Almost St Patrick's Day

     Day before St Paddy's...and Florida is a bit nippy! 43 this morning around 6:30 AM. Didn't walk...Carolyn and I went to the gym without braving the chilly temps. It's okay to chicken out sometimes. I think even Grandpa Burman would agree with me! In fact I think he would insist we head down to Federman's for donuts or off to Tina's for pie!

     Working on the 27th story of The Falls. As usual, the characters are busy whispering in my ear what they believe I should have them do and say. Makes it a bit handy. Also is the reason I've never...knock on wood...had writers' block. I simply write down the suggestions.

The 19th story in the series, The Falls: Prodigal Twin, is now out as a paperback at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com. Working on editing the paperback proof of the 20th, The Falls: Inferno, and getting the 21st, The Falls: Bad Penny, getting into the template for CreateSpace.

     Have had problems with squirrels. One got up under the hood of my car and chewed wires...resulting in over $700 in repairs and an almost accident taking it to the dealer. Trying to humanely trap the little bugger so I can take him miles away and let him go. In the meantime, we managed to trap five rats. Ugh. Had no idea we had any around. But then, it is Florida and we a re around palm trees, and lakes. Not a rat fancier.

     Okay, time to write the next chapter. I write a good deal better than I 'small talk'. Someone asked if I still use my standup desk. Always. I really think it makes a real difference in how my back feels and I burn off some calories at the same time.

     Hoist a pint tomorrow, wear green or orange and be Irish! (I'm actually English, Scottish, Irish and Welch) May the dragons watch over you...

Book Fair 2017

     Next Saturday, March 11th, I will be at the Ft Pierce Library, selling copies of the first nineteen volumes of The Falls small town mystery series. The St Lucie County Library has been nice enough to hold their annual local writers' book fair at both the Ft Pierce and Morningside Libraries again this year. Check out the attached advertisement for the address. Hopefully some of the fans of The Falls small town mystery series will get a chance to stop by! May the dragons watch over you...

VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT

     The Falls: Cupid's Arrow, the 7th novel in The Falls small town mystery series, Kindle version, will be free at Amazon.com from Friday, February 10th 'til Tuesday, February 14th! It's a gift from the folks at The Falls and me of course! May your Valentine's Day be happy, filled with laughter, love and good cheer. Our thanks to all of our wonderful fans and readers. We truly do appreciate you!💖

It's Here!

     The Falls: Sanctuary, 26th in The Falls small town mystery series, is now at Amazon.com for $2.99! First day of release!

Terrorism rears it's ugly head in The Falls. The members of the cult group, The Sanctuary, have more on their agenda than the good folks at The Falls might imagine. The Sanctuary is already being looked at with wariness and suspicion, but when a second, hardcore group of members arrive, things rapidly go downhill.The town becomes a battleground where suicide bombers and explosive devices threaten the safety of everyone in the tight knit community. Sheriff Cash Green and his deputies Ericka Yamato and Horace Scofield hasten to prevent a real tragedy from happening. Meanwhile, a seemingly harmless middle-aged couple from Gosling Gulch rides the back roads searching for young people they can drug and sell as slaves! Sean Frasier, the elementary school principal, Doc Stone, Meg Monroe and the Burman family all play major roles. You'll hold your breath and hang on for dear life! Return to The Falls!

https://www.amazon.com/Falls-Sanctuary-small-town-mystery-ebook/dp/B01N27IMTX/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1485801825&sr=8-5&keywords=The+Falls%3A+Sanctuary

Welcome back to THE FALLS!

Almost here...

     It's almost ready. The 26th tale in The Falls small town mystery series. A couple of more chapters to write and then a week to edit it...and off to Amazon Kindle we will go! It's a tale of stark terrorism in a small town. Human slavery rears it's ugly head as well. So...be ready. A very exciting chapter in The Falls series is coming up!

     In the paperback department, we are finishing editing Prodigal Twin and have started editing Inferno! I will be so pleased when all of them are fun print as well as digital! From what I hear from you...so will the fans of The Falls! 

