C.O.M.A. Blog: Re-Writing a Published Book (or How does Back to the Future 2 come into play with The Rainbow Warrior: Genesis?)

First off, I apologize for taking longer with this blog than I originally planned. I intended to release it last week, but certain family commitments and the heat and humidity in the Western New York area set me back a bit. Additionally, there has been another significant factor that delayed my progress, which I will discuss in a future blog post.

Essentially, I fell into a pretty bad writer's funk and even considered giving up writing completely. With everything going on, including my day job and other factors, I've been a little behind. I'll delve into that more at another time. Now onto the blog.

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In 1994, during an overnight shift at Rite Aid, I found unexpected inspiration to write my first book, The Rainbow Warrior: Genesis. The spark came from an article about a rare albino buffalo that had reportedly changed colors—a phenomenon deeply rooted in the Lakota Sioux prophecy of the White Buffalo Calf Woman. According to legend, she was a sacred messenger who brought the Lakota people seven holy ceremonies designed to foster harmony, honor the Earth, and promote unity among all beings. Her teachings continue to resonate today, influencing not only the Lakota but also other Plains tribes such as the Cheyenne and Arapaho.

The birth of a white buffalo calf is considered a powerful spiritual sign—an embodiment of hope, prophecy, and renewal. Among the most famous of these was Miracle, a white buffalo born in Wisconsin in 1994. Over time, Miracle changed colors multiple times, cycling through the four sacred hues of the Lakota medicine wheel. Such transformations are seen as profoundly symbolic, reinforcing the spiritual significance of these rare animals.

True albino buffalo are extraordinarily uncommon, occurring in roughly one out of every ten million births. Even more rare are those that undergo color changes, a phenomenon that remains poorly documented and difficult to quantify. In the past century, fewer than twenty white buffalo of any kind have been officially recorded in the United States, underscoring the rarity—and the reverence—of these sacred beings.

Not long after, I wrote my first book, The Rainbow Warrior: Genesis, making rookie mistakes like drafting it by hand since laptops weren't around. I hadn’t written seriously in about five or six years since high school but still had my story ideas and early drafts inspired by the television movies/series Kolchak: the Nightstalker from my junior year.

The publishing industry evolved significantly in the mid to late nineties, shifting from the traditional write-edit-polish-publish model to E-Books and Print-on-Demand. This transition involved a steep learning curve and many mistakes.

(In this case I’m referring to when someone orders a physical book from a smaller publisher like Mélange, it differs from print-on-demand or vanity publishing which charge authors upfront fees to self-publish, do not assist in developing the book, and are often considered scams.)

Despite my initial lack of knowledge, I ultimately completed the book after ten years of intermittent progress and nine revisions, as various life circumstances arose. In 2003, I found a publisher I believed to be reputable, and the following year, the story was published—though the details of that publishing experience are a separate matter.

In 2013, the first mystery novel, Family Ties, was published by Melange. Subsequent mysteries were released over the following years. Based on a suggestion from my father, the Rainbow Warrior project was presented to the current publisher, Nancy Schumacher. After reviewing the manuscript, Nancy Schumacher agreed to publish it, and discussions began about re-publishing the book since the rights had reverted to the author after the original publisher ceased operations. It was then determined that the story required revision. While the core narrative remained unchanged, updates were necessary to reflect the changes in Buffalo, NY—the primary setting of the story—and to ensure the depiction aligned more closely with the real-life city than in the original publication.

In my rewrite, I incorporated real locations like South Buffalo, Kaisertown, West Seneca, and Grand Island, and expanded world-building. While Alex Harlow remains a predestined warrior tasked with safeguarding humanity, only his name stayed the same—all other major characters were completely changed. The narrative kept its core premise, but underwent an extensive overhaul, with many original elements revised or removed.

Now with the explanation out of the way, onto the heart of the subject.

In Back to the Future II, there is a scene in which Marty and Doc return from the future to find that Biff has altered the past, resulting in an alternate 1985 timeline. They must then work to restore the original 1985. The following point relates to this scenario:

During the process of revising The Rainbow Warrior: Genesis, I implemented a minor yet significant modification that influenced the storyline. Initially, Alex engaged a law firm owned by a billionaire, who developed an unhealthy obsession for Tiffany, the associate assisting with his adoption records, resulting in a conflict between Alex and James Pitt—a character I had previously named Brad Pitt. Go ahead and laugh folks. At the time, my selection of the name was inadvertent; in 1994, I had limited knowledge of the actor and likely chose the name subconsciously after hearing it referenced elsewhere, and thought it sounded good, until a co-worker pointed this out to me, so I made a fast change.

In the revised version, Alex hires a company specializing in reuniting families and unsealing adoption records. As a result, the girl—now called Marie—does not work for the antagonist’s company, and the two never meet. Consequently, an alternative catalyst was required to create a confrontation between Alex and Regino Segel. It took time to come up with a new reason, which helped fill out the story and added to my world building.

After trying to figure out the 'why' aka the McGuffin (thank you Alfred Hitchcock), Alex and Segel would become enemies, I had to do my research and once I had the dominoes in place, my over-active writer's imagination filled in certain blanks. And if you want to see the end results, you'll just have to buy the book, either print or e-format.

I think anyone who writes, whether professionally, as a hobby, or somewhere in-between, whether fiction, non-fiction, whatever, will agree with me when I saw even at the best of times, it's never easy. Somedays it flows like an easy river, other days, it’s like dragging each word out of quicksand with your bare hands. On the good days, the words arrive like old friends—familiar, generous, eager to help you build something beautiful. On the hard days, they hide in the shadows, daring you to chase them down, to prove you still care enough to try. Admittedly I usually put it a lot more directly; Writing is a lot like being on the toilet; sometimes you can sit there and nothing happens as if you're constipated, or it flows out of you as if you have diarrhea.

I know, it’s not the most glamorous comparison—but it’s real. Writing demands patience, persistence, and a willingness to sit with discomfort. You can’t force it, but you can’t wait forever either. You just have to show up, pants down, pen in hand, and hope something moves.

And when it does? When the words finally come—whether in a trickle or a torrent—it’s a kind of relief that only writers truly understand. That moment when the page starts to fill, when the idea takes shape, when you realize you’ve captured something true… it’s worth every strained silence and every false start.

So if you’re stuck, if you’re staring at the blank page wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea—just know you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. And we’ll all be there again. That’s the deal we make with the muse.

Now wipe off the doubt, flush the fear, and get back to it.

So why go back and rewrite a book that was already published?

Because stories evolve—just like the people who write them. Because the world changes, and sometimes our stories need to catch up. Because what we once imagined can be made sharper, deeper, more honest with time and experience. And maybe most of all, because the act of rewriting is a declaration: that the story still matters, and so does the writer behind it.

Revisiting The Rainbow Warrior: Genesis wasn’t just about fixing typos or updating street names. It was about honoring the spirit of a story born in the quiet hours of a Rite Aid shift, shaped by prophecy, persistence, and a whole lot of trial and error. It was about giving the characters—and myself—a second chance to get it right.

So if you’ve got a story gathering dust, a draft that didn’t quite land, or a book you once thought was finished… maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just waiting for the version of you who’s ready to tell it better.

And if you’re already in the thick of it—rewriting, reimagining, wrestling with the words—keep going. The muse may be fickle, but she respects those who show up.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a few more pages to polish—and maybe a bathroom metaphor or two left in the tank.