One of the joys of being the father of two sons is that, every few weeks, they need their hair cut (not Nathan yet, but definitely Liam).
Inevitably, I'm the one tasked with keeping them looking fresh and handsome until they can sit still long enough to go to the barbers.
However, I made a vow before they were born…
Having been a victim of bowl cuts when I was a wee lad myself, I promised not to put my boys through such a traumatic event.
I mean, take a look at this monstrosity:
Yes, that's really me.
And yes, it still keeps me up at night.
But do you know what else haunts me in the small hours of the morning?
Butchering Liam's hairline.
You see, I've tried using scissors, but quickly gave them up after reading/hearing enough horror stories of eye injuries, so I tend to stick to the razor these days. What they don't tell you, however, is that trimming a toddler's fringe is like performing open-heart surgery.
One sudden movement, and BZZZZ…
He'll be donning a questionable hairline for the next two to three weeks.
Ask me how I know.
(In fact, don't.)
Alas, I can safely report that last weekend's haircut yielded a relatively even fringe. A first for me. Just goes to show that when you've got a toddler who plays ball, you only get better the more you do something.
Same thing with my writing.
While I look back at my earlier work and cringe at the "wonky" prose, I know it built me up to where I am today.
Sure, some of my early books are buried so deep in Amazon's catacombs that I sometimes forget they exist, but the muscle fibres gained from those experiences still serve me today.
As will today's writing for tomorrow.
Jeez, when did Mondays become so… philosophical?
🤷♂️
Anyway, not all of my work is buried somewhere on Amazon. Some I've intentionally retired, like Leave IT Alone — a trilogy of short stories about a couple and their dog who move into a derelict house (surprise, surprise) and discover a mirror in the attic that's, let's just say, cursed.
Perhaps I'll bring the series out of retirement for the shizz and giggles if enough Legionnaires call for it.
Until then, you can get Sticks and Stones and Abbey Ruins as a duology exclusively at my storehouse.
This one follows two POVs:
A desperate father looking for his missing daughter in a notorious woodland, and a detective who gets more than what she signed up for.
You can read all about it here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/COAR
DJJW