Sequels or subsequent parts of the same tale can be a real challenge.  The second book in my “Night” or “Gomer Wars” series was easy to write.  The rhythm was seamless, and the work itself came along very quickly.  I am now deeply into the throes of writing the third book, and life has conspired against me.  Just when I hit a rhythm, something outside (like my day job) will consume just enough time to keep the rhythm just a little harder to maintain.  I wind up re-reading the preceding portions to regain the rhythm, which takes more time from the actual writing process.  This process then increases the overall amount of time spent working on the actual book.  The upside is that I am getting more editing done on the front end, the down side is that it is just taking longer.  Still, since the second book isn’t out yet, it would seem that I will have MORE than enough time to get the third one finished.

Excitement is where you find it.  In my military career, the excitement, while extremely intense at that moment, would be short lived in the grand scheme of things.  The old adage of “hours and hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of sheer and absolute terror”, seems to sum it up quite nicely.  As you might guess from my books, I have over 2,000 hours of flight time, and I can attest to both the hours of boredom and the seconds of terror.  Still, there is absolutely not a thing I would change about that past.  If anything, I hope it injects that touch of realism into my writing that will make it a fun read for anyone picking up the book.

My “day job” is the practice of law and my writing consumes much of the rest of my day.  No, I have never chased an ambulance, nor have I ever dropped my card at an accident scene.  Yes, I have heard all the jokes, or at least all of the jokes that I would care to hear on the subject.  Having said this, I haven’t written the first word about attorneys or the world in which they operate.  There are some great authors out there on the subject of “lawyering” and I refuse to inject my “other” profession into my passion for writing science fiction or the occasional more mainstream fiction.  Besides, as an attorney, I defend a lot of civil cases, which usually has all the excitement of watching paint dry on a damp day.  Of course, if I did write about my “day job”, it is likely I could get a patent for the latest sleep aid! 

Every now and then, I become extremely frustrated at how little people really know about their own history. Whether it is the history of the United States or even of the World. The answer to the question of why we should study history is actually pretty simple. History is really nothing more than a revolving door. If we study and learn how things work, then we will know how to get out and move forward. If we don’t, then we’ll just continue in a meaningless circle repeating the same thing over and over. As a society, we appear to be caught in a cycle that repeats itself roughly every 65 to 75 years. When the lessons of the previous generation are forgotten, then the uninformed can do nothing more than repeat those same mistakes. A perfect example of this relates to our view of terrorism and the concept of killing someone to make a political statement. This is nothing new. While researching something for a follow-on book I’m working on, I discovered that there were more bombings and/or assassinations domestically in the 1920s than there have been in more recent times. Just a simple search of school shootings will amaze you, since this phenomena was statistically more prevalent 75 to 100 years ago than it is today. If you want proof, then use your Google, read, and take a moment to study History. Otherwise, be prepared to be stuck in that revolving door. ~ Michael S. Pauley

Twitter is a completely new experience for me.  Having the good sense not to provide too much information might be just as important as locking the door at night.  I must say though, I’m somewhat flattered at some of the people who are following me.  Aside from Science Fiction and Military History, I’m a rather avid baseball fan.  Much to my surprise, my first follower was the famous Mr. Jerry “Rem Dawg” Remy.  For those who don’t know him, he is a former Boston Red Sox player and current announcer for NESN, (the folks that call the Red Sox Games).  If you’d like to follow along with some of my more mundane observations, I can be found on facebook, tumblr, and now on twitter.

Without giving away any plot lines, I will have to say that the second book is finished, and is probably better than the first one in this series.  The third book, on the other hand, is a slower work in progress.  We’re getting it, but to keep things fresh and different, it is taking a great deal more research and time to put together.  One thing is sure, each of the books in the series will build on the one before it, and it hopefully will take the reader to places they’ve never been before.  There is no word on when the second will see the light of day, but it WILL happen.