Fast Track (Book) - 8/15/2020 10:00:12 AM
Barbara said it. Carol said it. Once they started reading thet couldn't put it down. Fast Track by John DeDakis has over 100 reviews and only two of those reviewers are unhappy (you just can't please everyone). This is the third DeDakis book I've read (Troubled water and Fake being the others) and I must say this was super as well. The action comes fast and heart-pounding and the book is riddled with emotion and intrigue.
Lark was a waItress until she told her boss, grumpy Mr. Green, to take the job and shove it, of couse she had just discovered her caretaker Aunt lying dead on the living room floor, an apparent suicide. Lost and confused she turns to the one person who might be able to help, her Aunt's pastor, Father Dan. After pouring her heart out to him, and who wouldn't after something like that happens, they agree that she needs a purpose and the story goes from there, at a fast sprint over many a bumpy road.
I actually read this book in less than two days, I think I broke my reading speed record. I have read many books in my life but seldom one like this, so packed with raw emotion so well described. Many segments tugged at my heart but here is a short one that really got to me; it brought a tear to my eye and I'm not an overly emotional guy:
I put my arm around her waist. "Thanks for listening."
"You know we're here for you."
"I know that, Muriel. Thanks."
"We love you," she whispered.
It had been years since anyone told me that. I cried again. So did she.
That is, I think, powerful stuff and the book is loaded with it; it's an emotional rollercoaster.
Fast Track's front cover is just right. Look close and you'll figure it out. I loved it. The back cover is easy to read and to the point. Font size is just perfect. There may be a few too many words on a page but that's just my opinion. It did not spoil the read in any way. If you read Fast Track you'll want to read John DeDakis' other four titles. I can't wait to read the remaining two. Keep writing John, another fantastic read.
Bullet in the Chamber (Book) - 8/15/2020 9:57:57 AM
I am fortunate to have read all five of John's Lark Chadwick mysteries. The ride has been exhilarating, curvy and a lot of fun. Little by little, in each book, John reveals more of himself to the reader. A great writer, one who writes from the heart, is honor-bound to do that and it happens naturally. For him, Bullet in the Chamber is particularly meaningful and his writing mirrors his feelings. Have you ever sipped a fine wine or enjoyed a nice tall cold glass of award-winning beer? I have... and that's how I felt as I was reading Chamber, savoring every word, tasting every nuance.
Bullet in the Chamber sprints from the first page to the last as Lark steps into the White House briefing room on her first day as an AP journalist. The first page was so explosive I was sure the rest of the book wouldn't hold up but John never let me down. I am sure John's writing style, fast and to the point, is very similar to that of his CNN career. He does not mince words.
I am somewhat of a nitpick but I must say Bullet in the Chamber's editing is top-notch, the best of the five. And at times, John is downright funny in an odd sort of way. Here's one short excerpt. I cracked up:
"I'm calling to speak to Anne-Marie Gustofsen. Is she there?"
"She is so, like, not here?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Jennifer? I'm, like, the temp?"
"Uh huh. Where's Anne-Marie?"
"Good question."
"What do you mean?"
"She's, like, missing?"
"Missing?" I echoed Jennifer's question.
"Yeah. And Mr. Rogan is, like, freaking out."
"In what way is he freaking out?"
"I mean he's just, like, freaking out, y' know?"
I didn't, but I could tell that Jennifer and her limited vocabulary wouldn't be, like, much help?
The front cover of Bullet in the Chamber is just perfect, a large picture of a bullet in a syringe with a nice rendition of the front of the White House at the bottom right. The book won a Feathered Quill award, an award that stands out for its professionalism and its high standards. John's fourth book certainly meets those requirements. Strategic Media Books did a great job with choice of font and perfect spacing. I breezed through the book in less than three days. Thank you for allowing me to visit so many places and to meet Lark and all her friends. It was a great two-week adventure. Sadly, I'm a little bummed out because I know the next book I read will not be of the same caliber. Keep writing John and thanks again.
Read less
Bluff (Book) - 8/15/2020 9:54:00 AM
Every time I read and review a book I like to read a few other reviews just to see if most people are on the same wavelength. Almost every reviewer says Bluff is a fast-paced hard to put down read and I have to agree with them. Bluff, John DeDakis' second novel, is extremely well written and the editing is phenomenal. A book like Bluff does not come along very often. In fact in today's world I believe it's quite rare, speaking of the quality of the writing and the editing thereof.
It amazes me that John DeDakis is able to be so intune with Lark, his female protagonist. I just don't know how he does it. The depth of emotion that Lark goes through as she deals with the losses in her life, the ups and downs of daily activities and other traumas is mind-boggling and John has a firm hand on all of it. Each one of his characters, mainstream or otherwise, comes alive in his vivid word picture. A good writer wears many hats and one important task of a good writer is to make the reader feel like he or she is that fly on the wall. I attended the Landscam news conference, in fact I was sitting next to Lark and Jonathan Anderson. They didn't happen to glance my way. I sat across from Lark while she was having tea with Muriel and Loinel; I wasn't thirsty.
Reading John's books, this is the fourth out of five, has been quite the eye-opener; I can picture the inside of a TV studio. I now see two sides of real journalism, the objective side (The Pine Bluff Standard) and the ultra seedy side (Jonathan's underhanded tactics used to sell more news print). Bluff is a great book on so many levels. Bluff's front and back covers are strikingly colorful. You won't miss it on the bookstore shelf. While there may be a few too many words on a page (just my humble opinion) it certainly does not take away from the read. I can't wait to read the next one. Keep writing John, I'm loven it.
Fake (Book) - 6/1/2020 3:42:10 PM
FAKE is JOHN DEDAKIS' fifth Lark Chadwick thriller/mystery.John just gets better and better; FAKE's proof is in the pudding. If you enjoy reading about current events and political intrigue, you'll eat this book up. I finished it in threee days, a record for me, a slow contemplative reader. I like to analyze everything I read and I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. I think you will too.
Lark works for the Associated press, she's one of an elite group of journalists within the White House and is in close contact with President Gannon and his wife, Rose. Aside from her job she is trying to deal with recent losses and other deaths, luckily she has a very good grief counselor. Lark is assigned to accompany Will Gannon on an important trip to China, along with a contingent of other staffers. Without giving away the plot, let me just say everything mushrooms during and after this trip.
Troubled Water, an earlier Chadwick entry, is an excellent slow-burn thriller but, hands-down, FAKE is much more exciting. FAKE gives the reader an inside-look at the White House; it's a political history lesson; it lets us walk through journalism's backdoor and so much more. In the last three plus years we have been bombarded with FAKE NEWS and FAKE takes its cue from just that.
FAKE, the winner of a Reader Views award, has a very distinctive front cover with a beautiful picture of the White House in the middle surrounded by blurred newspaper articles, a striking cover. The back cover is easy to read, a white background with black print. Font size and spacing are just right. The 6 by 9 format is standard for a trade paper. I have to say JOHN DEDAKIS is a fantastic writer. I can't wait to read his other novels, Fast Track, Bluff and Bullet in the Chamber. Keep writing John, I'm lovin' it!
Troubled Water (Book) - 5/30/2020 9:53:56 AM
JOHN DEDAKIS, a famous CNN journalist has chosen to write about his field of expertise in TROUBLED WATER, a story about a brazen no-holds-barred reporter, Lark Chadwick. On her way to Georgia to work for the Sun Gazette, she discovers a dead body dumped in a creek located just off the main highway very near her destination. Of course, she is obligated to phone in the story even though she hasn't officially started her new job... and so the sory unfolds. One body turns into two as Lark becomes obsessed finding a seriel killer.
