Intervals.

So it is my day off today, my favourite kind of day. I enjoy a lie in until around 11, get up and almost immediately head straight to the gym. Recently as I may have already mentioned, I've been considering a line edit of Maybe, misery by a professional editor and after much discussion with the awfully nice guy, I think it's a route I'm going to go down. He has made some very good points and I really want Maybe, misery to be as good as I can be.

All through this venture into writing I've constantly made mistakes but I'm carrying on and learning as I go. This means some changes that not everyone will like. The biggest being that there will be no release of Act III. Purely because if I'm to change the structure of the book, Act III might end up not making any sense. I've already decided that certain people who have purchased the first two acts on paper back and who have given me feedback will receive a free copy from myself... though I've yet to tell them and of these recent revelations.

So I've spent most of the day with that on my mind and generally lounging watching homeland. Checking fiascobook, I notice a story about how certain subways in England and Ireland are stopping serving ham due to religious beliefs. Now I'm one for treading fine lines but this is not some attempt to dig at different cultures. People who know me well, know I'm no racist... I'm just not a fan of humanity as a whole. We serve no purpose. The fact that annoys me is that I don't get my ham because of other peoples religious beliefs. Why the fuck should I suffer. I mean if your religion decides how you act, what you eat, what you wear and how you behave, you end up having no control of your own life. If religion were a man, he would be a dictator. And you do it for what? The promise of a place in heaven or other grand sounding after life's? You go through your whole life, living strictly by the rules your god has placed before you for something you've no proof exists.

I understand that some people need to believe in something... but here's an idea; believe in yourself! Turn off that television, put down that holy book and enjoy the life we don't deserve. I mean, you can't seriously believe we deserve a place on this magnificent planet that we constantly consume. We've been to space and there's no heaven there... just emptiness. I guess if someone told me as a child that if I grew up and followed a religious code, that I'd get to marry Scarlett Johansson in the after life, I'd be down with that... well until you took away my ham salad subway.

I apologise if this seems like a rant... it isn't. I just can't understand how people can let religion control their lives so such an extent were they're all just existing... waiting for the end to reap the rewards of submission and obedience.

Anyway, I decided a trip to my Nan's for a game of cards and a brew was in order so off I went on my bike. We chilled out for a while and she started telling me about her experiences with ghost, much to my chagrin... I don't believe in that rubbish either. I believe in what's right in front of me. There's only one invisible thing I believe in and that's oxygen. So I listen to her explain and I am smiling throughout. She knows I don't believe in any of it, but she doesn't care which is great. So I suggested she should write a book about her experiences and she has agreed. So I have decided to help my Nan write a book about her experiences with all things ghostly, with no sarcasm, no laughing or doubting. After everything my Nan has done for me, this is the least I can do.

Now I'm home, it's past midnight and I'm blogging away whilst I think about how I can re-structure Maybe, misery.

Good night world, (in the words of Frasier) thanks for listening.

C.S.Bailey  

The unofficial Maybe, misery soundtrack.

So, whilst I was writing, music was a very inspirational tool for me and I believe it always will be. I loved the idea of my book having it's own soundtrack and it helped me create the fictional world of my characters. So here it is; the extremely unofficial Maybe, misery soundtrack:

1. Maybe, misery - Quietdrive:
"Quite obvious this one to be fair, but it's a brilliant song and contains a lot of clever lyrics that pertain to how Talon feels most of the time."

2. Comes Love - Billie Holiday:
"I love Billie Holiday, as do many and this song sets up the scene perfectly. Two people, full of lust sharing a moment before an explosion of passion."

3. Burn the witch - Queens of the stone age:
"As Talon feels the burden of expectancy being lifted, this song would serve as a brilliant ego boost for him."

4. It makes no difference who we are - Celldweller:
"To be honest, this is just an awesome and powerful song yet, the idea of wishing on a black star and Talons desire for a son seem somehow connected in a minuscule way."

5. Floods - Fightstar:
"Mentioned in the book as Talons alarm tone, yet Floods is perfectly apt for describing how Talons life is about to be flooded with a family in the chapter Pain and Pregnancy."

6. Digital Sea - Thrice:
"Scouring my iTunes looking for the perfect song to fit this scene was a tough decision. As Talons interrogation by the Dreaded Lindsey takes place, I wanted a song that indicates how helpless he is."

7. Fire, fire - Flyleaf:
"Definitely one of my all-time favourite songs! As Talon and Fiona flee from disaster, this is a perfectly apt song choice. What you confuse for glories fire, is fire from the tongues of liars is one of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard."

8. Satellite - Guster:
"You're my satellite may be the best lyric to describe what Willow meant to Talon. She guided him from darkness and really was all that is good in him."

