Taking a Break

Last week, my best friend and I took a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Long story short, it was everything I like in a vacation; beachy, Southern, relaxing, and just a good time.  I thought that since I have no news regarding the search for literary agents except that I’m still looking, I’d share some pictures from the trip!

This is our sand turtle.

I suffered a skinned knee, wrist, and swollen ankle for this picture. But there’s a baby dolphin, so it was all worth it.

Tacky Jacks is an Orange Beach landmark. If you go to the Gulf Shores, you need to eat here.

The Flora Bama is a famous bar/music hall on the Florida/Alabama border.

My personal tribute to the movie version of “A Walk to Remember.” Straddling the state line between Florida and Alabama, I’m in two places at once!

Fallen Hero

If you’d asked me a few years ago who my hero was, I would have been honest with you and said, “I don’t really have one.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in heroes.  I can think of several heroes; firefighters, teachers, mothers, doctors, pilots, etc… I just honestly could never think of someone that really moved or inspired me enough to call them my hero.

Then Josh Hamilton came along.

I’d always been a huge Rangers fan.  Ever since my Daddy first started taking me to games when I was nine years old, they were the only sports team I ever loved, even through the not-so-great years.  My first game ever, Rusty Greer hit a grand slam against the New York Yankees.  I was there when we won the 1999 West Division Championship.  I have a baseball signed by Juan Gonzales.  I.  Love.  The.  Texas.  Rangers.

When I first heard Josh Hamilton’s story, I knew I had finally found the hero I’d been missing. Not only did he play for the best sports team ever (the Rangers), he was very open about his love, not only for his family, but for Christ, and he’d overcome his struggles with addiction and substance abuse to become one of the finest hitters in Rangers – no – in baseball history. This guy was the real deal, a living legend.  Even though I’d never met him, I’ll never forget how proud I felt when, after one particularly awesome home run, one of the announcers stated, “The best hitter in baseball shows you why he’s the best hitter in baseball.”

No doubt about it; having Josh Hamilton play for your team was definitely something to brag about.

Unfortunately, when you turn someone into a hero, it only hurts that much worse when they disappoint you.  And that’s not their fault.  All heroes are human.  No human is perfect.

Josh Hamilton has had a pretty disappointing year.  From his complacent attitude and lack of effort at the end of last season, to signing with our known rivals, to the “Not a Baseball Town” debacle, it’s easy to see why his former fan base wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him make his grand return to The Ballpark in Arlington.

I’ll be the first to admit his remarks about Texas, the Rangers, and the fans ticked me off.  We loved Josh Hamilton.  We cheered for him.  We supported him through everything.  He was our hometown hero.  I’m not at all surprised that, upon his return to Texas, the fans booed him.  If I had been there, I probably would have been right there with them.

That being said, I think Rangers fans went too far.  I’ve read reports that fans said ugly things to his wife and children.  The abuse was so nasty that she had to call security.  I saw signs that taunted Josh for his alcohol and drug history.  Rangers fans chanted “Crack-Head” from the stands.

I understand booing Josh for the hurtful remarks about his former fans and for, come on, signing with the Angels, the one team in the world that Texans despise more than the New York Yankees.  Any former Ranger who signs with the Angels should expect to be booed.  Like I said, I would have been booing too.

But the attacks on his family and on his personal demons?  That’s going too far.  And maybe I’m a hypocrite for saying this.  It does kind of sound like I’m saying “This kind of jeering and abuse is okay, but the other is bad.  Don’t do it.”  But the world of baseball is a little different than the real world.  In baseball, opposing teams expect to be booed.  I’ve booed the Tigers, the Yankees, the Angels, the Oakland Athletics, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, CJ Wilson, Mike Trout, just to name a few.  If I ever met David Freese, you can bet I’d boo him for stealing the World Series from us (but I’d probably apologize, because, unfortunately, he is really cute).  Usually, booing someone in baseball isn’t personal.  But with Josh Hamilton, it is.  That would have been hard enough without the personal attacks on his family, on his little girls who were just there to support their Daddy, and the taunts about his past.

Before this series, I wanted nothing more than to see Josh Hamilton fail at the plate.  I have to admit, I’m thrilled that the Rangers won two of the three games, and ultimately, this series, against the Angels.  But instead of feeling like justice was served, that Josh got what he deserved, all I feel for my former hero is pity.

I hope for peace, both for him and his family, and I hope that the next time he plays here, the fans are at least a little more merciful.

Hate the team?  Fine.  Hate the player?  Fine.  Hate the person?  Not fine.  Never fine.

On that note, I hope the Angels fail miserably.

And go Rangers.

My Manuscript

Well, I finally finished my query letter!  I’ve got to be honest, I never thought it would be so difficult to write a one-page letter.  But, as a couple of my creative writing professors have pointed out in the past, I am a loquacious person.  Of course it’s hard for me to fit everything I want to say onto one page.

So, as I get ready to begin the whole process of querying, I’m still not going to give away too much about my manuscript, but I thought I could at least share a little more about it.

This is the second manuscript I have completed.  It is the first manuscript that I have edited three times over and allowed other people to read and critique.  These people include my family (of course), friends, strangers, and even my high school English teacher.  I have gotten a lot of constructive feedback, helpful advice, and words of encouragement, all of which I appreciate immensely.  

This idea is one that has evolved over the course of about four years.  I must have started trying to write it about five times before I finally found a formula, plot, and characters that really worked.   

There is one character in the manuscript that has been around since the very beginning.  He is the only one that never changed.  

The official word count is 78,631.   

A few years ago, when I was working on a different manuscript, I kept going back, reading it, and thinking that I didn’t like it as much as I thought I did while I was writing it.  I liked the characters, but there was no real point to the story, no conflict, no direction, and that always bothered me.  However, I’ve gone back and read my new manuscript multiple times, and I am happy (and a little shocked) to discover I always like even more than I did while I was writing it.  

I have already begun writing the sequel to this manuscript.  In fact, I had the sequel planned out before I knew what was going to happen in the first one.