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Earn the Sunrise in paperback or eBook. It is also available in Kindle Unlimited.
The best laid plans of mice and men
This April has been challenging. OpenText bought Micro Focus, the company that employed me for my day job as a Solutions Architect. They did a workforce restructuring and sacked me. The last time this happened to me was in 2001, when the events from 9/11 resulted in the demise of my big dot-com opportunity – RapportNET.
The job loss compromised my ability to write. I now spend most of my time looking for work.
Additionally, I have had the worst gout flare-up I have ever had in my life, making walking a struggle. I am unable to perform the tasks my orchard and vineyard require.
Getting back up – fists clenched
Despite these setbacks, I am confident I will overcome them.
Writing is often a losing proposition.
Some authors capture lightning in a bottle with their first book, and they experience remarkable success. JK Rowling’s first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, later re-titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is the bestselling YA book and book series of all time. Brandon Sanderson earned the largest writing advance ($41 Million) any author has ever seen with his Kickstarter campaign in 2022, but he wrote twelve manuscripts before he published his first book.
It is still early, but sales of Earn the Sunrise have come nowhere close to covering the costs I have spent. Writing for most authors only pays dividends after many years of authoring multiple books and developing a following.
The point being, I never expected to become another famous author with Sanderson or Rowling results. I enjoy storytelling and I hope it can pay dividends eventually, but unless a sudden groundswell of interest in Earn the Sunrise occurs in the short term, I cannot live on my writing for many years to come – if ever.
Another Job
Many opportunities exist I qualify for in the workforce. I am confident I can find work. I have feelers throughout my network and there do seem to be plenty of options for me in the job marketplace.
Gout, disease of kings.
Known as the disease of kings, gout afflicts people who tend to have a diet of more wine and meat. Inherited like the throne, my gout is the closest I will ever come to royalty.
Painful flareups come and go based on my dietary choices. I know what food and drink to avoid, but sometimes I miss something. I figured out the source of this latest gout flare-up to be a supplement I started taking containing a high-purine compound. The on-set of the flare-up did not coincide with the time I started taking the supplement, so I did not realize it was the source. I stopped taking it and although it is taking its time, my flare-up is diminishing.
The Night Agent
Netflix released a miniseries adaptation of Matthew Quirk’s The Night Agent novel. The two stories are very different, but I recognized many common plot elements of each story. The main characters, FBI agent Peter and assassination survivor, Rose, meet each other through a deadly chance encounter. In order to avoid spoilers, I’ll be purposely vague as I discuss the stories.
I enjoyed how the main characters worked off from each other’s strengths to overcome problems. The old trope of showing women as a damsel in distress, incapable of taking any action to overcome any challenge, or the current trope of showing a woman as a masculine like warrior who never fails, both fall short of presenting a believable or interesting character. Both stories show their female characters as strong women, yet feminine in their demeanor, and possessing useful skills and showing fear and courage at appropriate times.
Rose and Avery character arcs both include great personal loss, personal accomplishment, life-changing event and righteous anger. Rose had a scene with one of the major protagonists near the end of the series that almost mirrored Avery’s scene with the protagonist Keith.
Peter’s story showed a hero with great successes and failures. Refreshingly, Rose, as the intellectual superior, treats Peter with respect and admiration even when she doubts his plan. Peter often makes well-considered plans to overcome an obstacle rather than death-defying frontal assaults. Peter’s arc, like Colin’s, overcomes a troubled past, acts honorably as a hero, and struggles with considerations of taking the honorable path.
I haven’t read the book, but I enjoyed watching the series and I added The Night Agent to my reading list. According to Matthew’s website, the book is “…full of surprises, with a completely different ending and new characters and twists.” If you enjoyed Earn the Sunrise, I think you would enjoy watching the series.
29 Years
I celebrated 29 years of marital bliss with my lovely bride today. I look forward to another 29 years, Lori.
I am always happy to hear from you. Reach out on my socials or email anytime. Make yourself stronger, faster, and smarter.
Take Care,
Scott R Hofmann