Genesis of a project

For some of the potential readers, they will be puzzled, curious to where the idea of this novel came from. I have given it some thought and have come up several factors to my thinking process of why this novel came to be.

1) My November 2010 car accident
There is no way around it, I have to start here. Three days after completing my first novel, I got into an accident that could of claimed my life. I walked away with the smallest of cuts and a shaken feeling in my gut.

That could have been it. And that horrified me greatly. Not just the dying at 23 part, but the fact I wouldn’t have much to show for it. I mean there wouldn’t have much to say in my obituary.

That night solidified quite a few things for me. The biggest thing being that I had been given a second chance and I sure as hell couldn’t waste it. Ironically, if I hadn't had the accident, I probably wouldn't had such a fire under my ass to get another book done and publish it. So it was a blessing in disguise I guess.

2) 2012 and Harold Camping May 21st group.
Yes, most of are pretty sure the whole Mayan thing is bogus and there is plenty of evidence that nothing will happen on December 21.

You could have tried to mention that Harold Camping and his followers. That whole media circus happened a few weeks before I started writing the initial draft. Rational people knew it was bogus and Camping predicted wrong twice last year.

The whole thing got me thinking though; if they had been right, and we only did have a few days, how would a person spend it really?

3) Change of genre
My friend Kenobi/Romulus over discussion called the novel “An anti-doomsday novel” which in a way is correct. I purposefully show little violence or rioting or anything like that if something like this were to occur. Though it may had been through rose tinted glasses, I thought to myself; if you weren’t in the middle of that madness and you had a limited amount of time to fix something, what would you really do?

4) The film Last Night
I didn’t realize it until later, but my idea had been done before (kinda) in 1998’s last night that deals with a group of people on the last day on earth before it ends. While it does have some darker elements, it and my book are somewhat similar dealing with different people doing different things with the time they have left. One guy just wants to have a lot of sex. One wants to listen to music. Another just wants to get home to her husband. It shows a world that is about to suffer the end but without the usual Ronald Emmerich fire and brimstone destruction fiction writers like to imagine the world as.

5) Time
Time. We always think we have plenty of it and we don’t have to rush things.

Wrong again.

As previously stated, my near death experience drilled into my skull the universal truth; that nothing is guaranteed. So really, that is the point of the book, the message.

DON’T WASTE TIME.

Seriously don’t do it. Don’t waste time and especially don’t waste the time of others (now my #1 pet peeve). Do things, live, experience, love. Live without the hesitations. Don’t hesitate going on that trip to Tibet. Tell that boy you love him. Eat that food you’ve never tried because we are here for only a moment.

There might not be an end of the world scenario but tomorrow is never guaranteed. Do you best to live right by you and create the world you would want to live in.

Now even as I say this, I am not perfect when it comes to practicing what I’m preaching. But I’m trying. My eyes are open to the possibilities. I hope the same for you.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.