Month: September 2011

Today I am honored to have Zachery Richardson stop by to do a guest post for me.

Zachery is promoting his book:

About the book:
When you sacrifice the lives of your wife and children to prevent the world’s most powerful clan of assassins from unleashing the Apocalypse, what does that make you? And what do you do when you learn that it was all in vain? For Jin Sakai, that sacrifice turned him into a mere shell of a man, filled only with guilt and hatred. When he learns that it was a sacrifice made in vain, he instantly sets out on a violent one-man war to tear the assassins’ clan down around their ears. After all, who better to destroy them than the man who brought them together?

Things soon turn down a darker path as Jin uncovers the disturbing truth behind his family’s sacrifice; a truth he was never meant to learn. Undone by the revelation, Jin is consumed by doubt and confusion and very nearly loses his life. It is only later when he meets Leah Lawson, a woman with a past almost as dark as his own, that his doubt and confusion vanish and he begins to see a path that will not only lead him to his revenge, but to his redemption.

Unfortunately, there is far more going on behind the scenes than Jin realizes. Forces are at play that have been manipulating the course of his life ever since he was born. By setting out on his quest for vengeance, Jin unknowingly cements his destiny as one of the key warriors in the apocalyptic war that’s brewing just beneath the surface.

So without further hestiation please welcome Zachery to the blog.

What is a typical writing day for you? Tell us about a day in the life of you the writer, what’s your writing day like. Do you balance family and writing, or writing and a job outside the house, or writing, a job and family? What was it like for you to write this book along with your busy life?

It’s funny, because in thinking about how to describe my life, I’m realizing just how insular it is. I’m 22 years old, so I don’t have a family of my own to balance my writing with, but I recently applied for a job at my local Fry’s Electronics, so I may have to find a way to balance my writing with that.

A typical writing day for me usually consists of an early morning walk, an average of 5 hours of writing and 2 hours of video editing, playing some online games with friends, dinner and then sleep. I don’t usually get out a whole lot, so I like starting my day with a walk. The fresh air helps me keep my spirits up, particularly on days when I’m fighting with an especially difficult part of my books. There’s a nature trail close by that I like to walk through. Some of my stories get quite crazy, so I usually go there and let the peace of the place help me focus my thoughts and plan the chapter I’ll be working on that day.

On another note, I’m actually amused that this is the topic for my guest post because I’ve actually started doing a series of video blogs on YouTube called The Vlogging Author. I recently got a new high definition camera that fits in my pocket, so it’s fun to take with me and just film the different parts of my day. It’s one thing for an author to talk about their day with their fans. I thought it would be cool for my fans to actually be able to see my day. This is where the two hours of video editing comes from.My YouTube channel and vlogs can be viewed here and here, respectively.

When I’m done with my writing and vlogging, I usually hop on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft’s online gaming service, and play a few games with friends to unwind and have fun. The game we usually play is Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and it is amazing stress relief when my writer’s block decides to act up.

All in all, my life is pretty low-key, and even when/if I achieve the success I’m envisioning, I plan on keeping it that way. J