Evil Origins: A Horror & Dark Fantasy Collection (118 page)

60/Day × 365 =
n

Can
you solve for
n
?

Whenever
I enter into conversations with people regarding a project I’ve finished, I
tend to get a consistent response. It goes something like this:

“Wow!
You just finished a novel/album/sculpture/painting/hand-made sixty-foot yacht.
That is so cool. I wish I had the time to do that.”

The
subtext of this type of comment is the following:

“I
wish I had the leisure time that you do to waste on trivial pursuits like a
novel/album/sculpture/painting/handmade sixty-foot yacht. Unfortunately, I have
way more important things to do in life like work, family, and sleep. Must be
nice.”

I
have not yet found a way to bypass the universal laws of physics. And if I did,
I’d lie and say I hadn’t. I am forced to operate within a twenty-four-hour day
like everyone else. “I don’t have the time” is simply a lie people tell
themselves when they’re choosing consumption instead of production. Everything
you do with your time is a choice. If you choose to watch four hours of
television per day (average American), that’s your choice. I choose not to.
Don’t get me wrong. I love getting lost in the world of
The Walking Dead
.
However, I choose to spend sixty minutes per day writing. I do this every day,
and at the end of one calendar year (usually less), I have a completed novel.
In the past three years I’ve written five novels. I can do this not because I
have MORE time than anyone else, but because I CHOOSE what to do with it. It’s
not easy. I have a wife, two young kids, a full-time job, a band, and routine
overnight visits from the in-laws. My sixty minutes often replace an hour of
sleep from 4:30 to 5:30 a.m. Sometimes those 60 minutes carry over into 120 the
next day. That’s what it takes.

Now
back to that equation. Sixty minutes per day for one year is 365 hours. Divide
365 by an eight-hour work day and you have forty-six work days, or about nine
work weeks. Imagine going to the office every day for nine weeks and working
solely on your novel/album/sculpture/painting/handmade sixty-foot yacht. That
is the power of commitment and hard work.

I won’t begrudge
your decision to follow every reality show this season if you don’t insult my
efforts by insinuating I have time to burn that you don’t.

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Other works from
J.
Thorn

If you enjoyed this title, you'll love
J. Thorn's new twist on a classic theme. Find out why readers that enjoy the
edgy horror of Stephen King are discovering
The Hidden Evil
.

Praise for The Hidden Evil
Trilogy...

"Best one yet - chilling, horrific. There were aspects of this story that
reminded me somewhat of The Shining...a sort of creeping horror that was very
effective."
K. Sozaeva, Amazon Vine Voice, Top 500 Reviewer
"...grabs you by the throat and does not let go. Incredibly graphic it had me
screwing my face up in horror at many of the scenes, yet eagerly clicking for
the next page just to see what would happen next."
Bernadette Davies, Amazon reviewer
"...Preta's Realm is a fine example of character building done right. Mr. Thorn
does an excellent job of crafting the characters and making sure that you can
identify with them. He does a better job than some of the heavy hitters in the
horror realm, actually."
Bryan Hall, Author of Containment Room Seven

Preta's Realm: The Haunting (Book 1 of The Hidden Evil Trilogy)
Drew works hard, pays his taxes, and loves his family. But when a visit from the
spirit of his deceased grandfather coincides with the violent murder of two
co-workers, Drew falls into a desperate spiral of delusion and betrayal until he
finally faces the demons of the past, which threaten to drag him deeper into
Preta's Realm
.