Coming soon to a bookstore near you

Tales out of School

Every once in a while, DW comes home with a story from school. Yesterday was one of those days.

A test was given, and one of the questions was "Bessie says there are more ounces in a ton than pounds. True or false, explain."

One child answered, "True. I know because Bessie is an A+ student."

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming up, and it always brings out the romantic in me.

A love song

If I could write a song for you, this is what I’d say,
I’d tell you how a glimpse of you can take my breath away.
To have you wake beside me, at the dawning of each day,
I’d say I love you.

The easy way you laugh out loud while watching children play,
The rhythm of you breathing when your dreams take you away
The color of your eyes is like the seas off St. Tropez,
I’d say I love you.

I know it’s all been said before, a thousand different ways,
In a million different stories, or songs or even plays.
I don’t care if it sounds trite, don’t care that it’s cliché,
I’d say I love you.

One Year

This blog has been active for a year now, and I offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has stopped by.

This has been a very eventful year. DOG ISLAND, the story of a young couple pursued across Florida by a drug smuggling ring, has been picked up by Oak Tree Press and is tentatively scheduled to debut on February 20.

I've also done a bit of traveling in the last year. Some of the places I've visited include Montreal, the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Trinidad, and Belize. You may well see these locations featured in upcoming novels.

Work is (slowly) progressing on two more novels, and the idea for a third has been fleshed out. My New Year's resolution is getting at least one finished this year.

So, an eventful year has passed. Again, thanks to you for taking time to read this blog. Come often and browse, leave a comment or two.

Louise Penny

Louise Penny - anyone familiar with her work?

I just completed THE BRUTAL TELLING. Hated it at first, but kept going because it was a gift from DD2 for my birthday. That's a clue right there, I can read a book I like in a day or two. This one took two weeks.

I hated the idle chit chat of the villagers. I detested the introduction of so many characters, and how they interfered with the story. I did not like how she portrayed the small village, nestled into the woods, and how the villagers avoided the forest. Having grown up in a small village nestled in the woods, many of the points were implausible. But I plodded on, a scene here, a chapter there, and waded through it. Not much action, just a lot of idle chit chat.

This is a book I would have put back on the shelf fifteen seconds after opening it. But I knew DD2 would ask me about it, so there was no turning back.

Then a strange thing happened. As I progressed into the story, the village began to open, and I became interested in the villagers. What I earlier dismissed as idle chit chat became important to me. That's when I realized the story wasn't about the murder, it was about the people.

I'm always about the story, and confess a weakness on character portrayal. I can tell you what they look like, smell like, and walk like, but I haven't yet developed the skills to portray the rich tapestry of thought and emotion that Louise Penny has accomplished. THE BRUTAL TELLING is an MFA in character development. Give it a try, if you haven't already.

Home Front

There is a woman who waits in the post office nearly every day. She's watching for people who are sending "Care Packages" to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. When she spots a package, she offers to pay the postage.

My wife was overwhelmed by her generosity when she carried several small boxes into the post office last week, and couldn't help but ask her why. "It's for my son," was her response. "I promised him I would take care of all the boys over there."

"I see," my wife replied, "and who is your son?"

She pointed to a picture on the post office wall. "Him," she replied.

The picture is of Sgt. Lea Mills, who died at age 21 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The post office is named in his memory.

So this is for the woman who waits at the post office, and all the family members of those who serve.

Home Front

With a bloody knee he pushes his bike slowly up the lane,
He’ll try to put the training wheels back on.
There’s a little girl whose daddy won’t be watching her tonight,
As she dances in her very first ballet.

There’s a woman in the kitchen fighting silent tears alone,
It’s mac ‘n cheese for dinner once again.
She prays to God for strength to make it through another night,
And wonders when her husband’s coming home.

A faded yellow ribbon hangs in tatters on the door
The candle in the window’s lit each night.
One day a gentle wind will see our weary soldiers home
To find the peace that they’ve been fighting for.

What's in the hopper

Working on two manuscripts, they're both coming along nicely. The first is a follow-up to DOG ISLAND. It picks up the unresolved conflict, and carries the story into another arena. It is way too early to let you in on any details, but the working title is DEAD MAN'S KEY. That title may not stick, but it's okay for now.

The second is a Southern Gothic, titled IT WAS AUGUST. Inspired by a short story I wrote and got published in WORDSMITH, the Tampa Writers' Alliance annual anthology, it expands the story and delves a little deeper into the psychological pathology of a killer's mind and the people who refuse to believe he could kill.

Another story line is running through my brain, screaming for attention. This one will be more or less true, and could be the most powerful of all. But it will have to wait until I finish the other two.

What's coming out of your word processor? Do tell!