am going through that hopefully you and others will be able to relate to and maybe take solace in. After all, nobody goes through life alone.

My goal is to have something to talk about at least once a week. I plan to shed light on my writing process and progress for my upcoming works. I hope to set up an event schedule for any Pro Wrestling Events in my future should the world open up enough to have me be blessed enough to take part. And pretty much whatever else is on my mind that I think you'd care to hear about. Or not. Whichever, I'm cool.

So once again, Hi! Please take a moment to visit the links for my books, my matches and merchandise. If you want to follow me on Twitter ( @OutlawAK ) do so at your own peril. I get cranky on there sometimes.

Thanks for all the love and support. Support your local Indy Authors, Wrestlers and Businesses during this time and always. We all really appreciate it. 

Regards,

AK