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A Big Thank You and an Announcement
We’re coming to the end of a road. And I thank you. Camino Child, my first novel (first under my name), should see the light of day this fall. And there are people I want to thank for their inspiration and suggestions, coaching, training, and for sometimes just plain humoring me. “No one accomplishes anything in this life on his or her own. Even when we stare in awe at what might appear to be a solitary feat – like climbing to the top of a mountain alone – there is invisible support. There are loved ones at home who cherish the adventure. A mentor to teach. A colleague with…
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Thunder in the Mayacamas Range
An American Landscape Short Story Even though marijuana is now legal in California, illegal patches thrive in the hills of the state. And there is competition, even feuds among the growers. Why would they not be legal, you might ask? Regulations have proven challenging to work within, and—more commonly—these folks have been tending crops for generations and know no other life.Our tale, Thunder in the Mayacamas Range, shows us the tragic fallout from one night when two factions went to battle during a nasty thunderstorm.Who will survive, and who will have to live with the consequences? Do you know someone who may like this story? Forward this page and they…
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Not Your Average Contractor (AKA: Hitman)
A story about a hitman who doesn't kill his targets—what? Check it out.
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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
The Eighth is a short story in my American Landscape series. Please enjoy. What if Lucifer were reborn to a catholic family in the Bronx? Eleni is the eldest of eight children. She inherited the family apartment in Little Italy. She needs her husband of six months, Robert, to understand why she doesn’t want to have children, ever. When Eleni tells Robert about the evils her youngest brother, Daniel, has brought to the neighborhood and her family since he was a toddler, she can only hope that he will understand. What horrible things could Daniel have possibly done to make Eleni fear raising her own children? The Eighth An American Landscape Short Story…
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Camino Child – The Next Phase
How is your springtime shaping up? In northern California it has been beautiful. Too beautiful in fact. We need rain. But we’ll enjoy this for as long as it lasts. Last week, I posted this on Facebook: “I’m just back from my first ever writers conference. If you are a writer, and have not been to a conference, you owe it to yourself. I went with a bag full of questions. But the main query in my mind for the weekend was, what’s next? What do I need to learn, write, stretch myself at in the weeks and months ahead?” The post went on from there. It’s been a while…
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Bobby the Accountant – An American Landscape Short Story
Training for his first ultra-marathon, Bobby runs. The thirty-two-year-old lanky man runs every day. Today, he stops. At the edge of the dirt road, up Big Canyon Creek Valley, Bobby gazes into the brush, spying a shiny metal case. He leans left, bends down, shuffles a step to the right. Once a path through the scruffy foliage exposes itself, Bobby slinks and slides down a rocky slope to the would-be treasure. As he inspects the double set of latches on the aluminum case, he hears a noise. The whoosh of mechanical mayhem comes close. In a rush. Bobby slips deeper into the thicket and toward the creek bed below, while…
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Gemma’s Big Fail: An American Landscape Short Story
Stepping back into a cone of light and misty fog Gemma set a crowbar in the bed of her pickup. A metallic thunk echoed across the dimly lit parking lot. She glanced once more into the shadows toward her husband’s prized ‘65 Mustang, the windows now in twinkling pieces scattered around the car. She slipped into her truck, buckled up, and started the engine. Foot on brake, she waited. After a few moments, Darren and two of his buddies, Rod and Larry, weaved their way out of the bar’s front door. They were yucking it up as usual, slapping shoulders and laughing hysterically at one of their lame jokes, Gemma…
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A Quick Update
Something New Coming Your Way Good morning. I hope you are safe and healthy and happy. We’ve been quite busy since the first of the year. We spent nearly two weeks with friends in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a fabulous artisan’s nest in central Mexico. Immediately, upon returning home, we dove into a major remodeling project. New flooring, refaced cabinets, and new countertops. I hope it’s all done and dusted by the end of February. Cross your fingers. In the mix, I continue to write and work on my favorite project, Camino Child, Book One of Summer Darling’s Travel Adventures. This new YA novel is now in the hands of…
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Camino Child Progress Report
Would you like an update on the progress of my current project, Camino Child? Wonderful! The stories premise: Mystery pulls teenager Summer Darling to Spain to trek an ancient pilgrimage; then tragedy strikes, leaving the American alone to seek her family’s buried past. Let’s get to the update in a moment. I’d like to make some introductions first. In this new novel and its related novellas, there are three main characters, all females. There’s Summer, the eventual Camino Child. There is Grandma Pat, which we see a lot of in Summer’s characteristics. And there is Great Aunt Georgia. Georgia is like that aunt they loved and aspired to be when the ladies among us…
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A Scene Out West
Bill Irish surveyed his kingdom. He stood on the deck at the front of his modular home, leaning against the banister. Long ends of light hairs beneath the edges of a wool cap flitted about on a thin breeze. Bill lifted his broad nostrils toward the sky and drew in a long, appreciating breath of salty air. White smoke emanating from a black grill swirled skyward. A squat glass sat on a picnic table, an ice cube slowly melting as it floated in a golden-brown liquid. Bill’s home looked as old and worn as everything else in view. Boats in the harbor and the few other houses near to Bill’s…
