If you're not too interested in my formative years, the short author's bio in the front of the book will probably be plenty of info about me! But for those of you who want to know more, read on. Or just buy the book; I won't be offended.

I was eleven when I read "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien. That cemented my love of books, the epic story, and the fantasy genre. So why don't I write fantasy, you ask? Why isn't "Stalled" set in the outhouse of a wizard's keep? I don't know. I went contemporary with this one.

In grade eight, I wrote a pirate story. I don't remember a whole lot about grade eight except for that story, and the girls I dated.

My first degree was a BSc in Psychology. Not that creative, you say, but the study of the human condition is helpful when creating characters. One of my electives was English Lit. For a class assignment my professor gave us an option: Write an essay, or write an original short story. This was a no-brainer. Short story all the way! I figured everyone would choose that, but nobody else did. My story probably sucked (okay - it sucked). I got a 6 or 7 out of 10. But it's how many years later and I still remember that project!?

My second degree was a BA in Multimedia and Creative Writing ("multimedia" for me meant film & video production.) This is where my plan for a career in the arts took off. Film & video was my medium of choice and screenwriting my favorite part. I had excellent profs and took all kinds of film, writing, and arts classes. By the time I graduated in the spring of 2000, I had good prospects and paying contracts waiting. I embarked on my career as a screenwriter and independent filmmaker. Later that year I wrote the first draft of "Stalled" as a treatment for a feature film script. Then I wrote the screenplay. It's been an odyssey ever since; 15 years from concept to novel publication.

In all that time the core of the story remained the same: People with issues in a bathroom at their ten-year high-school reunion. The whole 'bathroom' concept came to me out of necessity. Back then I was all about screenplays and making movies (it's expensive to make a movie, ya know). In particular, multiple locations are expensive. Solution? Limit your locations. Best solution? One location, e.g., a bathroom. In the original screenplay the whole story took place in the bathroom. There was one flashback, I think, and that was to the bathroom at prom, ten years earlier. (Don't worry - you get to leave the can more now.)

Over the years there was lots of interest in the screenplay. Some tried to produce it. All failed. Not one to give up, I came up with a new plan: Write the novel.

I finished the manuscript in 2009. Lots of query letters followed and some of them landed. I received lots of requests to submit. Kensington Publishing gave notes and agreed to read the re-write. (I confess, it took me a couple years to get it back into Kensington's arms.) When I was ready, I added to the story: more flashbacks, more stuff outside the bathroom, more characters, more back story. The more I wrote the more it became an ensemble piece rather than a story about three guys. Alas, Kensington appreciated the work and the additions, but passed for the second time. They were good to me though. I've got nothing but love for the publisher that gave Stalled its due. But ... the dream was dead.

In August, 2014, I ran across a mention of a book in my twitter feed: "APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur" by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch. The ideas, philosophies, tips, tricks, advice, and all-around-know-how in that book, coupled with the community of writers it helped connect me to, catapulted me on a new odyssey. What followed was another extensive rewrite and edit. Next, rather than send the final version out to agents and traditional publishers again, I became Publisher and Entrepreneur. Stalled lives!

- C.R. Bruce
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