A New Chapter

 It's been more than three years since I've posted here, and I'm sure that's because I'm on Facebook every day. I post lots of short updates and commentary because I'm pretty busy and never felt that I had the time to sit and write longer posts like the ones here. Well, things have changed recently, and I have a lot more time for lots of different things, so I figured I'd come over here and write about, well, everything.

In my last big update from April, 2022, we had just closed out the 'big yellow school' location of Jade Mountain Martial Arts and moved to a new location in Cinco Ranch. It was a nice place, all things considered. Even so, I have to admit that it never felt like home to me. The people were amazing, as my students have always been, but after more than two decades of running the business, the idea of retirement finally started to appeal to me. If you've known me, you know that even having that feeling was a bit of a shock! I always envisioned myself teaching until I just keeled over on the mat in the middle of a lesson when in my 90s! As surprising as that feeling was, it grew until I just couldn't ignore it anymore. I had lived my childhood dream of becoming a Sifu and running my own martial arts school for twenty-two years, and I felt other dreams calling me.

I retired from teaching full-time on December 20th, 2025. We had a celebration, and I was so honored to see so many familiar faces! A handful of my earliest students showed up, too, and they'll never know how much it moved me to see them (I'm getting misty-eyed as I type this). This picture is only about half of the attendees, as folks came and went all afternoon. I was deeply touched by their love and support.

It took over a month for me to get the school all cleaned out. My storage facility is filled to the brim with stuff that I really should discard, but just can't bring myself to yet. There was a lot of paperwork involved in closing out the school, and lots of administrative stuff that I had to handle, so it's taken this long for me to really feel like my time is free again. It's March now and I'm only just now getting my feet under me. It's a really cool feeling to realize that I have all day to work on all the things that I couldn't find the time for before. And let me tell you, there are a LOT of things that I'm dying to dig into now that I have the time!

Since I was young, I loved writing stories. I published my first book back in 2014, and since then, I've published a dozen books, mostly fantasy fiction. I slowed down a lot in recent years as the school required more of my mental bandwidth, but now I'm free to really immerse myself in being an indie author, and I'm beyond excited at the idea! I have one new book in editing right now and I've got three more planned for this year. The thing is that being an indie author requires that I do an awful lot of other stuff besides simply writing the books, such as editing, publishing, marketing, advertising, accounting, and running the entire business side of that career. It's a lot of fun and interesting stuff, but when you're running an entirely separate business as well, it's hard to fit everything in. Now, I can focus my energy mostly on my writing and publishing tasks, and I'm absolutely thrilled about that.

One of the things that made my retirement possible is the fact that my lovely fiancee, Kathryn, is running her own business as well! She runs CarePatrol of Central and West Houston, and she's been extremely successful with it. That's one hard-workin' lady! It just so happens that she desperately needed someone who had the same computer skills I've cultivated for both JMMA and my author business, so now I am her official Media Manager. I was a perfect fit for the job, and working with her allows me to do all my author stuff as well. Plus, I admit that I might just have a huge crush on the boss. 😉

So if anyone ask how retirement is treating me, I have to answer that it's treating me quite well. I'm busy pretty much all the time, but I love every minute of it. I'm still working out, teaching BJJ once a week at my friend Larry's school, teaching Tai Chi on Saturday mornings, working in my author business, and handling various social media tasks for CarePatrol—and I'm happy as a clam.

Oh, and I'm also bald now. Shaved my head several weeks ago and I'm sticking with it. 😊

If you want to take a peek into my author career, you can check out my website at www.WhitMcClendon.com and see all of my books. I'm also on Facebook/IG and Threads. Feel free to stop by and say hello! As I said to many of my students: "I'm retired...not dead!"

Blacksmithing is fun!!

As a birthday gift to me, my amazing fiancée 🥰 signed us up for a two-day Blacksmithing Class! It was held out at Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms in Austin, and the description said we would learn how to use a coal forge to shape metal into various implements. 

