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Father's and role models.

I wanted to write this story because I thought it was important. I couldn’t go to sleep thinking about it and It beckoned me to come out. This story is about my father and male role models. I spent a lot of time with my father growing up, both in work and play. My father would come home after working all day and play baseball in the backyard, not only with myself and siblings but also with the kids in the neighborhood.

We live a few years in town and a few years in the country and back again. I worked summers in cotton fields hoeing the weeds from the crops from the time I was twelve and later moving pipe for irrigation. I also helped my dad when I was older with things like feeding a cement mixer, digging ditches to lay new water and sewer lines, carrying shingles up a ladder to roof a house.

It wasn’t all work, there was plenty of play as well. We had those baseball games, we also had family camping and fishing trips. There was a lot of activity with my dad where we did both work and play but with all of that activity there was one thing else that went with it. There was talk. I learned a lot of life lessons from him and hopefully passed some down to my son as well.

When I married I found another mentor as well. My father-in-law. A lot of people have rocky relationships with their in-laws but I have to say, fortunately mine was always good. I did a lot of things with my father-in-law, from trout fishing on Eagle Nest Lake to

Running a trotline at Lake Meredith near Amarillo, TX. We made a few trips to Las Vegas and others as well. Again along with those trips were talks.

I am convinced we need fathers to be present in the lives of young men. We need that to build character, to forge relationships and to teach young men how to treat the women in their lives. That is all I needed to say, I will step down from my soapbox now.

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With food prices so high, I am looking for turkey flavor Ramen noodles for Thanksgiving.

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Did anyone who is clamoring for AI ever watch a Terminator movie?

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I have just started writing a new book or maybe a short story, it’s too early to tell. All I know is I can say my later books are better than my earlier books and that is the gauge I want to continue. Even in life I always want to be better than I was.

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Talking about yourself is the hardest part for most authors, with a few notable exceptions. Writers are generally an introverted group of individuals more at home silently working in a room away from others. We are storytellers at heart allowing our imagination to have its own way in conjuring up characters that seem to have a mind of their own. Characters seem to do what they want despite whatever our original plan for them may have been.

My early career was spent doing graphic design in the print industry and that was my first love, creating art for reproduction. The only writing I did then was poetry once in a while and directions for printers at the bottom of the art I created. My art background has been useful in my newfound career of writing because I am able to design my own covers and my print knowledge has helped me understand the formatting needed for the actual printing of the books. I spent almost fifty years in the printing industry and watched as technology morphed the industry into something completely different from what I started with. It was technology that made possible the opportunities available for the new writers of the day.

Most of the books I have written contain elements of mystery. I love solving things and I have acquired a taste for allowing a reader to travel with me to unravel whatever scenario I have created. I don’t preplan the books, preferring to let the story lead me where it wants to go. It makes it harder for me to tip my hand if I don’t know in advance who “did it”. Yes it does take multiple drafts to refine things once you know the ending, but it allows me to solve the mystery as I write it. My creative self seems to work independently and won’t tip me off as to how the book ends. That, my friends, is the way I like it.

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Talking about yourself is the hardest part for most authors, with a few notable exceptions. Writers are generally an introverted group of individuals more at home silently working in a room away from others. We are storytellers at heart allowing our imagination to have its own way in conjuring up characters that seem to have a mind of their own. Characters seem to do what they want despite whatever our original plan for them may have been.

My early career was spent doing graphic design in the print industry and that was my first love, creating art for reproduction. The only writing I did then was poetry once in a while and directions for printers at the bottom of the art I created. My art background has been useful in my newfound career of writing because I am able to design my own covers and my print knowledge has helped me understand the formatting needed for the actual printing of the books. I spent almost fifty years in the printing industry and watched as technology morphed the industry into something completely different from what I started with. It was technology that made possible the opportunities available for the new writers of the day.

Most of the books I have written contain elements of mystery. I love solving things and I have acquired a taste for allowing a reader to travel with me to unravel whatever scenario I have created. I don’t preplan the books, preferring to let the story lead me where it wants to go. It makes it harder for me to tip my hand if I don’t know in advance who “did it”. Yes it does take multiple drafts to refine things once you know the ending, but it allows me to solve the mystery as I write it. My creative self seems to work independently and won’t tip me off as to how the book ends. That, my friends, is the way I like it.

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Mystery, Adventure and Detective books, come check them all out at:

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Murphy’s Law  New release

  I just released a new book, it is a bit different from those written in the past. My goal was to create a strong female character, one tough enough to handle any challenge. I wanted one strong enough to inspire my granddaughter. I believe Kate Murphy is just such a character.

  She is a divorced single mom who is raising a teenage daughter while working as a police lieutenant in Boston. She had a colorful background, having as a marine in Afghanistan. She is in great shape and an expert marksman or markswoman in this case. She has learned to balance murder cases and raising a daughter along with her personal fitness routine.  I invite you to take a look and to write a review and click a rating.

    NEW RELEASE:  Murphy's Law

  Kate Murphy was a strong independent woman. She learned discipline in the sands of Afghanistan. She went from the battleground as a marine to the streets of Boston, first as a street cop and then as a homicide detective. Her skills were recognized early and she made lieutenant, by hard work and a dedicated spirit.

She was a mentor for those who were her subordinates and an example for those she was responsible to. She learned to search for answers not always available and would never stop until she found those who were guilty.  

 E-Book for Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z87N865/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 Print version.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1700452452

website: http://www.amazon.com/author/edwardyork

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From my poetry collection.

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THE DEATH

               We had an important death recently, but as important as it was, most people paid little attention to it. It was the death of honesty. It took a while and honesty fought hard but too many were allowed at its side. Despair and deceit were both at the beside as honesty finally passed.  Honesty had family members there too, both integrity and respect stood by but left as soon as honesty passed and haven't been seen since. Hope had been there early but left before anyone else.

                 There are many who celebrate the demise of honesty, feeling him too rigid and controlling. I will miss him and feel there are a lot of benefits to having him around.  There seems to be a lot of chaos now since he left and I fear a lack of stability.

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A WRITER'S BLOG:

           When I write anything, I maintain notes about the characters for later reference. You'd be surprised how much you will forget sixty thousand words after you introduce a character. I make notes about where they live and all the "props" they may use.  When I wrote Alaska Dynasty, I had a description about a lodge.  I created floor plans for that lodge and painted an exterior image just to have a mental image to write the description from.  It is important to either write about what you personally know or do a lot of research. My journey into Alaska Dynasty was a mixture of personal visit, research and some personal experience.

           My descriptions of fur trapping came from research and the fact my father-in-law used to trap coyotes and bobcats for local ranchers and I went with him several times, where he gave me my trapping education. My visit to Alaska let me see in person the things I had read about. Research is great, but a personal view helps it all make sense.

 Amazon book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DM1P1F7/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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ON WRITING:  Alaska Dynasty.

 A lot of things happen when you write. You either write about something you are very familiar with or you do a lot of research.  Sometimes you do some of both.  When I wrote the book "Alaska Dynasty" there is a description of a lodge contained within the pages. I actually drew out floor plans and a visual image of the front to have a reference when I wrote the description.