A look from. . . UP ON THE ROOF

Recently released in digital and coming soon in print, Up on the Roof and Other Stories is a unique collection of nineteen humorous and serious stories exploring the lives and relationships of the young and old.

Here are some synopses of stories included in the book:

BALD REVELATIONS  
A first grade teacher believes her husband of twenty years is leaving her and their two teenage sons when he purchases ten pairs of new dress socks and starts reviewing their insurance policies. Despite her mother’s assurances, Maureen is further convinced he’s cheating when he starts singing Beach Boy songs and tries to persuade her to buy a sporty red convertible. 

COMPUTER JUNKIE   
 When Rita and Jane decide to start a small woodworking business, they never expect their husbands to get involved. But get involved they do. Mitch and Bill decide their wives need their expert computer advice and their meddling could spell disaster even before the business gets off the ground.

HOOKED ON SILENCE   
Two young professional couples decide to go to the lake to fish. Jerome believes that women are not necessarily equal in all masculine tasks, but Angela, his girlfriend, is about to prove him wrong.

STRAW PONIES  
Brita Larson saved the life of an Arapaho brave, Nitis, who now believes he's indebted to her and routinely brings gifts to her ranch.When she then helps rescue his sister, Onawa, from some evil white men selling guns to the renegades, Britta is certain she will never get rid of this gift-bearing Indian. More importantly, how will she explain him to Deputy Sheriff Wyatt McGee? 

Only $3.99 in digital now at: amazon.com

FIVE THINGS NEW WRITERS SHOULD KNOW

§  You will waste a lot of paper. Wasting paper and purchasing printer cartridges are part of the trade. When you print your work and find it's beyond help or you need to start over, throw it away and delete it from your computer. Physically throwing it into the trash signifies a new start mentally. Don’t worry about killing trees. Like crops, trees for paper mills are planted, held in rotation until mature, and harvested.

§  Writing is a lonely, solitary occupation. Writing takes time. You will miss being out in the sunshine or watching your favorite television show. You may miss family gatherings with a deadline near. You will miss sleep. Make friends with other writers. They understand your crazy burning need to create.

§  Find a place to write where you feel comfortable and secure. Arm the location with a good collegiate dictionary, The Chicago Manuel of Style, and an unabridged Roget’s Thesaurus. Roget’s has more than ten times the amount of synonyms than any online site. Then, find something that signals routine and the need to sit down and write—like making your bed, drinking that second cup of coffee or tea, or taking your dog for his morning walk—or evening one if you write at night.

§  Never, never send out your first draft to anyone, anywhere. If possible, let your words sit for a while to cool like a hot custard pie. It’s easier to see missing data, mistakes, and grammar problems when you’ve distanced yourself from your work. Having trouble finding your mistakes? If you’re prone to using Times New Roman on your computer screen, print your work out in a different font like Courier, Arial, or Century Schoolbook. Have a friend help you. Intensive editing is part of the writing process.

§  Don’t believe people who say that writing doesn’t have to be as perfect as possible—because that’s what editors are for. Everyday, editors reject dozens of manuscripts. Do you think they’ll accept one with grammar and punctuation mistakes or basic sentence structure problems? Your writing is a reflection of who you are. It’s your first shot at making an impression and getting a toehold into the publishing world. Just like a job interview, you need to make it a good one.

Tempers fly in KEY TO LOVE

        KEY TO LOVE is scheduled to be released in print on Wednesday, October 23rd. Here is one of my favorite interactions between my main characters, architect Elise Springer, and her old friend, Lucas Fisher.
                                                       ~ ~ ~   *** ~ ~ ~

  The first thought crossing Lucas’s mind was that a blue tornado had swooped down without warning.
       Elise Springer barreled through the office door, crossed the distance between them and slammed her fist on the metal desk so hard two pencils did simultaneous jumping jacks before hitting the concrete at her feet.

  “You liar!” she shouted. Vicious claws, still splendidly colored a brilliant red, reached out, clutching the front of his shirt and jerking him by the throat.
       "Having a bad morning?” Lucas asked quietly, thankful he never made it a habit to fasten the top button. “Maybe I should make a pot of coffee?”
         “You set me up, you detestable jerk!” Her hand still held fast even when his came up to cover it. “You never told me about the seventy-five thousand dollars Mike gave you." 
       He pried her fingers loose, and she stepped back, slicing the air with the edge of her palm. “I trusted you, you lowly worm. I went in there on your behalf!” Both hands flew to her temples, massaging her forehead. She stomped to the window and back again twice. “God, what a fool I am.”
     “It’s not what it appears, Liz.” Lucas sat down, leaned back in a chair beside the desk, and hoped Fritz had not lied and this was just one of her twenty-four hour bouts of raving insanity. “Maybe you ought to sit down, and I’ll explain.”
       “You can start spouting an explanation right now, pal, and I don’t need to sit to hear your gibberish!”
       If her eyes could throw darts, he’d be dead man for sure, Lucas decided. He mustered some courage. “If I had told you Mike gave me money from his personal funds to invest for him, you would have gone into the meeting with Pedmo and tried to second guess her, just to defend me. I couldn’t take the chance. You got the kid, right?”

Fall Festival in Clearfield

I'm excited. KEY TO LOVE, my contemporary romance and mystery, is scheduled for print version on October 23. I’m hoping to have a few books for Clearfield’s Fall Festival on October 12^th which is organized by the Clearfield Revitalization Corporation. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. If you’re in the area, please stop to say hello and see all the wonderful arts, crafts and vendors—plus food booths.