Y'all...it was FABULOUS!!

We’re both big Forged in Fire fans, so we went in with a tiny bit of understanding, but also knowing that we truly didn’t know a danged thing, lol. Our goal was to listen to the instructor, have fun while we worked through the projects, and stay safe. I’m happy to say that we succeeded in making several really cool items!

I could give y’all a play-by-play, but suffice it to say that we had a blast. It was so much fun to actually take hot metal to an anvil and hammer it into shape, I can easily see how folks fall in love with metalworking and bladesmithing. Even though we both smelled like a forest fire and had coal dust everywhere afterward, it was super-fun. It thrills me to my toes that my girl knows me well enough to pick such a perfect gift, and we’re already looking forward to the Blacksmithing 2.0 class! 😁

New house, new study, new school!

This month has been craaaaazy. Firstly, we had to clear out the old location of my martial arts school. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in seven years! We had to empty it all the way down to the bare walls and donate, trash, sell, or store an impressive amount of stuff. It took weeks of effort, but at last, we looked around and realized that we'd done it! Everything was out and the space was ready for the next tenant. This past Tuesday, I handed the keys over to our fabulous property manager, and that chapter of our school's history is finally over.

The old Jade Mountain Martial Arts is empty.
Thanks to my son Connor for helping me so much!

Our new location is smaller, more efficient, and in a fabulous residential neighborhood. We've had more walk-in traffic than I ever hoped! So although we bid a fond farewell to the old location and we'll cherish the good memories we made there, we're thrilled to look into the future at our new place!

JMMA's new location in Cinco Ranch, Katy, TX!

In addition, my amazing girl and I bought a new house! We had some work done in the kitchen, garage, and ceilings, which took far longer than expected. We've had to work around it, unboxing and unpacking in a whirlwind over the last few weeks. We've been hopping, to say the least! So between the two moves, I barely had two minutes to rub together, much less get any writing done. 

Our movers getting their groove on!

The great thing about the new house is that I now have my very own writing study! Y'all...I absolutely LOVE it! I've got a great feeling that a lot of stories will come out of this little room. I'm still decorating it and lining the bookshelves with my favorite books, but it already feels like my author's lair. I think I'll get a lot of writing done here. 😊

I wish I'd been able to get more writing done this month, but both moves have taken up most of my time. It's been a focused imbalance, but things are settling down now so I'll be able to get back into a writing groove soon. I've got three books to finish, so I'm chomping at the bit to get back to work.

While you're waiting, jump into another of my series! Two of the first-in-series are only $0.99 right now, and one is completely free! Whether you like epic or urban fantasy, I've got something for you. 

Mage's Burden - FREE

Reyanna's Prophecy - $0.99

Grim Undertakings - $0.99

The dust is finally settling here, and the next book in the GrimFaerie Chronicles is already pulled up on my laptop so I can dig into it. Some new developments have arisen—someone from Kane's past may put in an appearance. I'm wondering if Detective Avery Lynne might be the least bit jealous... 

I'll keep working, folks. Hopefully, you'll keep reading. 😊 Have a great day, everyone!

August 2021 - Touching Base

August, 2021! Wow, a lot has changed since I last sat down to write here on this blog. There's been a pandemic, after all. It was a challenging time for pretty much everyone I know, myself included.  And now, it's over a year later, things are more or less looking up in my little world. I figured I'd stop in and say hello.

Jade Mountain Martial Arts, my martial arts school, survived the pandemic, and through a very improbable series of events, is about to open a temporary second location. We thought we were going to have to make an emergency move, but ended up being able to secure the space AND keep our current space until the end of our lease in March 2022. Let me tell you, I'd never have predicted that! We're still a couple of weeks away from opening our doors, but we're almost there! Next year, we'll move all our operations to the Cinco Ranch location and go back to one location, but in the meantime, we'll have classes at both. It's an adventure, and I'm looking forward to it!

