July 2019

Great to be healthy again. The past few weeks have allowed much progress on the latest in the Duel at Sea series. No end in sight yet, but that will happen as it always does. Even at that another murder mystery pops in and out of my head. Nothing concrete, but interesting possibilities. It will have to wait its turn as Duel at Sea IV has priority.

June 2019

After a couple of weeks the attacking virus was subdued and health returned. Along with that good news was an increased volume of work on Duel at Sea IV. One of the downsides of working "on the fly" is that ideas of who and what the characters are all about pop into mind so a go-back to the beginning of the character is called for. Not a bad thing because it gives fullness to the narrative and allows a brief respite from having to flesh out the plot. Interesting to note how much the actual writing differs from the plot outline developed before the onslaught of the viral attack. Still, any changes usually read for the better and I'll not argue with the muse that drives the flower and drives me.

May 2019

Been an interesting month. Finished the notes and potential chapters for Duel at Sea IV and the month seemed to be going well. The last week when I'd just started writing the story of the novel I found that the old version of Microsoft Word wouldn't remove a page number from the title page. OK I'll have to get a newer version. The problem was that since I was using Windows 7 the 2019 version of Office wouldn't load, so it was back to the 'net to get a version of Windows 10. The installation was tedious and reminded me of my days as a consultant when I was constantly upgrading. Finally the system (with a MS tech's help by taking over my computer) changed to Windows 10. Then I could install the new version of Office.

Meanwhile I encountered a nasty virus that produced an even nastier bronchitis. So the last week of May there was little work done on the novel. 

Looking forward to better health in June as well as more work on the novel.

March/April Murder on Fat Alley

After much thought and some rewriting the book is finally out. You can check it out with the following link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1093404485/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?keywords=murder+on+fat+alley&qid=1555200164&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull

February 2019

Work on "Murder on Fat Alley" continues. The cover is finished and a last run through of the novel's content is on tap. Publication should occur early March.

Jan 2019

"Murder on Fat Alley" is progressing with the 1st reading/editing completed. I'll let it sit for a while and then go back to see what else needs to be done

December Digireads

Mark Twain’s catalog is lengthy and most are familiar with the Mississippi tales, but one that is not often referenced is “Roughing It.”

Exaggeration and outright lies form the overland trip from Missouri to California. Some of the tales are humorous but underlying them is the discomfort and dissatisfaction of the ride. So the tales were one way to ease the rigors of the journey.

Once in California Mr. Clemens lapses into the memoir phase and we find out much about his ramshackle employment as a writer. It’s a pillar to post existence for him with some humor thrown in along with a tall tale or two (some funny, some not).
He doesn’t hit his stride as a reporter until he goes to Virginia City to strike it rich, which, of course he doesn’t. What he does do there is give us a splendid view of what the miners and their claims were like. He also provides an interesting view of the city by way of his being a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise newspaper.

Clemens really sparkles when he takes ship to visit Hawaii. There he is an earlier version of Huell Howser of PBS fame giving us a blow by blow description of the scenery, the people that inhabit the islands, the architecture (what there was), the history of Captain Cook’s unfortunate demise and a spectacular go with as he explores the volcanoes of the chain.
Once back in the US, specifically in San Francisco, Clemens is out of money and ideas. One of his compatriots suggests hiring a hall and giving lectures, something that had great success on the east coast. He is reluctant, but finally agrees to buy (on credit) the hall for a night, the posters necessary and the tickets.

All is in readiness for the big to-do, but Clemens is almost sick with stage fright. He goes on stage, looks at the very large audience that is waiting for enlightenment and shrinks within. The pause lasts for some time, time enough for the audience to become uncomfortable, but then he emerges from his self-induced coma and begins to relate some of the experiences he’s had during his life.

Thus the “Mark Twain pause” becomes part of the lecture circuit lore as does his famous “Doors open at 7:30, trouble begins at 8:00.”

Part of the book requires great patience and stamina while others are page turners. There are also illustrations of various parts of the book, some straight out of the same fantastic realm that his tales emerged from and others more realistic like his experiential narrative.

Have fun storming the book.