Holy crap! An update (at last)!

Its time to post a way overdue apology for not posting regular updates to my blog, so here it is: I’m sorry… there, now it’s official and I can get to the business at hand. The main reason why I’ve been absent from regular blogging are the many writing projects I have in the works, as well as the numerous articles and regular feature columns I’ve been writing for pagan/paranormal magazines and websites. I am now a regular contributor to Circle Magazine (http://www.circlesanctuary.org/circle/) and the UK’s Paranormal Magazine (http://www.paranormalmagazine.co.uk/), and I write monthly feature columns for Ghostvillage.com (http://www.ghostvillage.com/) and The Wiccan Pagan Times (http://www.twpt.com/). I am also working on two new nonfiction books and doing research for a full-length novel (yes, I’ve lost my friggin mind). Combine all the writing projects with paranormal investigations, regular coven meetings, running my business, making public appearances, spending time with my wife, eating, drinking sleeping, and well, I think you get the picture! It’s been a crazy ride to say the least, but never a dull moment for sure.


So for anyone who’s been wondering, that’s what I’ve been up to. I must also sadly report that my Mother and Grandmother passed beyond the veil this summer in less than four months of each other, and that did a number on my mind and spirit as well. This last year offered up many good things as well. Our good friends Tim and Tina graced Becca and I with a wonderful trip to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida in July. The trip was an absolute blast, although I question the sanity of going to Florida in the middle of summer. “Hot” and “humid” doesn’t begin to cover it!

I will try to keep posting regular updates as time permits, and will share news for the new books as soon as I have final confirmation on publishers and release dates. Thanks for being patient with me, and keep the supportive e-mails coming. Hearing from readers makes this crazy gig worthwhile!

Marcus

Winds of Change

The appearance whirlwind is nearly over for the year, with only the Real Witches Ball over Samhain weekend and a workshop/book signing at Philosophers Stone in Kalamazoo Michigan left on the slate for 2005. As fun as it has been getting out and meeting everyone, I must admit that I’m looking forward to taking a short break before getting to work on my next book. And what will be the topic of my next book? Well, it’s a bit early to let the cat out of the bag, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to allow you a small glimpse inside the sack.

New Page Books, the publisher of my last book Advancing the Witches’ Craft, were fascinated by the unique approach that my wife and I take towards running and teaching a coven, so in a nutshell, that will be the main focus of my next work. This book will be a bit more mainstream than my previous works (without being fluffy), because all indications have led me to the conclusion that the magickal community as a whole isn’t as ready for the heavy-duty advanced texts they’ve (supposedly) been asking for. The sad truth is that the large retail chain booksellers and (surprisingly) the majority of metaphysical specialty shops tend to either avoid or keep low stock of advanced texts, simply because they don’t sell as well as mainstream titles do. As a fledgling author, this has left me in the undesirable situation of either going mainstream for a time, or risking the real possibility of fading into obscurity before I’ve established myself as a force to be reckoned with. The bottom-line is that if I don’t write mainstream books for a while, I run the risk of being blackballed by the major booksellers and pagan publishers. Bookstores wont stock my titles if they don’t sell; publishers wont sign me to deals if I write books that don’t appeal to the masses.

I will admit that because of this I have considered (and in some ways am still considering) packing it up and calling it quits as a pagan author. I refuse to write books that I don’t believe in, and it boggles my mind and weakens my resolve when I see some of the crap that’s being offered on the pagan market selling ten-to-one over serious works. Is candy-coated made-up crap and twisted-demeaning sexual texts really what the majority of the pagan population is interested in reading and learning from? I have to tell you, it’s really starting to look that way to me. Sorry for jumping on the soapbox, but this has been troubling my mind and spirit for quite some time now. While there are many wonderful and enlightened pagans out there, I have also met quite a few that make me ashamed to number myself in the pagan ranks. Unfortunately, that’s the name of the game with any large group, spiritual or otherwise, and (for awhile at least) I will keep writing for, and believing in the true seekers and enlightened few.

Fox

New Beginnings...

The time has come for me to get off of my metaphysical butt and start doing something with this journal! The last few months have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, highs and lows. Many wonderful and not so wonderful things have gone down lately, and I must admit that I’m feeling spiritually lost at the moment. Ok, maybe not so much lost as neutral. That’s as good a word as any to describe how I am feeling. My first book is doing well, but not quite as large a reception as I had hoped for. The magickal community has been bitching about a lack of advanced text for years, but interest in spell-books, Wicca-Lite, and general fluff-bunny 101 books remain high and are still overshadowing serious advanced work. A mystery…

I met many wonderful people, publishers, shop owners, and authors at this years INATS show in Denver. Everyone from New Page books turned out to be simply wonderful. The author highlights were Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Christopher Penczak. Oberon is a hoot, and even though we had very little time to talk at the show, Christopher and I have had many conversations via e-mail and are hitting it off well. Chris won some well-deserved awards for his books at the show, and I look forward to spending some one-on-one time with him at a future event.

My family has had a few bad financial setbacks over the last few weeks and things are very tight for us right now. I have had to cancel several appearances because of our current situation, which I am understandably unhappy about. I hope to make them up once things have tuned around for us, but for right now traveling too far from home is an impossibility.

On the upside, I have a wonderful new project in the works! I have been asked to do a monthly feature column for Ghostvillage.com by site owner and fellow author Jeff Belanger. The feature is entitled The Witchcraft Connection: Metaphysical Investigations Into the Paranormal. I have assembled a team of highly trained Witches to help me with investigations, and we have had some pretty interesting results so far! The team is called W.I.S.P. (Witches in Search of the Paranormal). My column and the teams archived investigations can be accessed at: http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/index.shtml
A busy day ahead so I should be going for now. More soon! Fox

Coming Soon!