You'd have thought a two-month shutdown would have allowed me time to write, but I was busier than ever keeping the school going. That left me even less time to write, so the next installment in the GrimFaerie series didn't come out until February of 2021. I really enjoyed that story, though, and it seems my readers do too! You can check that out here ---> Grim Obligations: Book 3 of the GrimFaerie Chronicles.

I feel like I'm still playing catch-up, as I'm now scrambling to get words on the page for the 4th book in the series, as well as keep a toe in the water with another story in that same universe that has very little GrimFaerie and a whole lot of werewolf in it. That one's still percolating. I'll finish it later, along with the prequel story for the Fire of the Jidaan series. Brunar and Mordak? Buddies? Yeah, for my Jidaan fans, that may be a bit of a shock, but it'll make sense eventually. ;-) I look forward to exploring those tales and eventually sharing them.

I've been a bit more consistent in my social media recently, even going so far as creating a TikTok profile. That's kind of fun, to be honest! I'll see what I can do to toss a video up there every so often.

That's all the news for now, folks. Don't be a stranger! I'm on Facebook most often, but I check in on Instagram too, and as I mentioned, there's TikTok. Stop by and see me!

Meeting a GrimFaerie

   Years ago, I got a visit from a GrimFaerie. Scared the crap out of me. It would have scared you, too, I'm thinking.
   I'd been living in an old duplex in Lake Jackson, Texas, working at a nearby chemical plant. I'd been shopping and came home after dark. They like the dark. I let myself in and set my bags down on the table like I always did. As I reached for the light, a cold voice spoke.
   "Hey." It was a low voice, but clear. Something in that voice froze me in place. It was cold and calculating, and I felt a chilling power lurking within it. I slowly turned my head to see a shadowy figure seated on my couch. Not a big guy...average height, and from what I could tell, average build as well. The darkness concealed much, but his eyes were clearly visible. They were glowing silver.
Ordinarily, I'd have burst into action at the first hint of an intruder in my home, whether to flee or fight, but that voice...those eyes...I may as well have been a statue. The voice continued.
   "You're not him. Not Lloyd, I mean."
   I took a deep breath and responded as intelligently as I could. "Uh...no...Whit. I'm Whit. I don't know any Lloyd."
   A resigned sigh echoed from the shadows that surrounded the couch. "Figures. Blasted sorcerers always covering their tracks. Now I'll have to ask the Wee Folk to run him down for me again."
   The figure stood and walked towards me. I frowned. Aside from his eyes and the aura of power that surrounded him, he looked kind of...well...ordinary. It registered on my face, I guess, because the stranger chuckled.
   "I know, not much to look at," He said, amused, as he moved to within an arm's length of me. "Part of the job."
   "The job?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Burglary? Breaking and entering?" That made a certain sense to me. "Shouldn't you wear a mask or something?"
   The stranger laughed in genuine amusement, then looked at me for a few seconds, as if weighing his thoughts. Then he seemed to make a decision. "No, I'm not a burglar. I'm a GrimFaerie. I kill bad guys. Evil things. Supernatural threats that would gobble up humans like you. That's my job."
   And just like that, he changed. A ripple washed over him and the image of the nondescript man vanished, leaving a terrifying creature in his place.
   He was taller than I, all wiry muscle and sinew. His skin was a deep blue-black, and I could see scars in various places on his muscular torso. His long, black hair fell far past the striated muscles of his shoulders. A grin split his face and I got a good look at a mouthful of sharp fangs. He lifted one hand to brush his hair aside and I saw that his fingers seemed a bit too long. Then I realized that bone claws were jutting out from the ends of his fingertips. They looked awfully sharp. Only his eyes remained the same, pools of glowing quicksilver in a half-human face. He chuckled at me, more of a growl, really.
   "Don't worry. You're not a bad guy. I can tell."
   "Um...yay?" I responded, totally at a loss.
   He laughed louder, and that fanged grin widened. "Indeed. All right then, I'll be on my way. Can't have Lloyd out there doing his evil deeds. You stay out of trouble."
   I think I nodded because he nodded back at me. In a few silent steps, he was out the door and gone, leaving me bewildered, full of adrenaline, and suddenly needing to go to the bathroom.
   Years later, I decided to write about the GrimFaerie. I gave him a name and made up some adventures I thought were suitable for a creature such as he. He hasn't been back to see me since, though I often wonder if he might decide to track me down to correct something I wrote about him. He seemed like a nice guy...really. Deadly, but nice.

