I'm back to blogging...

Since the last blog I have...

• Married the love of my life
• Participated in the acquisition of my company and led the merging of three brands
• Had a son, Hudson, who is adorable and a dog baby, Mango, also adorable
• Bought a house and moved to the suburbs right before the pandemic (well-timed)
• I have finished several manuscripts...
• and so much more. 

My goal is to share some fun and funny stories as life continues to go on. Maybe I'll have some sporadic wisdom, maybe not. Who knows. 

I always wanted a basketball hoop in my driveway and for Father's Day (my first one as a father) and for my birthday the entire family went in on a hoop that only took four hours to put together. It means more to me than most probably realize as my childhood hoop was where many things in my life were sorted out and memories were made. Regardless of the temperature, my brother and I would spend hours shooting hoops, and even though he never beat me one-on-one, he gave me the challenge to keep myself agile and on my game. 

Now that I have the hoop, I've gone out just to shoot and stretch my old, worn-out body and have found just how unagile and not on my game I have become. My jump shot is there. Always, but jumping, dribbling, running are all different. At 35, I am quickly realizing my limitations and reflecting on the health decisions I've made over the years. Shooting hoops is just a simple action repeated over and over again allowing my mind to wander. After sitting in the Writing Day Workshop Online over the past couple of days, I was inspired to find ways to spark creativity more often. 

I would recommend anyone with a driveway to have a hoop. You don't need to be good at basketball (take my brother for example) to enjoy it and it may help deal with being stuck indoors or with life changes that keep happening. I can't do Yoga, or at least I don't think I can, so this is my outlet. 

Thoughtful Quote of the Week: Zig Ziglar

"Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will."

Zig Ziglar

It's always good to remind yourself to think positively and Zig Ziglar, the great motivational speaker, has the right words to apply to daily life. Many positive things have been happening in my life recently and with new horizons, positive influences and opportunities galore, I have to attribute my positive mindset to much of this. I encourage everyone to dig deep and find the positive in any situation, no matter how bleak it may seem. 

Meet Callan Wyss

I'd like to introduce you to Callan Wyss, the main character of Hostile Takeover: A Novel. My first novel is centered on Callan and his journey. This is just a little information to get to know Callan better. Pick up Hostile Takeover: A Novel on Amazon to get to know Callan even better.