JOHN DEDAKIS' TROUBLED WATER is what I would term an action-packed slow burn. I read this book in five days and I rarely read a book that quickly. The action was continuous building up over time. And honestly I could never figure out who-done-it until the very end. That's how good this book is written. A good mystery has to keep you guessing and John does this masterfully.
The front cover is a great picture of a rushing stream full of what-ifs. The back cover blurb is easy to read. The off-white heavy paper is easy on the eyes along with the choice of font and spacing. The book's size makes it easy to hold and take with you wherever you go. Keep writing John, I loved TROUBLED WATER.
Fake (Book) - 1/28/2020 5:12:43 PM
Fake, a novel by John DeDakis, is the latest book in the Lark Chadwick Mystery series. While it can be read as a stand alone book, I highly recommend reading the other books. First Lady Rose Gannon suddenly dies during an interview with White House Correspondent Lark Chadwick. From that moment forward, Lark's life careens on a path she never could have foreseen.
Lark is no stranger to grief and is a realist but struggles to understand why she becomes a victim of social media contempt and hatred based on rumor and lies. In short: "fake news". The author skillfully places readers into the world of a White House Correspondent who is trying to report on the President and who finds herself involved in international intrigue. The action packed and riveting plot races to a surprising ending which left me hoping for another book in this series.
Masterfully crafted, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through AuthorsDen. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Fake (Book) - 1/21/2020 11:56:10 AM
Another Lark Chadwick novel, I knew I was in for a treat before I even began and John DeDakis, as usual, did not let me down. "Fake" is a book for the moment, touching on subjects such as, "Trump's fake news" and the "Me2 movement," just to name a few. The story comes to life following what we are currently talking about in the real news today, sometimes heavy on the "fake." Lark Chadwick, a white house reporter for the Associated Press, has had her fair share of heartbreak (orphaned as a baby, death of the aunt that raised her and two deceased boyfriends), but at this time she is working on a separate story, the biography of the United State's president's terminally ill wife. Suddenly during one of these private sessions the president's wife collapses and passes away. From there the story begins. Weaved in-between the pages are numerous side stories, such as, an impending nuclear war, a grieving president, the love-life of Lark's best friend and coworker, and rumors surrounding not only the death of the president's wife, but also Lark herself. From page one, "Fake" pulls you into the story-line and there the novel starts to provide the reader plot after sub-plot to ponder. "Fake" quickly turns into a real page turner. That's all I'm going to say, sorry, no spoiler alerts because I want you to read and enjoy this wonderful read. Whether reading the novel as a sequel or as a great stand-alone, the story is awesome. "Fake" is another top notch DeDakis novel that leaves just enough loose ends to pick up the story nicely in another book. Keep them coming DeDakis, I can't get enough. Highly recommend you read the entire Lark Chadwick series, but just as a stand alone, this is another great book. A big 10 out of 10!
Troubled Water (Book) - 12/12/2019 4:30:14 PM
Extremely well written! I loved that the protagonist is a journalist. As a fiction writer myself, it gave me insight into a world I have never actually been in. Even her critiquing her own writing was realistic and endearing to me.
The relationships in this novel are dynamic, the dialogue realistic. Everything moves at a fast clip, does not give you time to lose interest or get bored.
Overall, it was an extremely satisfying and entertaining read. I heartily recommend this novel for any lover of fast-paced, realistic murder mysteries!
Troubled Water (Book) - 4/30/2019 3:38:54 PM
Troubled Water, a mystery-suspense novel by John DeDakis, is the third book in the Lark Chadwick Mystery series. It can be read as a stand alone book.
Lark Chadwick is making a major change in her life when she moves from Wisconsin to Georgia to work as a newspaper reporter. Before she even starts work, she discovers the body of a murdered young woman. Lark is now part of the story. Then another body is found. With her life racing in many directions, Lark does her best to focus on this case and to hopefully find the murderer. Will she become a victim, too?
The author brings to readers all the elements of a great mystery story. The well developed characters are vividly brought to life. Lark is an especially intriguing character. By following her character I came away knowing much more about journalism. She is an introspective investigator and isn't afraid to ask the right questions. There are several suspects, all with possible motives. The engrossing story moves quickly giving no hint of who the murderer is. As for the conclusion-I never saw it coming. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through AuthorsDen. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Bullet in the Chamber (Book) - 2/17/2019 5:54:31 PM
The first day at a new job can go many different ways. Protagonist Lark Chadwick's first day as an AP White House correspondent was anything but routine. The White House is attacked and people died. Where is the President? And this is just the beginning of Bullet in the Chamber, a novel by John DeDakis. I had previously been introduced to the Lark Chadwick character in Mr. DeDakis's novel Bluff, which I can highly recommend reading.
In this skillfully written novel, which deals with serious issues, the author places the reader into Lark's professional and personal life as it spirals ahead at break neck speed. She is a remarkable and believable character. The compelling story lines are deftly introduced and expertly brought together. Fast moving, filled with surprises and engrossing, this book is well worth reading. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through AuthorsDen. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Bluff (Book) - 1/19/2019 6:51:50 PM
Bluff, a novel by John DeDakis, is a well crafted and engrossing murder mystery. A recent murder and a previous death classified as an accident suddenly become intertwined. Lark Chadwick, the protagonist, is an investigative reporter who finds herself as both a victim and a possible target. Can she find the answers to the numerous unanswered questions?
The novel is populated with fascinating, believable characters. The story lines are intertwined seamlessly. Fast paced and captivating, this book is a true page turner. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through AuthorsDen. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Bluff (Book) - 1/3/2019 6:01:22 PM
Bluff
By John DeDakis
This book should come with a warning: Don't start until you have time to finish. From the moment I started reading this story I was hooked. The book instantly grabbed my attention with action in the first few pages. And before I knew it , it was 2 am and i had set and read the whole book straight through in one setting.It is a fast paced, a page turner and a compelling mystery - one that you wont want to put down.So Make sure you have some free time when you read the book . Rule one ,
Never assume anything in this book. Every time I thought I had something figured out, DeDakis threw in a curve and took me in a whole different direction and i Loved it! It is packed full of twists and turns. Just in case you're wondering if John DeDakis' book is worth it -- I can tell you without hesitation YES! The plot is great. I highley recommend this book . The ending was just as great and was one I never saw coming, There is 2 more in this series you will want to grab.
#Bluff #JohnDeDakis
Troubled Water (Book) - 9/23/2018 8:52:22 PM
Wow! Another wonderful Lark Chadwick novel! 'Troubled Water' grabs you from the first few pages and keeps you riveted to the very end. This story has more twists and turns then most roller-coasters. Lark has once again found herself trying to solve two murders. I must admit, every character I thought the killer might be, turned out to be wrong! The real killer is someone you would never consider and that's all I'm saying...
John DeDakis has written another excellent page turner read that you simply cannot put down. The story line is a bit gruesome, but awesome and there are plots within plots adding curiosity and intrigue to every chapter.
Of course, Lark still turns t her friend and mentor, Lionel Stone, when she needs advice or just to talk. And, he's always quick to remind her that her old job is still available and waiting whenever she wants to return.
I have become quite a fan of John DeDakis' writing style. The characters are vivid with a great descriptive image created; along with the scenic views provided! I am so hopeful that DeDakis continues the Lark Chadwick series. The are serious, but fun, a very enjoyable read. Read them in order or as a stand alone, either way, they are great! Already looking forward to the next one!