New Release! A Grim Situation is live!!

Kane and Ariana are back!!

I had soooo much fun writing this book. And I think y'all will enjoy it, too! Kane and Ariana are back, defending West Houston, Texas against a shadowy threat that's inserting demons into unsuspecting innocents. When they step in, they're going to need all of their skills, magick, and firepower just to stay alive. Check out A Grim Situation: Book 2 of the GrimFaerie Chronicles!


This book introduces a couple of new characters that are screaming for their own stories, so keep an eye out for Detectives Avery Lynne and Jim Kaley!

A Grim Situation: Book 2 of the GrimFaerie Chronicles

Kane the Grim is a hard-bitten assassin. He's also a Faerie, who brings fangs, claws, and magick to his work...and loves it. Ariana is a gun-toting Texas witch, a force of nature with a blonde ponytail. Together, they keep the Houston area safe. When drugs that induce instant demon possession hit the scene, they sense someone with vast powers pulling the strings. 

Kane and Ariana go on the hunt, but the police aren’t far behind, and a detective from Kane’s past suspects his true nature. When Kane is framed for murder, he and Ariana must evade the police while pursuing a killer from Houston to the desert of New Mexico. It’s a heart-stopping thrill ride as Kane and Ariana race to catch the demon-monger before all hell breaks loose…literally.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!

The whole Trilogy and first-in-series only $0.99!

I know I'm getting this out a bit late, but I'll keep the sale going for a few days to catch up! Now, you get the entire Fire of the Jidaan Trilogy for under a buck. Or you could follow Reyanna on her adventures in Reyanna's Prophecy. And if you haven't read the first book in the GrimFaerie Chronicles, Grim Undertakings, that's on sale too.

Title: The Fire of the Jidaan Trilogy Boxset(ALL THREE BOOKS!)
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Sale Price: $.99 Ebook
Buy links ---> https://books2read.com/u/bQaKpZ

Title: Reyanna’s Prophecy: Book 1 of the Forge Born Duology
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Sale Price: $.99 Ebook
Buy links ---> https://www.amzn.com/B07G4MG74Y/

Title: Grim Undertakings: Book 1 of the GrimFaerie Chronicles
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Sale Price: $.99 Ebook
Buy links ---> https://www.amzn.com/B07P9DGSMZ/

What's that? You prefer paperbacks?  I've got paperback copies of all my books available at a holiday discount, and I'll be happy to sign them or personalize them so you can give them as gifts. Just fill out this form, and I'll hook you up! 

--->  https://forms.gle/4eKFZUdi5bTmeFWf8 

E-BOOK GIVEAWAYS & BOOK FAIRS!!

The weather's getting colder, and it's a great time to curl up with some awesome fantasy and sci-fi books! Check out these cool books in C.L. Cannon's Fantasy & Sci fi Holiday Sale!

GrimFaeries, Conventions, and stuff!

It's been a busy summer out here, and with school starting up again, it's only gotten busier. Even so, I've managed to keep working on the new GrimFaerie tale, and the end is getting closer! I've got a convention coming up in Houston in October, and I'd love to have copies on hand, so that's motivated me to keep working. That, and the fans who keep asking me when the next one's coming out. ;-)  Haven't read Grim Undertakings yet? It's available on Kindle Unlimited...you can check it out here:

 The event I'll be attending is called The Fandemic Tour, at Houston's NRG Center on October 18-20th. I've really enjoyed having booths at the various fantasy/sci-fi conventions the past few years...there's just so much cool stuff to see! At past events, I've met folks like Adrian Paul, Ron Perlman, Brent Spiner, Gil Gerard, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Marina Sirtis, and Sandahl Bergman. All of them were super-fun to talk to, and I always enjoyed the experience. More importantly, I loooove the chance to talk to fantasy fans, meet new people, and occasionally run across folks who enjoy my books!

