What face today?

I'm writing the follow-up to "Wrecked" and I always start with a theme when I begin a project. For "Wrecked" the theme was seeing what you wanted to see based some event in your life. That and the animal nature of man and his ability to inflict cruelty upon others. I guess I haven't said enough on the latter because that's what Book 2 is all about. The duality of man's personality - his ability for kindness and his ability to be cruel. You see it everyday. Hell, I do it everyday. I open a door for an elderly lady and I yell at a guy that is moving too slow on the interstate. I guess we all wear different faces at different times of the day - and at different times of our lives. I wonder what face I wear the most? I wonder what others think about my many faces? I wonder if I'll ever be enlightened enough to only wear the gentle face?

Home is the sailor, home from the sea

One of the joys of my job is that I get to travel the world a bit. I'm off to the United Kingdom next week and I'm planning on spending a few days up in Scotland. And while there, I hope to get to the coastline. No matter where I seem to be, I can't help but be drawn to the sea. It pushes and pulls me, the sea. Like the moon pushes and pulls the tide, we are inseparable the sea and I.

Scotland is also the birthplace of one of my favorite childhood authors, Robert Louis Stevenson.

Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea.
And the hunter home from the hill.

This is the inscription from Stevenson's gravestone. Kinda sums it up for me.

On the wrong bus...

Okay, this is a pity posting. Just feeling a little out of sorts these days. Like I got on the wrong bus and they won't let me off. But I'm off to Jolly Old England next week and to one of my favorite cities on the planet, London, so that should cheer me up- I think. I just hope I don't get on the wrong bus over there.....

I think it might be the weather. Last week it was 80 degrees and now it's 17. I'm too old for that kind of roller coaster ride. But the sun is warm and the taxes are paid so it's all down hill from here.

Back to the islands...

Been thinking of the islands again...they never seem to be far from my mind. A couple buddies and I are planning a sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands this fall and we've started kicking around possible "sail plans." As we figure, the only good sail plan is the plan that includes plenty of bars. One not to miss is the Willie T - as it is affectionately called. There is always a significant amount of "silliness" that goes on at the Willie T - but that's what the place is for. To cut loose and leave your worries behind 'mon. I guess we all could use a little bit of that now and then.

Write of Spring

I popped into Write of Spring over at the fantastic Once Upon a Crime bookstore here in the Mini-Apple. They do this open house thing every year to allow their customers to meet and get books signed by MN authors - all on one day. Pat took pity on me and let me crash the party as I'm a WI boy. It's a great event and clearly demonstrates how a smart independent bookstore can distinguish themselves from a chain. Don't get me wrong, I love all bookstores as long as they sell my book - but there is something truly special about an independent mystery bookstore. No Borders or B&N could pull something like this off.

As I mentioned above, I really was a party crasher there as my book doesn't come out for a couple more months so I didn't have anything to contribute to the sales process. But I got some yummy lemonade and cookies and got to chat with some authors and rub elbows with some knowledgeable readers. A guy could spend a worse couple hours on a warm spring day. And it does the soul good to see that in these days of big boxes and loss-leader fantasy novels that a smart bookstore can thrive - and have fun doing it.