BARKING AT YESTERDAY’S MOON

We all do it. In moments of quiet reflection our thoughts drift to a time when life wasn’t quite so complicated and we were younger. It doesn’t take much to rekindle the flame. An old song or perhaps something as subtle as a scent can send the mind wandering. Sometimes it’s just a flash thought, an image of someone we used to know. They appear in our mind then just as quickly disappear leaving us to wonder “whatever became of…”. Our wondering returns us to that place so long away and so far ago. We can visit and view through rose-colored specs but that’s about all. We can wonder “what if” until the proverbial cows come home but we can’t do anything about it. Besides “what is” will trump “what if” all life long and with all its ups and downs “what is” is always going to be what will be.

“The sooner we realize that life isn’t perfect…that everything isn’t going to magically fall into place after we get all those ducks in a row the better off we are. Every step we take in life has its own trials and tribulations. When we’ve finally sorted them through we take that next step and…more scattered ducks.”

The above is a quote from the sequel to “White Wolf Moon”, a sequel that finally has a title and a rough cover design:

Like “White Wolf Moon” the title for the sequel jumped out at me while reading something I had already written. I’d included the line in a conversation between two of the characters months ago:

Danny put his hands behind his head, stretched his legs over Ginn and stared into the darkness. “You remember when we used to do this up at the ranch?”

“No more Danny, I’ve wasted far too much time barking at yesterday’s moon.”

“That sounds like the start of a great lyric.”

“It does doesn’t it?” Evan took a deliberate, thoughtful draw on the pipe then let the smoke drift lazily from his lips. “Although I think Ozzy might have something to say about it.”

As soon as I read that line I knew it suited the overall content perfectly. It encompasses the ‘feel’ of the story as Evan visits old thoughts and dreams emotionally as well as old neighborhoods and environments physically. The “moon” reference in both titles ties them together and the cover uses the same photograph minus the blue tint that I used on White Wolf Moon. Perfect for a sequel!

There’s also an inherent problem with writing a sequel. For those who have read “White Wolf Moon” there is little need to introduce the characters or their past/current relationships or adventures. These readers would accept references to the first book without confusion but I also have to be mindful that there might be people who assume that “Barking at Yesterday’s Moon” could be a stand-alone. This has been one of the major stumbling blocks as I have had to make many minor changes to ensure that all these references are explained without being repetitive to those who have read the first book.

“Barking at Yesterday’s Moon” wraps up the stories of the characters and ties up a few loose ends but it’s also more fictional than the semi-biographical “White Wolf Moon”. From a rifle-toting backwoods adversary to a light brush with the Edmonton City Police Service, Evan gets himself into a few escapades that were not part of my life. What “Barking at Yesterday’s Moon” does is answer the questions that readers of “White Wolf Moon” have asked me. They wanted to know more about Ginn, the white wolf-cross and her relationship with Evan. They wanted to get to know different characters better and to explore the friendship between Danny and Evan. I believe I have now answered all of their questions.

With all the changes I have had to make recently I am still a little behind but I’m nearly ready to run some hard copies to distribute to a few people that I trust to be upfront and honest about what I have written. Their opinions and critique will be the final step before publication.

Then the adventure begins.

HELLO BLOG….

Well hello Blog…my, it’s been a long, long time.

Me? Not much really. Life has been kinda getting in the way lately but mostly it’s because I haven’t had much to say. Even now I’m waiting for the sun to warm the back garden patch so I can get out there and clean up the weeds and winter residue. It seems there’s always something to be done.

Hillary’s running for Prez. I don’t know why but I feel good about that. Actually I do know why…it’s because I’ve been following some of the Republican candidates and, well, as the old saying goes “if you can’t say nuthin’ nice” y’know? Plus it really isn’t my place to comment on American politics…we’ve got enough on our plate with the Canadian supreme leaders.

Mia got tossed (by public vote) from The Voice. That does bother me but it also indicates the unsavvyness of those who do vote. Yes Blog I am aware there’s no such word as “unsavvyness”…no need to drop the squiggly red under it. Carly Rae Jepsen was “voted” off Canadian Idol a few years back. I wonder if she ever thinks about that. I wonder if she used her dismissal by the Canadian public to inspire her even more…sitting in front of her mirror saying “I’ll show you Canada”. I wonder who actually won that year? Can’t say as I remember the name. Sure I could google it but really, I don’t care. I also wonder how far Bob Dylan would have gone on American Idol…would he have even passed the auditions? I doubt it. In fact of the thirteen American Idol winners how many are household names? Four, perhaps five?

What’s up with all the Zombies? There’s a plethora of them crawling around on my television lately and I don’t know why. Of course I don’t know why a lot of shows are on my television. Obviously some people watch them or they wouldn’t be there. When I bought my big-screen I didn’t realize I was getting a digital version of the National Enquirer. I really don’t care to see how Kim can balance a champagne glass on her derriere but I gather some people do. A television critic surmises that it’s because people like to identify with reality actors. I’m sorry but if you can identify with the Kardashians then what the hell are you doing watching television? I’m also amazed that I didn’t get a spelling squiggly on “Kardashians”. Forget for a moment that “reality actors” is a bit of an oxymoron and consider that there are people out there “identifying” with these well-paid frauds. You’re not peeking into anyone’s secret life…just the life they get paid to show you. Name any reality show, whether “Honey Boo Boo, Duck Dynasty, or Storage Wars…they get paid to act real.

Sorry Blog, I don’t mean to rant. It’s just that when I sat down to write this I had no clear goal in mind, much the same as a lot of the politicians I mentioned earlier. I just wanted to touch bases, to let you know I’m still around.

I’m still writing my second book. I thought I was almost done but I’ve uncovered so many things I want to change and some more I want to add. Maybe it’s just a general funk I’m in right now but I actually considered scrapping the whole thing at one point. I can’t do that…my characters need me to resolve some issues. On my re-read I realized I left room to expand a particular scene and I hadn’t returned to fill out the details. I’m finishing that up now and it has become more of a pivotal part than I thought it would be and I’m really pleased with how it developed. Maybe taking a break was the solution to my frustration. It might just be a coincidence that prior to writing the new material I finally came up with a title I’m pleased with. After calling it “the sequel” for so long it now has an identity of its own. With that pressure off things seem much better now.

Okay Blog, side note: I decided to warm up a slice of left-over pizza to enjoy while I re-read this entry. Long story short…the plate was hot and slippery. Result: one piece of pizza and forty pieces of plate on the tiled kitchen floor.

Life happens.