How it started.

Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night, I had the compelling urge to write something. After fifty years of practice I finally had the urge to publish what I had written.

The first two books are now available and have received rave reviews from friends and family. Out of fear of antagonizing the old man I'm sure but still a good feeling. Powers Trace is the first of three books, a trilogy to cover the activities of a small town police force in Powers Trace, a fictional town in southwest Georgia. This first book introduces the main characters. The second, Powers Trace II The ICE Age, will put them all to a test, and the third, being written now, will be the "feel good" culmination of the series, bringing the whole to a conclusion.

This Blog will follow the progress of the books. Feel free to leave comments and keep me on the chosen path. Or better yet, contribute to the writing with ideas and plot points. Get involved. It's fun to participate. 

Links and Things

A venture into another world. I didn't have to build a new Web site but it seemed prudent to do so with the new book going to the publisher this month. The "Other" site was adequate for it's intended purpose but the books needed a home of their own, one that readers could find based on the Powers Trace identity. This is a part of that site http://powerstrace.com

This Blog will stand alone as http://powerstrace.blogspot.com and link to the main site. General information, updates, and changes will show up on the book site while here, readers, and others, can contact me with comments, gripes, or well wishes. The latter is appreciated, the former accepted. Y'all tell me what you want, ya hear?

Both sites are new so expect changes and mistakes until I get the feel of it all. 

In The Beginning

Writing has been a part of my life for a number of years. Beginning with technical manuals covering operational procedures in the Air Force, which taught writing precision and research, to reports and findings in the corporate world, I wrote. It became a habit.

Today I write, not as a profession or for profit, just writing for my own pleasure. The numbers of stories, manuscripts, or novels that have sprung from thoughts brought to the surface during that magical time in a dark room, before sleep takes over, are countless. Each produced characters that became my friends as I steered them past perils and pitfalls only, in the end, to have them take over and go their own way. Yes, like children they grow up too fast. But unlike children, a new bunch comes rushing in with the next story idea and the journey begins again.

Where are all the stories that I was so fascinated with in the past? In the landfill with the other used stuff. It was more fun to start a new tale than catalogue the old and store it away in a file drawer designed to turn paper yellow and crinkly. It’s the writing of it, not the result that is important. As those of us who enjoy motorcycles say, the destination is not the reason for the journey, it’s the ride. The writing is the ride.

This book, Powers Trace, is the latest ride and it is the first book of a trilogy. After living with my “New Friends” for seven months I wasn’t sure I wanted to turn them out so I changed the ending. I didn’t force the expected confrontation between the hero and the bad guy. That will happen just down the two-lane road apiece in the next book.

Stay tuned…