Coming soon--my conversations with Rex

As many of you know, I have several passions. I love my family, practicing and teaching martial arts, I enjoy building sheds, and I even enjoy work. On top of all this and more, putting thought to paper and creating stories that readers relate to is something that brings me great joy.

I have written two full length action/adventure novels and continue getting so much positive feedback from readers. Please understand--the positives I receive have nothing to do with fueling my ego; on the contrary, when I can bring a few hours of escapist pleasure to a reader, I feel as though I have helped make the world a better place. That thought is what drives me to write and create.

Several have asked when my next Bill Evers novel will be available, and I do apologize to everyone for not having another one ready to hit shelves just yet. I continue to write, albeit at a slower pace than I previously knocked out the first two books. Rest assured, until my dying day, I will peck away at the keyboard in order to bring more stories to life.

Since an earlier blog entry last year, I have toyed with the idea of penning a short book about the conversations I have with our little Italian Greyhound, Rex. It has been with some trepidation that I moved from the genre that I so enjoy to one I am less sure about. This short work is one that I am tentatively titling Conversations with Rex: The World According to Our Dog.

The title may change, but the content will remain. As most animal owners do, I talk to ours regularly, and in my head I hear their responses. Rex has a way of conveying what he thinks through certain looks, body language, or animated jumps and rolls. He is quite the prima donna!

If you are a pet owner, or if you are just someone who enjoys off-branded humor, I think you will like this short work. I will keep everyone posted regarding updates to the work and potential release dates as we get closer to it. You can also follow me on my Facebook author's page for periodic updates and other nefarious topics.

Lastly, as we progress toward publication, I will post a few tidbits here and there specific to the work. I do look forward to this book's release. The compilation of my love for my dog and my twisted sense of humor will hopefully bring a smile to your face.

Stay tuned!

My Newest Tangent: Violent Media & Video Games

Since the recent mass shooting in Parkland, Florida here in the good ole United States of America, gun control, mental illness, background checks, et al. have re-emerged (as they are wont to do after such a tragic event) once again. Ideologues on both sides of the debate argue the same case over and over and the needle never seems to move on the topic. Depending on where you sit on the subject this may or may not be a bad thing.


First, we all acknowledge the loss of life as tragic, and more specifically the loss of innocent life from an act of violence as disgusting and unwarranted. For me, the taking of an innocent life is equally bad if it's committed with bear hands, a hammer, a car, a plane, a rock, a pencil, a knife, or any other object made into a weapon. Let us not forget that a singular murder is just as traumatic as any mass murder, although the latter always grabs headlines and is sensationalized beyond measure.


Moving onto the topic at hand, and that which I would like to focus upon specifically, is the discussion around violent video games, movies, and television and the possible correlation between violence/violent outbursts and the aforementioned.


The gaming industry has gone to great lengths to suppress or ignore potential correlations between violent games and desensitizing the human brain to violent behavior. As a friend "in the know" recently told me, the United States military understands the psychological implications of taking a human life. In many cases, select soldiers are desensitized via violent video games. Perhaps you have heard the term "simulator?" This is a dressed up pseudonym for violent gaming.


It is here that I must point out that millions of stable individuals play video games every day without exhibiting abnormal psychological behavior. Certainly, there is a small population of people that exhibit violent proclivities toward violence and actually act upon those impulses. I would like to state that I believe gaming and its impact on certain humans is a reaction to a much larger psychological disorder. Naturally, this is my opinion, and I have no solid scientific data to support my position other than seeing very low numbers of violent behavior exhibited by gamers (as reported by the media).


There are, however, some interesting research articles supporting, or at least pointing to a potential correlation between playing violent video games and an increase in violent thought and agitation. One such article was published in USA Today and can be found here (note: this link will open a new browser window).


For further research, check out Lt. Col Dave Grossman's site, Killology. He has authored and coauthored several interesting books on the psychological impact of killing another human being.


It is beyond time for our nation to take seriously its own mental health, although the term has become almost cringe worthy. I do not write this statement solely on the basis of our Second Amendment rights; on the contrary, we have all witnessed mental instability play itself out at a significant price. Taking guns away from free citizens does nothing to solve its mental health issues. As I recently told a friend of mine, that is like putting a band aid on a volcano. It serves no purpose other than making the band aid manufacturer rich every time a volcano erupts.


Our country is at a boiling point, and until we remove emotion from debate and move forward with a science based approach at tamping down or eliminating violent behavior, specifically the desire to kill innocents, we are destined to fail as a free nation.

Your opinions on this topic are welcome!


~h