Mulling The Second Thriller In This 5 Novel Series


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Today was the first day I really sat down and began to sketch out some of the second thriller in this five novel series. I had already done this some when it was the second half of a twice-as-big novel, but this was the first time I’d done it seriously as it being its own thing.

I know, in general, what it’s about — the love of one woman for a dead woman’s very alive baby — but I have to figure out the details of the plot. I’m really, really REALLY digging deep into my own personal history to flesh out elements of the plot. I’m just bleeding all over the page, as it were.

It’s all very personal and a “deep cut” into a very specific moment in my life.

But things are going pretty well at the moment. It’s a lot of fun to see how far I can get before my self-imposed deadline of a few days from now is reached and I go back to working on the first novel. It’s very relaxing to leave the first novel, which I’ve been focusing on with white-hot attention for way too long now — and turn to the other novels in the series where I’ve not been so fixated.

That’s one of the upsides of working on such a huge project is I can work on all these different books and still stay in-universe. I have to admit, though, that I have several other really strong concepts rolling around in my mind — one about global climate change I love so much. But that global climate change story is going to be a movie if I ever get around to doing anything with it.

I still need to do a lot of reading. It’s so frustrating, though. I’m so consumed with reading, developing and writing my own stuff that to pull myself away from all that to read someone else’s work is really tough at times. Or maybe all the time.

My Pitch For a ‘Civil War’ Movie

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Apparently, there is a Civil War movie being produced. Here’s how I would lay out the plot of such a movie.

Act 1
In the background of a conversation between a liberal mom and a conservative son is an announcement that the post-Election Day debate is growing tense.

Inciting Incident: Rather abruptly, things collapse across the United States as there is a huge debate about who POTUS is

The Heroine gets separated from her son in the chaos.
Second Act

Midpoint: the Heroine gets captured by Red forces

We see that tactical nukes have been used across the United States and the lights go out.
Third Act
The chaos of all of this allows her to get out her imprisonment.

The moment of truth is when she’s about to get murdered by Red forces — she’s saved by her son, who is now the leader of Red forces.

Trump Is Above The Law

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The following is an example of how Trump always says the quite part out loud — then NOTHING HAPPENS.

Scenario: How An Invasion Of Ukraine May Play Domestically In The United State States


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner


I love to run scenarios, so here’s one about how the American domestic political system might handle a major war in Ukraine. I think the first thing we have to appreciate is how fucked up America is right now. Much, if not all, of our problems with COVID comes strictly from how everything, EVERYTHING, is seen through absolute lens of partisan politics.

This does not bode well for what might happen within the United States if faced with the biggest land war in Europe since WW2. A lot depends on how long the war lasts. If it’s a quick “love tap” on the part of Putin that lasts only a few weeks, then the “rally round the flag” affect would last long enough that we wouldn’t really have any problems.

But if Putin is nuts enough to try to take a huge portion of Ukraine and the war begins to drag out for months or years, then all bets are off. It could be that the United States really is so divided that not even doing something as basic as defending democracy as part of being the lynchpin of the post-WW2 global order is something we can do effectively anymore.

It could be that the war lasts the more the two sides scream hysterically at each other like they do everything else and, well, we — and the Ukrainians — will be fucked. The United States will not only be barely able to help Ukraine, we’ll barely be able to do our job as part of NATO.

All of this, of course, would embolden China in regards to Taiwan. Then we might have TWO major regional wars taking place, which, of course, would be marketed as WW3. Then throw in the DPRK wanting to get in on the action by shooting of ICBMs and testing H-bombs and, well, things would grow very unstable globally very quickly.

I only say all of this because it seems as though the United States is so absolutely divided that there’s no one issue — not even one about life and death like a pandemic — that we’re willing to put aside our political differences long enough to address. Doesn’t exactly make me feel too secure going forward into a potential major war in Europe.

‘Rally Round The Flag’ — #Lyrics To A #Country #Pop #Rock Song

I needed to get this off my chest. I fear for my nation because we’re not going to do as is suggested in these lyrics should Putin invade Ukraine.
Rally Round The Flag
Lyrics by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Please give credit if you produce or perform

we’re divided as can be
they tell me
New Yorkers hate folks from the South
and Southern’s hate the Red, White & Blue
but I look across the sea
and what I do see
an opportunity for us to
rally round the flag

rally round the flag folks
time to rally round the flag
rally round the flag folks
rally round the flag
rally round the flag I tell you
rally round the flag
rally round the flag

keep the world safe for de-moc-racy
no time to argue
no time to debate
just time to celebrate
the power of Old Glory
she’s kept us safe all this time
’cause when in a pinch we unite
into a group of powerful states
out of one, many

rally round the flag folks
time to rally round the flag
rally round the flag folks
rally round the flag
rally round the flag I tell you
rally round the flag
rally round the flag

(brige)
old Mr. Putin thinks we’re weak
trying to crush Ukraine as we speak
he and his bear thinks we’re going run
when we hear a roar in the woods
but that’s just crap ’cause we’re going to
rally round the flag

rally round the flag folks
time to rally round the flag
rally round the flag folks
rally round the flag
rally round the flag I tell you
rally round the flag
rally round the flag

Developing The Other Thrillers In The Series For a Few Days


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Every once in a while, I like to switch gears and develop some on the other four novels. It’s a way of avoiding burn out and to move the overall project forward smoothly while staying in-universe. I’ve decided to do that for these few days in the late part of January, early part of February.

Now, a brief note on nomenclature. I doubt you could strictly call these novels “thrillers.” Though, to be fair, the last two novels — the ones that are the original first two novels I worked on for a few years — are the two that are meant to be thrillers. But none of the novels are strict thrillers, I don’t think. They’re meant to be fast paced, easy readers but…thrillers? I don’t know.

