IS THERE A THIRD OPTION? By Smokkee Singleton

        Hello, WORLD!!!!!! It’s been a long time coming but I’m halfway through with writing my first book, a collection of short stories called IS THERE A THIRD OPTION? and I feel I can be through writing the other 6 or 7 stories needed for completion by the end of October. The book is part of the reason why I haven’t been blogging too much lately but I’m trying to focus more on it now because in a few months, both the NFL & the NBA seasons will be in full swing and will be getting a lot of my attention as well.

         I never wanted to stick to one genre when I write; I try to be as diverse as possible. It becomes too easy to do that after a while because of repetition and on the other hand, it makes itself difficult to do because how can you continue to write about something repeatedly and constantly keep the material fresh? I do tend to write mostly dark tales that I can’t quite call horror. I do have one flat out horror tale complete though and I figure there will be more before I’m through with this book. 

As it turns out, I didn’t have to worry about coming up with ideas. After the first story I wrote, which is where I got the book’s title from, ideas came from everywhere! I’ve got six stories already finished, at least 10 more ready to be written mentally and an abundance of ideas that I can tap at anytime. So, before I get back to writing them, let me give you a list and a brief description of what I have written so far:

IS THERE A THIRD OPTION?: A deceased man, who had no faith of any kind but still lived his life exhibiting selflessness and a genuine compassion towards other people while he was alive, finds himself in a place that he didn’t even believe in, much to his chagrin. (Sidenote: This is the first story I wrote for this book. The idea had been bouncing around my head before I knew I would write it. It took almost 2 days to write, one of the easiest times I ever had writing a story.)

COMING SOON: A double date at a movie theatre turns deadly for two couples. (Sidenote: While a lot of what I write tends to be dark, this was my first stab at flat out horror.)

THE WAGER: The story of two brothers who constantly make bets and the bet that changed their lives forever. (Sidenote: This one is probably not going to make this book. Although I wrote it as a short story and I love the ending, I think there is a lot more I can get out of this story and it may turn into a full length novel.)

HAPPINESS: In Chicago, at the intersection on Division and Ashland, a homeless man holding the secret to true happiness lives peacefully on a bench and spends his days watching all the unhappiness that happens around him. (Sidenote: At 3 hours, this is clearly the quickest I ever took to write a story. Also the first story I ever wrote based on an actually location at the location.)

A TEST OF THE HARTS: A couple is struggling with trying  to stay together after being the victims of a viscous crime. 

REHABILIATION, ROUND ONE: An ambitious warden has a plan for making room for more inmates of an overcrowded prison and make a few dollars along the way. (Sidenote: I wrote this as fiction but I do believe that this could one day be a reality, #SadButTrue…)     

More to come. Much more. That’s it for now, WORLD, but isn’t that enough for right now?