Okay, so you may have noticed a fair absence of posts not related to the Anderson files. This is because we're on a very tight deadline at work and frankly I have very little time to write anything, the bit I do have is going into stories at the moment. And here is part 3, the early readers generally have agreed it's the best so far so please do enjoy it.
Continuing the story series I began in "Uniondale" I am happy to announce the now public availability of "Thief in the night". This second story in the episodic Anderson Files series pits our heroes against a monster that makes their last ghostly encounter seem like a picnic while we also get to learn quite a bit about Karen's past.
I really enjoyed this story – more than the first actually – as I had the basic introductions out of the way and could really start to work on character development. This time I focused that development primarily on Karen but in the next story the focus will shift a bit to Pieter's past and what makes him tick.
I've already begun research for File 3 which will be titled "Heavy Metal" – and I'm not giving away anything else yet. Once again – my grateful thanks to the early readers who helped me with editorial advice, comments and suggestions. The stories would be far worse without your contributions.
In the meantime – I hope you all enjoy "Thief in the night" and as always I welcome all comments, reviews and suggestions. Ready to read it ? Well here is the link.
As some of you know, I have tried to write novels before – turns out I don't really have the attention span for it. So this is a new approach – episodic, sequential short stories that add up to a novel. So I've begun a series of such short stories written as a combination of science fiction and ghost stories with (what I hope) is a new and unusual premise. The storyline is set within South Africa and all the episodes will be heavily inspired by South African folklore on top of the usual early Christian and Asian religious influences we expect in horror genres.
The first of these stories, titled Uniondale is now out and I look forward to feedback and opinions. If you'd like to read it, it's in the literature section.
After careful consideration I decided not to write this post. The two most obvious candidates are both ruled out in my mind for good (but different) reasons. One because she honestly believes I hurt her on purpose and I have no desire to rub salt in wounds I never wanted to create, the other because quite frankly I have written about her too many times on this blog already and she's in the past – it just doesn't matter anymore.
Dear astronaught, rockstar, benevolent dictator, bestselling author and famous actor.
Yes, in my dreams I have been all of you. I am also aware that I will almost certainly never actually be any of you. I won't be an astronaught as I was born in the wrong country and hold the wrong beliefs [sorry but if the route to space is through the military then the price is too great]. I won't be a rockstar because even though I play a bit of drums and write some good songs – I am too old and not focused enough, I may at best be an occasional musician.
I won't be a famous actor because I don't have the looks and frankly when I was at the point in my life where I should have pursued it, I didn't. I won't be a benevolent dictator of a great country because deep in my heart I know that power corrupts. Even if I get it and use it for good -eventually I would succumb to the seduction of abusing it. I won't won't be a bestselling author because I am just not focused enough on writing. I have started quite a few novels and never finished one. i've written many short stories and poems and I am good at those – but at least in part that skill comes from them not taking that much time. A truly good author has to make it a career. The effort in a good book takes many hours a day, every day for months or years. I simply don't see myself ever putting in that kind of effort into one activity without getting distracted (and going broke).
In short you are all the people that I may have been in another world, in another life. Instead I'm me. I'm all of you a little bit, and none of you completely. What you all have in common though is that those who get you put absolutely everything at stake to make it. That they risk it all, wholeheartedly and for everyone whom it pays off for – a thousand fail and lose everything.
The truth is I haven't given up on you – I have made a decision that there are things in my life too valuable to risk. My lady, my home, my life. I can't take the chance of losing those to become you, so I am content to keep them safe and let you all live on in my fantasies and daydreams.
We all need our little escapes sometimes, I feel almost blessed that I can escape into any of you by simply letting my mind go there. Imagination, that is my most precious mental gift. The intelligence I claim to boast is really just the same thing- imagination with a little bit of logical direction -and it comes with a bonus. Just by letting myself -I can be any of you, all of you, whenever I need to be.
When real life has the type of things mine does, only being you in my dreams is enough and when you add it all up – that is exceptional.
Regards
The mundane you with the dayjob.
Dear Anel
I had a moment of trouble deciding which of my two siblings to write this too, but I decided that since it's online I will write to the one who will actually read it, seeing as my brother is not one who generally reads the things I (or anybody) writes. So nothing personal bro 
Back to you my little sis, man, hard to believe we're grown-ups now, isn't it ? We didn't exactly have a harmonious relationship growing up. You were a bit too normal, I was a bit to out of the box. Even today you're the conservative one, I'm the extreme liberal. Yet in that facebook questionaire a few years ago you were just about the only one who got the questions of my favorite band and (what I consider) my best feature right.
Somewhere along the line we learned to turn our differences of opinion into something we laugh about, and make fun off without getting upset. It actually brings us closer now which is a good feeling. Here we are, I'm in my thirties and about to get married, you are the happily married mother of two adorable kids whom I am crazy over. It's no secret that each time I visit you guys I end up wanting kids sooner rather than later.
Luckily my responsible side tends to have enough breathing room in between to realize waiting a little longer would be good for me and such future children. I must say though, you are a great parent and an inspiration. I can't say the way I want to raise my kids will be EXACTLY the way you do – but there's quite a lot of similarity in my ideas and yours.
Imagine that, something you and I can largely agree. Somehow we found that in our adult lives, even though as kids we never really could until we were near the end of high-school. At that point where we did though, you became my most trusted confidante in those last couple of years growing up, and looking back now more than ten years later – that really meant a lot to me.
So I'll make sure there's some… er whatever music you listen to on the wedding playlist, if you'll put up with knowing there'll be some disturbed and rammstein on it as well. That probably says more about who we are as brother and sister than anything else I could say.
Love you sis,
A.J.
Dear Mom and Dad,
Wow, 31 years old. You were quite a bit younger than me when you had me, I can only remember glimpses from the time when you were my age actually – but they are mostly very nice memories. While my teen years were quite strained with you – I must say that as an adult I feel fortunate to have had parents like you.
Seeing that state of so many households, I was truly blessed in having loving parents who truly cared for one another, their children and indeed most of the neighbourhood's children as well. Your sense of charity taught me to be giving, your humility taught me to be humble yet to aspire to greatness.
You gave me a great start in life, and for that I am truly thankful. The way you have taken my fiance into your arms and home as a daughter shines out yet again as a beacon of just what wonderful people you are, and how blessed I am to be your son.
I love you both,
A.J.