Bluff (Book) - 9/4/2018 8:26:38 PM
Another fine Lark Chadwick novel by John DeDakis! 'Bluff" is one of a series, but also, is a great stand alone. Lark Chadwick shows us how an investigative journalist works and puts the piece of the puzzle together to bring the readers the story. Trying to put the pieces together surrounding the murder of her boyfriend, she stumbles across a link involving the death of the daughter of her boss. 'Bluff' has murder, crime, mayhem, but also love and romance in a lighthearted setting. The story has many twists and turns. I couldn't figure out "who done it" until the very end. John DeDakis has a wonderful writing style that is very enjoyable.
The location descriptions, especially of Peru, are spot on, giving the reader a mental vision of each scene.
Can't go wrong with this one! One of those books that you just can't put down...
Looking forward to reading additional works from John DeDakis!
Bullet in the Chamber (Book) - 8/23/2018 3:07:39 PM
This is my first novel by John DeDakis and I can't wait to read additional works by him. Lark Chadwick is a wonderful main character, a top-notch reporter working at the White House. John DeDakis touches on some current topics of the day. This book has drugs, the "dog-eat-dog' world of journalism, crime, romance, the presidency and the White House, drones, love and heartbreak. It is an excellent piece of fiction that is well written and has you hooked from the very beginning. One of those books that you can't put down! I highly recommend you check it out, you won't be disappointed. As I said, I look forward to reading more books by John DeDakis. 'Bullet in the Chamber' is a real winner!!!
Bullet in the Chamber (Book) - 7/5/2018 2:54:21 PM
Lark Chadwick is a protagonist. He is compelling and true to form. John Dedakis gets inside the head of a about Washington journalist.Its a great book. It's a page turner.
Troubled Water (Book) - 6/23/2018 5:07:29 PM
Lark is an interesting character. It was really good and a page turner. I really liked how it ended. It keep me on the edge of my seat.
Troubled Water (Book) - 12/9/2013 7:47:55 AM
Congrats X 2
Dan
Bluff (Book) - 12/9/2013 7:46:33 AM
Congratulations on the new book, John...much success
Dan
e-Book Sale (Short Story) - 9/22/2026 4:35:30 PM
I will get it, but you're in line behind two other books that will take some time for me to read at my slow pace.
Ron
Breaking News (Short Story) - 9/18/2026 2:15:25 PM
A book to treasure about your life: an autobiography.
Very often, we may judge others without knowing about the battles they have faced in life. It's a book that must be told to set your inner self at peace.
~ Sandie
Breaking News (Short Story) - 9/15/2026 8:00:30 PM
Congratulations, John. I will see if I have time to read it.
Ron
I'm a Slow Learner (Short Story) - 7/21/2026 12:16:00 PM
Those two tragedies so close to your heart would make anyone grieve. I have noticed that recently you have focused more on your grieving process than you did earlier with your writing your grief into your books. I guess as we get older, those old memories become more prominent.
I've never had great grieving like that. When I was paralyzed at 20, I was most disturbed by the loss of friends from high school and college who acted like they didn't even know or care that I was injured. Fortunately, I had my twin brother who always stayed by me when he could.
I've been depressed several times over little losses that you mentioned. The loss of girlfriends, jobs, opportunities. But none of them that I couldn't easily put my nose down on the grindstone and work my way out.
When my wife divorced me after three years, our counselor told me that I didn't need his help. It was my wife. He said that she had lost four people recently in her life, and when I took her away from the only social network she had in our hometown, she felt isolated and couldn't deal with the grief of losing her father (a medical doctor) when he became incompetent when she was 12, her son had left for college after she divorced her husband and became the sole breadwinner, and her mother had died.
I was to take her away from all of that, but unable to fill the gap.
Ron
Black Messiahs (Short Story) - 7/20/2026 2:59:36 PM
It took me a while, because I rarely have two hours during my workday to view your blog. But I'm glad I finally got to it and was fascinated with your interview with Steven A. Holmes. The first thing I noticed was his affability. I soon found out why. When he described his high school and the fact that they were all into Motown and rhythm and blues. Like when Alex Haley told me that he was writing a memoir of growing up with a white best friend in Henning, Tennessee. That kind of experience with whites, I believe, is a major developmental factor in how black people feel about white people.
Like you, John, in Lacrosse, I spent my grade school in Wausau in a deteriorated neighborhood with criminals as neighbors. Classmates bound for reform school and prison. But by high school, we moved to Marshfield. During growing up experience, there were no blacks. In high school, a only girl who seemed to have some native roots. But in our junior year, the pipeliners came along with the building of a gas pipeline across the state. They were all from the south. They were all white, but from different classes. Later, while taking a educational sociology course, I wrote a paper on the five or six cliques in high school that were more evident at our 50th anniversary than our 20th anniversary where we danced all night to The Beatles.
I credit my lack of prejudice to my affable father whose mother was a school marm for an eighth grade rural school for a small black community near Owen, Wisconsin. I never heard him utter a racial epithet and my mother was a well educated cleaning lady with two sets of twins who welcomed all the misfits I brought home to her a great cooking.
While I sensed some prejudice during my three years at Atlanta University as and an associate professor, when I joined Texas Southern University in 1981 as a special assistant to the vice president of administration, I observed there was a great deal of prejudice on campus, often characterized by the darkness of skin. I also was privileged to be accepted generally by the initial carefully picked black students who were first allowed to go to the University of Texas in Austin. They all had doctorates from there or elsewhere. The school was run by academics. The previous president had been gay. But by the mid 1990s the board became filled with failed black business people who thought they could run the university better than the academics and installed accountants in charge. I suffered very much discrimination of a different kind for my disability during the last 15 years of my 30 years of service there. I was so glad to get away in 2011 to write fiction full-time in retirement.
I immediately thought of Eric Hoffer when I heard Steven talk about his experience as a cab driver. I don't know his reason for leaving Rutgers, but I left Stanford with mixed feelings, especially the way they treated me with my disability when they could've enhanced it. I owe my underpinnings to UW-Stout like Steven with CCNY where I participated in civil rights and got to see Martin Luther King speak.
World War II stories never seem to grow old. I wish Holmes good luck with Black Messiahs. I'm currently following Tom Hanks version presenting mostly World War II news reels that I've seen before.
Ron
Covering Ronald Reagan (Short Story) - 6/5/2026 11:30:28 AM
That was interesting and rewarding to get up close and personal with Ronald Reagan. I only wish the picture would enlarge so that I could see it better.
When my younger brother was a freshman at West Virginia University in 1977, to help pay for his expenses he took a job as a bus boy at the Lakeview Inn and Country Club.
There was a $1000 a plate fundraising dinner there featuring Reagan that year and Tim got to meet him and listened to his speech. He became a lifelong Republican as a result.
Ron
Audacious Living Podcast (Short Story) - 5/19/2026 12:47:23 PM
Oddly, Audley was audaciously inviting to listen to. Unfortunately you lowered his voice while interviewing you and I wasn't able to hear him without closed captions.
I wonder if he was inspired by Obama's book?
During the first part of the conversation you repeated a lot of what I've heard from you before in previous podcasts. But near the end I also learned a few more things, particularly about agents and AI that I haven't heard from you before.
I may have written this before but my grief has been minimal compared to yours. And I've always written about about things that happened without my control with ease and never a sense of regret or worry about what someone might think about what I was writing. It's just in me.
Looking forward to all your ventures and your memoir that you say you're going to be doing next.