PERSONAL STATISTICS
Name	Callan Wyss
Sex	Male
Description (include hair and eye color, hair length, body type)	Dirty blonde, short hair; blue eyes; broad shouldered, 5'10, muscular.
Date of birth, age and place of birth	June 24, 1989 - 31 - Chicago, IL
Parents, siblings – names, appearances, ages, descriptions	Parents: Rachel & Herman Wyss - 60s - Rachel - brown dyed hair with hazel eyes. Herman - White hair, mustache.
	Brother: Nathan Wyss - 28
	Sister: Becky Wyss - 24
Marital status, children. (How old, etc)	Single - Ex-Girlfriend is April Mata
What is their family life like?	Close with his mother and father, strong relationship with his brother, but sometimes combative.
Pets?	Pitbull - Arrow
What is their neighborhood like?	Lives in an apartment looking over the lake in Milwaukee. Ritzy neighborhood with an active outdoor activity scene.
What is in their wallet/purse that others would be surprised to find?	Picture of his dog Arrow
Occupation (do they like their job? How long has this been their occupation?)	Vice President of Sales for the Milwaukee Meteors. He loves his job and has been working for the team for three seasons.
Financial situation	Stable wealth with real estate in Northern Chicago Suburbs
Future plans	He plans on becoming Team President of the Meteors before the attack.
Education	Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Indiana University
Religion	Jewish
Favorites and why:
Color	Green
Season	Summer
Holiday	The Super Bowl
Weapon	His words
Sport	Football
Pastime	Sales
Food	Bagels
Saying	Preparation is the key to success
Curse word	Fuck
Music	Country and 90s Rock
Type of personality – strongest personality traits	Leads by example, confident on the verge of arrogant, ambitious, and meticulous.
Weakest personality traits	Unfaithful and short temper
What bad habits do they have?	Farting and biting nails
Prejudices, dislikes, hates	Commitment, disorder, Dean Matteson
Needs of the character	Recognition for his successes and a scapegoat for his failures. Needs to have a beautiful woman with him at all times.
Ambitions/goals – what drives the character –      3 short-term goals	Money motivated. 1. Sell out Milwaukee Stadium for next season. 2.
3 long-term goals	1. Retire by 55 2. Build a personal net worth with investments in the growing tech and energy space. 3. Find a cure for his father's coma.
What is standing in their way?	His dependence on technology and loyalty to Xavier Branco
How do they handle conflict?	He is a fighter.
Possessions they value most	Cell phone
Vehicle they drive	NEBCAR - Mercedes-Benz
Health	Irritable Bowel Syndrome, healthy otherwise
Passions	Meditation, Sports, Business
What is their philosophy on life?	Put in the utmost effort and you will be rewarded in the end.
How do they feel about love?	He's not sure about love. He might feel it but is not willing to admit it.
Crime?	Crime is against his morals.
Have they traveled? Where?	All over the US. He has been to Jamaica, Australia, and Paris internationally.
Criminal record?	None
Special training?	None
What happened in their past to make them who they are now? (divorce, abuse, love, cared for, pushed away, etc.) – 3 good things about their past	1. His father was a pillar in the community and showed him how to be a leader. 2. He played multiple sports and was team captain. 3. He never failed at anything. Won trophies, championships, and jobs throughout his life.
3 haunting things about their past	1. His father became deathly ill and went into a coma. 2. His high school girlfriend cheated on him for months with multiple guys. 3. He almost got a girl pregnant in college.
How does their past link to their pursuit of or reluctance to pursue their ambitions/goals?	His reluctance to commit comes with the fear of ending up like his father. He doesn't want to lose something he cares about so deeply.
What kind of temperament do they have and why? Does it have something to do with their past?	Mellow temperament.
What makes them nervous, why, and how do they react to nervousness?	Commitment makes him nervous. Sharing his emotions as well. He stammers and tries to change the subject usually.
What do they fear, why, and how do they react to fear?	Committing to one person for a long period of time because he had some terrible relationships in his younger days that he carried with him into his professional life.
What makes them feel safe, why, and how do they react to safe?	He is safe when he is in control. He also feels safe with April, but doesn’t realize it until the disaster hits.
What do they take for granted about their life?	His financial accomplishments, net worth, and positive health. Women flock to him and he takes that for granted as well.
What do they appreciate about their life?	The friends he has around him. They are high caliber individuals.
How would they react to:
Divorce	He is against divorce mostly because he is against marriage, but he would shut down not react with much emotion.
Partner cheating	Disengage and would find a fling to rebound bang
Robbery	Become furious and start a fight with whoever he thought was guilty
Finding out someone loves them back	Fear and withdrawal
Winning the lottery (do w/money?)	Invest and save
Being wronged some way? (forgive easily?)	Carries a grudge and puts business before emotion
Change	He institutes change in his professional life. He welcomes change with open arms.
Monotony	Too boring. Yawn…he would change things.
What kind of friends do they keep? Do they trust them, or have them for convenience?	Wealthy and non-monogamous males, strong females who are attractive and flirtatious. Sarcasm is a big part of his friendships. He trusts his core friends unconditionally.
How will the story change them?	Callan becomes a more emotive and committed person who knows what he wants out of life and who he wants to be with. His leadership skills are also more defined through this experience.

*Callan is not based on one individual and is a completely fictional character.

Finally Did It

It's finally sunk in...I published a novel. I'm a novelist. I'm a published novelist!!!


We all have dreams. Big and small. I am so proud that I was able to accomplish one of mine. I have two more novels in the works and I am even more excited to work on those as I continue to promote Hostile Takeover.


Thank you to all my friends and family who have shown your support by purchasing my book. I hope others will pick it up, because it is fun read and overall an enjoyable, twisting storyline. It means so much when people have asked me to sign their copies and I signed my first ones today for my Aunts Cheryl and Kathy! It was foreign to me, but it showed me how great it is to have such a terrific support around me. Many people are mentioned in my acknowledgements, but there certainly are hundreds more I'd like to have mentioned...maybe in Book #2.


