newest excerpt from Fall of Knight -- Hot off the pen

Glad to see you, Dean,” he says and closes the door.

I just stare and sit down next to a Goth with those wrist bands kids wear to hide where they’ve been cutting themselves — yeah, as if that isn’t obvious.

Two girls sit behind us, and in the back there’s someone huddled in a fetal ball with his hoodie covering his face and earphones blasting. Yeah, that might be a little bit exaggerated but not much.

The guy next to me says, “I’m Rick, borderline personality.”

I feel like I’m in an AA meeting. “I’m Dean Knight, schizoaffective disorder.”

“No shit,” Rick says. “You’re fucked.”

I know this is just a dipshidiot talking to me. Dipshidiot, by the way, is a word that originates in the 21st century, first used by Rose Knight when discussing politicians and a certain ex administrator who used to be her boss. Anyway, I know this is a dipshidiot talking to me, but it stuns me all the same. It’s kind of like when the worst ballplayer on the little league team, whose uncle is probably the sponsor, laughs at you because you’re not good enough to make the team. Right there, sitting in the crazy train with a guy who probably got his social services degree from Sears, a black guy who could be a lineman for the Rams, and four other lunatics my mood crashes just like the stock market in Octotober 1929. Yeah, I know about the great depression.

#Mondayblogger

People don’t think a lot about research, but honestly it can be pretty fun. I have, as you all know, a love for young adult novels.  I kind of relate to the awkward outcast character in a lot of them. Eleanor and Park is a book I love for that reason.  So is Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Now, I intend to do some research today by watching the movie version of Perks of Being a Wallflower. In fact, after I finish this blog, I’m going to turn it on.  It’s either that or cut grass which looks a lot like a jungle because Missouri has gotten a lot of rain this summer.  I’m sorry, California, I wish we could send you some.  I’m sure Texas would like to give you some of theirs too.

The awkward outsider is an interesting character type, and I think one of the challenges of a writer is keeping that character from being a type.  Sorry, I’ve strayed from the subject.  Another thing I’ve discovered within the last year is the Urban Dictionary online.  I warn you, “It isn’t your mother’s dictionary.”  However, if you want to keep up with some of the slang that’s out there, it’s a great place to look.  Don’t look into though if you are upset by sensitive subject matter because believe me when I tell you, the urban dictionary makes no attempt to mollycoddle anyone.  Isn’t mollycoddle an interesting word.  I love words and their origins.

I read an interesting article the other day that said that many women have an aversion to the word “moist.”  It explained why in the article, but I don’t have time to go into all the reasons.  It’s interesting how certain letters work.  Take the letter D for instance.  How many bad words can you think of that start with the letter D. Depression, despicable, decimation, decay, destruction just to name a few.  I’m sure you could come up with more. Do you know the origins of the word decimate.  It is Latin.  When Roman legions were experiencing rebellion in their ranks, they would line up the soldiers and kill every tenth one. Look it up if you don’t believe me.  One of the quirks of my character Dean Knight is that he likes word origins and he is almost a genius with them.  I’ve found that to be fun to write into his character.

Well, I am going to come to a point here.  I want you to look up one of the greatest reference sites on the Internet. I don’t have enough words to explain how great this site is, but let me tell you that if you wander too far into the site it might take you forever to get out.  The links are like a never-ending set of tunnels in underground caverns. Enjoy.

http://www.refdesk.com

excerpt from review of Fall of Knight

When I read reviews like the following, I think, "Yeah, this is why I'm doing this."  Sometimes I forget.


I found myself struggling: It’s dark and sometimes upsetting, yet I couldn’t put it down! Cross had clearly a good insight which he brilliantly shared with the reader and digs deeper than anybody has done before in a Young Adult book. You don’t just read it, you FEEL it! Forget John Green (no offence!), Cross is “the next new thing”!

A vent of sorts

This was one of those fogged in, not quite there days for me. Sometimes my bipolar disorder falls toward the depressed pole, and today was one of those days.  It’s important for people to realize that NOTHING happened to me to cause this.  Nothing went wrong.  Nothing irritated me.  I had no trouble with my students. My wife and I are still talking. I just woke up depressed.  Do you understand that I just woke up that way. Don’t tell me to pull myself up by my own bootstraps when I was needlessly depressed from almost the moment I got out of bed.  When I get depressed, I get sullen, and I eat.  When I eat a lot, I feel guilty and that just makes me even more depressed.  I also have trouble focusing on things. My mind whirls in a hundred different directions, and I try to think, plan, and ponder, and it does no good. On days like this, I mainly try to survive the day without doing any damage and to do my job the best way I possibly can.  Today, I was a bit lucky because many of my classes are doing independent work on some big projects, so most of my job consisted of working one on one with students and answering individual questions. That I can handle on days like this.

The one good thing that did happen today is that the local newspaper interviewed me about my book. I did not let my depression show.  It’s amazing sometimes how troubled people can learn to hide their feelings.  Many of us get tired of folks not acknowledging them as medical issues. Sometimes, when I get down, I get a little philosophical and I am able to think deep thoughts.  Maybe some of my deep thoughts came through in the interview and I won’t sound like an idiot.

Vent is officially over.  Hope you enjoyed.

A good Friday

Good Friday is important to me as a Christian. In fact, it is the second most important day only to Easter Sunday. I am not always the best Christian in the world, but I do try.

I am grateful for many things today.  For one, the Maundy Thursday service that our church put on last night went very well.  I hope people who witnessed it found it to be very spiritually inspiring. It is still the greatest story ever told.

