Category Archives: The Granite Notebook

Depression is a Killer, and it Almost Killed Me Last Year

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Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been more than two years since my last post here. Hello readers, sorry to keep you waiting so long. If you pop back in occasionally to see if I’ve posted anything new, or if you subscribe to my posts and are happy to see a new one, I’m truly flattered. Let me update you about some of the things that have been happening in my life.

I guess since the title of this post is dramatic I should get to that right away. A big part of the reason why I haven’t posted in so long is because I struggled with severe depression in 2017 and 2018. In fact, I’ve struggled with chronic depression since I was a teenager. Last year the depression was especially bad and it was extremely difficult not to kill myself.

[I’m torn here as I write between an impulse to go on and on and the desire not to let this become another 10,000 word ‘draft’ like a few others on different subjects that sit neglected in my WordPress archive already.]

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, is strongly linked with depression, and has been increasing for twenty years. It has been a theme in my writing, because I have felt a strong, often constant, suicidal impulse throughout my adult life. Not killing myself is, by a wide margin, the most difficult thing I have ever done. Though it is no accomplishment.

Don’t be alarmed, this post has a “the rest of the story” and is not a cry for help.

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New Short Story is Up: “The Bastard”

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Oh gosh, the time flies by. Sorry for the procrastination guys!

This month’s short story, “The Bastard”, is set in the aftermath of the sub-prime mortgage crisis during the Great Recession. It is about a man who is struggling through a mid-life crisis while trying to build an ambitious expansion onto his house. It’s a bit of slice of life, a bit of melancholy, a bit of humor, maybe a little bit of metaphor about the United States during the George W. Bush years… it’s a quick read that is well worth your time, so CHECK IT OUT!

The New Short Story is Up!

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Ok, running a little bit late on this one, but the new short story is up on the Monthly Short Story page! The Last Man to Know Nothing imagines a future in which everyone in the world has been plugged into a neural network except for one lonely man who is left out of the loop. This story will probably come at you from unexpected directions and is extremely thought provoking, so please read it and enjoy!

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New Short Story: Above the Lake of Fire

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I updated the monthly short story rotation with a new story!

“Above the Lake of Fire” is the story of a young man and an old woman — who wants the young man to help her kill herself. It is a longer and much more serious piece than the last story, “W, Dick, and Bill” (which was a humor piece). By comparison, “Above the Lake of Fire” gives you an idea of the range and breadth of my work. …I’m supposed to say something here that intrigues you and makes you want to read the story… But I seem to not be very good at promoting myself, it’s so hard for me to find those words.

Well, “Above the Lake of Fire” is really a beautiful story that is well worth the effort of sitting down for a few quiet minutes and reading. It was inspired by the experience of watching my grandmother spin out the senility of her life for many years in a nursing home.

CHECK IT OUT: HERE

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