Official Website of Author & Photographer
An introduction
The question I am most frequently asked is
“Where do you get the ideas for your stories?”
The answer is simple: everywhere. Most frequently, the stories grow from things I have seen or experienced in everyday life. A pair of wornout, broken work boots lying on the sidewalk in front of a state capitol building became a component in the wardrobe of the main character in “Bosco Jones.”
A small family cemetery that dated from the 1700s, located in the middle of a windswept field of corn stubble, became the final resting place for a pair of sisters in “Patty and Gert.”
Leaving an interstate highway via an exit marked No Services — and betting that there really was a gas station nearby — gave me the opening scene of “The Gasman’s Tale.”
A derelict mansion in the heart of a once-vibrant city became the setting of “The Arlington Club.”
An old man I encountered salvaging shipping pallets behind a restaurant before sunup one Saturday morning became “Pallet Jack.”
Each of these provided me with a mental image, a starting point,
from which a story grew. Occasionally, the story seems to take on a life of its own, to almost write itself while I am merely along for the ride. It’s like finding a ruby in a box of rocks. Those have proven to be my best works.
So, pour yourself your favorite beverage, settle back, and come along for the ride.
There’s no telling where these stories may take you.