I am also grateful that my young adult novel is doing far better than I ever expected. On Amazon it is in the top 30 out of 100 in one category in YA fiction and the top 40 out of 100 in another.  All of this even though the official release date is not until April 7. Next weekend, I will be doing my online release party.  If you want to join me, connect with us at

https://www.facebook.com/events/351293055074091/?ref=4&source=4

I will have several authors as my guests, and there will be free prizes, including some books to be given away. My guests and I will be online from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. central time, USA.

If you are interested in ordering the book or looking at some reviews, you can go to

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Knight-Knights-Story-Volume/dp/1620157608/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1428108595&sr=8-1

Or

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fall-of-knight-steven-cross/1121505299?ean=9781620157602

My one hope is that this book makes people think about the way they treat others. Sometimes, we have a severe lack of compassion in this world.  Bullying is not cool nor is there any reason for it.

My one dream remains to have this book made into a movie. I think it would impact several lives. I have actually written a script that is based on the original book.  It's a little different, but it is basically the same story line.

Well, I think I probably need to go.  Please share if you will. Invite your friends to my book release party and I would be very grateful to you if you bought my book. I don't think you'll be disappointed, but I do hope you will be shocked enough to reconsider the way you treat others.

If Fall of Knight were ever to be made into a movie, this is the guy I would want to play Dean Knight.

Giveaway of Fall of Knight

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/129956-fall-of-knight

I am happy to announce that a copy of my book Fall of Knight is going to be given away free through Goodreads.  The book has been getting very good reviews, and here's a chance for you to win one of your own.  Go to the link above and enter for your chance to win.

Even if you don't win a free copy, I hope you'll buy one.  I don't think you'll be sorry.
Steve Cross

Taking a chance to breathe

Many people who received an advanced reader's copy of my novel have begun reviewing it. Below is just one reviewers comment.

With "Fall of Knight", Cross has created a taut, realistic young adult novel that explores territory only recently appearing in the genre: the reality of adolescent mental illness. 

With a publication date of April 7th, I have been rushing around to complete all the last minute details and chores that need to be done before Fall of Knight is Launched. I tried to find a picture of me that I didn't mind people seeing.  I had to help fill out a publication fact sheet and some other things, but it looks as if we are on the downhill slide.  

I hope you will buy a copy of the book when it becomes available.  Prices for the paperback anrd the ebook are reasonable for the story you will get.  Obviously, every book you purchase will help me, and I do have plans to retire at the end of next school year.  If  I can slip into retirement as a full-time writer who is actually writing books people will buy, then that will be wonderful of course, but I am more interested in your reading the story.

This is a book I have wanted to write forever, but one that I never had the courage to attempt.  It is about bullying, mental illness, and teen suicide.  Most people don't know what it is like to be mentally ill.  To be mentally ill is bad enough but to be constantly at the hands of bullies when all you want to do is be left alone makes for a miserable existence, an existence that some teens end with suicide.  Fall of Knight is not a pretty book but I tried to make it real on a primal gut level.  Most of my readers thus far think I have succeeded in doing that. I hope I have.

There are many hurting teenagers out there.  I've taught for 30 years.  I know. We need to try to make the hurt less. Well, thanks for reading this blog, and I hope you'll take the time to read the novel.

Remember, it comes out April 7.  Until next time.  Goodbye.  Be kind to someone.

Snow Bum

I love being a snow bum.  I could be a snow bum all week and not be too upset.
As a snow bum I can

• waste hours on social media sites
• read books
• eat junk until I am ready to burst
• sleep late
• write
• revise the crap I am writing
• watch movies
• sit around worrying about whether or not I will have school the next day
• go outside and measure the number of inches of snow we have (I'd say 6)
• use old snapshots from previous snows and pretend like they are from this year.
• not go outside and take snapshots of snow if I don't want to get out in the cold.
• make up all kinds of cross bytes on twitter
• get caught up on my blogging
• work on publicizing my writing
• try to establish writing contacts

So far, I have managed to do mostly the first bullet on the bullet list.  That's okay.  I'm being a snow bum, and bulleted lists have no meaning.

I might mosey onto my dropbox app, pull up that screenplay I'm working on, and write on it.  Or, I might not.

I ordered a Apple 4 iphone to use until I'm eligible to upgrade when my contract comes do.  That will be fun once it gets here. I got a movie I ordered.  Speak, the movie version of the book.  I can watch that ... or not.  My literature class has read it, and I told them we could watch the film.  The cover says it was a selection of the Sundance Awards.  I'm not sure what it was selected for.

Well, I need to move onto my next snow bum need to item.  Adios.

Fall of Knight book send off

Attention:  All of you folks who are interested in a good read.

Author Steve Cross releases his young adult psychological thriller Fall of Knight via Booktrope Editions on April 7th and is looking for people who are interested in joining an exclusive social marketing team dedicated to providing feedback and helping spread the word about Fall of Knight.

As a member of the launch team, you’ll not only receive an e-copy of the book before it’s available to the public but also gain special access to Steven and all of Team Knight through a private Facebook group. In return, all we ask is that you leave a short, honest review of Fall of Knight on Amazon no later than 04/05/2015, share the release date and your feedback with everyone and anyone you may know, and provide ideas via our private Facebook page on how to reach a wider audience.

Interested? Send an email to vanyad@booktrope.com with your name, email address, and a brief explanation as to why you want to join Team Knight by 03/15/2015. Those selected will be notified via email on 03/20/2015 and receive their advance reader copy of Fall of Knight.

Thank you in advance for your interest and time! Your support is greatly appreciated!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24481636-fall-of-knight