IT'S OUT!!!

Well that was fast. Not only is the book available on amazon.com right now, it is also on sale!! Ahhh. Now I can breathe again. A wonderful completion.

I want to thank my friends and family for their support, honesty, resentments, brutal honesty, and encouragement. I realize that writing a book at times becomes a group effort.

As a writer, it can be a solo effort. Unfortunately this myopic view of a story can at times make one miss the obvious. This led to a little rift between friends recently. When there are a many different perspectives, a story is greatly enhanced. For example, there was a part in the book where my character was telling bad jokes and John's character kept replying "Dud". My sister kept editing "dud" into "dude". No my jokes were to him a real dud. Now this is unusual because my jokes are always GREAT!!! In fact I am so funny I always crack me up!

Please join in the blog and let me know your point of view. Perhaps this book can simply be a work in progress - since the last revision went so smoothly.

Thank you all for your continued support and interest. Tell a friend.

Increased Demand

At work I haven't really promoted the Burn Ward Book. I wrote another book called "Crisis Management: Step by Step" which teaches people how to counsel themselves. However today I talked to one client about the paranormal experiences I had at the Burn Ward and how I just finished a book about it, and the client wanted to read it.

People on the most part appear spiritually dead. Well at least the clients I speak to on a daily basis seem to believe there is no God, or don't want any part in a God that allows such attrocities throughout the world. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I may feel the same way - no matter how much scientific proof is shown to me on the contrary.

Is there a God? Yes Victoria there is. I tried to paint a picture of Him throughout the body of the book - believe it or not. When life is going smoothly, who cares about God. When the Shi.. hits the fan, folks tend to rush to God - whoever He is. In a crisis they come to me for counseling. How bizzare is that? I used to run from the cops, take acid, and travel the country in the back of a van. Now I am looked upon as an expert. Well I am a doctor. However even to me it is pretty strange. How did this happen? Well, with God anything is possible. :-)

So my patients are interested, my family is excited, a few friends want to make a movie about it. Alright God - you've got my attention. Thanks for being there.

I Approved the Proof Round Four

Happy, happy! Joy, joy! The book came, looked great and now it is up to the printer. A maximum of fifteen more days before it is available at amazon.com.

What did I learn in this breif interuption period? Something major. How I am with myself, regardless of what is going on with other people, is extremely important.

It can be easy to get swept up into the feelings and atmosphere of others. I don't know how big time actors and people in the public eye keep themselves centered. It is a fine art. Wanting people to love and respect me had been an issue since I was a small child. "Mommy, mommy, watch this!" "Look at this!" But even as an adult I will often get back in that mode. "Honey, I need a hug."

Yes we are social beings, and none of us lives in a vacuume. I watched a show about this guy who tried to survive in Alaska on his own for three months. It wasn't the whether, lack of food, or physical struggles that got to him. It was the lack of companionship. There are those that can exist a nomadic life but I choose not to, or maybe only in one or two week stints.

We have a vacation home way out in the desert. I mean it is WAY OUT THERE! You have to drive thirty miles away from the closest town and drive down a dirt road to get there. But when you are there the beauty of the 25 acres we have, the beautiful home, and even the guard dog (who wouldn't hurt a flea), brings a sense of relaxation and wellbeing.

I often thought if my financial situation improves drastically, and why not? I am a doctor with unusual training and talents, it would be incredible to build a retreat out in the middle of nowhere for people to simply unwind, connect back into their soul, and rejuvinate.

Happy day, got to fly

Losing my Patience

Still on hold. Still waiting for the proof of my book. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to approve the book without seeing it so I can get the marketing process back on track. Thank God I have this rational voice in my head telling me to calm down and be patient. Without this voice I would have published a pretty raw version of the book and looked like a total loser. Right now I am only a partial one.

So I wait, rush outside when I see the Fed Ex truck, and get frustrated that it's not there. I feel like a kid at Christmas - "Where's my present?"

I got a crazy idea a week ago to begin writing a screenplay of the book. So I began chopping down the parts that seemed like they wouldn't translate on film. What a difficult process. How can I choose what to edit out? I think everything I wrote about is relevent but then again having the little league game and the frisbee dog segments in the movie doesn't really depict the essence of the house, the spiritual message, and the overall flavor of the book. Still I love those parts!

So for now, the screenplay is on hold until the marketing kicks in. There has to be some public interest anyway before a movie deal could ever take place.

This is impatient Scott signing off.