9. Banquet - Bloc Party:
"As Talon enjoys endures valentines day, this song fit in perfectly for his encounter with Harriet."

10. Entombed - Deftones:
"As Talon heads out into the unknown after being held up in Sam's lab, this song elegantly expressed Talons feelings of exploration and perhaps what mindset he is in."

11. Love song - 311:
"Bored with traditional wedding songs, I wanted a song that was heartfelt yet separate from the crowd."

12. Waking up - 10 years:
"My alarm tone for many years and a perfect song for Talons awakening."

13. Angel Falls - The killer and the Star:
"Though I earlier mentioned in the book that Willow was a fan of KoRn, it became known that she had a mostly awful taste in music with a few exceptions. I felt that if there was a transitional song that they could both enjoy, it would be this."

14. The Wreckoning - Nonpoint:
"As Talons story takes a turn for the violent, this energetic song felt perfect for his current proceedings."

15. Destabilise - Enter Shikari:
"Talons world has shattered around him, left only with anger leading the way, this song embodies how he feels, not because of the songs underlying political stance but the angst contained within."

16. Dance anthem of the 80's - Regina Spektor:
"I fucking love her voice, she's amazing. This would be one of Willows exceptions and I loved the thought of Talon enjoying her music but afraid to tell his wife, for the fear of being given stick. Especially with all the grief I imagine he gives her for her taste in music."                                      

17. Goodbye cruel world - Cold:
"Last but certainly not least, as Talons story comes to an end, this song acutely conveys a summary of his life."

I hope you enjoyed reading this... because it took ages :p

C.S.Bailey

The long weekend.

So I wake up at around 11 on Saturday, you'd think that was a lie in but it's not. I work nights on a Saturday, 10 pm until 6 am so it was actually going to be a long day. I can't say I did much to be fair, just lounged around doing book stuff and what not. just relaxing in general before my night at work.

I like nights but they don't half mess my body clock up, especially now I only do one. The time to go to works comes around swiftly and I set off on my uphill bike ride. Work goes fine, nothing fantastic happens and it's soon 6 am.

Getting in bed at around 7 am, I sleep until 2 in the afternoon. Now this is were the shit starts. I am a lousy sleeper, some people can fall asleep whenever they want but no... not me! I head to Nans and she treats us to a Chinese, we play starwars monopoly, cards and watch Motd 2 together. I bike it home for around twelve, jump in bed but I'm unable to sleep, just like every Sunday. It wouldn't be that bad except I had to be in work for 6 am on this Monday morning.

It soon becomes time to set off, just as I become sleepy. I survive through a shift at work that drags like hell, make it home and watch Game of thrones. As I type this blog, it's been 24 hours since sleepy time. I do this every week and not once is it ever fun!

Here's the main points of interest: 1. I may have found a proof reading service for maybe, misery. I said I was going to do it myself but if this is to be the only book I write, maybe I should make sure it's the best it can be. 2. Please don't comment on my blog with a load of bible extracts. I understand you want to promote a blog but don't spam me with religion; I am the least religious person in the world and I will continue to be. It's all just an uninteresting work of fiction to me and all you'll achieve is making me rant, though the latest offender didn't succeed.

Thank you for reading.

C.S.Bailey.

Bad weather, good day.

So I'm up at four as usual and the weather is shit. I decide I'm taking the bus to work, which is justified because I had planned to do the guild wheel with my cousins. It's a twenty-odd mile bike ride. I escape from work four minutes late which is unacceptable and pounce on the bus home. A woman also boards the bus who looks suspiciously annoying. I plug in my Ipod and listen to some Bloc party. I see out of the corner of my eye, she's answering her mobile phone. She's talking that loud that I actually have to turn my Ipod up full just so I cant hear her conversation! I actually feel sorry for the people without one.

I escape from the bus and arrive home. I head straight back out to the butty shop and get an English breakfast in a tray with no tomatoes, once again using the guild wheel to justify it. So I eat my breakfast and get on with some work. I check my emails and find that Eilis has sent me back the proof read version of act three. This is good news yet also sad news as it may be the last time we work together. Well I say work but she was really just doing me a massive favour. I'm going to miss nagging at her about how far along she is with the books.

So I then organise act 3 into a kindle ready format, just requiring a final read through then I finish both the act 3 cover and the full book cover. So all I have to know is copyright act 3, release then copyright the full book due to some changes/improvements and then release that. I've decided to release the full book because some people didn't want to buy it in three parts and I couldn't really get it reviewed professionally. It was a good idea to release it in three parts for me but unfortunately not for everyone else. I also promoted the free download of act 2 and my new website.

My cousin then texts me and informs me that it's heavily raining (my curtains were closed) and that do I fancy the gym instead. Of course I do, I love the gym... that feeling of power; who wouldn't and with 3 peaks less than a month away, training is a must.