If you're interested in checking out all the fun stuff at Fandemic, I've got a deal for you! If you use my code, you'll get 10% off your ticket! Just click the pic below and use JADEMOUNTAIN10 to get your discount!

After a Marvel movie binge a couple of weeks ago, I've been wondering...what fictional hero inspires you?

It was always Spider-Man for me, ever since I was a little kid. "With great power comes great responsibility." What a profound lesson that was for me as a child, to see this teenager gain incredible powers and then choose to use them to help others. Great, noble stuff. Of course, the fact that there were exciting battles, fantastic villains, and creative storylines helped a lot, but I was always drawn to Spidey's strong sense of responsibility. Was there a character that meant something to you, inspired you? I'd love to hear!

Ok, I'll get back to work here. Thanks for spending a little time with me, my fabulous readers! Don't be strangers, feel free to give me a holler anytime!

E-BOOK GIVEAWAYS & BOOK FAIRS!!

Hey, if you're looking for a way to spend the Holiday Weekend, here's a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal Book Binge for you! Discounted box sets and awesome individual books, priced from FREE to CHEAP! Settle in for some serious relaxing and reading this Labor Day!

Searching for your next favorite story? Check out this Book Fair! These authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of 100+ Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books. Take a look, these are too good to miss!

More awesome Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books, all for FREE! Check 'em out at the 
Fantasy and PNR Summer Book Fair!

Happy reading, folks! I'll touch base again soon!

What Makes a Villain?

Hey, folks! Still working on GrimFaerie Chronicles here. It appears on the page at whatever pace it wants, which is either frustrating or exciting, depending on the day. Some interesting possibilities are rolling around in my mind at the moment, and I'm waiting for a clearer picture of the story to emerge. It's fun, though, and as always, I hope y'all will enjoy it when it's ready!

The title of this email refers to my current, slow-cooking, epic fantasy project. I had an idea for it a loooong time ago, and finally started writing it back in October 2018. Of course, Grim Undertakings jumped ahead of it in line, but that's how Kane rolls. Even so, I got around 24K words in before I set that other story aside to work on GU. Now, I'm working on the next story in the GrimFaerie series, but that other one...well...it's still calling me, whispering in my ear, telling me that it wants to be written. OK, I hear you, I hear you! 

Darth Vader was one of my favorite villains. Seriously. I remember being in the theater as a young child, seeing him onscreen for the first time, and holding my breath in fear and excitement as he casually strolled through the smoke on Leia's ship as he boarded. It was totally silent in that theater except for the sounds of his mechanical breathing. WOW. Talk about making a first impression! As the series continued over the years, it became clear that Vader was a ruthless, terrifying character, but he had layers. He had not always been like that. Back then, I wondered what he had been like, before the cape, before the helmet. What made him like that?

Thanks to 'the prequels,' we all know that story by now. We all know better than to attack Obi-Wan when he's got the high ground. And we all know that young Anakin was led astray by a very powerful dark lord. However much you loved (or loved to hate) those movies, they showed the making of a famous villain. And to be honest, Anakin always seemed to be leaning in that direction anyway. He didn't need much of a push to go all Sithy...he was a pouty, arrogant, and angry young man, a perfect tool for the evil emperor. 

So why tell you that? Bear with me, I'm getting there. In Mage's Burden, you're introduced to a guy who's a villain in every sense of the word: Mordak. He's straight-up evil. An indiscriminate killer bent on domination, willing to sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. He relishes the suffering of others, finds it amusing, and causes pain as a matter of course. Insane enough to make a deal with a Daemon-God for power, fully knowing the price he'd pay, Mordak is a dangerous, ruthless, and mighty villain. 