Renewing Faith

It is interesting what has transpired in this past week. I had relationship issues with my best pals over the book, faced my own issues of not being perfect, dealt with my own anxiety, repaired relationships, got reintroduced to God through my brother, then my clients, and suddenly today God returned with a long BUZZ. In the process my physical ailments have been healing incredibly. Who would have thought when the darkness of my soul returned God was close at hand.

I am in a profession where it is important to keep oneself in balance. How can you help people in a crisis when you are in a crisis of your own. And for me the crisis doesn't only show up emotionally, but it also shows up physically - in body issues, mentally - in my own torment towards self, and spiritually - losing my connection with God. Thankfully the close of this week is bringing all the above back in harmony.

I have chosen a life that see a lot of pain. How different than the carefree days of my youth that I began to write about. How great were the days when my only stress was from a curveball that barely missed hitting me on the high school team. Now I see people everyday that are paranoid, psychotic, in a rage, depressed and in a panic - and this is before I have even made it to work!!!

I find solace in my faith, a faith that began in the heart of the Burn Ward book. To be honest, this was the driving force behind my writing the book. The experience was too big for me to hold inside. I am sorry that my ultra honesty triggered some people because I wanted to portray what was exactly going on and the motivation behind my actions. This however is no excuse for writing heresay into some of the story which opted me to revise the book this week. Trust me the revision does not effect the heart of the book, the real story that is by no means fabricated one iota.

I laugh at myself to taking myself so seriously. As my dad says, "don't sweat the small stuff, because it's all small stuff." Yes and no. Some of the small stuff can lead to incredible growth, evolution, and spiritual awakening. We are all amazing inside - trust me. I even see the glow in those with severe mental illness. As Mother Theresa said, "I get to see Christ in all his disguises".

When the book returns to the shelf (so to speak) please recommend it to a friend. It was written to give everybody hope that God does really exist - even in the most unlikely places. Trust me, if God shows up at a haunted party house, He can show up anywhere.

Peace, and happy waiting.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth day everybody! This is the earth's birthday - so to speak. Johnny boy is having a field day with emailing me all kinds of earth day related material. Some things never change. John will always have a yearning to protect not only the oceans, but the air and land!

What have I done to better this planet? I recycle, walk instead of drive around my house, clean up after my dog poops, reuse construction materials in the desert, and like pee outside. I fail miserably on showering and brushing my teeth - often letting the water run too much. On this Earth Day I will make a commitment to cut down my water usage dramatically, though with it raining so much in the area water conservation has been the last thing on my mind.

Now if I found a job I walked to, grew my own food, had an electric car, and survived off the grid I would be living a Johnesque existence.

Something to strive for I guess.

Peace to you all. Still waiting on the proof of the book.

On the Upswing!

With all the repair work going on - with the book's quick revision, and working through relationship issues with my oldest friends (well they're not my oldest friends - they have been friends with me the longest), life is gettting back to normal. Though my life is far from normal.

I appreciate the repairing process. How horrible it must be for people that are trapped in resentments, in righteousness, and even in holding onto the label of victim. Okay, so we all have incidents in our lives - some horrible and need working through with a professional like myself, other incidents are, in the scope of things, a bruise to the EGO. But it all boils down to one thing - do I choose to feel happy. Taking it a step further - do I choose to forgive the person that hurt me? Taking it a further step - Do I choose to forgive myself?

I am choosing the high road. I choose forgiveness of myself and others. Wayne Dyer wrote about it being impossible to make ourselves feel bad enough to repair damage we've made. What is that going to do anyway? Of course I am not going to go on the exact opposite of the spectrum and feel fantastic after causing another person hurt, but beating up on myself is an option I will choose for a short time period, then I take the next step in taking the proper action steps in order to correct the situation.

It felt good to converse with one friend today after having a small scuffle recently. We have been close for far too long to let issues get in the way. How great is that? I wonder if other people allow their friendships to get heated and work to preserve it like we have. I feel this makes a strong connection since we've proven time and time again we are committed to each other. I guess over forty five years of knowing someone will do this.

I knew today was going to be great when it started with a prayer by my younger brother. I had slept over at my dad's the night before, and with my brother now a converted Christian, he is still on fire for God. During the prayer I felt it. The same buzz that happened during my meditations. This buzz I used to lead my life by. Now the buzz had been replaced by responsibility, rushing here and there, doing this and that project, and above all worry. I like and miss the buzz.

Wishing you all a glorious, buzzing day.

