Upcoming Book Release

After a 4 year hiatus from writing, I decided that I wanted to share NaNoWriMo with my daughter's high school, and offered to come and speak to their high school class about the program, discuss my own experiences with it, and even offer to buy a 'winner' t-shirt for any of the students who met their self-assigned writing goal for the month. (Keep in mind that there are only 16 students there). Anyway, I decided that for NaNoWriMo, I would dust off the 'Osiris' and 'Avalon' manuscripts, tweak and edit the former, and complete the latter during the month and discuss my progress with the students at the school. As fate would have it, we weren't able to get the program off the ground at the school, but I had been so focused on it, that I was supercharged and ready to get writing. That's usually when something goes wrong. In this case, my well-laid plans of edits and rewrites imploded.

Two days before the first of November, a brand-new story idea popped into my head. Keep in mind that I have a set of story outlines that I've written down over the last 20 years or so for at least fifteen or twenty novels, but this one was unique...and quite intriguing. I decided to throw out all of my plans and get to writing the story, the working title of which is 'Mountain Home Alpha'. I wrote nearly 51,000 words and again, won NaNo. I decided during the month that I enjoyed writing so much that I wanted to get my stories out there. Here's where we stand right now:

The manuscript for Osiris is currently in the hands of the editors, and will be back in my hands in a couple of weeks. The week of January 13, I'll get the cover design for the Osiris ebook, followed shortly by the completed paperback and hardback covers. I'm so excited by this prospect because when I originally wanted to publish Osiris, the only way to get published without an agent or directly-connection to a publisher was to self-publish using what's called a 'vanity press'. These, in literary circles, have a bad rap as they are usually expensive, and the writer usually pays high fees and ends up with boxes of books in their closet that they can't sell. The big publishing houses contol(led) access to bookstores, and the internet was in it's infancy at the time.

Fast-forward to today. There are a large number of ways to get a book self-published and get it into the hands consumers directly without having to buy and print a ton of books that you yourself have to sell. With Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Lulu to name a few, you can upload your manuscript for free to their online platforms, and when a customer purchases the title, they either receive a digital ebook, or a printed copy of the book from them - no author-interaction required.

I'll be formally announcing the release of Osiris soon, once I have the manuscripts back and start working on the cover design. Keep checking back for updates!

Novel Writing Background

So, a few years ago (actually more than a few) I had the realization that I'd been writing stories, mostly short stories, for as long as I could remember but never let anyone read them. I studied biology and chemistry in college, and took the one required English literature class.  After I had graduated, I decided that I wanted to take a formal creative writing class to learn or brush up on the mechanics of writing fiction, so I took a nighttime fiction writing class at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, my alma mater. I got some glowing praise from Wendy Brenner, who was the course instructor. Amazingly, she still teaches at UNCW some 20 years later!

Anyway, I came up with an idea for a full-length novel back in the early 2000's, and I started writing it during National Novel Writing Month in November of 2001, for which I 'won', by writing at least 50,000 words that month.  After NaNoWrimo, I worked, through Writer's Digest, with two published authors -  John deChancie, as well as the late Ardath Mayhar, and on editing the manuscript.

Eventually, I completed the roughly 90,000 word manuscript, and due to a couple of job changes, as well as the birth of my first child, it sat on the shelf for a couple of years collecting dust. I picked it back up sometime in the late 2000's and started looking for either a publisher, or an agent to help me find one. I didn't make much progress on that search. I had a few close friends read the manuscript and offer advice on corrections and changes, and in 2011, did a full rewrite during NaNoWriMo. The completed novel then sat on the shelf while I started the publisher/agent search again.

This time, however, I pushed hard on contacting a number of publishers and agents in the science fiction genre, and found that as a rule, the publishers wouldn't work with an agentless author, so I focused my efforts on getting an agent, while starting on story outlines for additional stories. More on that in a minute.

I had several good contacts with agents, but at the time, vampire literature was all the rage.  Think Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire) and the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer.  All of the agents decided to pass on representing me and my new novel which was originally titled 'Dark Star', but had been rechristened 'Osiris'.

While the letters were flowing back and forth between me and the various agencies, I fleshed out story outlines for at least three more books in the series, which I dubbed 'The Avalon Series'. I started working on the second book in the series, 'Avalon' for NaNoWriMo 2012, and won with it, having written just over 68,000 words during the month of November.  I spent the next year in my agent search, and for NaNoWriMo 2013, wrote nearly 70,000 words on a combination of 'Avalon' and an as-of-yet unnamed third book in the series.  That's when I hit a brick wall.  From 2013 to 2018, I did no writing at all. I thought about it occasionally, but was focused on other things. In my next post, I'll discuss what happened this year that gave me the push to make Osiris happen.

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 16

Week 16 results are in, and I actually worked out twice last week.  My weight came down, Yay!, but body fat went up, Boo!  Keep in mind that yesterday was Christmas, so my diet wasn't perfect, and there were a few cheats here and there.

