Plain Runner

Five years in the making… I am excited to announce my first novel, "Travel By Star" is available today in paperback (details in the replies). Inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis and Louis L'Amour, it is a story of fallen days and homeward hopes. Of sons adrift, and prodigal daughters. And what it takes to find the way back. Many good friends, both in in real life and here on X, have helped bring this book to completion, but I want to especially thank my editor and layout designer @JohnBLeonard for his faithfulness and friendship. A lot of life has passed since we first began. We are finally here, brother. I also want to thank once more my brilliant cover artist, @BarbaraBrendt. She showed me what these characters could be. More than that, she believed in me. I am forever grateful for her talent and her kindness. I only wish I could write faster so that I might be able to work with both of them again. Sincere thanks, as well, go out to @HeidiAHill1 and @KingAriPress. They were among my first writer friends in the world of social media and I was blessed to happen upon such steadfast encouragers. To everyone else who has befriended me here, offering timely advice, or a gentle query, or a friendly jab in the side - and to those of you who gave your time to my short stories - you are deeply appreciated. I hope you enjoy this story (at last). More than anything, I hope you come away from it resolved to fight your own good fight, and to run well, even into the sunset, knowing its light will reach back to draw you on. Thank you, all, truly. To the City!

@_kylemetz @crochet_mom314 Thanks, Kyle.

@crochet_mom314 @plainrunner2 It’s a fun bullet

I bit the bullet. @plainrunner2

@katesylvanwrite No, I was already sold on Reeves after Point Break and Speed. I've always liked him. I have no issues with the film... as I mentioned elsewhere, it's a good actioner and visually cool, but it never really got to that deeper level for me.

@plainrunner2 It was *really* good... (I was 28 with hubby, a toddler, and a business), and wasn't even into sci-fi all that much at the time. Just fantastic storytelling and amazing special effects. Keanu might not have a ton of range, but he is exceptionally good in Matrix and John Wick.

I was the prime age (24) when this came out. All my friends were over the moon. I even loved Keanu Reeves. For whatever reason, 'The Matrix' never spoke to me. I suspect it's because by that age, I had a wife, one child with another on the way, a mortgage, a full time job, and I'd already come back to my faith.

@Rosie_Gamgee_ There's uncool people, too, but I've never let that stop me. 😜

Oh hey there's cool people on my tl! Hi cool person!!! It's nice to see you again! ☺️💜🎉🦋🥂🎈🥳

@sligernation @crochet_mom314 Thank you, Sir!

@crochet_mom314 @plainrunner2 It's awesome

@WritesCole True. I'm also distracted and tired, but at least one of those I can fix.

Basically, you’re afraid. And so am I. Every time I hit ‘Publish’, every time someone asks about one of my books, and every time I fumble my way through a difficult scene. So I get it. I’m not calling you a weakling or a fool, because I’m right there with you. But you gotta name it. It's fear.

@crochet_mom314 @whodamoose I shall temper my expectations, should it go awry. Nevertheless, I hope for obnoxiousness.

@plainrunner2 @whodamoose Fair warning: If I like it, you can be prepared for me to be VERY obnoxious about it.

@crochet_mom314 @whodamoose Thank you. And thank you again to Matt for this bright spot on X. 🙏

@whodamoose @plainrunner2 I figured anyone who so consistently gets nominated for "post of the week" is worth a read.

Thank you so much, @crochet_mom314. I hope you enjoy the read!

@MichaelFKane @kjgillenwater Fair. I suppose I will be happy with not having to change. That's something.

@kjgillenwater Standard time, you nitwits. It's right there in the astronomy and the biology and the history. You know, the places they ignore. 🤦‍♂️

Lord help us all.

My heart goes out to you. I lost my mom 6 months before I published my first (and currently only) novel. It took everything I had just to get past the finish line. During that same time, my oldest moved out of state and my youngest finished college. This past year has been all about presence for me, and in some ways I think the back to back job scare and health issues of the past several months were God's way of reminding me that the next book gets there when it gets there. 🙏

