Greetings, all!
HOLY FREAKIN’ CRAP, IT’S HOT!!!
Moving on.
Update on the new book
I managed to bang out another thousand words this morning, thus bringing my total so far to just under 30k. At this rate, I’ll have a first draft by the end of September, and a beta manuscript by Christmas. I say that, mind you, as this story grows like a weed every time I sit down at my computer. Seriously, when I first started this project, I expected it to be a nice, compact little 300 page scifi/alt history adventure tale. But no, it’s gotta run off and get all complex and epic on me… stupid imagination. LOL
Back to the matter at hand: I will take a break from writing next weekend so the Mrs. and I can vacay in the Outer Banks (OBX) for a few days. I’m really excited about it, too. That’s a part of NC that I’ve yet to visit and I hear it’s gorgeous. It’s also loaded with American history, and I’ll need that as research material for my next book… more on that in later blogs. 😉
Oh, one other thing. I found out last night that Smalls and I are going hand-gliding in Kitty Hawk on Friday so keep an eye on my Facebook page for photos after.
Trip Hackett, sports enthusiast
As any reader of The Mako Saga knows, my characters tend to be sports fans. Shocker, I know. First there was Mac, the Yankees fan. Then came Link, the Bronco, Hamish the All Black, Danny, the Dolphin, and Lee, the Buccaneer — all of whom cheer for Florida State because, well, that’s what good guys do.
So, where are the allegiances of my new guy, Trip Hackett, native son of the Tar Heel state?
Drum roll please….
Yep. My man is a Braves fan.
I know, I know. Most locals from the OBX area tend to support Washington or Baltimore teams, but hear me out on this. Right out of the gate, I knew I wanted the All-American element of baseball in this story. Thematically, it just fits, and when you read it next year, you’ll understand why. That said, North Carolina has no MLB club, which leaves me with two options: the Nationals (aka the Montreal Expos prior to 2005) or the more likely choice, the Oriels.
There’s just one problem with the latter: While the Os were solid during Trip’s childhood in the mid-90s, they paled in comparison to the Braves who were at the peak of their popularity with guys like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Chipper Jones. Add to that Atlanta’s accessibility back then (they were televised almost nightly on TBS) and LOTS of people outside of Fulton County, Georgia were Braves fans.
So, there you have it. My guy’s a Bravo.
Okay, so maybe there’s one more reason. *sigh* Fact is, a lot of my peeps back home still haven’t forgiven me for making Mac a Yankee. So there. We square now or what?
Ridiculously early thoughts on college football
With ACC and SEC Media Days having just ended, the time is almost upon us to start talking college football. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Like Christmas or Happy Hour or BOGO milkshake day at Cookout.
Coming out of ACC Kickoff, a lot of folks are picking Clemson to repeat as conference champs. And you know what? I’m good with that. They’ve got arguably the nation’s top player under center (Deshaun Watson) and a full arsenal of weapons at his disposal.
That’s the group, you’ll recall, that pushed Bama’s defense to the brink in last year’s national title game. They’re a great squad, deserving of all the accolades they’ve gotten.
Now, do I think they’ll be conference champs? No, I don’t. It’ll be Florida State, for three reasons.
- Reason 1: The Tigers’ defense is poised to take a significant step back this season due to heavy losses in the draft and graduation.
- Reason 2: Clemson will travel to Tallahassee this fall for what will likely be one of, if not the biggest game of the CFB season.
- Reason 3: In addition to home field advantage, FSU has two other things going for it: a defense tat’s expected to be ferocious and a generational talent at running back who’s healthy for the first time in a year.
It’s the tried and true formula, folks — a running game that slashes and a defense that smashes. Advantage, Noles.
It’s also worth noting that Louisville could be decent, provided of course that Bobby Petrino can steer clear of mopeds and co-eds for the duration of the season.
As for the rest of the ACC… eh, we’ll see.
That’s it, people. I’m off to that place that gives me money to play on Twitter all day. (No really. I’m in charge of social media.) Take care, email me anytime if you’ve got questions, and for the love of Pete, STAY COOL!!!
Cheers,
Ian
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