Writing stories gives me great joy and satisfaction. If you’ve been following along, then you know I can no longer pen or type my novels the old-fashioned way – I use Dragon speech-to-text software to create my manuscripts. If I had been afflicted by my aggressive form of multiple sclerosis fifty years earlier, I wouldn’t have my futuristic-looking ADA van, my remarkable wheelchair, or the technology I need to expand the library of Ken Cruickshank manuscripts. I joke with my wife that our current van is the modern equivalent of the one mentioned in the ’70s hit song Chevy Van by Sammy Johns and that she’s the beautiful girl mentioned in the lyrics. She tells me to stop dreaming. (She’s actually far superior to any subject of any song!)
All of us should have hobbies in our lives that provide interests beyond writing and reading. I’ve always enjoyed collecting things – bugs, firecrackers, Hot Wheels, trains, Boy Scout patches, Lladro figurines, antiques, and coins. My favorite coins are Morgan silver dollars minted between 1878 in 1904. I added an important date/mint to my collection this week, and people might find it odd how much pleasure I get from that. One of the great aspects of collecting anything is being constantly on the prowl for that elusive missing piece. The hobby can be a lifelong passion with an uncertain endpoint. If you are not a collector of anything, perhaps it could fill a void while adding dimension to your life.
I am also on the prowl for an agent for my second thriller, The Emerald Cross. I hope that pursuit pays off, but if it doesn’t, I will launch the book using my own imprint in mid-2024. It’s parts domestic, psychological, cartel, and military thriller.
If you enjoy unguessable psychological thrillers, consider my first novel launched in June 2023, Eagle Bay. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C17XWN4Y
I wrote a memoir about persevering through life’s challenges six years ago, Stand Up: a memoir of disease, family, faith & hope. It continues to receive strong reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CL5RXW8Q
Cheers from the Sonoran Desert,
Ken Cruickshank
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