So, I figure it’s time for a writing update. Am I working on something new? Yes. Is it in the Orders of Magnitude universe or Dark Legacies? Yes. When will it be out? I don’t know. It’s been a slow period for writing. Something shifted since losing my mom last year. A greater need for presence. My 5am writing sessions became 5am walking sessions. Instead of scribbling down words every spare second I have, I apply that time to my kids. Watching them, being with them, so they can’t age quite as quickly before my eyes. Plus generally pushing my body harder to remind myself that I’m still alive. It’s been good. I have an outline and some words. It’s dark. Probably the darkest thing I’ve written. I suspect a necessary transition through this tunnel. Maybe fall will accelerate. For now I’m focused on now. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot. — The road was without end. Like the War, inexorable. When the decision had been made, absent the blessing of his superiors, Father Aubry set out from Rome with haste. Driven like a hatchling turtle across a vast and barren beach back to the sea. An invisible horizon. He swept through the eastern front, skirting the edge of oblivion. Turned north by impenetrable storms boiling black and purple across the full span of the sky, then west again before circling back the way he had come. Winter came and went and came again, though the seasons differed little. A dozen states, most vassals of the resurrected Holy Roman Empire, the others free only by virtue of their dissolution. Few met him along the way. The road was empty, save for ash. Fifteen years into the War, most had retreated to the places of their birth and inevitable death. Travel was rare, except when the border shifted. Great, flailing stampedes, followed by breathless still. And marauders, who thus far had been wooed by the silver around his neck. He avoided the large cities and their black towers. Their chaos. The stink of too many bodies crammed together in artificial commune that carried on the perpetual wind. Hamlets, villages, single estates tucked deep from notice—these were his territory. Another would reveal itself soon enough. And with it, another lost soul… — Until then.

Just a reminder for those of you who've read "Travel By Star" and celebrate Christmas in July.🎄 This story is not a take it or leave it side quest.

@kjgillenwater I will own that I only watched the show. Didn't have a lot of books as a kid.

Question: Did boys actually read Laura Ingalls Wilder books? I cannot remember a single boy I knew who read them.

@Mod2Severe Yeah, I loved it. I'm early on this one, so we'll see.

@plainrunner2 The original Scott version was so beautifully shot. A remarkable film from start to finish.

@kjgillenwater Hmmm... I'm only two episodes in. Thanks for the heads up.

@plainrunner2 Started out good, ended up a mess. The story had many holes. I wanted to like it more than I did.

@annielcrawford A number of years ago, I bought one of his books on the recommendation of a site I no longer frequent. Realized something was rotten in Denmark pretty quick thereafter.

“That premise has the makings of an interesting book. Unfortunately, Smith did not write one.” 🔥🔥🔥 I have long been wary of JKAS and anyone else who builds a theology on distinguishing between truth and love.

@Vvajk Interesting... I think I could probably attribute 80-90 percent of my sales to the mutuals and related recommendations from X. This is my only social account, though. I have a Substack, but only use it as a landing pad for my novel and the occasional short story or poem.

As far as I’m aware, my X account has never generated a sale. To be fair, I don’t use it for marketing. But even if I did push my books on here, I’m extremely dubious that it would result in success. Paid advertising is about the only thing that’s ever worked for me.

@Misterdpriley Oh, I know it. I'm not looking for rescue, but I do think it's a glaring oversight in terms of those who consider themselves influencers.

@plainrunner2 As much as I like where your head and heart art, and do my best to do this for books I've read that are worthy of promotion? The age-old adage remains true. No one will come to your rescue, save yourself.

This one really speaks to me. Not that I'm a brilliant author (I can punch my weight), but that the self-publishing route is so heavily dependent on building a following via platforms which are engineered to be all consuming. We talk a fair bit about patrons from a monetary perspective, but really, what an author often needs is someone who simply believes in their work and can highlight it. Here's the thing, though. It has to be genuine all down the line. The author has to do the work and produce something worthy. He or she has to build honest, organic relationships that are saturated in mutual goodwill and are not purely mercenary. There has to be patience and persistence, but also grace and the ability to roll with the downturns. The simple fact is sometimes Joseph gets forgotten by the cupbearer, and we have to be okay with that till the time is right. The idea of "chasing influencers" always hits me wrong, because it seems to set out from a place of using people. At the same time, good people on this platform or anywhere else who have been blessed with influence can be really helpful to those who are trying to fight the good fight by bringing beauty back to the fore.

@crochet_mom314 @whodamoose It's quite possible I bribed the founder of this contest with cookies.

@whodamoose The baked goods posts were on fire this week. Two bucks says @plainrunner2 ends up running against himself in the final.

Here is last week’s Ideally Official Post of the Week winner, authored by @2ProbablyNever 🥳 Don’t forget to check the thread below for this week’s PotW prelims, there’s four head-to-head matchups to determine who makes it to the finals!

@whodamoose @ChristyLaMonde You're killing me with these!

Matchup 2: @plainrunner2 (again) vs. @ChristyLaMonde Here are the nominated posts, poll is in the next reply: