Responding to a Rejection Letter

What writer worth his or her salt can't totally relate?

(Warning: Do not watch this if you are offended by profanity.)

The Taking of Trevor Ward

Jake Bond is not your ordinary private eye. A retired army colonel, Jake has a "gift" inherited from his father and honed throughout his years in Military Intelligence. High-powered attorneys from around the country have made Jake rich paying him to do the impossible--and he always delivers. Even the FBI and state law enforcement agencies call on Jake Bond for help when all else fails. But when a routine assignment from a divorce lawyer sends Jake to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of nowhere and up to his neck in a child abduction. When an AMBER Alert goes out naming Jake as the kidnapper, the stakes get personal, and Jake is determined to get to the truth and find the real kidnappers and their motives before it's too late.

My latest novel, The Taking of Trevor Ward, is now available exclusively on Amazon.

Ordinary Life is Enough

"The ordinary middle class life was enough to write about." --John Updike

When I began writing fiction in the early 90s, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of John Updike who offered me invaluable tips and encouragement.  This quote from him during an interview he gave about  five years before he died sublimely captures his view of writing fiction, and to a large measure, mine as well.

Nelson's Car

The car Nelson gets for his 16th birthday in A Death on the Wolf is a 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk. Here is what it looks like.

Just reminiscing

On July 21, 2011, I posted the following on my FB author page. I had just started writing the novel that would become A Death on the Wolf.

I re-learned a valuable lesson tonight. I have had the idea for a story in the back of my mind for the past two years. I've sat down countless times to start the writing, and each time came up dry. Tonight, instead of once again trying to force it, I just sat down at the keyboard, cleared my mind, and let the story unfold in my minds eye. But it wasn't the story from the back of my mind over the past two years. It was something new and different...and better. Object lesson: Don't try to write to a story, write from one. Listen to that inner muse; don't try to force it to listen to you.

WINNER!

A Death on the Wolf is the literary fiction WINNER in the Kindle Book Reviews "Best Indie Books of 2012" contest.

Click here to see the video announcement of all the winners in each genre.

Finalist

A Death on the Wolf has been selected as a Top 5 Finalist in the Kindle Book Reviews Kindle Book Review "Best Indie Books for 2012" contest.

Click here and here for two recent interviews.