Ron
Honest Christian Conversations (Short Story) - 2/24/2026 2:27:33 PM
That was a really revealing podcast. I don’t know who Ana Murby really is, but my brief view of her (thanks for the clip) leads me to believe that she is very naïve and caught up in the cult of Christ, like so many unassuming souls that somehow I think simply believing will save them from themselves.
My early upbringing was Congregational and Presbyterian. In high school, we attended Melvin Laird’s father’s church and my mother was a lifelong Republican. In college I was, president of an ecumenical Christian group. Introduced to civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War.
The only honest conversation that I ever had with Christians was with theologians. They both tended to be open minded and critical of Christianity the way that religions use it. Made it easy for me to become an atheist, while I still adhere to many Christian values and the Golden Rule.
While Murby may be an expert on scripture, I was shocked at her admission of being apathetic about politics and her method of voting based on who she “listens to.” A sure way to get the wrong information. I wish you had asked her why she wouldn’t vote for a black woman democrat for president. I’d like to hear her answer. She seems like a good candidate for a cult. I recall my younger brother telling me how wonderful Rush Limbaugh was as he listened to him on the radio every day. When I told my brother that Rush was a pompas ass, he hung up on me and voted for Trump.
I knew what kind of person Donald Trump was by watching all 10 seasons of The Apprentice. At first, I thought it was great that he was giving bright young people job opportunities at a high level. But that soon degenerated into him bringing in celebrities and then browbeating them to give to charities and play favorites to the point where it made me sick. As you clearly point out, we are very close to a dictatorship if the public doesn’t wake up to what he has been doing ever since day one in office.
I’m watching him pontificate tonight. Boycotting won’t bring him down. He has to be impeached and convicted.
Ron
Writing Through Grief (Short Story) - 2/3/2026 2:46:21 PM
John, you got me! I wasn't interested in writing to overcome grief and had avoided checking in with you for some time until you told me that it would be shocking.
Unfortunately, while your life has been extremely interesting, especially because of the phases you went through, your three major losses, and your rubbing up against greatness through your assignments, was not shocking. You fooled me.
I learned much. I've never really stopped learning. From both my elders and from the younger generation.
Keep interviewing and posting…
Ron
Enemies Domestic Wins Again (Short Story) - 10/25/2025 9:53:52 AM
I am enamored, not by the book's literary excellence, garnering the awards, but the subject matter. Who would've thought, except someone so astute in political analysis, that our country would ever come to a situation like this.
Bravo for your insight.
The only thing worse is a TV series I've been watching: Tyler Perry's, The Oval. About is awful as it could ever get.
Ron
When Trump Shakes Down the Media (Short Story) - 9/17/2025 11:20:04 AM
I just read the New York Times take on the subject this morning. Apparently, Trump is suing them among many others. Free speech in the United States is imperiled.
It's a slippery slope we are on following the course of dictatorships in the past. First, attack intellectuals and centers of learning. Second, scapegoat undesirables and attempt to eliminate them one way or another. Third, create a police state using military forces. Fourth, nationalize businesses and industries under the guise of deregulation. Fifth, consolidate the wealth of the nation among favored allies. Sixth, demand absolute loyalty. Punish those that are disloyal. Seventh, nationalize the free press.
Where has this happened before? When will the loyalists become disillusioned from unkempt promises and lies?
Ron
Audio Book - Enemies Domestic (Short Story) - 7/2/2025 1:46:24 PM
I tried the audio preview. After being routed to a pitch for Amazon prime, I figured out that it was easier than that and pushed the right button.
The woman reads very well, and so do you. But from the opening line of the novel, even with my hearing aids I wasn't picking up what was said, making listening to audiobooks that working for me except one that I listen to a few years ago without my hearing aids that was very good. Done by Hollywood actors.
Based on your 57 reviews and the raves the readers and purchasers made of the hard copy, I believe it's a very good book. But my time for reading is so limited I have stacks of books on my desk I haven't read. And some classics in my bookshelf that I should read before I sell them, but haven't.
However, two TV series about the White House that I have watched religiously are Designated Survivor that never finished and Tyler Perry's, The Oval getting really down and dirty. A parody of today's administration?
Ron
From Rock Drummer to Public Speaker (Short Story) - 6/13/2025 2:47:02 PM
Sandy is a really interesting guy. At first, I thought he was too young to have played with Bo Diddley. But the video convinced me. The bit with Johnny Carson was priceless. I always thought that there was a bit of preplanning for those seemingly audience picks in random. And that was more hair than I ever recall. It was a good song, too.
I never thought much about drummers except that they pounded out a beat. I actually prefer a cappella, or a guitar that can play a melody where you almost can hear the words. When I went to concerts, I hated it when there was a drum solo that went on and on and on. Wanting to get back to the music.
My nephew grew up in Madison schools. He is a drummer with a band that he started with in high school. Unfortunately, I never got to see him play.
My favorite drummer is Don Henley. Not for his drumming. Got to see him once on his own away from the Eagles.
Ron
Who is John DeDakis? (Short Story) - 6/6/2025 12:46:53 PM
It was a bit long for my usual time allotment and the Merry Writer’s voice was a bit too high-pitched and she spoke too fast for my hearing loss. However, I always enjoy listening to you and I think your blog is much more interesting because it shows both you and your interviewee instead of looking at slides.
You and I have similarities in our background. We both come from Wisconsin and it shows in the way we speak. I noticed that you use the word, so, a lot. So do I. You also have a very good broadcast voice and I’ve been told that my voice is like that, Midwestern. We both started writing fiction late in life and we are both pantsers and prolific writers. Like you, I always got up early and did my work early so that I can relax at the end of the day. One to 2 cups of coffee to start the day out.
But there are differences: Your father was a lawyer and you knew you had to go to college and live up to his expectations. My father dropped out of high school and challenged me to be more than just a truck driver like him. I wasn’t an extrovert, but I wasn’t an introvert like you, either. I was just an average guy and the leader of my twin brother and other misfits who became part of our childhood friends because I was accepting of them rather than bullying them. Roger and I both did well in school without trying very hard because we spent a lot of time in outdoor activities, clubs and other things that kept me from reading or writing except for school assignments.
Your aspiration to be a lawyer and politician put you are a course to journalism. Probably why you took a journal of what you did every day. I considered them girl-like diaries and didn’t seem to care about keeping track except in my memory with the things that that stood out. Later in life, in order to be in touch with family and friends, like my mother was so good at, I switched from writing individual letters to writing annual letters every year and still do. Although Facebook has eroded much of that contact.
My only fear of writing was an assignment that I couldn’t do. I set my sights on being an architect and an astronaut, but settled for engineering technology rather than going to Madison where so many of my high school classmates failed. I went to Stout where I excelled after that first scary quarter and I learned that I was the top student in four sections of our electricity class. But I could write essays about technical things and probably would’ve been a great technical writer had I gone into that field. I ended up resetting my sights on industrial engineering and wrote 60 graduate schools about my desire. After a short stint with UW-Madison, I got a fellowship to Stanford with that letter. So we parted, career wise. Only to come back together in retirement.
Taking an elective in my senior year at Stout, Expository Writing, convinced me that I was a good writer, coming out of that class with an A like all my other classes in my junior and senior year. My career after that writing papers for conferences connected me with other authors and I did some co-authorship, particularly with a fellow from Austria on the subject of general systems theory. In later years I found it difficult to go to writers’ conferences and the only real connection I’ve made is with a local writers’ group.
I’m surprised that you didn’t start on your autobiography earlier. I started on mine in 1992. My work was no longer satisfactory for me to work on it at home. And so many people asked about how I got paralyzed or even wanted to know but didn’t ask. I felt obligated to write about my other lives. Living in five different places doing different things.