But was he always like that? I think not. And I think there's a story or two that needs to be told. Many of my friends and fellow Star Wars fans were generally unhappy with how Anakin's backstory was depicted in the movies. Anakin was pretty unlikable, even when he was good! Mordak's tale is very different. It's tragic, exciting, and heartbreaking, from what I've seen of it so far. And don't worry...Mordak wasn't nearly as annoying as Anakin was. He was actually pretty cool. ;-)   

As always, dear readers, I'll keep you posted. This pic shows him as he appeared in the Fire of the Jidaan Trilogy. A master sorcerer, consumed by hatred and ambition, he's a bad, bad man. 

Want to know more about this Mordak guy? Check out The Fire of the Jidaan Trilogy! It's classic Epic Fantasy, written for fans of Terry Brooks, Raymond E. Feist, Robert E. Howard, and Dennis L. McKiernan!

E-BOOK GIVEAWAYS & BOOK FAIRS!!

Are you ready for more FREE books? Check out the Perma Free Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Paranormal event! 

 

If you're looking for other cool fantasy ebooks to read, check out Portal to Fantasy's Kindle Unlimited event, Summer is Coming! There are tons of different books available, all for FREE with your Kindle Unlimited membership! (Yes, the membership costs around $11/month, and that allows you to access millions of awesome books for no additional charge.) 

This one is still going strong, too...check out some kick-ass books available for purchase at the Too Good to Miss Urban Fantasy Book Fair!  

  

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Audiobook and New Forge Born Covers!

Woo hooo! At long last, the Audio version of Mage's Burden is available! I'm so excited for you all to hear it! Gene Rowley did an amazing job of bringing the book to life, and I found myself listening to the story as if I weren't the guy who wrote it! You can check it out here, and it's also available on iTunes!

Head on over to Audible...Mage's Burden is free with a new subscription!

In other news, I recently reread the Forge Born Duology and decided that those two books desperately needed new covers. Seriously. I'm quite pleased with the story and felt that it deserved better covers than those I originally had made. Enter Dar Albert of Wicked Smart Designs. The woman is magick, I tell you! Check them out...

If you haven't checked out this short series, of course I think you should! The fact that you're reading my blog hopefully means you're a fan of the genre, and this epic fantasy story is filled with action, memorable characters, and even a few laughs here and there. In addition, if you're a fan of the original trilogy, The Fire of the Jidaan, then you'll love seeing a few of the Guardians in their middle years: older, wiser, and still perfectly capable of kicking some butts! See if you can find my subtle (well, maybe not so much so) nods to a couple of my favorite 80's movies!

Another lacrosse season ends...

Ouch! My legs are telling me that they did a TON of running yesterday at the GCLA Invitational Lacrosse Tournament...but it was worth it! We joined with the Pearland Panthers and had a blast playing first Metro, then the North Stars. So...much...running. Even so, I was thrilled to be there. You see, I thought my season was over already. Then the founder of the league, Steve Mathiason, called us up to play, and I was beyond ecstatic to have another two games this year. If you know me at all, you know how much I love to play lacrosse. Oddly, I seldom watch it on TV, except for the Division I college finals in May. I much prefer actually suiting up and playing to only watching it onscreen. I'm far from amazing on the field, but I score now and then, win a faceoff or two, and generally try to play tough enough defense that our opponents have to work to get around me. They still do, mind you...I just want them to work for it.

I started playing lacrosse at Texas A&M way back in 1988. I played on their club team that year, and loved every second of it. When I transferred to Brazosport College a year or so later, I thought my lacrosse days were over. I was lounging between classes wearing one of my lacrosse team shirts when a guy passed by and said "Hey, nice shirt. Are you playing in the summer league?" As I think about it, I have to feel so grateful to that guy for that passing remark. I had no idea that anyone played lacrosse outside of college, especially here in Texas! I jumped up and started asking questions, and discovered that there was a big summer league starting up in Houston the very next day. Of course, I went. And I had an absolute blast. Moreover, I became acquainted with the Southwest Lacrosse Association, the men's club lacrosse league in Texas.

