It's 9AM
I think about this a lot.
Being positive.
Thinking good thoughts.
Saying prayers and sending well wishes.
I kind of know how space works.
What we think the concept of gravity is and how it works.
All theory of course, because the matter is dark.
Maybe literally.
All the planets circling like balls on a blanket, making tiny impressions that pull on other balls to circle in orbit.
Moon balls.
And underneath it all, energy.
Atoms vibrating at frequencies we can hardly comprehend.
Quarks underneath those moving faster still.
And the possibility for an infinite number of infinities, which is almost impossible to wrap your mind around.
Still, that energy at that level has shown to be affected by other energies at other levels.
Like praying.
Like wishing well.
Like positive thoughts.
Those kinds of energies.
“You make your own luck,” he said.
It was a long time ago and we were riding bicycles on the Venice Boardwalk at 0600.
He was a producer for Showtime, and a couple of movies.
I was just a kid he let pitch to him a couple of times and his wife liked me.
Part of my success in LA was due to positive thinking.
I truly believed I would make it as a screenwriter and director.
I guess I put that vibe out there and it put me in his orbit.
He was talking about writing more, and pitching even more and creating opportunity out of nothing.
It wasn’t just talk though.
I had already witnessed a movie deal being made in action.
Fast and Furious twenty is coming out sometime this summer, maybe.
It’s hard to keep up with a set release schedule with streaming and theater.
But way back before the first one was made, I sat in a sauna at the LA Sports Club after a work out and got my sweat on.
A producer came in with another guy and they sat across from me.
The other guy was pitching a script, so I perked up.
Here was my chance to learn how to approach Moritz and get his ear.
Plus, his girlfriend was from Arkansas, so we had been introduced on that front.
In LA, being from AR puts you in a tiny little mafia like club, where everybody knows everybody.
Neal waved off the pitch and shook his head.
“What else do you got?”
The guy slid into another story, barely switching gears.
Neal shook his head.
“Not for me.”
We sat in silence for a few moments.
It was 115 and I was soaked, but there was no way I was leaving until I saw how this ended.
“What if the screen opens with a spark of fire, and we follow it down a black pipe, through this twists and turns until it explodes from a tailpipe and bam, we’re wide on a muscle car and a rice burner ready to race on the streets of LA.”
After a few more details, they made the deal.
Off an idea.
I was inspired.
Inspiration isn’t hard to find, especially when you’re a blue collar writer, like me.
More important, I saw positive thinking at work.
Heard a “no?” Keep going.
Heard a “Not for me.” Keep going.
And now, twenty movies in the franchise later, plus a couple of spin offs, they are living the results of pure belief.
Not everything works out as well as that.
I even bet I was not privy to the trials and tribulations of putting the rest of the deal together, or getting the movie made, or distributed.
I know it was hard though.
Creating something almost always is.
Still, the simple belief that it is going to happen, that you can make it happen is a powerful tool.
Being positive.
A force as strong as gravity.
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Chapter One: A New Beginning
Rachel Anderson stood outside the Oakwood Sheriff's Department, taking a deep breath before walking through the door. It had been six months since she had been appointed as the new Sheriff, and she still couldn't believe that she had been given the job.
As she walked through the office, she was greeted by familiar faces. Alice, the former dispatcher, gave her a warm smile and a hug. Mark, her former colleague and now deputy, nodded in greeting.
Rachel made her way to her new office, taking in the surroundings. It was smaller than her previous office, but it had a warmth to it that she appreciated. She had decorated it with pictures of her family and friends, a reminder of why she was doing this job.
As she settled into her chair, Rachel took stock of the challenges ahead. The crime wave in Oakwood was still ongoing, and she knew that it would take all of her skills and experience to catch the perpetrators. She also knew that she had to navigate the politics of the town, including a Mayor who had already made it clear that he was not a fan of hers.
Rachel opened her computer and began to sift through the files on the recent crimes. She had a lot of work to do, but she was ready for it. She had been preparing for this moment her whole life.
As she typed away at her computer, Rachel felt a sense of satisfaction wash over her. She was the new Sheriff of Oakwood, and she was determined to make a difference. She knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she was ready for whatever came her way.
Rachel smiled to herself and got to work, ready for the new beginning that lay ahead.
Rachel discovers a wave of violent crimes targeting local businesses in Oakwood.