My mother has always been the beta reader for my work and she always praised it, even the raunchy parts. Her best compliment was about Hanging by a Thread: “Ron, how did you remember all that!” The early stories were the easiest for me to remember, and Roger to corroborate. In later years, I started to rely on those annual letters and the story became a bit boring even for me, so I do remember doing some rewriting.
Unlike you, I sensed the difficulty in getting an agent or a book contract and decided to go the vanity publishing route. I chose the right publisher and stayed with her many years until my last novel that has been picked up by a traditional publisher but not one with a lot of experience and it shows. So, I never rewrote or worried that my writing wasn’t good enough, just kept improving my writing as I went and understanding that backstories could be deadly, etc.
What you do does seem a bit exhausting to me. I shied away from LinkedIn because I didn’t want to go through the painful process of looking for a new job only to be turned down because of my paralysis. And I found that Facebook was too social for me along with all the others that you describe. I found Authors Den in 2002 when referred by my original POD publisher, the successful author Ten to Midnight from England who ran through start up money for his website in a couple of years and then virtually disappeared.
Like you, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the greatest people of the 20th and early 21st centuries. And we agree on what is happening in the White House. But I’m not writing about it directly. Perhaps the reason I found writing fiction so easily was that much of my writing and research as a college professor was about the future, where imagination and trends come together to form scenarios of what might be. Again like my mother said, “Ron, I hope some of the things you wrote about come true.” So do I.
I’m looking forward to a continued dialogue with you on these pages.
Ron
DisElderly Conduct (Short Story) - 5/26/2025 12:47:45 PM
Judy Karofsky’s interview caught my eye because of my mother’s experience with assisted living, my involvement with someone in assisted living and hospice, and my own form of assisted living by hiring caretakers for the last 33 years. From the little I heard of abuse from Karofsky’s interview, I really hope that I can have hospice in my home and never have to go to assisted living or a nursing home in the final stages of my life.
As usual, very enlightening, especially for those of us nearing the end of our lives and having to make decisions about what direction we will take. Also, especially because I do not have family close by and I have no children. Hopefully I will remain competent enough to control my own final destiny.
Ron
How to Get Published (Short Story) - 3/15/2025 12:21:57 PM
I haven't had time to watch it, been so busy with other things. But I agree that it's with these small presses that we can become more widely known and perhaps pick up an agent in the process.
I've noticed that several authors here have a lot published in those sources and newspaper columns.
I did in the past but not recently, finding it quite easy to get my books in print and in the marketplace.
Ron
Jimmy Carter and Me (Short Story) - 1/11/2025 1:43:55 PM
What a wonderful memory of being up close and personal with Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter. First at Prairie du Chien and then later when you went to church where Jimmy gave his lesson and then graciously allowed pictures from all that wanted them. Your notes came great detail to what happened during the service. I rarely remembered any services or biblical lessons accept when I heard Martin Luther King's speech in Lincoln Nebraska at 12 midnight on the new year 1965.
I had just built a new home planning to stay in Atlanta when Atlanta University decided not to renew my contract in the spring of 1980. I sought jobs in the Atlanta area and had one offer to be a quality assurance engineer at Lockheed and another with an environmental firm.
I had an interview with the head of the environmental firm at noon on the day after the election. So I came early and stopped at a fast food place so that I wouldn't be thinking of lunch while having the interview.
When I arrived, the man whose name I've lost track of, unfortunately, directed me towards his car, a vintage Mercedes roadster as we drove off to lunch at a private club. When we arrived, I declined lunch because I had already eaten.
Our interview was not much about me but more about how he felt after the result of the election. He told me that he wanted to hire me but couldn't because he would lose contracts as a result of losing his good friend, Jimmy Carter, who fostered the kinds of environmental study that he did.
It was then that I realized that he was in the back of the canoe with Jimmy in the front on television more than once and especially when they were attacked by a swimming rabbit. Something I found to be quite hilarious.
When I interviewed with Lockheed Marietta they were ecstatic about all the hiring they were doing including me as their zero defects man when I told them there was no such thing, statistically.
Ironically, they had just received an order from Iraq from Saddam Hussein for 50 C150 cargo planes.
Ron
Toxic, Politicized, Polarized Fishbowl (Short Story) - 10/15/2024 1:13:12 PM
Why anyone would want authoritarianism beyond me. Why are so many believing that a dictatorship is better than a democratic government? How are they brainwashed into believing that what is wrong is right?
Ron
Addiction Chronicle (Short Story) - 10/3/2024 1:54:12 PM
I didn't watch the video. I'm sure that Meyers is doing a great job for those that happen upon this podcast and other ways that he's reaching out to so many that have been caught up in cocaine. I had to check and I see that he is the son of the man that I saw on television often, Bill Moyers. I've seen so many children of famous people that seem to get on drugs to try to live up to what their parents did or are doing.
I knew enough not to smoke marijuana or try out any other drug that was so available from the time I got in college. And I've seen so many successful people go downhill very fast and several die as a result of finding cocaine a way to deal with the fast life until it implodes on them. Of those I know that had expensive rehabilitation, they come out with half the ability they had prior to going on their drug spree.
I'm glad that William C. Moyers is showing the way to others of how to get out of that trap and that he has recovered completely from what little I watched.
Ron
Diversity is a Trap (Short Story) - 5/28/2024 2:24:08 PM
I watched largely because of the title but found that you only spent about 3 minutes on the subject and why Austin thought that embracing diversity was a trap. I don't feel that way because of the way that diverse people have enriched my life in so many ways.
What I did find was a banter between two people who have traveled similar paths in life who could've gone on a lot longer about how you feel about your writing and each other's writing. It was a lovefest of comrades. I don't qualify for a number reasons.
I grew up in racist central Wisconsin a little earlier than both of you, never went to the military for obvious reasons: my draft status was changed from S1 to 1Y as a throwaway. As far as diversity goes, I'm just now getting nationally connected to those of us with spinal cord injury through Zoom. It has always been amazing to me how little people know about those of us with spinal cord injury whose brains are not affected by the injury, only our bodies. But the general assumption is that if the body doesn't work well then the brain doesn't eithe –unfortunately.
Like the military, my college experience with civil rights in the early 60s and protesting against the war in the late 60s through a college ecumenical church group, I got exposed to life from other viewpoints. For example, my twin brother and I as sophomores in college were placed with the black editor of the University of Wisconsin's Agricultural Journal's family in an upscale home and found the family to be very nice to us. Showing us pictures of their children at Beloit College where they were star athletes. I was athletic in high school but never a star.
I have always been an extrovert, being dominant over my twin brother, but was very shy at public speaking until I learned in speech classes how to overcome that first line opening a speech. While I find approaching others in public from my wheelchair no problem whatsoever, I do like to have my books speak for themselves rather than have to push them.
I started writing my novels in 1997, so I was behind the curve with you two. Living in Houston and unable to travel to New York City, I didn't even try to get an agent and sent only a couple of stories to Playboy with one interesting response… To a sci-fi story… "Your story is too fantastical for Playboy." I read almost every story in Playboy and some of their regular writers regularly wrote what I would consider, duds.
I've always been a jack of all trades and master of none… Least of all selling and marketing. Least of all, talking bull or writing about bull because others liked it. So I have done it all, mostly writing from the seat of my pants, avoiding fantasy for realism as much as possible when writing science fiction, formatting, editing on my own because I couldn't find others willing to do it except for way too much money. I've opted to do my own covers because I find paying someone cost too much, was delayed too much, and didn't suit the story, but the artist's perception of the story.
