Chicken Soup for the Soul: Angels and Miracles

A story twenty five years waiting to be written, represents the second appearance this year and the fifth overall.

For Alyse and Meghan, who never knew their Father.

Halfway

Halfway to the finish line.

The first 50 has been great.

The next 50 look to be awesome.

In Memorium, an Honorable Gentleman.

This week I have been in Orlando, Florida, enjoying a vacation. The day after I arrived, news reached me from Australia of the passing of a honorable gentleman. The man left behind a wife and two children. He had just celebrated his 50th birthday three months ago.

At the same time, news reached me about a story that has been 25 years in the making. In 1991, a friend passed away leaving behind a wife and two children. He was barely 25 of years. His passing profoundly affected me, not only because he was my friend, but because we graduated in the same Police Academy class, and worked side by side in Law Enforcement. For 25 years I carried a guilt over his passing, not for the event that took his life, but for the children he left behind.

His children were just two years and eight weeks of age.

I always wondered if there was more I could have done for his children, but I didn't. I isolated myself from his family, and as it turned out, from my own family. I eventually wrote about him, and that story will appear in November this year.

The honorable gentleman who passed this week left behind two children, who had just completed school and were making their way in the world.

It will not be 25 years before I write about how great, their Dad was, and how lucky I was to know him.

Put a Tablet On The Shelf

In the real world, writers complete major works, editors correct within a short time, publishers get the book out and royalties begin rolling in as every book is a major success.

When was the last time you purchased a book with a cover, paper and a spine?

E-Books are generally less cost to process, and open up a new reader base, but lacks the authenticity of a book on a shelf.

I'm just not ready yet to put a tablet on the shelf.

Third Book in 2016

Which Australian author has signed for a third book this year?

:) 

Geocaching With Murphy

This 4th of July weekend, Murphy has given me the opportunity to have two Amazon best sellers in a month.

Presenting, Geocaching GPS: Stories of Geocaching First, Geocaching With Murphy, now available on Kindle and in hardback starting 4th of July.

Thank you to my geocaching buddy.

The Spirit Of America Goes Out to First Fans

International copies have gone out to the First Fans.

Domestic copies go out next week.

It's a wonderful day to be Straight out of El Cajon.

Witness to The Fall of Saigon

The Fall of Saigon.

Earlier this week I got to listen to the first hand account from the man on the right in this photo.

Look for a feature article in a major publication soon.

Mission Control is Dark.

Umm...

Power outage must have happened today.

No problem, I'll just turn the computer back on.

Ut oh.

Huston, we have a problem.

"Mission Control" is dark.

Launched February 2003, loss of operating power April 2016.

Not bad for a Windows XP computer.

On The Day of Righteous

On the Day of Righteous,
Look over the fence back at the barren earth.
Feel the grass between your toes,
Smell the fresh cut green.
Be gracious -
Your work is done.

 - a discarded paragraph from The Book of Pioneer.

Writer Distractions.

Dad.

Wedding.

Daughters.

Fantasy football.

Alcohol.

Unemployment.

New adventures.

The Commute.

Clutter on my desk.

Sunday mornings.

Time to return to the pencil.

Memorial Day Writing

  It is not enough to be able to write, you have to be marketable to bring forth an income. A writer without income, is just a good story teller. Everybody loves to listen to the story teller, but no one wants to pay. It's like the listener feels that they are entitled to be entertained by a "ripping good yarn".

  The irony is, the listener will pay good money to purchase the newest book from Stephen King,  but, probably never consider his writing 40 years ago. Why?

  No credits to substantiate their expenditure.

  "The book" currently being written by me, is under siege. Not from thieves, pirates or oppression, but from the competition of day to day living. Not a word has been written this week, not because there was nothing to write, but the "business" of running the household outweighed the business of writing a book - that is currently worth $0 on the open market. Writing time has to be budgeted, and sometimes, protecting that time falls prey to the whims of family, bills, and "the day job".

  In the United States this weekend, it is Memorial Day. A time to remember the sacrifice of fallen soldiers in defense of this, and foreign countries. It is a favorably time of year, giving me the largest block of time away from "the day job" and the business of running the household, so I can write.

  I thank the servicemen for their sacrifice, so that I can write, for as we have learned, the world is not always a safe place for writers.

Thank You Seti@Home

Thank you to the Seti@Home project out of Berkley University, who have honored me as their User of The Day.

15 years, 1 million research units, 52,000 computing hours and the search continues.

#seti #setiathome #thankyou