My other life

I discovered kayaking almost fifteen years ago. It was about twelve years ago that I decided to try to make kayaking into my career. I became an instructor. I ran a kayak program (or two). I got a real job to pay off my debt. I worked retail. I kept teaching and working 'in the industry'. While I have enjoyed the sport immensely, it hasn't given me all I want on the job front. So I'm moving on - sort of.

Those who know me know I quit my full time job at California Canoe & Kayak several months ago. I continue to teach kayaking and I have no plans to ever stop doing that. But I've decided to take a year off from full time work of any kind to write. Not kayak stuff. Mainstream stuff. I've finished several novellas, one novel, a complete draft of a second and am about to write a third in the month of November (it's National Novel Writing Month). I have a lot more planned. Hopefully I can turn this passion into a career the way I did with paddling.

So if you enjoy this blog, if you find my words are appealing, then maybe you'd like to check out my other self. I write under a pen name (Blair B. Burke) and I have a website and a blog. I also have self-published a series of novellas that are available as eBooks - the first in the series is free and available at Smashwords. Most of my stuff is fantasy/scifi but some of it is just contemporary normalness.

If you're only here for kayaking, that's fine too. I'll still be paddling; I'll still be posting. I've actually been enjoying kayaking more than ever. It seems like a lot of new people have been stopping by here lately and it's nice to know that people enjoying reading this stuff. Writing is fun, but when others enjoy it, it becomes rewarding. That's what a career should be.

Thanks,
B.