The closest team to me was Bay Area Lacrosse, a great bunch of guys who played out of Texas A&M Galveston, and I happily joined up. I still have VHS tapes of some of those games! Some of my buddies came out as well, and it was sooo much fun. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to run a team of my own closer to home. I recall that some folks were somewhat doubtful that I could start a team in Angleton, Tx, where so few people had even heard of the game. I posted flyers everywhere, called everyone I knew from summer league, and held exhibition games in Angleton in an empty field next to the Kroger. Folks drove from Kingwood, Klein, and all over Houston to play with us, and it was fabulous. I remember one guy (who ended up playing defense for us for years) who literally walked up in jeans and said that it really looked like fun. We slapped gloves and a helmet on him, pushed him onto the field, and he was hooked. Lacrosse is like that. Even if you don't know what you're doing, it's still fun! Before too long, I had enough enthusiastic guys to start our own team, and the Brazoria County Lacrosse Club was born!

We played in the SWLA for years. The league assigned us the team colors green and white, which I found fitting since both of the baseball teams I played on as a child, the Birds and the Braves, were green and white. And my favorite color is green, so, there ya go. I have so many wonderful memories of those days. It was around 1991. I was in my early twenties, all full of energy and enthusiasm. I just wanted everyone to have as much fun as I did on the field, and we had such a wonderful bunch of guys, we had fun whether we won or lost. And to be perfectly honest, we lost a LOT. That never stopped us, though. We kept showing up and playing our guts out. It was great.

It just about broke my heart when I had to stop playing. I had moved to Houston, gotten a new job, and was spending every spare minute training in martial arts so that I could open a school of my own one day. It was all too much, so I handed the reins of the team over to the other guys. I played a bit for a year or so after I moved, but in the end, I had to prioritize my activities. I hated to give it up, oh yes. But I kept pursuing my dream, telling myself that I would play again one day. When I finally did start Jade Mountain back in 2003, I was still working at an engineering firm...I had even less time! But I still missed it. I finally made a promise to myself that I would play again when I left my day job to run Jade Mountain full-time.

I'd love to tell you when that happened. 2006? 2008? I'm not sure, but I immediately called Steve Mathiason and found that Bayou City was playing out of Katy at the time. And they were green and white. It could not have been more perfect! I was back on the field! The GCLA was a newer league that catered more to the 'everyman' lacrosse player. We wanted a game a weekend in the spring, not cutthroat competition, but competitive enough for us to have fun. I've been playing with Bayou ever since, and it's hard to explain just how much I enjoy it.

Another year of lacrosse is done for me, though. I'll cherish the time I spent on the field, and look forward to next year. I may be a bit slower then, but that's ok, I'll just pass the ball more often!

Grim Undertakings is here!

Hey, folks!

It's finally done! Woo hooo! Grim Undertakings is finally available in both paperback and ebook at Amazon.com.  It's a slight change of pace from my epic fantasy series, but it's still full of action, monsters, and magick...and it's set right here in Houston!

Not all of the Faerie are sweet little Pixies. There are a few who do the dirty work on the side of the Light. Unknown protectors walk among us, gleefully using fang and claw and magick, leaving a bloody trail of vanquished evildoers in their wake. They are the GrimFaeries. If you are evil enough to try to tip the balance towards the Dark side, you might just get a visit from one. And they won't be leaving a coin under your pillow.

When Kane the Grim is tasked with finding a serial murderer in Houston, he discovers that there is much more at stake. Magick is afoot, and an evil sorcerer is behind the killings. When he rescues a witch from certain death, his new mission becomes clear: stop the bad guy before it’s too late. Teaming up with a witch who's as good with a gun as with her spells, they'll face monsters, magick, and M-16's, as they risk everything to stop the evil in its tracks before all is lost.