                                              Here is a short blurb:

 When architect Elise Springer leaves San Francisco to check on her injured father in Pennsylvania, she is surprised to find Lucas Fisher, an old friend of the family, has returned to the Scranton area to set up an automobile restoration business. What she never expects is that in her quest to help Lucas get custody of his orphaned, four-year-old nephew, she will unravel evidence to prove the death of his brother wasn’t an accident. Elise will also discover that she is falling in love with both Fisher men, the little animal-cracker-eating one and his handsome, technology-challenged uncle. Will she be able to follow her heart on the east coast, manage a career on the west coast, and find the Key to Love that will open the gates to a lifetime of happiness?

Key to Love eBook Link 

See You in September

"See you in September. See you when the summer's through." Can you name that song? Of course, See You in September, which was originally sung by the group, The Tempos, in 1959. It became much more popular when it was later released in 1966 by the group, The Happenings. Since then, it has been released by various other groups like the Pacemakers.

It's one of my favorite songs especially since Labor Day and September signal the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The clever landscape artists will arrive in Pennsylvania in four weeks and will paint our hillsides in colors of gold, scarlet and tangerine. Autumn brings cooler misty nights, foggy mornings, and warm sunny days. It’s sweat shirt weather. And it's the sound of crackling leaves and the bubbling laughter of children as they gather at the bus stop. It’s the smell of wood smoke in fireplaces and outdoor fire rings.

September also reminds us that we need to finish all those fair weather chores before winter creeps up on us. The mild weather lets us reassess what we hoped to accomplish and determine what we really need to get done.

For me, September is a new beginning and a chance to evaluate the writing projects I want to complete before the holidays come galloping into my life to distract me. 

I love September in Pennsylvania. So I'll see you in December. . .when the autumn’s through.

BANDIT'S '77 TRANS AM LIVES ON

In my new novel, KEY TO LOVE, the main character, Lucas Fisher, drives a '77 Trans Am, like the one in "Smokey and the Bandit.” He has returned to the Scranton, PA, area to set up a car restoration business and adopt his little four-year-old, orphaned nephew. He reconnects with architect Elise Springer who helps him in his quest to find his brother's murderer and to gain custody of the child. 

While I was working on the production of the novel, I met Conrad Segelbacher through the Bandit Trans Am Club on Facebook. He owns a mighty fine looking '77 Trans Am as you can see by the pictures. I want to thank him for his help. I asked him some questions about his very striking car.

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I’m a guy who fell immediately in love with the Bandit Trans Am, having been a car enthusiast since I was in diapers. I had an older brother who had a GTO and I was his tool go-getter and helper. 

How much research did you do to assure the car was restored as authentic as possible? 

When I shopped for my car I didn’t want any custom work, but rather a model the way it was intended the day it rolled off the assembly line. No changed-out rims or steering wheel, extra body flares, for example.

Where in the United States did you find your Trans Am? 
I shopped nationwide for two full years, waiting patiently, when it appeared 50 miles away. I raced there and put down a payment. It was love at first sight! This was a once in a lifetime purchase. She was mine!
                           

Did you do any restoration? Do you show it? 
Since I work so much, I couldn’t have a project car. The car needed to be turn key. I don’t go to shows, but if I did, I’d be afraid of all the fingerprints! I only show her off when I drive. I do have a chart I show people and can talk about her all day.

What advice would you give to those who are interested in restoring an older car? 
Stay determined and stay the course! Stay the way Pontiac intended the car to be. 

Anything else you might want to add? 

My dad had so much influence on me in the three weeks before he passed away. I was only thirteen years old, and it was my sole quest in life to get a ’77 Bandit car. He told me in his heavy German accent to save my pennies, and 30 years later, I got my baby!

What would you say to your dad if you could? 
Thank you for being my inspiration! Love and miss you. I know you’re in the passenger seat when I’m cruising. Hey, Dad, maybe I’ll let you drive one day. . .but then, maybe not. It may look strange on the highway! 

Author’s Note: Read about Lucas Fisher's '77 Trans Am in KEY TO LOVE, now available on Kindle for $2.99 . http://www.amazon.com/Key-to-Love-ebook/dp/B00DNO9S8K

REMEMBER BANDIT'S '77 TRANS AM?

KEY TO LOVE, a mystery and romance, currently only on amazon.com Kindle and coming to print in October, has the main character, Lucas Fisher, owning a car restoration business. Lucas drives a ’77 Trans Am, replica of “The Bandit” car in “Smokey and the Bandit.”

Conrad Segelbacher of New York State owns a terrific-looking ’77 (Bandit) Trans Am, and although we weren’t successful in getting a picture of his car on my book’s cover, it was delightful to make contact with him and the Bandit Trans Am Club on Facebook that has over 1,060 members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/32710064318/

Conrad was in love with the movie, “Smokey and the Bandit,” since he was thirteen years old. When he told his father he wanted a Bandit car, his father told him in a heavy German accent to “save your pennies.” Unfortunately, his dad died three weeks later and was unable to know that 33 years later, Conrad had saved enough. He searched two years all over the USA, and found the Bandit car. Even though it didn't arrive via a tractor trailer as in the movie, it was exciting for him to drive it home. And yes, every time he turns the key in the ignition of this gleaming jet black machine, he thinks about his parents. 

The photos here are those of Conrad's Trans Am. Notice the gleaming finish that reflects everything around it in the sunlight.

I would personally like to thank Conrad, George Holt,  and all the folks of the Bandit Trans Am Club. While I write on, I wish everyone in the club my best wishes as they keep the legend alive and ride on!

  

 

KEY TO LOVE: http://www.amazon.com/Key-to-Love-ebook/dp/B00DNO9S8K