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Laughter and a Boujee Camino
What makes you laugh (or cry)? I know it’s been a while. I’m finally feeling back to normal after returning from six weeks in Europe—where we launched the new novel Camino Child, and from New Jersey, where we saw one of our grandsons graduate from Coast Guard boot camp. Yes, we’re proud. In Europe, I spent weeks walking many a beautiful Camino mile and spreading the word about the book launch. I had tons of fun making new friends, breaking bread, walking, and talking. I ran into people I had met before and folks I had only known through Camino social media groups. I was even fortunate enough to see…
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The Cutting Room Floor
Walking the Portuguese Camino, beside the Atlantic Ocean, reminded me of a scene we cut from Camino Child, cut for length and plot. Summer (our protagonist) sleeps on a beach. She wakes up to several feet surrounding her, surfer’s feet. As you wait for your copy of Camino Child to arrive, I hope you enjoy this little slice of her life on Camino. Random beach, north coast of SpainOctober 13, 2019 Voices? Dull voices weave through my senses. An odd smell scratches old memories. In the distance waves gurgle ashore. A ridiculously bright light bores through thin slits in my eyelids. That pungent, What-is-that? smell, mixed with the salty, fishy scents of low…
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Cover Reveal
It was a close thing, a close race. Choosing the cover art for my new novel, Camino Child, was one of the hardest parts of this project. In general, writers liked the “red” version, and readers liked the “blue” version. In the end, my fifteen-year-old granddaughter broke a virtual tie. The blue (the dominant color in this cover) version it shall be, then. Camino Child will release at Amazon.com on October 4th. Pre-orders will open in the next two weeks. Keep a watchful eye for that announcement, coming soon.
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Quick Announcement
On Sunday, we will reveal the cover for the much anticipated new novel, Camino Child. Keep an eye out that morning. Pre-orders for the book, Summer Darling’s adventures across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, will open in the weeks ahead.
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Her Eyes Like Diamonds
An American Landscape Short Story Bodie Jacques is single. He drafts personal ads one after another, not finding the words. He casts his intentions to the universe. A shiny car parks near him. Out steps a supermodel. Over coffee, and from their respective tables, she talks Bodie into riding along on an errand she must run. At a ‘spooky’ mansion in the Heights, Bodie witnesses her take something. When the woman’s boyfriend wants it back, Bodie’s day goes from a happy Saturday off to a high-speed run for his live. The beautiful woman his pilot. Do you know someone who may like this story? Forward this page and they too…
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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…