I hooked up with a POD publisher who has helped me get the books on the market in a lot of different formats and I have copyrighted them with the Library of Congress myself. Unlike you I cannot go out in public very often to sell and sign my books, so I have, since they don't sell, taken giving my books away. However, I now have several people who insist on buying all of my books and won't allow me to give them free
My first encounter with a famous author was when I got his publicist to bring Alex Haley to Texas Southern University in 1982 where he wowed the crowds with his speech and was a real gentleman to talk to. Before that, two of my college advisors were authors of textbook series, and several of my professors had the top textbooks in their fields of study. Since then, I've had the luck to have met several famous authors at conferences. I co-authored several magazine articles with with an Austrian/American I met at a conference. He presented one of our articles at a conference in Vienna.
I worked in predominantly black Atlanta University for two years, followed by Texas Southern University for the next thirty. Within those institutions, early on, I found there was a ranking between the light-skinned and dark skinned with a lot of animosity expressed. I was looked on with great suspicion for most of my time there, finding friendship with the academics and with the staff rather than the administration that kept changing with the politics running everything from Austin.
Like you, I have always accepted a person by the way they acted toward me rather than anything physical about them. On the road for many years, I had to ask complete strangers to pump my gas and even check my oil. Most, regardless of who they were, were happy to do it without question. That's what's great about United States and much of the world. People from everywhere, except snobs are willing to be friendly and helpful.
Finally, while driving or riding with colored people, I have been stopped at least 8 times. The most embarrassing was when the owner of a distinguished Austin energy firm offered to pick up the president of TSU, a top assistant and I at the airport going to meetings and drove us by the Southside Mexican district as part of a tour, we were pulled over in his brand-new Cadillac Seville. Except for two cases that involved speeding in speed traps, we were able to go on our way.
Ron
The Case of the Anonymous Source (Short Story) - 5/18/2024 10:04:45 AM
A great story to read and, to listen to if you read it with both voices, male and female. So unlike a writers group that I attend that read their stories that I find almost incomprehensible with my hearing problem and their rushing through the story with lots of unnecessary prescription of characters and the lame dialogue.
Unfortunately, I saw your twist coming, but didn't get it exactly right. For any high-resolution, former film on a cell phone is immediately suspect. I thought it was some old guy seeking fame after spending his life wastefully chasing down blind alleys of conspiracy theories about JFK's assassination only to want, in his old age, to make a splash from a sharp reporter that he thought would elevate him to his 15 minutes of fame…
Alas, you got me with the reality that even AI might be so convincing as to actually pull a trigger. And, the story before it began, like Ruby killing Oswald so his story never got to press with the reality of a snub-nosed pistol that I saw clearly for the first time on grainy black-and-white television while I was in the hospital waiting surgery. And then, countless times thereafter, as everyone wondered who this guy Ruby was and why would he want to kill Oswald? A question never answered like so many other questions about the president's assassination.
Great historical storytelling. One of the best I've ever read. Unfortunately, so many people today don't even know who John F. Kennedy was or any of his story.
Ron
Death Threats (Short Story) - 4/20/2024 11:42:37 AM
As you know I'm not interested in biblical prophecies, but decided to watch and see what Cliff Kelly had to say. I was fascinated from the beginning about two things particularly, why he received death threats and why he called Trump "the Antichrist."
Even as a child I recall being leery of evangelists. My grandfather told about a girl he had a "shine" for. He went to the church with a friend for support. But when they saw the congregation start rolling in the aisles, they ran out of the church and he lost his shine for that girl.
But during my teenage years, the family of one of or more of grandpa's sisters worked in the paper mills and illegally consumed lots of fish from the Wisconsin River. I have summed it up to mercury poisoning accounting for them giving all of their money to Oral Roberts. Probably the first televangelist who made big money. I felt sorry for them and always stayed away from evangelicals except Martin Luther King.
But during my college years as an undergraduate where I reached the presidency of an ecumenical college group at UW Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin, I encountered university theologists who were critical of religion and participated in nonviolent civil rights and protest against the war in Vietnam. Gradually became an atheist and ignoring the biblical prophecies as myths.
When I first saw Donald Trump as a young man dressed to the nines with a silk scarf and flowing blonde hair getting out of a limousine to the cameras of reporters, I knew immediately that he was a spoiled rich kid. But it was watching 10 years of him browbeating good people into sniveling followers and playing favorites in his show, The Apprentice, that turned me against him as a potential candidate for solid waste supervisor, let alone the presidency.
But it was Rush Limbaugh, with all of his complaints about everything, that led my brother and my sister into the cult of the Christian Right. To the point where one time when I told my brother that Rush was a bombastic blowhard, he hung up on me. My twin brother voted for him on the grounds that his resume was impeccable and he was a businessman. Feeling that a businessman could run the country better than any politician. According to all I know about business, Trump is probably one of the worst business people ever in the spotlight in the United States.
I am not surprised when I hear that Christians everywhere are so against our current administration. It's the extreme polarization that Trump fosters in his rallies yelling out insults. And the extreme loyalty that has his followers storming the capital and feeling that it's okay to make death threats to anyone who opposes their viewpoint. And be able to have the weapons readily available to carry it out without question.
I believe essentially Americans are still willing to help one another and talk to one another. I've been told I am living in a naïve, rose-colored world. Maybe so, but when a real threat comes along I believe we will work together to solve the problem instead of arguing over all those manufactured threats that have no basis in fact.
Finally, I thought that Barack Obama was the Antichrist. Whatever happened to that?
Ron
What's in a Name? (Short Story) - 3/22/2024 1:03:06 PM
And I thought I had trouble with my name. It seems as soon as I moved south of the Mason-Dixon line they never heard of anyone named Hull, except Bobby. We were all stuck in the Halls. Even my speech recognition systems don't get it even when I try, "Hull of a ship."
I wonder what it was like to be named, Butkus… But then that's probably why he became a feared linebacker.
Your father's name reminded me of Nick Hordin, a Greek tech from our plant in the San Francisco Bay Area who I joined in 1967 on an epic journey across the country to my family home in Wisconsin, through Canada to Expo 67 in Montréal, his home in Buffalo while I stayed with a college roommate from the University of Wisconsin in Painted Post, New York. The return in his 1960 Sprite with no top and transmission trouble was something we would do over again if we could.
Ron
From Novice to Novelist (Short Story) - 2/16/2024 9:33:29 AM
I went to The Writers Center and checked it out. I would admit that I'm still in the need of advice and help when it comes to novel writing, but I don't have the fears that you express, or the procrastination that so many writers here indicate they have. My cup runneth over with ideas I have no time to write with all of my projects ongoing.
From your experience, I have no doubt that you will deliver what you say, and any author here who is in need of novel writing help should consider your seminar. I dove into novel writing about 1997 and haven't looked back. Recently, my writers group has taken a fine tooth comb view of my writing and tried to change, both uses of life experiences and vernacular of the author away for a more standard and staid literary correctness. I take the improvements but find the slights, irksome.
Good luck with it, but I respectively bow out.
Ron
Black Messiahs (Article) - 7/10/2026 8:35:51 PM
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Black Messiahs (Article) - 7/10/2026 4:11:35 PM
Insightful interview on the inner-workings of the publishing industry and literary culture in general. Thanks for sharing.
Exploring Creativity (Article) - 3/11/2026 1:07:24 PM
I listened to your discussion with Jeff Higgins and learned a few nuggets about creativity and how to navigate the publishing process. I regret not getting the kind of detailed beta readers and the connection with the traditional publishing approached that you have succeeded in.