If you haven't ordered your copy, please check it out at www.createspace.com/4886370 or on Amazon if you want to use Prime for free shipping.

Popular Questions for the Author: In Regards to Hostile Takeover

I am turning 30 tomorrow, June 24th, 2015 and with my first novel being out there and published, I wanted to share more insights into my crazy mind and thoughts behind this first project.

The novel can be found at: CreateSpace or Amazon

Since publishing my first novel last Wednesday, many people have reached out with some of the same or similar questions. So, I figured I'd share my answers with everyone.

FAQ with Brandon S. Stec about Hostile Takeover: A Novel

1. Why did you decide to write a novel? What was your motivation?

As a kid, I would read books on top of books every summer and as often as I could during the school year. I loved suspense and mystery books and as I've gotten older, I've become an even bigger reader. In high school, I took an elective class for creative writing and loved it. It's one of the few classes I remember positively from high school. On December 31st, 2012, instead of going out and partying, I stayed in and spent time relaxing. It was that night I started writing Hostile Takeover. I decided my New Years Resolution that year was to write a complete first draft of a novel. I finished it in six months. My motivation was a pursuit for a creative outlet where I could share my thoughts and passions through this story and it developed into a hobby and then a more passionate pursuit. I had a lot of fun with it.

I never thought I'd be publishing a novel and putting it available for sale online.


2. Why did you name the MC Callan Wyss? Any significance behind the name?

Well...Chris O'Donnell plays G Callan on NCIS: LA and they call him Callan on the show so that was where the first name originated. One of the episodes was on in the background as I was conceiving the character names. There is no significance to Wyss either. Instead, I just liked the unique spelling of a semi-common last name.


3. Who is your favorite character? Favorite character name?

Ellis Merced is my favorite character. Favorite name is Mercury Peligroso, but he is a minor character. A more involved character name would be Nala Richards.


4. Why set the story in LA when you are a Midwesterner?

I wanted to experience the same unfamiliarity as my characters. None of them were very familiar with their scenery, so it was a learning experience for the both of us.


5. Which scene is your favorite? Hardest scene to write?

My favorite scene is a difficult question because there is a collection of many diverse and thought-provoking scenes and some that are hilarious (in my mind at least). I'd have to go with Callan's sprinting through the soccer field scene because for the first time in the novel Callan is feeling something real and is expressing himself in his own way.

The hardest scene to write was the shooting in the alley scene, but without giving up too much information, I'll just say it was an emotional experience to delve into the different factors involved.


6. How did you come up with the idea?

The idea spawned from a conversation about the state of technology in our lives during an episode of a brief television show called Revolution. I was convinced that without technology our society would crumble and suddenly I had an idea and started writing down all these scatter-brained thoughts. Hostile Takeover was the result.


7. Where did you find the time to write an entire novel and then edit it?

It became simple once I got into a system. I'm a night owl, so I spent some late nights and spent my weekends enjoying a cocktail on occasion and scrubbed through the novel multiple times.


8. What was the hardest part of writing your first novel?

The structure and organization of the novel was my biggest challenge. I could blabber on forever but unless I reached my end goal, it was all for nothing. I found it easier after reading a few really great writing books, one being Stephen King's On Writing. The one thing that I feel I need to work on most is outlining. I know that now for future novels.

9. Which character is the most misunderstood? 

Nala Richards is the most misunderstood character. She starts as a determined rebel and changes quickly when realities are revealed that conflict with her original beliefs. Nala is a strong woman who takes control and develops into a fun supporting character.

10. What's next?

Well...One would assume I have a plan, but really the promotion of Hostile Takeover and learning from the experience are the primary immediate goals. I have two novels I want to work on next and both need lots of work. Most likely, I'll use this experience to better prepare my second one for potential publishers and agents. Both of the novels I have to work on are very close to my heart and are based on life experiences in some sense.

