21 Years Ago--RIP Bubba

Yesterday marked twenty-one years since my eight-year-old brother was shot and killed.  This happened the day after our mother's birthday while she was working one mile away from the house.  He and our twin sisters (age 9) were home alone and walked to my stepfather's house less than a quarter mile away.  No one was at home there.

The day before, their father had been teaching them how to shoot a .22 rifle.  Alone, they heard a sound outside and grabbed the loaded rifle from behind the pantry door.  My stepfather's philosophy was "an unloaded gun is more dangerous than a loaded gun."  So he also kept his guns loaded but not locked away.

They took the rifle, went outside, and fired a few rounds.  Back inside the house the gun went off and shot Bubba in the center of his stomach.  He bled to death within a matter of minutes.  He died before my mother arrived and well before paramedics came to the scene. 

The medical doctors at the hospital tried to revive him, but the surgeon told us that the bullet had hit his stomach aorta.  She said that had the bullet gone one inch to the left or right, he would probably have survived.

Bubba would be 29 years old today if he had survived.  I miss him greatly and wonder what he could have accomplished with his life.

If you own guns, please lock them up where children cannot get to them.  Never leave a loaded gun where a child has access to them.  Guns aren't toys, and if you own them, be a responsible person.  If you cannot, you don't deserve to possess them.

Virginia Beach Vacation

Last week I ventured to VA Beach with my wife and kids.  The people along the strip and inside shops and restaurants were some of the friendliest people I have had the good fortune of meeting while on a vacation.

This was the first time that we were able to take our children to the ocean, and they really loved it.  Even after the long ten hour trip, we headed straight to the ocean and jumped waves.  My son kept a smile from ear-to-ear as the tide came in with harsh, pounding waves that could knock your feet out from beneath you.  It simply amazed me at how quickly we no longer felt tired and found ourselves at ease and relaxed on the sandy beach.

We had rented a room in Norfolk a couple months prior, and since it was on the beach, too, we thought we'd spend more time in Norfolk than Virginia Beach.  However, Norfolk's beach was nasty with dead crabs and fish everywhere.  The water had lots of seaweed and clutter, too, so we returned to Virginia Beach each day.  The beauty of Norfolk's beach, though, came early morning as the sun rose on the horizon.  To our surprise, we watched adult dolphins feeding with their babies.

Back at Virginia Beach, late one evening while we were walking the Boardwalk, we were approached by a young lady with Gold Key Resorts.  She asked how our vacation was going, and the next thing we knew, she was hitting us up with a well-planned "Time-Share" sales pitch.  Normally, I run from such things, but we were promised four tickets to a dolphin site-seeing boat ride the next day and a 3 day-2 night hotel stay to use over the next year.  So, during the hottest part of the next day, we sat in a nicely air-conditioned hotel and listened to the Time-Share pitch.  We turned down the investment, but we did receive the gifts promised to us.

The next day we went to Rudee Flipper boat and spent over an hour on the ocean.  For about thirty minutes, we never saw a dolphin, and I began to wonder if we would.  However, after we got past all the busy parts of the beach and where fewer boats were, dolphins seemed to be everywhere.  My wife took dozens of pictures.  We saw a lot of baby dolphins, too.  Some places in the water were schools of dolphins, and by the time we returned to shore, we probably saw over 100 dolphins in total.  It was a fantastic time and something I hope to do again soon.  These are memories to last a lifetime.

RIP, Ray Bradbury

It is sad to hear that one of the greatest science fiction writers has passed away.  Ray Bradbury was a great influence on me and my early writings.  I read The Martian Chronicles when I was a teenager and immediately knew that I wanted to create worlds and stories of my own.  I have, but with a much different flavor than he so secretly mixed.

Bradbury had a wonderfully unique way of phrasing his sentences with depth and wonder.  The stories he told were visual as you read.  That's how he became a stellar author.

RIP, Ray Bradbury.  We lost a great man today, but your work lives on.

Devils' Den FREE this weekend!

Devils' Den, my YA Dark Fantasy/Horror, is currently FREE this weekend in Kindle and digital formats.  Devils' Den

Happy Reading!

Brainstorming

Due to my classes for my MFA in creative writing, I have been forced to do a lot of brainstorming for ideas.  Part of the restrictions for the classes is not to use material that I have previously written and none of the work turned in for previous assignments can be used in later classes, either.  So I find that I must generate new ideas and characters when I've never taken this approach before.

Normally, I will write from an idea that comes to me from the netherworld, which can sometimes be compared to my brain being zapped by creative lightning.  The energy taps into me, and when I begin writing, the words flow.  But now, I have found myself brooding and mentally running around with a muse lightning rod, seeking the generous favor of story ideas from any muse that will grant them to me.

It's not been a bad experience though.  I have new ideas that will later be turned into novels.  I also have a set of young characters that will have a series for young adults, so that is a bonus I didn't expect.  Even though it's much easier to write when the inspiration taps me, I am glad that I've had to take this new approach.  Hopefully, in the near future, I can share these new characters and stories with you.

Predators of Darkness: Aftermath NOW $.99

Predators of Darkness: Aftermath is priced at $.99.  The five FREE limited days that Amazon now allows for this book (each 90 days) has ended, so I've decided to keep it priced at $.99 to introduce readers to my Darkness Series.

Thanks to all who participated in promoting the FREE giveaway!  I greatly appreciate you help!

Free Digital Copy of Predators of Darkness: Aftermath

Currently Predators of Darkness: Aftermath is FREE in digital formats at Amazon.com.


 Predators of Darkness: Aftermath

Happy reading!