According to the latest weather update, once Tropical Storm Ian makes hurricane status it looks like it will change its path and come ashore somewhere on the Florida Panhandle. Assuming that happens, we will get some wind and rain, but will dodge the bullet of a direct hit or even a close miss. That’s fine […]
After telling you in yesterday’s blog about our upcoming trip to Alabama to visit our son Travis and his wife Geli, we got a call yesterday morning that changed all of that. Travis came down with a bad headache the day before, and by yesterday morning he had all the signs of COVID. Geli, who […]
When we hear about violent crime, we always tend to think it’s something that happens somewhere else, not where we are. It can happen anytime, anywhere. It’s always in some far off place, usually a big city, and the people involved are anonymous. But my long career publishing small town newspapers in the Pacific Northwest […]
I wish I had something new and exciting to tell you about today but I don’t because there’s nothing new and exciting going on in our lives right now. We’re just going along day by day as time marches on. That doesn’t mean we’re not having a good time because we always make it a […]
Thanks to a lot of hard work by my three proofreaders, Terry, Judy, and Roberta, by cover artist Elizabeth Mackey, and by book formatter Scarlett Braden Moss, early yesterday evening I was able to upload the e-book version of The Hard Years, the fourth book in the Tinder Street family saga, to Amazon for purchase […]
We woke up to tornado warnings on our telephones yesterday and turned on the news to see that we were in the path of a suspected tornado that was heading right at us. Since we live in a mobile home that has been added to on all four sides, the safest place for us is […]
After reading Sunday’s blog about our trip to the Antique Extravaganza in Mount Dora and seeing the picture of the lifelike mannequin of an old man taking a photograph, longtime readers Susan and Ron Wilson set me these pictures of a mannequin security guard they found at a museum in Connecticut. Isn’t it amazing how […]
We’ve all seen those big metals storage pods that people use when they’re moving or just have things they need to find a place to keep for a while, and I always wondered how they moved them around. Did they use some giant forklift to load the pods onto the back of a flatbed truck, […]
In yesterday’s blog I talked about setting goals and said that I would be achieving a goal I had worked toward for quite a while now sometime yesterday, and that I would tell you about it today. I hope you don’t think I’m bragging, but it’s something I have looked forward to for a long […]
I’ve spent the last couple of days plugging away at my new book, Big Lake Ranger, which I had hoped to have out by the end of the month. But I am way behind schedule and I’m not going to make that goal. At least maybe I’ll have it done by the end of the […]
Yesterday afternoon I got the final read-through of my new John Lee Quarrels book, Ka-Bar Karma, back from my final proofreader, made her corrections, and uploaded it to Amazon at 5:15 p.m. Less than an hour later, I got a message back that it was available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. As soon as I […]
I knocked out another 5,000 words in my new Big Lake book yesterday, and I’m hoping today will be the day I finish it, given any unforeseen problems cropping up. Then I will give it a final check for any plot holes or errors before printing out the last chapters for Miss Terry to edit […]
So far in my life, I have been a soldier, a small business owner, a small town newspaper publisher, and an author, to name just a few. And while I have enoyed all of those endeavors, in my next life, I want to be a karma deliveryman, serving up both the good and the bad […]
A series of severe thunderstorms came through Central Florida Saturday night, with tornado warnings in several counties, including ours. As usual, the brunt of it went north or south of us, leaving us with periods of heavy rain off and on, but that was about it. But it was still a tense night around here. […]
Even though I am enrolled in the VA healthcare system, now that we both qualify for Medicare I get most of my treatment through civilian doctors. It’s quicker and easier, and frees up the VA system for veterans who need it more than I do. Yesterday Terry and I had our regular routine checkups with […]
When Jake from Lindley’s Garden Center planted our new citrus trees on Saturday he said they needed to be watered every day for four weeks, and to continue watering our perennial peanut plants with the soaker hoses once every three days or so for a while yet. I always try to listen to the experts, […]
I think most of America has spent the last two days on pins and needles, wondering what was going to happen on Election Day and then how the final count would come out. As of midnight last night, it was still up in the air, although Joe Biden had a commanding lead. But as they […]
When my friend Linda Sand sent me this yesterday, I had to laugh. You have to wonder how something like this slips past the proofreaders. Don’t ask me, but it happens all the time in the publishing business, whether you’re putting up newspapers, books, or magazines. I’ve had my share of gaffes, that’s for sure. […]
Yesterday was another good writing day for me. I cranked out 6,300 words and finished my newest Big Lake book. It came in at 83,265 words and took me three weeks and three days from start to finish. And I wasn’t writing every day. I will spend today and maybe tomorrow reading through it and […]
Thanks to a lot of hard work by Miss Terry and my proofreaders, “Cool” Judy Rinehimer and Roberta Jensen, my newest John Lee Quarrels mystery, The Road To Wrinkle Ranch, is now available on Amazon. At present, there is the e-book you can purchase, or you can read it for free if you are a […]