Summer Thanks

This Summer has been a whirlwind for those of us in my home! I watched with both pride and sadness as my youngest daughter climbed on the shuttle to Montgomery, AL to be processed into the United States Army, then just like that we were driving to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma to watch her graduate basic training. What an honor that was. Hooah!


My third book, a short treatise of conversations with our ten pound dog Rex entitled (click the title if you are interested in purchasing a copy) My Dog's P.O.V. and How He Sees the World, was released. As always, thanks to Y-O-U, Mr./Ms./Mrs. Reader for supporting my writing habit and providing so much excellent feedback. Your reviews have humbled me, and that's just not an easy thing to do. :)


The third and fourth Bill Evers books are underway (one of them is a collaborative effort!). Writing action/adventure novels is my passion, and completing one brings me a sense of accomplishment like few other things I have achieved in my life. Again, thank you to everyone who supports this strange affliction I have; sitting in front of a monitor and keyboard for countless hours seems ridiculous, right up to the moment a proof copy of a book is in my hands. It is at that time I realize an overwhelming desire to continue the process so many writers refer to as "the craft."


I accidentally signed up for a five mile obstacle course to be held in October. Obviously, alcohol should never be mixed when signing up for healthy endeavors or sporting activities. I have been pounding away trying to be just fit enough so as to avoid embarrassing myself at the event. So far, so good--y'all just throw up a prayer for me every now and again if you would.


With much excitement, I have watched some of my karate students grow and mature over the summer. Those who practice are making great strides in their personal development. As a teacher, this makes me happy and drives me to continue teaching.


Just recently, Cathy and I ventured to Las Vegas, Nevada where my old friends Robyn, Tommy, and Ricky Rhinehart met me for dinner on Freemont Street. I mention Freemont Street because if you have never walked it, you should...without your kids...or parents. Debauchery notwithstanding, it was wonderful to see my friends again. Doing so somehow restores my faith in humanity. There are still good people in the world!

This Fall promises a lot more action and travel. I am looking forward to what the immediate future holds and can't wait to get "there."


Love, peace, and bacon grease,


~h

Human Interaction Is Everything and I Have Proof!

The Interwebs and social media make being a keyboard warrior easy in every imaginable way. 99.999999999% of the time, there is no accountability or consequences for the things people write or post online, as they peck away on their phones or laptops in the safety of their own homes. This social separation, because that is what it really is, has opened the door to hate on a disproportionate scale.


Everyone has a voice; everyone has an opinion. No matter how factually incorrect something may be, it has little bearing on a person's willingness and ability to send it out to the world. Doing so only drives more of a divide, because, again, there are no consequences to speak of for doing it.


"But, Howard--you can always unfriend someone, or stop following them if they do that," someone may argue.


True, but their remark/post is still out there, and without fail it won't be removed because their "opinion is just as important as anyone else's."


This flawed logic notwithstanding, it is easy to see why society is in disarray. There is so little human interaction anymore. Even when we are with people, we are disconnected from them and attached to our mobile devices. As such, I have begun calling the networking sites, "unsocial media," because I feel that is a more accurate portrayal of what they have morphed into over the past decade.


This past weekend, I had the most excellent fortune to meet and see people on a human level. For weeks leading up to Saturday's event, I advertised my book signing for locals in my area to come see me and other local authors at a bookstore in Albertville, Alabama. The turn-out was 100 times what I was expecting. After all, I am just a guy from a small town in Alabama who enjoys writing. I am no one special, but I do get a certain satisfaction knowing my work may touch someone in a positive way.


People came from near and far; one drove all the way from Panama City Beach, Florida (an almost six hour drive) through thunderstorms to meet ME. Another drove from Knoxville, Tennessee just to meet ME. And so many new and old friends from the surrounding communities came out to meet ME.


And in all of their travels, and with all the books I signed, the discussions we had with one another, phones in our pockets or on a table, were the most memorable. We talked and laughed then talked some more. That, my friends, is social. It was brought about by an old media--books. Perhaps we should look to the past as we pave our way into the future.


To everyone who came to talk and hang out this past Saturday--you made my day. To those who could not make it, I hope to see you soon!


Peace, love, and bacon,


~h

This Event, Future Projects, and Time

Time--the invisible but ever-constant concept that limits what we can and want to do. Since the dawn of man, we have watched the sun cross over the sky, the stars move across the darkened landscape above, and peered into the elongated shadows of a waning day in effort to understand the here and now. We build clocks and electronic devices to measure that which we can not see, but feel it slipping through our fingers like water over a stone.


This weekend, Saturday morning at 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM central time, Cathy, Rex, and I will be on site at a local bookstore (*ahem* Shades of Pemberley in Albertville, AL) to meet, greet, and sign books. Those three short hours are always something I am grateful for when at a book signing event. It makes me gloriously happy to meet new people who have read, or intend on reading my work. It is also a time for me to see old friends once again who come out to support a middle-aged guy intent on writing and bringing some form of realistic escape to his readers.


I have said this many times before, but I will write again here: without readers, there are no writers. We share a soul-linked bond with one another. When someone reads another person's work, they invariably take a look inside the mind, heart, and soul of the writer, and as a result, forever share a level of intimacy unlike any other.


Perhaps that sounds a tad dramatic, but I believe it down to the very marrow in my bones. The only thing better than bringing to life the characters, dialogue, and locations that waft freely inside my mind is hearing from someone who shared in that experience by reading my work. That is the truest definition of intimacy in my book, if you will pardon the pun.


All that said, those who follow my "author" Facebook page know I have been slowly working on other projects as well. One such work is a compilation I am putting together of the trials and tribulations others have faced. The stories are all gut-wrenching, true life accounts, and as such I wait patiently while others pen their stories. This book will take me into unchartered territory, as I am a writer of fiction, rather than non-fiction. Getting outside my comfort zone will do me good, I know, but like most things new, this one makes me nervous.


My return to action-adventure fiction, however, is something that has already occurred. I am working on the next Bill Evers novel. As with my previous two Evers' novels, this one will be filled with conspiracy, martial arts action, much travel (mostly U.S. centered this time), and technology interspersed with the somewhere that is not here and now.


To all who continue to support me and other writers: thank you so much! You make what we do worth it.


Cathy, Rex, and I will see you all Saturday (if you can make it), and look forward to sharing a few moments of time.