About
To quote the late Jerry Garcia,“what a long, strange trip it’s been”. In my sixty-one years, I've worked on a missile launch crew, in the engine room of aMississippi riverboat and as the operator of a chemical plant. I've soldinsurance, advertising and other stuff, worked in numerous factories and as acounselor in a group home for troubled teens. There were the ten years as the webmaster/English editorfor a large Buddhist temple in southernCalifornia. Then there was the time spent in the Philippines as a Christianmissionary. All together, it makes for an interesting, if confusing, resume, aswell as a unique and eclectic writer’s perspective.
Now living in Calaveras County, California, I'm trying to decide if I'm retired, a writer or merely unemployed.
The Usurper King (The Plantagenet Legacy Book 3)
Description
<p><span style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">First, he led his own uprising. Then he captured a forsaken king. Henry had no intention of taking the crown for himself; it was given to him by popular acclaim. Alas, it didn't take long to realize that that having the kingship was much less rewarding than striving for it. Only three months after his coronation, Henry IV had to face a rebellion led by Richard's disgruntled favorites. Repressive measures led to more discontent. His own supporters turned against him, demanding more than he could give. The haughty Percies precipitated the Battle of Shrewsbury which nearly cost him the throne—and his life.</span><br style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;" /><span style="color:rgb(15,17,17);font-family:'Amazon Ember', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">To make matters worse, even after Richard II's funeral, the deposed monarch was rumored to be in Scotland, planning his return. The king just wouldn't stay down and malcontents wanted him back.</span></p>
Story Behind The Book
A Wall of Eden began as a writing project. The challenge: Take an existing plot with which everyone is familiar. Without changing the story or its outcome, make it fresh and new. The story of the Garden of Eden was chosen because, in addition to being a familiar story, it is one which allows no references to the past. It also precludes the use of modern axioms and idioms. For example, neither Adam nor Eve could have been depicted as 'being so happy that they did cartwheels'. No cart, no wheels.
As the writing of the story progressed, another challenge presented itself. Portray the characters (Adam, Eve, the Serpent, the Lord) in such a way that the reader can start to see himself in the story. The story of Adam and Eve, like the rest of the Bible, has to be seen as each of our stories, else it is nothing but history at best, or even irrelevant myth or fable at worst.
I once saw, in a college curriculum, a course called The Bible As Literature. I never did sign up for the course, but the name stuck in mind over the years. A Wall in Eden is 'the Bible as literature', or at least an entertaining, made-up story with familiar characters and themes.
