Books

Some of my best friends are books. I was just looking at this photo of me taken a few years ago (I don't sit around looking at pictures of myself, by the way) and I was struck by how many good friends I have lost. If you enlarge the photo below, you will see some of my tastes in reading. Over my left shoulder is The Hardy Boys Detective Handbook. My mother bought that for me when I was a tadpole. On the right is a copy of John Grisham's The Firm along with The Imitation of Christ and The Cross of Christ by John Stott. That's the definition of "eclectic," I think. Down to the left, if this picture were in a better resolution, you'd be able to see my VHS copy of Matewan. Man, I miss going into my office and just staring at the books and videos.I'm plotting a new book now, going through the mental gyrations that will send me to the keyboard every day for a few months. I had two whole shelves of writing books that I went back to again and again, everything from plotting to dialog to character's names. I really get jazzed about writing by reading a few pages of these books. But they're gone now. Actually, they're not gone, they're just out of my reach for a while. Maybe forever. I don't know. Somehow I feel a little untethered without them, but that may be a good thing. I can't rely on Dean Koontz's How To Write Bestselling Fiction anymore or Dwight Swain's advice to get me through the next few months. I'm on my own for the first time without them.

Books are good friends, which perhaps explains why I spend so much time trying to create a good friend for others. June Bug releases in a few weeks. I can't wait until you get to read it and give feedback. I think this one is going to be a good friend to you.
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