I'd love to hear people's feedback, good or bad, because the only way I can do a better job of telling the story is to hear all the necessary opinions from readers. I will be looking for beta readers for my next one to get more opinions before going to publishers. If there are other questions, feel free to email me: brandonstec@gmail.com

Thanks!

Brandon S. Stec

About my first published novel: Hostile Takeover

I am excited to announce that my first novel, Hostile Takeover is now available on CreateSpace and soon will be on Amazon as well.

https://www.createspace.com/4886370

It was extremely easy to use CreateSpace to do the self-publishing process and I am incredibly appreciative to everyone that encouraged me and supported me as I went through this process. My goal was to have this done by my 30th birthday and guess what!?! I made it by 8 days!

So I'll tell you a little about the book and will periodically share some insights about the characters and story-line. My goal was to share a story that was somewhat inspirational, but also enlightening. There is an epidemic in our world with an incredible dependence on technology. We spend most of our days glued to some type of device. In a world where this is to an even bigger extreme, we meet Callan Wyss and his collection of clients, friends, co-workers, and his brother Nathan.

Life was pretty good for Callan. He had an awesome job and his choice of women. He worked for the most powerful man in the country. Then his day turned bad. A terrifying attack on the country's power structure launched Callan into a fight for his life and the lives of those he cared most about. Enthralled with a conspiracy and power struggle, Callan and Nathan begin to relearn what life was like without their devices and technology. They must learn to work together to save everyone and they begin experiencing deep and defining emotions for which they never expected. Callan and Nathan take the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotion and adventure to an unexpected climax through this thrilling tale.

That's the premise of the story. It's simple, relevant, and intriguing and I hope you enjoy meeting Callan and his band of travelers.

Please pick up the book and share what you think. This is my first novel to go to publishing and I have other projects I am excited to work on next. First things first, I want everyone to meet Callan Wyss.

2014 in Review: A Year of Monumental Life Experiences with Unfortunate Tragedy Mixed In

Happy New Year!

As 2015 begins, I wanted to take some time and reflect on a year that was filled with many experiences and a roller coaster of emotions. 2014 was a year where I had so many personal experiences and challenges arise and I couldn't be more grateful for all the support from friends and family I have had through all of this.

I want to go chronologically so I don't forget anything. I hope this inspires other insights as I go, but my goal is to reflect and remind myself about all the incredible things I've gone through in 2014.

January:
In the first month  of the year I left a company I'd been with for over four years, the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the right time for a change as a partner in Procurement Concepts, we really needed someone to start running the company full-time and this was my opportunity to do just that. I enjoyed my time with the Chiefs and without those four years, I wouldn't have received my MBA or gotten to know all the great people I did. This was a risk, but I knew I had to take it and things have gone very well.



March-May:
In March I began my campaign for Man of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Kansas City. I was honored to be a candidate and a part of this wonderful fundraising campaign. The support I received was overwhelming and I ran my campaign in honor of my grandmothers, who were both cancer survivors. Defeating Cancer...One Stec at a Time was my motto for the campaign and t-shirts and social media helped me create awareness for the cause. Throughout the campaign, I heard from family and friends who were gracious with their donations and promotion of my campaign. As I recall the campaign and the incredible honor it was to be a candidate, I originally didn't know if I would win and even though I didn't, I felt like a winner just for helping contribute to the over $500,000 raised for the cause. It was an amazing accomplishment and something I will always remember as one of the most unique experiences of my life. Now I am on the committee for the Chicago Man & Woman of the Year campaign and I get to contribute more and tell my story to many different people.



