On Surgery, Job Changes, and Writing

Hey guys!

So first off, good news. My son Marcus has just gone through the second surgery of his life about three weeks ahead of schedule, and now has a digestive tract that is in one piece. We ended up spending most of the day in the hospital with him. He was a little hungry because they didn't want to keep feeding him just before putting him under for a surgery, but other than that he was a real trooper throughout the whole thing. The doctors were pretty optimistic about his recovery too, especially since he didn't seem to need to keep the breathing tube in once he came out of it. So who knows, my son might actually come home way ahead of schedule.

We also got the chance to speak with his pulmonologist as well. He's going to be the guy that Marcus has at the CF clinic in Philadelphia for the first three years or so, which means he had plenty of advice and information for us. It was good to talk to him, and he managed to reassure us a lot about what was going on with Marcus and where we would be going from there.

In more good news, I started a new day job this week. It's going to be a good opportunity to grow and learn new skills, and they've already been really understanding and helpful for me, so I've been very lucky to make the transition. The job is also much more in the field I would like to go into for a stable, permanent career, so there's that upside as well. It's basically a wonderful opportunity that's come at a great time, though I will miss my old coworkers a little bit. Change always comes, whether we are ready for it or not!

Finally, Eagle and Broken Halo both seem to be doing fairly well. I've decided to continue the price promotion on the earlier books, at the very leas until the end of the month. The exception to that would be the German edition of Wolfhound, which is already back up to its previous price. Aside from that, I've been scraping out the time to write here and there, and hopefully I will be able to recover a little bit as things start to get back to normal.

In any case, I hope everyone is doing well out there, and I will see you around!

On A Successful Move...So Far

We made it! It was a frantic rush, especially near the end, but we've managed to get the stuff from the apartment all packed, the cars shipped, and the family flown to Pennsylvania, where we will now be working and living. Our hopes are that a change in situation will help encourage us in our efforts to both raise Sera and continue to publish. We have a new job up here that is offering a lot of opportunities we did not have in the emergency room, and I am hoping that a more consistent schedule might relieve a little of my own personal stress. But we will have to see!

In any case, as a quick update, the books are doing well. Wolfhound continues its march, and Kingsley seems to be finding its audience person by person. As I'm looking back on the move we just went through and the past couple of months, I can only be thankful for all the blessings we've enjoyed and the fact that in spite of everything, we've managed to pull it off.

Now if only we could find an apartment to rent...

On Employment

So as of today, I am once again among the employed. Huzzah!

Having a job is kind of different. It’s more a mindset thing than anything else. Writing is now no longer a priority so much as a hobby, and that is strange. I’ve grown so used to having to struggle so hard to focus on my stories that it is hard to break out of it. Fortunately, the pace of my job can be pretty intense, so that should help me to keep my eye on the ball rather than wandering in the corridors of my imagination.

Adjusting the expectations I have of myself is another issue I’m facing. I won’t be writing 20k words a week any more, and I probably won’t be able to divide my attention between various projects like I have been. At the same time, lowering my goals has left me feeling like I’m slacking off, which I’m not. I just have a different reality to get used to. Rather than having to fill up empty time with lots of work, I’m going to need to plan relaxation so I don’t wear myself out. That is new, but probably better for me mentally.

The job itself should be interesting and fun. I likely won’t discuss the specifics of it much, given how easily stuff can be taken out of context online, and I wouldn’t want to screw up my chances at such a beautiful opportunity to work just because I waxed whiney on my blog of all things. Suffice it to say that I was able to get a position where I was once volunteering, the people I am working with are fantastic and patient with me, and I feel like if I need to I could stay here for a while. That, and the emergency room is a pretty crazy place, but that’s kind of a given. :)

So yeah, no other news yet on my applications to med schools. I am thinking of beginning the application process to grad schools at this point, but an awful lot of my future career still depends on what answers I get back in the next few months. I’ll let everyone know when they finally come in, whatever they may be. See you around!

Jakeson

May Update

So it is May now. I’ve been looking forward to this month, both because it is time to start hearing back from medical schools at last, the time when I might start being gainfully employed, and the time to start considering where life will take me for the next year or so.

The job part has been particularly interesting. Over the past six months, I’ve been volunteering at a local emergency room, where I’ve been helping patients fill out forms, giving them towels, that kind of thing. One of the departments attached to that emergency room has an opening that I will be able to take advantage of, thanks to some of the kind friends that I’ve made during my time there. I should be able to start working there in the next couple of weeks, which I’m excited for in a lot of ways. First off, I’ll be able to feel like I am helping out the hospital a lot more than I could as a volunteer. Of course, the opportunity to actually earn some money rather than just rejection letters helps my perspective on things as well.

Speaking of rejection letters, there is still no news on the medical school front. That leaves me with four different medical schools, each of which I would love to attend, still able to either drop me or scoop me up at any time. While it is good news that I still haven’t been rejected, I really had hoped that I would have some idea whether or not I would still be living in Houston or going elsewhere by now. After all, we may have to move as far as the Great Lakes depending on how it turns out, and if I want to start the application process anew, that deadline approaches at the beginning of June—and I really, really don’t want to go through that again if I don’t have to.

In terms of my other options, Wolfhound is still collecting a few rejection letters. I’m not discouraged though; I still love that story too much to dump it yet. Depending on how med schools answer back and the schedule I get from my newfound employ, I am considering trying to attend a convention so that I can actually touch base with potential agents rather than sending blind query letters. The GRE, on the other hand, went extremely well, so applying to graduate schools may open more doors for me in the future.

So that’s kind of where I’m at right now. A little bit of limbo never hurts anybody, right?

At the very least, though, President Obama appreciates what I’m going through. Or at least, somebody who has access to his signature stamp does. I got a package in the mail the other day that pronounced me worthy of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. I got a certificate, a letter that was ‘signed’ by the president, and a little pin thing. I never know where to put those. Do you ever see some guy with an Eagle Scout pin or something just walking around? I guess that would be cool. It’s like a conversation piece you can wear!

In any case, I hope all of you guys are doing well, and I’ll see you around. Until then.