Ron
When Trump Shakes Down the Media (Article) - 9/17/2025 12:22:32 PM
A great conversation, not only about what's happening with journalism but what's happening with our country. You both seem to have great insight into what's going on, but like me, we are powerless to do anything about it except try to expose it as much as we can.
I'm always interested in your reason for writing from grief. My starting writing was not from grief but from concern about how I was viewed with disability. The unnecessary stigma that went so far as even my virility that never has been in question.
Since I was not able to get to New York City and contact directly agents like you were, I elected to go with self publishing immediately rather than suffering the rejection you did with success after so many failures over 10 years. I didn't have that kind of time, and still don't.
While my books are widely read and appear to be liked, I've had few sales. I've stopped writing for my local writers group because their mystery anthologies are not of my interest. Too much like high school writing assignments.
Doobie Brothers? I'll have to listen to them tonight.
Ron
How Writing Can Heal (Article) - 9/2/2025 2:30:37 PM
John, this time the tables were turned, and you were on Kelly Buckley’s podcast instead of your own. And, I learned a great deal more about you that I never knew before.
In your podcasts, you always seem to have great emotion and thoughtfulness going on as though you are struggling with something and now I know what it is. Those losses that you experienced early on in your life. Something that I did not have until I was 20. I can see how the suicide of your sister and the overdose of heroin by your son would affect you greatly. And how you used writing to help heal your anxieties and help you move forward like you always have into better forms of yourself.
My situation is entirely different. About the age of 10, I took charge of my behavior even though I was always impulsive and adventurous to the point of taking risks. So when I was told that surgery would help improve my weak left hand and arm, I said basically, go ahead.
And then, when I was paralyzed completely in the hospital my attitude was that I would work my way out of this and not be too emotionally concerned with it except for the time when I heard Christmas carols being sung outside my door and I started crying because I was happy that I was alive not because I lost something.
Writing became natural to me at an early age, especially letter writing. Unfortunately, I thought that diaries and journals were for sissies. That probably was detrimental to my writing and also detrimental when I wrote my autobiography because I could have used that information instead of my memory.
The most trying time for my family was about three months after I was paralyzed. I came back from physical therapy with my grandmother and met my parents leaving. My mother had that terrible look on her face. They needed to borrow my car because they lost the transmission in their car and my twin brother was in the hospital suspected of having polio. When they thought he would need an iron lung, they life flighted him from Menomonie to Madison by 90 mph ambulance. At University Hospital, it was determined he had cellulitis and underwent four weeks of antibiotics to get well.
While I was depressed with little prospects to get back to college, in August 1964, I got a hand splint made for me in Madison that gave me the ability grip a ball point pen and write again. That hand sprint has carried me through all my writing even today where I use it a lot for editing my poor voice dictation, like this.
So, my writing started with chronicling all of my journeys and adventures in letters back to my mother and anyone else who would read them. Also stemming from all of those papers I had to write both in school and then throughout my working career where 90% of what I did was write reports, plans, memos and the like until I retired and was able to focus entirely on my love for non-fiction where I can follow my dreams.
Finally, I don’t ever think of my writing as helping me overcome any anxiety. Although my mother showed me my twin brother’s paper in his freshman psychology class where he described how he managed to stay out of trouble by letting me take all of the blame for anything that happened to us. I laughed at that one, because it was so true… I accepted all responsibility for having thought up what we were doing even if it was wrong.
Kelly said that we can’t control our dreams. I disagree. From time to time in the middle of a dream my mind will suggest that it take a certain direction and it does. It’s as if I’m observing the dream and recording it for maybe later writing a story from my memory. When I steer the dream, the story is going the way I like it.
Ron
Mistakes Rookie Writers Make (Article) - 6/14/2025 9:24:48 AM
From the win I assume you are the rookie writer. Unfortunately, it wasn't as queer as your podcasts, so I couldn't follow without closed captions with my hearing loss.
Ron
Who is John DeDakis? (Article) - 6/6/2025 2:08:23 PM
Congrats! Exciting and I wish you the very best!!
When Journalism and Novel Writing Collide (Article) - 11/23/2024 8:49:22 AM
Wish you much success with ENEMIES DOMESTIC. Much of mainstream media these days seems to focus on true-crime narratives that allow reporters to use fiction techniques to "report" what are presented as non-fiction stories. The reporters often appear to insert themselves as characters in these tales, so your conversation with L'Etoile is definitely a timely one.
Abortion Politics (Article) - 8/17/2024 9:00:25 AM
It's interesting how you became the interviewee this time. It's also interesting that you are writing fiction about major issues of our time rather than nonfiction. I think your way of writing it is much more powerful than the textbook accounts of major policy insiders. Your long history of journalism makes you an insider as well, armed with many facts that most of us don’t know.
Your handling of the abortion issue, using your wife and daughter to help you deal with the emotional part is amazing. I have a long time proofer who has been afraid to do anything else when it comes to editing because initially I chastised her for changing the plot. I should have encouraged her to make my writing better and my characters more emotional, etc. I’ve had a hard time getting anyone to give me any detail feedback on my work. So it is wonderful that your wife, Cindy is such a great help with your fiction writing.
It is interesting that, while Ronald Reagan is still a Republican God, that you believe that he would be an enemy to Republicans today. The craziness in society, I attribute to fear. One of the reasons why people tell me they “Don’t watch the news.” Most people seem to have an immediate emotional response to something like a school shooting and even want it not to be true. If they don’t listen to news reports about it they avoid their emotional response—that fear that it might happen to them. Creating a kind of mass paranoia or hysteria. Probably liking someone who has all the answers to their fears with simple slogans and untruth to fix those fears and make them go away.
People like gossip. Social media increases their gossip access immensely from formally local people and grocery store rags to people from throughout the world spreading whatever… in your case, believing what some mysterious Q is spreading as the truth when a simple fact check shows that it’s totally fake.
There is also the false security of loyalty. A writer that I cherish for the way he writes, especially historical fiction, recently told me why he shies away from sensitive history about his heritage and the rise of German Nationalism here before World War II. Just wrote me that he is going to remain loyal to Trump, no matter what. Even if Trump is convicted of all of the crimes he has been indicted for? How far does loyalty go. I’m glad I see it unraveling among the staunchest of supporters.
If I was a reader of books, I would put Enemies Domestic at the top of the list. I’m glad I find time occasionally to take 30 minutes to listen to these interviews. Very instructive.
Ron
Finding Serendipity (Article) - 6/12/2024 3:23:26 PM
Once again, while rushing through new entries on AD again, I came upon your interview and when I saw Andrea Koppel, I immediately suspected something and it wasn't until halfway through the interview that I learned that the connection was that she was Ted's daughter.
She resonated with me several ways. I watched almost every Nightline until Ted retired and still listen intently whenever I see him appear on TV occasionally. She said a great mentor and her father. I haven't been able to get opportunities over coffee since becoming paralyzed. Being paralyzed even with great ability generally results in rejection. On several levels I had to prove myself and usually took at least three months before I became valuable where I worked.
I had to take jobs that my superiors and mentors found for me. Coincidentally, my job search after a master's degree in industrial engineering from Stanford resulted in doing mundane quality control, was with Serendipity Associates, with a contract to design the console for the Boeing SST. I took a week in Manhattan to my cousin from Wisconsin's marriage to an NYC girl buyer for Macy's, and when I got back to the Bay Area, the job had evaporated.
My journey took me back into higher education where I became an associate professor only to be let go after two years and treated like an adjunct. A friend called me to administrative job in Houston. After sending my resume to nearly a thousand job opportunities without a single interview in the Atlanta area to return, I gave up and stuck with the same job for 30 years.