Dignity

As I go on this book writing oddessy, I am blown away by acts of courage, honor, and dignity. Yes, I have always known that I am not perfect, and don't profess to be so. Sometimes I have done and said some pretty dumb things and have recently righted a wrong of my own doing. The two principle people I have affected in my boner are coping, trying to work through the uncomfortableness of the situation and trying to put what I had omited to delete in the book behind them. How cool is that? To me this is the true sense of dignity. An error was made, efforts to repair the situation were made, appologies were expressed, and now we all move on learning our own special messages. I guess this is what life is really all about - trial, error, learning, hopeful growth, and ultimately becoming a better person.

I have a plan. To inundate my two friends in whom I hurt with daily appologies. Not many copies were sold of the book with the fubar included so we all feel good about that. So I figure in about five years of daily "I'm sorries", it should do the trick. Two days and counting.

The great news through all the growth experience is the possiblity of a person from, I think Random House Publishing actually editing the book and bringing it to the next level. A HUGE LEVEL!!!

You find out a lot about yourself and others when an issue presents itself. I learned I want to immediatly jump into action and repair things to the best of my ability. Therefore the book was taken off the shelf for a brief time. I also learned that my long friend communicated in a positive way how he was hurt and what his needs were. I learned from the other friend that it was going to take a process for him, but he was in healing mode. How cool is that? I learned how other friends are ready to rush in with axes flailing - like how the media can be if your hair is out of place or your nipple is showing through your shirt. **I just looked down to see if my nipple was out**

We live in a litigious society. I've been litigious in the past when I've felt friends or family have done me wrong. What I am learning is that we all fail, it's just a fact of life. I have failed my family, my friends, in my relationships, and with my commitments with myself constantly. Does this mean I am hopeless? Does this mean I should just give up? Of course not because my heart is in the right place. I do care about everyone. This is my fault - if it is one.

This book began as a Scott tells all story and in going about it this way some close friends were bitten. I feel down, climbed back up, and now it is time to walk taller knowing I did my all to repair what I could. - Is my nipple showing? -

Anyway, still awaiting the proof. It was Fed Exed yesterday and a special person will own this special token of my love for two dear friends.

Much love

The Shee is now Hitting the Fan!

The early reviews are in. Some great, some obvious (like gramatical issues), some painful. In recalling events so long ago and writing about them I have neglected one issue - the emotional element to reading about oneself or someone you have a close relation to. It should have been obvious to me that people may get triggered in hearing about situations in the dark past and bringing them to the light. I should have omitted a lot in the book and thought I had for the most part. The stuff about Danielle I didn't really edit much because of the mere fact that her character was so colorful and meaningful to me and the shock that I went through in yester year translatted perfectly in the book. Other superflous information needed a bit of sifting as I learned from some close friends pointed out. Therefore I pulled the book off the shelf for the time being, made the appropriate changes, had the book re approved and once again wait for a proof of the book for me to approve. Trust me, this is a great thing!

I learned a valuable lesson. The stories behind closed doors can include what I deleted, but for me to stain somebody's reputation without needing to in the public areana is unfair and I am glad I took the references out. Now if you are in my close circle, this wouldn't be an issue. For all the world to see - it's better to let the overall story be told and not an insignificant fact having no bearing on the rest.

To those that were offended - and you know who you are. Again I am sorry. A thousand appologies to you all. I think I am on my twentieth already.

So for the rest that have ordered the book. It should be available in about a week. Keep monitoring Amazon. Trust me. Even with this one paragraph omitted, there are still 408 action packed pages ready to entertain you - according to my friend who got upset. He still LOVED the overall book!

Happy reading and happy blogging.

Hello Book Fans!

The buzz is building, let's see where it goes to. Still awaiting my first reviews but have heard from friends and names from my dark and distant past. A bit awkward. I am kind of baring my soul and the naivety of the past. Yes it was a long time ago, but I, at the time made these ridiculous decisions that made me stumble into a very unique experience only observed by a lucky few.

"Darryl is still in hell." John laughed the other day.
"Dude, can Dave even read the thing?" Michelle laughed.
Dave won't even talk with me now. He is stuck in text mode on the phone. Any time day or night Dave will fire back a reply. So now I am going to call him Digital Dave.

Still floating about the close encounter with Ray Bradbury. All John talks about is sending the book to influential people on T.V. for them to give a read and a plug. I need a budget to do this and hopefully will recover from the soar anus Uncle Sam gave me this tax season. Trust me, it is hard to remain seated I'm hurting so much. Maybe I should seen the house ghosts to the IRS? Yeah!

Happy reading, can't wait for the responses.

