While I've Been Away

Hello, Fire Enthusiasts. How in the world are you? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? If you’ve stopped by over the course of July, you know that I embarked on a book blog tour, enabling me to take Seeing Ghosts and offer it up to a larger audience than I had before. If you’re wondering how it went, I’m not really sure as of yet. I’m hoping that it continues to build momentum. Perhaps praying is the much better word here. J Anyway, more on my book later…

What else? Well, I won’t bore you with the details on work. It’s there, it’s long hours, blah, blah, blah... Who wants to hear about that? Certainly not me. *grins*

Just Saturday I finally got around to watching the film 42 – the Jackie Robinson story. It was so good. I haven’t bought it yet, but rest assured that I will. Yes, it’s a baseball movie, but it is so much more than that. It’s our history. As a Cubs fan you’d never expect to catch me wearing some other team’s jersey; however, the movie really made me want to go out and buy a Dodgers 42. My 19 year old came home while I was watching it and made a comment about hating prejudice. He said it made him want to punch people. He’s not a violent guy, so it was really out of character for him to say. I understood it. The film made my wife and I very sad. There were many trips to the tissue box, I don’t mind telling you. Later this summer I look forward to seeing The Butler. That one might be worse. I get misty just watching the trailer.

For you music lovers out there we had the opportunity over a week ago to travel to the California central coast to visit the Paso Robles Mid State Fair. We saw the Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty and it was a heck of a show. If you listen to Matchbox and have yet to see a show, you’re really missing out. We’ve now seen them three times and it never gets old; great songs, fantastic musicianship and Rob Thomas hitting each and every one of those notes. Speaking of my oldest son once again, he calls Thomas a freak of nature. Both my boys are in band and jazz choir, so they know a bit of what they speak. He says Thomas should not be able to hit those notes consistently with those neck veins popping out like that, but he does. Perhaps he‘s just blessed with more talent than we even realized. Both band’s newest releases have been getting heavy play over here. If you have yet to check them out you probably need to rectify that, too.

Book fans, I’ve managed to get hold of some good books over the past couple of months and I will begin telling you about them over the next few weeks. I just read Horns by Joe Hill. I had heard of Hill, but had yet to read his work. I knew who his famous father was, but that was about it. So it was that I came upon this novel with no preconceived notions, but just a natural curiosity. I was not disappointed. What a wild ride. If you are unfamiliar with Horns, here’s the synopsis:

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real...

I liked this story so much that I had it read in just a few days. I found the tale to be fresh and imaginative. The most memorable parts were how everyone just began to confess themselves to him while in his presence. Those were some of the best bits. The novel was very well written and kept my attention throughout. Do yourself a favor and don’t worry who his father is (Stephen King). It’s better if you don’t let that get in the way of a wholly engrossing read. Never once did I dwell on that fact. Mr. Hill is his own man, looks to be an incredible talent and I very much look forward to seeing what else he has up his considerable sleeve.

Lastly, I would just like to share some reviews that my latest has been getting. If you feel swayed, I’d love it if you’d pick up a copy, or perhaps add it to your Goodreads shelf.

“An interesting and complex story, filled with romance, suspense, horror and downright humour. Worth a read if you like a mix of genre.” - Karen Mead

“I loved this story, staying up to read it… The ending even brought a tear to my eye. I highly recommend this for your summer reading.” - Lisa McCourt Hollar

“This is an amazing book. I found it hard to put it down. Throughout the book I felt tearful, happy, terrified and surprised by a few twists. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good ghost and/or romance story.” - Claire Rees

“Seeing Ghosts is eerie and haunting…will keep you riveted, scare the bejeezus out of you, and make you cry.” - Samantha Martin

“This is a fantastic book, and most definitely a must read! I loved how the author incorporated religion, God, and ghosts; all in a highly tasteful manner. I respected how he wrote in Anne and her son, and the ending almost made me cry. I loved the twists and turns inside this book, a few I saw coming, but for the most part it was a complete surprise. I loved the author's writing style, it's so smooth. I guess I just love everything about this book! Trust me, if you are at all interested in the paranormal genre, you must read this!” - Elizabeth Marie

We’ll talk soon.