I love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and this is along that same vein. It's a fast, adventurous tale that's both modern and magickal, and I had a blast writing it. I hope y'all enjoy!

In other news, I'll be signing books at Katy Budget Books this Saturday, March 9, from 12 noon to 1pm! I'll have copies of all of my books, including Grim Undertakings, and I'll be SO excited to talk to fans and readers and pretty much anyone who wants to stop by. Come on out and say hello, I'd love to see y'all!

Whoops...it's almost time for me to run a SWEAT class. I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Hello, 2019!

Wow, I'm so glad to see 2019! In all honesty, 2017 was a really rough year. 2018 was a lot better, but still held its share of challenges (mostly left over from 2017). Now it's finally 2019, and things have settled into a different, but more manageable groove. The good thing about challenges is that they change you. When you endure challenging times, they often give you capabilities far beyond what you had before. I had to learn an awful lot to get through the past couple of years, and although I wouldn't have chosen some of those particular challenges, I can now be grateful for the new skills I developed as a result. Growth is uncomfortable, yes, but if you place any priority on self-improvement, you have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. It's definitely a process. Now, I look forward to taking the skills I've learned and moving forward!

This year, I 've got quite a few goals in mind. You see, New Year's Resolutions have never worked for me. By nature, they are built to fail. The first time you 'break' a resolution, it's easy to throw up your hands and say, "Well, now I've done it. I screwed up. Now I'll just go back to the usual." A dear friend told me about his own, alternative process for approaching a new year, and it really resonated with me, so I adopted it.  You're not asking for my advice, but this has been rolling around in my head lately, so I figure I'll throw it out there anyway. Instead of making resolutions, try this instead...

1. List ALL the stuff you accomplished last year. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it. Got a new job? List that. Completed a project? That too. Ran your first 5K? or 1K? Woo hooo! Anything that you did during the last year that gave you a sense of triumph and accomplishment, put that down. It can be big or small, just write it! Chances are that you'll be surprised, pleased, and motivated when your list is done.

2. Make some GOALS for this year. Not resolutions. Want to make more money? Put down a specific number. Trying to lose weight? Do the same. Don't be vague, put down something specific that you can shoot for. Think about all the areas of your life, too, don't let it only be about money or fitness. Want to start a new career? That's a good one! Think about what you truly want to accomplish this year.

3. Here's the step folks often leave out, and it's the reason for their defeat: Make a plan of action for each goal. Think about what you're trying to do, figure out how you're going to do it, and write down those steps. Make it realistic and achievable, something you can really see yourself doing on a consistent basis. Create a roadmap for your upcoming year.

4. Get started! You've got the goal, you've got the plan, now all you have to do is just follow the steps you made for yourself! When you stumble, just get back up and keep going. If your plan doesn't work, adjust the plan. You haven't failed..you've corrected your course! And slow progress is still progress, so as long as you're working consistently towards your goals, you'll see movement along the way. Just keep going.

I hate for people to hit this time of year with big ambitions only to feel crushed and defeated by the end of the first month or two. It doesn't have to be that way! Try this method and see if it works for you. Make this year your best one ever! You can do it...I believe in you. So get to work!

As for me, I'm working on an urban fantasy story that I started a long time ago. I let it sit for a few years, worked on it during Nanowrimo back in 2016, and then let it sit again. When I hit a snag in my latest fantasy story I decided to take another look at it, and now I'm finally closing in on its ending. I'm always too optimistic when I say things like 'I'll have it done by the end of December!'. As you can see, it's January, and it's not finished yet...but it's getting there. I'm having fun with it, and I hope you will too. I'll keep you posted.

Have a great year, folks. Make it your best ever.

#goals #motivation #newyearsresolutions #happynewyear #youcandoit #goalsetting