Back to Normal Life

Well after the initial buzz, it is back to real life. Until I recover from paying the government all of my money and my renter bounced his check to me - I am hurting. All thoughts of buying a ton of books and having a book signing has been put on hold until my finances can rebound. The good news - I have a book out! How cool is that? Plus I sat down with the writing God - Ray Bradbury!

Now all thoughts are focused on projects at home that have been put on hold, and trust me, my fiance' has a back log of them, starting with gutting the kitchen and putting in new cabinets and range. I'm glad that she has a budget - right now I sure don't. But here we go again. I just finished two huge jobs at our desert property. A flagstone path that looks great! And, I replaced a broken slab floor in the living room, and tiled over it to perfection! Obviously I appreciate my own efforts.

So as the eyes begin to explore the book I am grateful I am busy. It takes my mind off of worrying about my writing skills. I hold tight to what my sister said after she edited the book: "I want to meet everybody in the book!" Obviously I had developed the characters enough for her to connect with them.

As I drove to work today I began to make connections with my book and Harry Potter - my favorite all time series - Sorry Mr. Bradbury. Mitch was similar to Malfoy and Mickey to Voldemort. Okay, this is a bit of a stretch but it did cross my mind. Maybe Johnny boy is really Herminey?

Happy reading

The First Returns

Now that the book is available, a stir is beginning. I am hearing from family, friends, and all wishing me well. I forgot about this fringe benefit. I am the type who burrows through a project, focusing on the task at hand and often will not contact people I adore for long periods of time. I do this, have done it for years, and probably will keep on doing it because I am a task oriented guy.

The first reviews are interesting. My friend Mike got angry because he didn't recall an argument we had towards the end of the book. I explained to him, it was probably the most life changing event I've ever gone through if you continue reading. In all actuallity he was skimming through the end of the book and noticed his name written down.

Yes, I probably will trigger a lot of people who were depicted in the book. A tell all book tends to do that. However these were events 30 years ago! I for one am not the same person I was back then. Life experience tends to change you. I even cringe about the ways I handled things way back when.

I talked to my mother about this a few days ago. I tended to show her in a not too favorable light. She was taking the high road - as she normally does. "It was a long time ago, a lot of learning has taken place after this period, and currently we have a great relationship." Right on mom!

Again the toughest part of focusing over and over again on this time period was having to remember the same old issues continually through the rewriting process. Try writing a book, no stone is turned over. I feel exposed, and those who still matter to me to this day are also exposed if you know their first names.

So I guess ridicule comes with the territory. My mother and now Mike are happy with me once again. Both can find their centers rather quickly - thank God. But this was a story I was compelled to write, took the effort to do so, and now I am just waiting for how people I do not know receive this tale.

Peace to all.

RAY BRADBURY

For years I have been compelled to meet up with my former neighbor Ray Bradbury. I grew up across the street from the Bradbuy's and because my family was afraid of him, I was elected to bring him holiday gifts and other communications. I WIN! I got to hang out with the greatest guy ever! He talked about love, about passion, how he got his first break in the industry 55 years ago, and above all - how to write.

It is Ray's fault that I have this passion for the written word. It drives me, I get excited about doing it and thinking about it while I sleep, drive, Kayak, and work. Then when all the distractions are gone, I get busy.

Yesterday I payed homage to my hero. I drove to his house, praying he still lived there, and with new novel in hand, headed up his familiar stairs. When I saw some outgoing mail with his name on the return address I knew I had struck gold.

Ray was more than happy to see me. It had been fifteen to twenty years since we had interacted. He was tickled pink that I was not only a writer but a doctor who's job it was to help people better themselves. I heard the familiar stories again, was saddened by the passing of his wife - a joyful being - a few years back, and laughed about how his daughter had the hots for me. Classic Ray!

Ray still has that passion for writing. Still talks about the healing power of love, and was amazed with not only the book subject, but also Mike Browne's artwork. If he reads the book, which I doubt, it doesn't really matter. Just telling him about how he impacted my life was reward enough. As you can tell I have a sacred bond with him and always will.

As I floated back to Earth the rest of the night, reliving our interactions of the past and present, wouldn't you know it that the book became available for sale. What a great Christening process! When old school meets paranormal meets new.

Ray is into aliens, spirits, and the power of love - perhaps he will read the book.

Happy shopping all!

The Buzz is Starting!

I have begun to get the word out about the books upcoming release - probably in a few days from now. Already there is an energy building around all the folks that were involved in that time period. The first question they ask me is: "Am I mentioned in the book?" The second question is: "What name did you use for me?" Of course I've told them their real name is in print and all involved are happy about that!

