For the Fun of It

When I write creatively, I usually have a specific goal in mind, like giving my students an example for an upcoming assignment, passing along advice to parents or, when I’m really lucky, working on my latest manuscript.

But this summer I got the chance to take a break from all that and write for the sake of writing.

My best friend and I have this tradition of giving artistic gifts for each other’s birthday. This year, since he reached a particular milestone, I decided to write him a short story.

What began as a break from composing my latest manuscript turned into a published short-fiction title, complete with an ISBN and original cover art. And since this project started out as a gift, I plan to keep the spirit of giving alive by donating the proceeds to charity.

The story of Canada Jones and the Legend of the True Cross is a fun little tale as much about our friendship as it is about searching for lost treasure. Like with any project, I did my research to make it as real as possible. But in the end, this project was about something that often gets lost in endless cycle of writing, editing, pitching and marketing your work over and over.

It’s like when I first picked up a pen in junior high to tell the simple story of a noir Private Eye from St. Louis. I was concerned about one thing back then: having a little fun.

It was nice to feel that way again.