Dear noble book people of grand renown,

I’m currently in a marital dispute, and if she’s not careful, I’m going to drag Star Jones in from Divorce Court.

Let me back up…I had the great fortune of spending the morning brainstorming plot twists with my mother-in-law and wife, and WE (notice the pronoun) came up with something that’s going to make your jaw smack the earth. Seriously, I’m beyond elated to bring this Maine coast story to life.

And then here comes my wife, my sweet, loving wife, saying it was her idea. She tried to pull the same nonsense regarding that clever curveball at the end of The Secrets of Good People. Okay, fine, it was her idea. So was the shocker today, but I’m still leaning on the we of this thing. It was my brilliance that stirred her imagination to life. Behind every good woman is a good man—I think that’s how that goes. Actually, before moving to psychotherapy, she’d started the path toward the FBI, as she has mad skills in understanding bad guys and dark minds. She sees things that I simply can’t.

Mikella’s name belongs on the covers of all my books, as she is constantly bringing out the best in them—and me. So long as my name is on top, I’m good with that. Might as well make the font for mine a little bigger. No, bigger than that. Yeah, there we go.

Truth be told, she can’t stand the spotlight and is going to crucify me when she reads this later on. If you see me scurrying down Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, Maine tonight, please offer me shelter and bread.

No matter what the cover looks like, I’m days away from typing “The End” on my work-in-progress, which will now include my wife’s shocking twist. And I’m way ahead of schedule. Perhaps that will leave me space to sneak in a side project, maybe something Red Mountain related…

Moving on, I’ve been a bit manic with my camera passion over the years, twice now giving up and selling all my gear, saying I was spread too thin, deciding that telling stories and playing music was enough. Without fail, though, I regret abandoning the hobby shortly after.

After revisiting some shots I took in the aughts with great longing, I’m back on a Fuji fixed lens and hoping you’ll allow me to share some new work soon. For the record, I’m no pro, just a guy who loves hacking away at various mediums. I’m also dabbling with the art of drawing, though it’s nothing more than clumsy doodling.

Do any of you have any passions that keep reeling you back in, almost like an ex that you can’t shake from your heart? Please tell me I’m not the only one.

Below are some of my faves that I took twenty-plus years ago, travel shots that evoke such grand memories for me. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for humoring me. In other news:

* I’m obsessed with Paradise on Hulu. Second season wraps next week. It satisfies all my end-of-the-world cravings and is far more enjoyable than watching the news.

* I’m a couple of hundred pages into VE Schwab’s new one, Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil. I keep pausing to ponder her phrasing; what a master. But I can’t read it before I go to bed. Learned that the hard way. There be vampires!

* My new fave artist/writer/creator right now: Maggie Stiefvater. My son and I just started The Raven Boys, which is more YA. Her latest in adult fiction, The Listeners, is on deck for me. And I’m loving her Substack. She is so tapped in, at once writing (at an extremely high level), making music, painting, and even tending to her fainting goats in Virginia.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget: you can listen to these too, via the button above.

Be back soon with some craft talk…and hopefully a report that I’ve reached the end of my first draft.

Cheerio!

boo

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