Capital City and Beyond

Hi all. I’ve been away from here a bit so that I could work on the sequel to Solomon’s Exile. It’s finally written and in the hands of some trusted readers to find my mistakes, inconsistencies, and offer feedback. I think it came out great, but I’m excited to see what everyone else thinks. Not quite sure of the release date yet, but it will be soon. Check back for updates, or better yet, join my mailing list and I’ll notify you when it’s ready!

And, while that’s in progress, I’ve also been working hard on the next part of the Duke Grandfather Saga. This time, the books aren’t about Duke. But they have the same fast-paced, fun feel as the ones you know and love. I’m hopeful that the first of that new trilogy will be out by spring, at the latest.

Since I updated anything on here. Sorry about that! The upside is that I’ve been spending that time writing. As a matter of fact, you’ll be able to get the entire Duke Grandfather Saga in a little over a month, all in one handy edition. All three books and the novella, “Duke Grandfather Unleashes Hell”. Not a bad deal!

While I’ve been working on that, I’ve also started not one, but two new projects! One is a sequel to Solomon’s Exile, another darker fantasy. The other is…well, I think I’ll let that one stay under wraps for now.

If you’re going to be anywhere around the Hickory, NC area on June 1st, come to the Hickory Metro Convention Center for HickoryCon, and stop and say hello! Then, on July 20th, I’ll be at the Wilkes ComicCon in Wilkesboro, NC, in the Historic Benton Hall. Looking forward to meeting new people and signing some books. Stop on by!

Check back soon! I promise I’ll update more often…probably.

Lots going on right now, in my little world of writing.

I’ve finished writing Solomon’s Exile, which is a new novel that takes place in an entirely different setting from the Duke Grandfather books. It’s also has a much darker tone. Now, it’s on to editing, editing, then some more editing. After that, I have a few people that will be reading it for me, then I get to fix all the mistakes/problems that they find. After that, I can put it out. Hopefully by the end of the year.

I’ve also started work on the third, and for the moment, final, Duke Grandfather book. It’s early yet, but I think this one could be the best yet. It looks like this is the day that Duke finally tells that story. You know, the one that he keeps putting off…

And finally, getting set for the Bookmarks Festival of Books, in Winston-Salem this week, September 8th. I’ll be there in a booth, selling all three titles and more than happy to sign them. So if you know anyone that will be in the area, or if you will be yourself, stop on down. Lots of great books, events and food trucks!

I’m almost done writing the sequel to Tales of a Nuisance Man. Hopefully, I’ll have it out by the end of February. If you’ve enjoyed the first book, I think you’ll like this one too.  If you haven’t read the first one, what are you waiting for? And check out the World of Duke page on this site for an excerpt. Thanks for reading!

My father used to tell me that Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday. He loved having the family together and enjoyed the noise and the chaos.  When I was younger, I thought he was crazy.

Sure, Thanksgiving was fine. There was the Macy’s parade in the morning, of which we’d suffer through the marching bands to get to the floats and especially the balloons. Keep in mind, this was back before we had over two hundred channels of quality programming to choose from.  We had three, on a good day.

Then, the family would show up, we’d eat turkey and all the fixings, shouting to be heard over each other, and for those of us who craved attention, shouting a bit louder. Dinner would end, people would fall asleep or sit around the table and talk. And then eventually, it would be time for turkey sandwiches and pie. (more…)

I always loved Halloween as a kid, and still do to this day. I love putting creepy things out in our yard, sitting out on our front porch with a drink, hot or cold depending on the temperature, and watching the kids come by, seeking out the free candy.

When I was a kid, we lived in a rural area, with a few houses around, but not what you would consider prime trick or treating territory. No, for that, we went to my Aunt and Uncle’s house, where we would walk to a large, ritzy development, and do our house foraging there. We made out pretty good too!

But near home, we had our church, which had a Halloween party every year. It was what you would expect, with a costume contest, bobbing for apples, and things like that. They handed out prizes for Scariest Costume, Most Beautiful Costume, Most Original, and probably some others that I’m forgetting. (more…)