Now comes my test. How do I deal with my anxiety? Of course it is a book and a few characters might be combined with others. Of course I have fabricated a few time lines, just to keep the story flowing properly. However, as for authenticity, the book is pretty damn accurate - especially when it comes to the paranormal.

I've looked for comperable books on the market about the subject. Most are fictional novels depicting how evil always triumphs. A bunch of hog wash if you ask me. We went to battle as you will soon learn and we are still surviving today - thank you (or God) very much.

So let's see how the book is received. I am starting to count the minutes to seeing the icon on Amazon.com.

Happy reading - I have a feeling it will be out tomorrow - friday the 9th.

Peace

Things are Brewing

Ready or not here comes the marketing campaign. If the book signing thing works out, who knows, I may opt to leave my day job and focus on my passion - getting this book out and focusing on other creative projects.

I have a friend that works at a radio station and let's see if this contact blossoms to air time for yours truly. The game may be a possiblity. Other writing projects are well within the rhelm, especially if I want to turn this book into a movie.

Do you see what I do to myself? I have been pushing to complete this book and once it is done have begun to push in another direction. I wonder if I even remember how to relax and go slowly anymore?

I need to ponder this question for the time being. What I do know is that I am excited about making a change, this book, and the reaction people will have to it. I anticipate big things happening soon. Thank you for taking a key part in it with me.

Peace

Is it really Seven Thirty?

Good evening everybody. Not a day goes by without my wondering when the Proof will show up. All systems on this end are go. I can't wait to have this baby out in the public already.

I am in great spirits, especially coming back from my vacation home in the desert. I finished a number of projects this weekend, the largest was the flagstone path from the gate all the way to the back door (our front door actually) after over a year is finally finished!

I guess this is a time of completion. Many loose ends (the book, the home in the desert, and even my taxes, are all complete. There is a feeling of accomplishment with each. And like a giant weight that has been lifted off my shoulders, I eagerly await my next challenges.

Today I got rewarded. One of the administrators at work asked if I wanted to get a massage this afternoon. For free? Why of course. So I was nice and let an intern work on my back in one of those new fangled chair gizmos they didn't teach me about when I went through massage school. How great was that! Just after a weekend of hard labor what could have been better? Well if you asked this question to Mike or Dave they would have probably asked to be fed at the same time, for the massage therapist to do the massage topless, and probably the Psychiatrist at work would have asked for a happy ending as a joke. But for me, it was just the thing I needed - though food at the same time would have been cool.

I have a feeling that the book will be waiting for me when I get home in about a half hour. So happy evening and we'll blog tomorrow - God willing.

The Game Revisited

As the date for the Ipad approaches I have been focusing on creating the Burn Ward Game for it. Oh my God have I had myself in stiches! Yes I can really bust me up! I think it's a family trait because for years my grandmother told me she kept herself laughing all of the time - bless her soul.

The main elements I have been thinking about is:

The rat shoot - Yes, we had rats and the Beebe gun kept their numbers way down. Why not make a game out of it?
The Keg toss - Okay so I tried to carry a keg down our driveway, dropped it and it rolled into the house - why not make fun of that too?
Minors darts - since the power continued to go out, we used to strap flashlights to our hats and continue games this way. I hope my buddy Mike can artistically portray this.
Caps - We used to sit people in two groups facing each other with half filled beer cups in front of them. If you were able to fling your cap into a person's cup seated in the group facing you, they had to drink. Imagine what this game was like with a Ghostly influence?

Needless to say, I've got a slew of other ideas, including one with a police car.

Stay tuned.

Book Signing

In creating a book, it has always been my dream to have a book signing event at a local book store. How cool would that be? In creating a project from blank page and ideas galore to ultimate product in your hands is an amazing process! Akin to giving birth - I'm sure. Actually that describes it fairly well. Years ago I grew up across the street from Ray Bradbury the science fiction writer - you know Farenheit 451, the Martian Chronicals, The Illustrated Man. Mr. Bradbury instructed me years ago to create characters, create a scene, and let the characters bring the scene to life! Thank you Mr. Martian! This worked! I wrote a technical how to book about self counseling techniques, but this new book is a novel and has characters that bring it to life!

So with book almost in hand I am dreaming. I would love for all the characters in the book to gather together for a celebration of who we all are and who we were! If my one fan who reads the blog has any suggestions, don't hesitate to reply.

Peace