A Contemplative Life

My latest release, Brave the Skies: The Hawk Book Two certainly falls under that heading, as do some errant but fun EPP blocks that might or might not turn into more than shinies. Time will tell. When starting a novel, I allow the characters free rein. We plan to let our chickens free range, but that's months away, lol, yet a similar notion, although if not all the hens survive into winter, that is out of our hands. Birds of prey, as well as foxes and possums, roam our neck of Humboldt County, and while we'll do all we can to keep the flock safe, nature always triumphs. As an author, I have more control, at least of nature. What my cast muscles their ways into is another story. The Hawk began with humble aspirations; I had been writing short stories back in 2013, my goodness, that's a dozen years ago now! Anyway, I'd been penning, or typing, brief tales and wholeheartedly assumed Eric, Lynne, Sam, Renee, Stanford, Laurie and the rest would neatly tie up loose ends in a...

A new book is out, WOO HOO! Brave the Skies: The Hawk Book Two continues the adventures of Eric and Lynne Snyder, an artist and his wife living in the Pacific Northwest. Eric's paintings are gaining new audiences while Lynne's former occupation of a hospital nurse has been jettisoned for the role of artist's model. Yet more is altering for Lynne, as she and Eric find themselves on the cusp of their hearts' desires; despite his time as a hawk, humanity has wound its way into their lives in a most precious way. It's hard to write a synopsis for this tale without invoking spoilers. Yes, Eric alters form, but not in a superhero manner. It's a tragedy for the couple, who have hidden this alarming but irrevocable action until their best friends Renee and Sam Ahern discover what has no logical purpose. The Aherns know a fair bit about calamity; Sam was injured during the Korean War, and the Catholic couple are unable to have children. In Brave the Skies , Sam recounts...