     Here's hoping that you will have a wonderful new year and find yourselves healthy, happy and your year full of great ideas and moments! The good people of The Falls and I wish you the very best!

     May the dragons watch over you...

Happy New Year!

     Just a quiet whisper, instead of a cheer or shout, to say "May your New Year be filled with special moments..." from the folks at The Falls and me. We look forward to many more opportunities to ask you all over to join us for special moments here in West Sugar Shack Falls. Until then, laugh, be happy, love there people around you and remember to enjoy life. May the dragons watch over you...

CHRISTMAS SALE!!!

     The last three digital volumes of The Falls small town mystery series are now on sale for $.99 each, Thursday, December 15th - Monday, December 19th! (The Falls: Full Circle, The Falls: Thicker Than Water, and The Falls: Out of the Cold) 

     Take advantage of the spirit of the season and get all three at two-thirds off the regular price! May the Christmas season be wonderful, special and filled with lobe, laughter, friends and family for all of you. From my family...The citizens of The Falls...to yours! Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Special New Year! May the dragons watch over you...

November? It's November already?!

     Okay...I know. It's been awhile. My apologies. Mea culpa, mea culpa...but in my defense...I've been writing and editing up a storm! My wife Carolyn even worked the polls this past Tuesday from 5:45 AM until almost 9:00 PM. So...am I forgiven?

     The 25th story in The Falls small town mystery series is already out there on Amazon. The Falls: Out of the Cold is about a Nor'easter blowing into town. But not just a Nor'easter, but a deadly cold front following it almost immediately. You can imagine what would happen to people who went out to start shoveling out, right? 'Course, there's more to it than that. Ruth Graham is back, along with a serial killer the press had named The Bowman because he likes to impale random victims at rest stops along the interstate with 'cutting edge' (I know...rather pun-y!) arrows. It gets pretty dicey at the end.

     The Falls: Coldblooded is now a paperback and the Falls: County Fair will be within the next couple of weeks. I'm presently editing the paperback proof of The Falls: Prodigal Twin. I'm getting the physical books out there as fast as possible for those of you who like the feel of a book in your hands.

     By the way...just so you know...I have a safety pin on my Facebook account and my Twitter feed. I quietly but firmly stand behind it. I'm there if you need me. I will not stand for any bullying, or insensitivity towards any race, creed, gender, color, presence or religion. This is our country...all of us together. This old Scottish/English/Irish storyteller stands for living together in peace and harmony...and he always will, with a Claymore slung over his shoulder. Remember, history takes many twists and turns, This election and transformation is just one of them. Things turn out for the better. We will be stronger than ever in time.

     So, for now, I'll say goodbye...but you can catch me on Facebook or Twitter (@TheFalls_VT). Keep the faith and remember...the good people of The Falls are always excited and happy when you come back to visit. May the dragons watch over you...

The Falls: Thicker Than Water

     The 24th in The Falls small town mystery series, The Falls: Thicker Than Water, is on sale at Amazon.com for $2.99! 

https://www.amazon.com/Falls-Thicker-Water-small-mystery-ebook/dp/B01I5JJ9YA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474896625&sr=8-1&keywords=the+falls+thicker+than+water

The first 18 books in The falls small town mystery series are also available in paperback on Amazon.com, at Barnes & Noble and at CreateSpace.com. Here's the link to the first volume, The Falls: In the Dead of Winter!

https://www.amazon.com/Falls-Dead-Winter-small-mystery/dp/1497365384/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1474897659&sr=1-2&keywords=the+falls+in+the+dead+of+winter

     The folks in The Falls are waiting to welcome you! May the dragons watch over you!

Happy Fall!

     Well, here in Florida, fall as arrived, temperatures dipping down to 89 or 90, the cool winds are...wait. What am I saying! It's Florida! Fall feels much the same as summer and much the same as spring. Winter, well we do get cool at times...but nothing spectacular. But in The Falls back in the Green Mountains of Vermont? Well, that's a whole other story.

