The Distinguished Aged Writer

I am working with a major publisher to professionally edit and organize a manuscript for paperback, hardback and available on Amazon. I will be soon releasing a the cover of my new book that I hope to have published by year's end. The Diomede Dilemma   deals with issues of  military strategy, international politics, and the the race for Arctic resources. The conflict between Russia and the United States takes place in Alaska's Bering Sea.  Living in Alaska I have become aware of the tension between those two countries. The recent Chinese weather balloon that flew over the United States has intensified the competition for claiming the resources of the Arctic region.  It is my hope that using a fictional story I can highlight this tension. I use an Alaskan Native as my protagonist as I feel there are not enough positive examples of Alaskan natives as heroic. So, keep posted here and on Instagram and Facebook for the cover reveal and more info on the novel. Make sure to...

  7/26/2026 Last week I checked off a bucket list “to do”. I was chosen to serve on a jury. Some people might think that strange. I used to teach Mock Trial to my students. I thought practical experience would be nice. Be careful what you wish for; I experienced the whole range of jury duty. In the end I was selected Jury Foreman and had to deliver the verdict on each count. Even though we all agreed on the guilt of the defendant, I found it difficult to read the verdict out loud before the court. Post trial I have had time to think about the experience. Based on what I heard, I found myself wondering? ‘ More on this in a moment. Without going into detail, it was a murder case. As a jury we had to decide innocence or guilt on four different counts; ranging from manslaughter to 1 st  degree murder.  I appreciated the judge’s explanation about the law and the legal definitions for each charge. We were instructed to focus on those definitions, not extraneous details. I appre...

 I have finally finished my historical novel on the life of Cornelius in the book of Acts. I always wonder what the backstory was on his conversion. After two years of research, writing, deleting, rewriting it is finished, until, or if a publisher wants to make “suggestions”. Either way, I feel good about the historical part of his fictional life lining up with events that happened in that time period. I learned many things. For example, I learned that Herod was not born a Hebrew. I have learned that writing to please God, requires patience. I like the story. I hope a publisher will like it too.

 May 25, 2026 This day is one where many people remember those men and women who gave up their lives defending freedom. While I join those people, as I lost a nephew to an I.E.D. in Afghanistan, it also reminds of the day I thought I would have to remember my father on this day. I was in fourth grade. Dad was in Vietnam. I was home the day the Western Union man paid a visit to our house. I'm sure he knew he was delivering bad news. I could tell by the look on his face as I opened the door. I managed to get my mother to the door, though I don't remember how. I stood watching as mom took the telegram. Tears may have started before she opened the message but they were in full flow as she read. I stood glued to the floor thinking dad is dead and I have to be the man of the house now.  It took some time for my mom to compose herself and let me know had only been wounded and that he would be flying to San Antonio, Texas to recover. Physically hew did recover after many months. I do ...

 May 22, 2026 Been quite some time since my first and only post so far.  In that time I have had my hands full with health issues and work. Those of course leave little time for writing. Now that I have retired, it is time to get to what I want to do most; besides "honey do's" of course. I used to tell my students, " Your story isn't finished, even after you turn it in." I find those words haunting to me as I thought I was finished with my first Christian historical novel. Then I discovered my time line was all wrong for the protagonist. Got the time line reasonable straight for the protagonist to discover my transitions from scenes needed a great deal of work. (sigh) As a "pantser" when I write I expect that words will flow smoothly. A "pantser" is one who writes by the seat of their pants. I don't really use an outline. Many writers use them to help with flow and as a student I lived by outlines. That style is probably still in use,...

 I begin my first blog post with my coffee on the desk, my computer before me, my cat Mulan on my lap. She joins me at the computer as she thinks I will print something off. She has always been fascinated by the paper coming out, even as a kitten. I guess somethings never change, even as we age. If you are reading this for the first (maybe the last if it isn't interesting) I should say about the title of the blog. They say as a person gets grayer, they look more "distinguished". If that is so, I am. well beyond distinguished as I turned grey at thirty. However, my writing career isn't.  I was in the teaching profession for over twenty years teaching students second through eighth grades. There wasn't enough money on the planet for me to go lower. Each year, part of my job was to teach my students how to write. Teaching standards required that I teach certain skills, and while those skills are necessary to be a good writer to get through school, the standards were ...