April:
One of the scariest tragedies I've ever experienced happened in April of 2014. I've touched on this event in a past blog. To summarize: A man went onto the campus of the JCC in Overland Park (1 mile from my apartment) and opened fire on people in the parking lot before heading to a Jewish Retirement facility called Village Shalom to shoot another person. He was a former KKK leader and well-documented anti-Semite. Three people died, none of which were Jewish. The auditions for the KC SuperStar contest were going on and people from all over the Kansas City area were converging that day on the JCC to participate and this man decided he was going to ruin things. He failed to kill a Jewish person and instead of instilling fear in the community, the community rallied and showed their support by walking with each other during my BBYO kids Candlelight Vigil walk the Friday after the shootings. Thousands came from all over Kansas City and the kids did such an amazing job to put this together to honor the victims. This experience inspired my second novel, which is now finished in 1st draft version.

http://brandonsstec.blogspot.com/2014/04/love-wins-hate-loses-candle-light.html

June:
This year was also my final year as a BBYO advisor in Kansas City and my residency in Kansas City also ended in June, which made for a very busy birthday month. I spent four years as an advisor for Twos AZA, the second chapter in the history of BBYO and was blessed with an incredible group of teenagers whom I got to know well over the years and am glad I did. I encourage anyone to take some time to volunteer with a youth group and spend some time with a group of young future leaders. I still keep in touch with many of the teens and even though I ended up sacrificing more time than I originally thought I would, I wouldn't change a thing of the four years spent with Twos AZA. Being an advisor also allowed me the opportunity to become more involved in the Jewish community of Kansas City and found a community that accepted me and welcomed me and Jason (my brother) into their homes for the holidays. I couldn't thank the families of Twos AZA enough for making me and Jason feel so welcome and trusting us with their teens.


Also in June, I moved back to Chicago, ending a year and a half stretch of living with my little brother, Jason in Kansas City. This was the first time as adults we had ever lived together and I'm so glad we got to spend this time together. My brother and I have had our disagreements like any brothers, but we became much closer by living together for the time we did. I'm very glad to see my brother now successful in his career and happy with his life in Memphis.


The move to Chicago was not necessarily a fun time (I hate moving) as my apartment proved to have a smaller doorway and elevator than I anticipated, but once I was moved in, I was very happy with my decision to finally live in the city. One of the best parts of being back in Chicago is that I am now able to spend time with my family and long time friends and have taken advantage of being close to home to see my immediate family more often.



July:
The summer marked one year since I was diagnosed with IBS. Although this is not a debilitating condition, there are many times where it makes for a terrible day or night. I've worked on my diet and changed many habits to battle my condition, but am still a work in progress. Things have been better, but when you have a condition that can be ignited by stress and you run a company full-time, it usually is not a great mix. I've always been very open about my IBS and am always interested to hear from people on different ideas on how to live with it or stories about their own battles with stomach issues. Special thanks to all my friends who've put up with or supported me on these changes.





October:
Late October was the worst part of 2014. We suddenly lost my Bubby and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. My Bubby and I were very close and since my Papa passed 20 or so years ago, she was the grandparent I knew the best and spent most of my time with. We talked often and I still have the instinct to call her and tell her a funny story (funny to me, but likely not funny to many others) and she would always listen to my stories and always cared about how I was doing. Her number one request to me was that I constantly focused on being happy. Whether it was my writing or my company, she would ask for updates. I only have one grandparent left and my Grandma Jeanne and I keep in touch, but my Bubby was very special in my life. Many friends reached out and those that grew up with me knew how close we were and expressed their condolences, which I really appreciated. This has caused me to focus even more on my health as in the same year we also found out my dad has diabetes. My diet and exercise schedule has become more structured and I feel better as I continue to improve my healthy living choices. My family is small on my mom's side, but we have bonded together for the first time in a very long time and I know my Bubby would be very happy at how we have regained relationships. She wanted that more than anything, so that is our ultimate gift to her.



November & December:
It's winter in Chicago...so it's cold!

There have been many other experiences mixed in with these major events, but I can't go through them all. I'd never finish if I did. I finish with this: I do not have a specific resolution for 2015, but I hope to make it a year of more accomplishments and growing relationships. It will be another year of personal growth as I continue to fine tune the craft of being a writer part-time and running a start-up on the verge of expansion every day. My goals are lofty as always, but thanks to many past experiences, I know I can accomplish them.

In the words of Joe Dirt, "Alls I got to do is keep bein' a good person. No matter what, good things'll come my way. Everything's gonna happen for me, just so long as I never have no in my heart".

Happy Holidays Everyone! Thank you for reading! Comments are welcome and appreciated!

Brandon S. Stec