     The tale I'm writing about The Falls at the moment is set in the winter. (Spoiler Alert! If you don't want to know anything about the 25th in the series until you actually start reading the book, skip this paragraph!) A good old-fashioned Nor-easter is blowing in. Our old nemesis Ruth Graham and her newly acquired partner, Ian Markus, a serial killer who uses a compound bow as his weapon of choice, are traveling along the interstate, cross country, leaving death in their wake everyplace they stop. A new group, named The Sanctuary, have bought up an old farm and are looking to indoctrinate teenage and disenfranchised young people including one of Zeke's grandsons. And Reggie Clark is about to take Mallard on a road trip out west to find his old nanny. Take my word for it, the story gets pretty exciting and keeps you hopping just following all the storylines!

     So wherever you are, happy fall! Enjoy whatever makes you feel good at this time of year whether that be pumpkin latte, pumpkins, county fairs, balloon fiestas, or getting ready for Halloween! Soon enough, the folks from The Falls and I promise, there will be a new Falls' tale out there for you to devour! May the dragons watch over you...

Good Morning!

     It seems as if I haven't been here for ages. Hmmm...actually it has been ages. I do apologize. I am in the process (about two-thirds done) of writing the 25th in The Falls series, editing The Falls: County Fair and The Falls: Prodigal Twin for CreateSpace, turning them into paperbacks, and as always trying to be my own ad agent on FB and Twitter. (I do wish I had someone to do that. It's just not me.) At the same time I'm working on the garden and patio outside as well as running two fantasy football leagues and volunteering at the hospital. We also just finished being poll workers for the primary election (I hand out ballots and Carolyn runs the EVID, the computer to check voters in)  and hopefully we will be working the polls in November.

     I know...I know. That still doesn't leave me a valid excuse for neglecting the blog. No excuses. But just wanted you to know that we are keeping busy. At times I feel a bit foolish writing here, to be honest. I am a very private man, and to think that you would honestly be interested in me and what I do or think is a bit far fetched. I am a storyteller, pure and simple. But I realize that there are readers, other writers, friends and fans out there who honestly would like to know what I'm up to. So, all humility aside, (bows slightly) here I am.

     I have to say, I am at a loss in dealing with politics on the national level at this point. There used to be some obvious choices, candidates I loved and wanted to vote for. Candidates I could root for and believe in. This year, I see none. I have what Jeb and Zeke from The Falls might describe politely as "no dog in this fight". It is, I'm afraid, a vote of attrition. Who do you dislike or distrust least. So, I believe I shall vote for someone other than the two major candidates. Most of the time I would think of that as a wasted vote. But not this year. I simply don't want to know that I voted for one of them and then watch them blacken our country in some idiotic way of another. I care too much about the United States and the people in it. I am a hopeless romantic about our great nation I'm afraid. I do hope that all of you have a better feeling about this election than I do.Whoever wins, may the dragons watch over them.

      I have lost about forty pounds in the last year. That's good, but I have hit something of a plateau. The fasting for a colonoscopy and endoscopy lost another five which helped, chuckles. Now we shall see. I love to eat. Pastries, cookies, cakes, bread of all kinds, ice cream, lots of things. Hard not to want them. The writing does help. I don't eat as I write...I drink water or tea, but don't eat. Or editing. Can't...hands too busy. Winks. Standing while writing and editing helps that as well. Burns calories too.

     Carolyn is off in NE for a few days, with her sister Joann, visiting relatives. I'll be glad when she's back. She is the rock that keeps me grounded. She is a much better and stronger person than I am. I'm simply an old stubborn and hardworking old Scotsman. She is the angel who watches over me.

     May your day be wonderful and may the dragons watch over you...

Happy Sunday!

     Just a quick note to tell everyone that I hope your Sunday is filled with wonder, excitement, delight and love. And is all that fails...may it be restful and comforting. Should that be out of the question as well, then here's hoping you don't have any meteorites plummeting down at you, or mammoths trampling your freshly sodded lawn.

     In other words: May the dragons watch over you...