Ted's View

Seton and I have received numerous emails from people asking why we haven't posted anything since Seton's post on October 21st. That's a great feeling knowing that there are so many friends out there supporting this journey! To answer that question, we left Seton's first post up before posting again because we wanted as many eyes to read that post - it hopefully answers the question of why he wanted to write this book, and also clear up any assumptions of what this book is really about. What was alluded to on his post, but I wanted to answer is why I wanted to write this book with him. At a young age, I have also had to experience losing friends and loved ones. I have a loving family, but as a young man I also didn't know how to deal with those deaths and didn't go to my family. Unfortunately, young people face tragedies all of the time and this tends to be standard behavior. We thought if we were able to tell our story and not sugar coat it, young people might pick up this book, read it, and feel they are not alone. When someone feels they are not alone then they can begin to deal with their situation. At least, that is what we like to believe. As for me, I also needed to get my old feelings of losing friends and relationships on paper to close the door of my past. This is a book of fiction, but I did put so much of myself into it. At times, it was extremely difficult to write because it was like I traveled in a time machine to 1994 and was relieving those painful experiences of losing friends or breaking up with who I thought was "the one". But by writing it all down, I realized it was worth it! The final reason that I wrote the book is simple - my brother is my best friend and this project meant so much to him. It meant a lot to me, but I never realized how much it did until we read the final chapter out loud to my Dad ( our in house editor, a novelist, and Professor Of Creative Writing for over 50 years), and with tears in his eyes said to us, "I'm so proud of my boys."

That says it all!

To back track a bit, when it was decided we'd write the book, Seton and I decided to symbolically give "shout outs" (if you will) to all of those friends and loved ones we have lost and also friends and loved ones who have been there for us over the years! When Cape Codders read the book they might be able to find those shout outs..... But I want to make something clear. This book isn't just about dealing with death 'cause right now I sound a little bit like Debbie Downer! This book is also about celebrating life! There is a lot of "guy" humor in TRW (and admitedly the humor might not be for everyone), but we hope we have found that right balance of humor and sadness that will make this book a realistic and a fun read for people on the beach, airports, or just lounging on their hammock when the book comes out in May 2010! So now that we have both addressed why we wrote this book, please check back often because the posts will be coming fast and furious from now on! Also, thank all of you who have told family, friends, co-workers, etc. about The Running Waves and our web site. Believe me, we don't enjoy having to constantly promote on Facebook or Twitter to check out the site, but since we don't have a big advertising budget it's a necessary action. Fortunately, we have some great people in our lives who are passing the word on, and with a little luck maybe next May we'll get the exposure we need to make The Running Waves a household name!

-Ted Murphy