The numbers show that my body fat percentage went up to 30%, which is still 5% body fat lower than where I started, and my weight has dropped back down to where it was in week 14.  This tells me that exercise is a requirement for me due to small amounts of carbohydrates in my diet (not to mention the occasional cheat).

As I have learned doing some research is that small amounts of carbohydrates in the diet will be converted to glycogen, which is stored in the muscles of the body and the liver. Exercise depletes this glycogen, which is replaced as a fuel source by ketone bodies and fat, thus boosting ketosis and burning excess body fat. I eliminated butter from my morning coffee a week or two ago, thus reducing the caloric intake, but kept in the coconut oil. I could eliminate that as well and see what happens. The first few weeks I was on Keto, I didn't add anything new to my coffee, and simply changed from half & half to heavy cream. This eliminated the carbs, and increased the fat slightly. If I remove the coconut oil, it would decrease the total caloric content of my coffee by ~ 2/3.  With both in, my coffee contains a total of 34g of fat (11g from the butter, 13g from the coconut oil, and 10g in the heavy cream), and 442 calories. I am considering getting some ketone test strips, to check periodically to see where I am in my ketosis.


Scott



Week 16 - Weight 183 lbs, 30% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 15 - 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat
Week 16 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.
At week 15, I weighed in at 185.5 lbs with 28% body fat, which equates to 51.94 lbs of fat.
At week 16, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 15

Week 15 results are in, and yes, I was lazy again last week.  I only did a little bit of exercise - nothing like what I want to be doing.  I'm in the middle of prepping a manuscript for a novel that I wrote for publication, and that's consuming a lot of my time. There's also the holidays. That's a lot of time there as well. I had a few cheats this past week, so I expected the numbers to be up, but the numbers are odd, to say the least. Bodyfat was down, but weight was up. Weird.

The numbers show that my body fat percentage dropped to the lowest point since I started the diet. My weight is up a couple of pounds, and even with the increased weight, the total amount of fat dropped roughly 3 pounds. I took the butter out of my coffee, and have just been doing a tablespoon of coconut oil as a way to decrease caloric intake during my exercise hiatus. Must have helped. :)


Scott



Week 15 - Weight 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 15 - 185.5 lbs, 28% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.
At week 15, I weighed in at 185.5 lbs with 28% body fat, which equates to 51.94 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 14

Week 14 results are in, and I admit it - I was lazy last week.  I didn't work out (really).  I did 1 minute planks twice during the week, but that's not going to burn any glycogen that's been created in my body, and get ketosis going if I've been kicked out.  It just wasn't a good week.  We also had a holiday dinner party at a friends house, and I tried to eat sensibly, but got more carbs there than I would like.


Scott



Week 14 - Weight 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat.

Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 14 - 183.0 lbs, 30% body fat


On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

At week 14, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 54.9 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife

Keto Weight Loss Update - Week 13

Week 13 results are in.  A month of no exercise, coupled with some carbs thrown in for good measure, makes for a gain of some weight this week. Unlucky number 13, I guess.




Week 13 - Weight 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat.

I've had a handful of days where I knew I was getting some carbs, based on the simple fact that I was eating out at restaurants where you don’t know what they put in the salad dressing, etc.  I mentioned previously that I was doing NaNoWriMo, I wasn’t working out during the month of November.  Well, November is gone, and I ‘won’ NaNoWrimo by surpassing the 50k words with a total of 50,813 words. Yay!  Anyway, back to working out…



Scott







Raw Diet Numbers



Day 0 -  197 lbs, 35% body fat.
Week1 -  195.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 2 - 194.5 lbs, 32% body fat
Week 3 - 192.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 4 - 190.5 lbs, 33% body fat
Week 5 - 188.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 6 - 186.5 lbs, 31% body fat
Week 7 - 187.5 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 8 - 186.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 9 - 185.0 lbs, 30% body fat
Week 10 - 182.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 12 - 183.0 lbs, 29% body fat
Week 13 - 184.5 lbs, 29% body fat



On Day 0, I weighed in at 197 lbs with 35% fat, which equates to 69 lbs of fat. (yuck).
At week 1, I weighed in at 195.5 lbs with 33% fat, which equates to 64.5 lbs of fat.
At week 2, I weighed in at 194.5 lbs with 32% body fat, which equates to 62.24 lbs of fat.
At week 3, I weighed in at 192.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 59.68 lbs of fat.
At week 4, I weighed in at 190.5 lbs with 33% body fat, which equates to 62.87 lbs of fat.
At week 5, I weighed in at 188.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 58.43 lbs of fat.
At week 6, I weighed in at 186.5 lbs with 31% body fat, which equates to 57.82 lbs of fat.
At week 7, I weighed in at 187.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 54.38 lbs of fat.
At week 8, I weighed in at 186.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.94 lbs of fat.
At week 9, I weighed in at 185.0 lbs with 30% body fat, which equates to 55.5 lbs of fat.
At week 10, I weighed in at 182.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 52.78 lbs of fat.
At week 12, I weighed in at 183.0 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.07 lbs of fat.
At week 13, I weighed in at 184.5 lbs with 29% body fat, which equates to 53.51 lbs of fat.

#keto #ketolife