We meet at my local gym and we enjoy a good two hour session, afterwards I convince him to buy my a salad and he generously does. We get our salads and sit in his fancy car for just over two hours, just chatting. It's fantastic that I have someone who I can just chat to continuously without feeling bored. We once got trapped in a car park for 9 hours and still we managed to keep each other entertained.

So it's ten p.m and I arrive home tired and sore yet in an extremely good mood even though I have to stay up all night, to switch my body clock to nights for just one night then swap it back to be up at 4 on a Monday morning. Good night people of earth, I hope you all had a great day.

C.S.Bailey

Sunny days and cider ways.

So it's 5.40 am and I'm stood at the freezing cold bus stop waiting for the bus only to realize that it's the bloody Easter weekend so the buses aren't running at their usual times. I rush back home, grab my bike and speed off to work already late. Luckily when I get there my boss see's the funny side of my ignorance for public holidays.

Work was hectic from start to finish causing me to finish two minutes late... Which never ever happens. It's my job, not my career, not my dream and I treat it as such. I don't ask for over-time, I won't come in on my days off and I do not enjoy talking about it. In fact whenever I go out to the smoking shelter for a few drags on my E-cig and the over colleagues are talking about work; I get up and leave. I mean, who talks about work, when they're on their break from work!

Anyway, I ride home and later go and see my ever loveable Nan who tells me she read the second part of my book last night. 1. I'm surprised she read it one night as she doesn't read much and its longer than the first part. And 2. Nan tells me that she thought it was really good. Now obviously the first thing that springs to mind is a biased opinion and it wouldn't be wrong, but considering she said the first part was "all right" this was a huge improvement. So I questioned her further and Nan said that she got in to the second part alot easier than the first which is obviously good but also crazy but I always thought the first part was the strongest.

Whilst I'm sat enjoying my brew, I'm texting my cousin about having a lads night and we arrange for him to pick me up in his fancy car and bless him he does, but not without innocent winging about "fuel not growing on trees." We quickly have a walk around the city centre so he can look at getting a new phone. Now I hate the city centre, it's always over-crowded and someone somewhere is always trying to sell you something or asking you for your spare change; like I assign a certain amount of money under the spare change category but going to town with my cousin; I actually don't mind. It's because he is the most entertaining person I know, I am forever laughing and smiling at the stupid, downright crazy and sometimes genius things he says. Also being an only child, he's the closest person I have to a brother.

We get to his house and crack open a couple of ciders whilst the chicken is cooking and we just sit in the sun talking, after chicken and vegetable wraps we have a few goes on fifa were I continuously beat him and then switch to COD where we both just die miserably and constantly much to our own amusement.

So today to say thank you I helped him tidy his garden a bit; not too much though otherwise he would of had me there all bloody day doing it. Luckily his girl friend had shown up to distract him. So he dropped me off at my Nan's where I had left my bike and proceeded to make my way home. Now I'm sat on my net book, half writing this blog, half staring continuously at the plan for my second book that may never see the light of day and I just wanted to say Happy Easter to all the people in our lives that make it worth while, or if your like myself and don't bother with Easter; Happy Weekend.

C.S.Bailey

First straw.

Well hello everybody,

I'm extremely new to this blogging malarkey as of this morning. It's most probably because I'm usually the one with the least to say. However since releasing my book, I have had a bit more to talk about and the fact that I'll soon be climbing three mountains in 24 hours.

I'm 26, unfortunately soon to be 27, 90% cynical and extremely opinionated, which leads me to remaining quiet most of the time. However I am honest (some would say too honest), so there will be no lies here.

I woke up this morning to a facebook message off a friend telling me that my author website has nearly been built... which is crazy! 1. Because it's been done quite quickly and efficiently and 2. Because I'm the guy that visits websites. Not the guy that has one of his own. Now, in this day and age, most people have one but not me... I have my facebook and a twitter (which I still don't get), I just use it to follow people who's work I'm interested in. My facebook is there for having most of the people I know in one place, not to air my dirty laundry. If I post on there, it's either something I feel is entertaining or about my book. I don't tell people what I'm eating, how many times I've changed a babies bum or that I need sleep. There's sharing and then there's boring people with trivial nonsense.

So anyway, I mentioned linking a blog to the website and he said it was a good idea to keep people up to date, so here I am. Obviously I'm not using this blog to only promote my book. There's nothing worse than constantly shoving what your selling in someone's face. I even apologized on KUF (kindle users forum) because I joined and instead of getting to know readers and authors, I just used it as a PR tool; luckily I soon learnt the error of my ways.

I will use this blog to keep people that are interested in my book, in the loop but I'll always try to keep you all entertained as well but I promise... Not once will I tell you what I'm having for my dinner.

I hope you all enjoy your day.

C.S.Bailey