Anyway, I’m going to work on the second book tonight and tomorrow. It’s the least fleshed out at the moment. But I definitely know the ending and it’s really great. It’s ending was the original ending of a much bigger book that I cut in two when I realized there was simply too much going on and it worked far better as two books.

So, that’s one of several reasons why I found myself with five novels. But here I am — five novels to work on. And I’m not getting any younger. I’ve really got to hurry up and produce something, anything before I reach the same age as Stieg Larsson and promptly drop dead.

Each one of these novels is very strong as a conceit, but the issue is fleshing them out, giving them a plot and characters with motivation. My storytelling ability continues to get better and better, so that is what I hope — hope — will get me through the struggles I have a head.

But it’s easy for people who have been paying attention — all three of you — to poo-poo this all endeavor as just talk since, well, I’ve been writing about writing — and doing videos about writing — for a looooooooooooooong time. And, yet, I do actually have something I can show you if you get up all in my grill about it.

I have, in fact, finished something akin to a first draft of the first novel and am currently working on a second draft.

A Mother’s Love



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

So, here I am a middle age CIS white male…writing five thrillers which, at their heart, are about different forms of a mother’s love. This did not happen intentionally. But as my storytelling ability has improved, I have come to realize how important it is for each of these five novels to have, well, a point. So, as such, the first novel’s point is about a woman wanting to protect her only child — a teenage son. The other four novels have a similar theme — at least on a macro level.

The question remains if I can pull this off given who — or what type — of person I am.

But the emotional heart of these five novels is, in general, the love a woman feels for another woman’s daughter. That’s the thing that ties all five novels together. My aim is to wrap things all up in the fifth novel in a way that gives everyone a satisfying conclusion.

At least, that’s the goal.

It’s going to require a lot — A LOT — of work. But I’m pleased that I’ve pretty much figured out what each of individual novels is “about.” I definitely know what the first novel is about and I definitely know what the second novel is about. The other three novels drift closer into Stieg Larsson territory in the sense that they’re a lot more traditional thrillers. Though the third novel is something of an homage to The Shawshank Redemption — in a way.

This homage wasn’t intentional, but as I’ve become more comfortable about what the novel is about that homage becomes more clear. But I have so much work to do. I need to start speeding things up some. I can’t keep writing about writing and not actually…write.

The MAGA New Right’s Power Grab



by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

One reason why I’m growing ever-more alarmed about what’s going on in the United States is how insatiable the MAGA New Right is. They are demonstrably ascendant and will get everything they want via politics, and, yet, they STILL are angry and STILL see violence as a viable means to an end.

The need to create a white Christian ethno-state is white hot now within the MAGA New Right. They will stop at nothing to get it, even though they are obviously well on track to getting it through traditional political means. There is a spectrum to all of this, of course, with Traditionalists focusing more on both-siderism and “election integrity” and the MAGA New Right thinking that liberals are “forcing” them to radicalize.

So, as I keep saying, it definitely seems as though if there is going to be a Second American Civil War, it will be when Blue States — starting with California — get sick of the MAGA New Right’s bullshit and begin to leave the Union. Then the US Military implodes and WMD are seized and we bomb ourselves into the Stone Age with our eyes wide open. That, in turn, causes WW3 and then the question is, will humanity survive at all?

The key issue is will, when the real crisis comes in 2024 – 2025, will the center-Left simply fold? Is that how this is going to play out? We slip peacefully into autocracy without even so much a grunt? From what I can tell of my complicit Traditionalist relatives, they won’t stop at anything until the autocracy is here. They will, in fact, be the backbone of American Autocracy.

And they won’t give a shit until things get personal for them, specifically. In other words, not until I get snatched off the street by ICE agents — or name a weaponized portion of the government — will they sit up and take notice. But, by then, it will be far too late to save me.

Is Putin Right About America?


by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner


America is so absolutely divided at the moment that one has to believe that that division must be one of the things that Putin is using to weigh his invasion of Ukraine. And, just talking to my Traditionalist relatives, it definitely seems as though thinks are about to play out as I fear.

The American center-Right will grow hysterical about the United States having no business defending Ukraine, while the center-Left will grow hysterical that we absolutely need to defend them. How this would work out in real terms should there be a major war between Russia and Ukraine I don’t know. It will be interesting to see if the United States is just too divided to give Ukraine any coherence defense.

The fascist MAGA New Right is ascendant and one could make the argument that all Putin has to do is be patient. All he has to do is bide his time and by 2024 – 2025 the United States will either collapse into civil war or turn into a very inward looking autocracy that doesn’t give a shit about the outside world at all in the first place.

It’s definitely going to be interesting to see what happens. We don’t even know for sure that there’s going to be a war between Russia and Ukraine in the first place. I always get stuff like that wrong. So, it could be that all of this saber rattling on Putin’s part is just an elaborate ruse on his part to get attention. Only time will tell.

‘My Old Bones’ — #Lyrics To A #Pop #Rock #Ballad

Just screwing around. No one cares.

My Old Bones
Lyrics by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Please give credit if you produce or perform

feeling cold as can be
but my age sets me free
at least eventually
I’m ready to warm things up
with you if give enough

my old bones
aren’t too cold
my old bones
ready to rock and roll
ready to rock and roll
my old bones
my old bones

the older I get
the colder I feel
maybe we can heat things up
with a little bit of flirting
where it all leads I’m at a loss
I’m ready to be there by your side
me and my old bones
my old bones
my old bones

(bridge)
when I was younger
I felt warm as can be
no need to huddle for warmth
hugging you was for love
to keep the cold of pain away
now I’m just old and alone

my old bones
aren’t too cold
my old bones
ready to rock and roll
ready to rock and roll
my old bones
my old bones