It is only in retirement what I have been free to write to my interests with abandon and make my way quite well in spite of increasing paralysis and aging.
Ron
Feminine Insight (Article) - 4/9/2024 1:09:11 PM
Since that famous book came out, Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus (or vice versa), any man who can write from a woman's viewpoint is an author to be reckoned with.
I have only tried it in short stories. Never writing from the viewpoint of a protagonist in a series like you have.
It sure is great when someone likes your writing so much, they buy all of your books. I've had that happen, too, and find it very encouraging.
Ron
Staying Organized as a Writer (Article) - 1/27/2024 12:40:57 PM
Very interesting and useful. I'll have to look into some of the software mentioned here. I use MSWord and create Folders. That can get confusing sometimes! Always good to throw out the trash when the project is over.
Staying Organized as a Writer (Article) - 1/20/2024 1:07:47 PM
I haven't watched the podcast, but a few thoughts: Forgive me. ;-)
I first learned about procrastination, I seem to recall, from an 8th grade English class and the play, Oedipus. Since then, I've always thought that procrastination would set me back, so I rose with the chickens and got busy, never putting anything off and focusing on one goal and time. It has served me well.
However, in retirement, where I don't have the pressure of work demands for money, I have set a number of goals for myself and have gotten busy on them only part way. In essence, procrastinating about getting them finished. But I'm working on them, one at a time and making some progress.
Throughout my writing, except for my dissertation, I have avoided using 3 x 5 note cards, outlines and other devices to organize my work. My novels have flown from my mind like water downstream. Never having to go back and rewrite or reorganize.
But the novel I am currently working on, with so many characters and potential subplots as well as in the location I'm unfamiliar with and have to Google a lot to find out about, is requiring me to organize much more.
That may be a good thing. While it delays the novel, the novel may be better for it.
Ron
Facing Writing Fears (Article) - 12/4/2023 2:00:04 PM
Never had those fears. Just can't seem to have enough time to write all that I want to write. But I managed to get to it eventually. I'm about three quarters of the way through my latest novel. And, although I thought it was time at my age to give up writing novels, if I happen to dream a very good plot one night, I will have to write it. Like a story I dreamed a few nights ago that is only a quarter finished so far.
Ron
Thanks for the writing class offer though. I just don't want to hear others' writers' blocks.
When Guardianship Goes Wrong (Article) - 11/27/2023 10:54:55 PM
Oh its an interesting and thrilling <a href="https://www.justmyfitness.com/">story </a>. You explained it beutifully.
Historical Spy Fiction (Article) - 9/21/2023 12:13:06 PM
When I read your intro to this video I just had to watch because it touched so many buttons.
I'm fascinated with history and started there with my first science fiction novel. I have watched almost every movie and documentary about the rise of Hitler and Germany and am fascinated with it. But Ellen seems to have gone much further by getting into the details. And I found her coming to the same conclusion that I've had that this country has elements of fascism growing amid the population that is very disturbing. And the parallels between Hitler and Trump as charismatic evil characters is so obvious, I don't understand why people don't see it in his behavior and actions.
Ellen is amazing. She is so smart and has so many ways of researching her information. I find romance writers very good but find the subject matter uninteresting. And, I find whodunits quite annoying for the apparent superiority the sleuth has over everybody else, amateur or not.
But taking on real events like the Gardner Museum heist I only saw in a documentary about two years ago is something that I admire in Ellen's evolution. I've always said that reality is stranger than fiction.
As a teenager in the 1950s, I was car crazy, but didn't buy a car until my sophomore year in college when I bought the same 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 4dr sedan that my dad ordered from Ford from a schoolteacher. When unable to drive it by your later with paralyzed hands, bought a 1957 DeSoto Firedome with a hemi engine for $100 to get me to California and beyond. Those were wonderful cars, but rusted out quickly in Wisconsin.
I have been a pantser, using my experience for most of my novels. But the one I'm currently working on, a near future disaster scenario has so many characters and so many options, I'm finding that I'm doing a lot more research and plotting than ever before.
I had no idea how to get an agent in Houston, so self published, with a good publisher, Booklocker, and have no regrets except that I don't promote enough. Both Ellen and you are amazing promoters of your work.
Ron
Danuta! (Article) - 9/16/2023 12:21:50 PM
John,
I never watched the 700 club and didn't know who Danuta Pfeiffer was until I watched the video. I couldn't watch the whole video but watched enough snippets to get the gist of her story. I also didn't know that you worked for the Christian Broadcast Channel in a very political post there.
I'm quite happy that you returned to Madison and more serious, in-depth reporting. I'm also very happy that Danuta has come clean in her memoir about how power, money and politics has corrupted the leaders like Pat Robertson of the righteous right to the point of most of them still backing Donald Trump. Her description of the Donald is exactly the one that I have always had from the very beginning when he ran for president for the first time. I watched every episode of The Apprentice. It was easy to conclude that Donald Trump was not a businessman but a sociopathic power monger from just watching that show.
I've always thought that faith healing was either a plant in the audience or in the case of Danuta's explanation, the power of a placebo. Not something that would benefit me with any reversible spinal cord injury. But certainly a lot of ailments that can be reversed by simply the power of positive thinking and getting the right brain chemicals to operate glands and organs in the right way. People have spent years in bed and then got up and went back to life without any godly intervention.
We need more of the faithful to be as you describe, intelligent, and realize that backing bad causes does nothing for our country or the world but hold us back with the abuse of power and money. Thank her for me for writing her books.
Ron
Sewing Machine Project (Article) - 7/22/2023 11:07:42 AM
How interesting. Sewing is becoming a lost art. I remember my mother working on a pedal operated Singer when I was a small child and later had one with many whizbangs, most of which she didn't use. She gave me a little sewing kit when I left for college and I prided myself in sewing on my lost buttons and even modifying a shirt with a snap tie thing that I turned into a snap down collar that was as good as a button-down one. ;-)
My partner/caregiver of the last 30 years started sewing for her nine brothers and sister when she was 12, helping her mother. Upon arriving here, she was sewing at her sister-in-law's home, bored, when her brother found that I needed help in my house, a block away.
After working for a bridal shop, a famous alterations guy with a shirt factory, and another place, Beh opened her alteration and dry cleaning shop in 2000. The economic downturns here in Houston have caused most of the alteration shops to fail. While Beh continued her shop with a basic tax loss every year. She knows sewing machines in and out and can even repair her own. She and her recently arrived Vietnam sister-in-law do all of the cutting and sewing. Her business grows and grows to the point where it is becoming a great strain, and I've encouraged her to hire other sewers and expand to a larger shop than the tiny one she has, crowded with machines and clothes.
Beh has decided to close the shop on Wednesdays to get a break. 5 star reviews. Famous people for her customers.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/behs-cleaning-and-alterations-houston
https://www.chamberofcommerce.com/business-directory/texas/houston/dry-cleaner/4919257-beh-s-cleaning-alterations.
Ron
First-time Novelist (Article) - 7/9/2023 9:49:39 AM
John,
I finally had time to allocate an hour. I'm glad I did, but I'm a bit overwhelmed. Perhaps it's my age, wanting to slow down. Meredith is just speeding up.
Meredith is a real dynamo. Not only attractive, which helps, but she's very gregarious and kind of a woman of all trades when it comes to writing. She seems to know a lot more than me, just doing her first novel--amazing!
I have done most of my covers, primarily to make sure that the reader will know what the book is about. And for search engine purposes, I've tried to avoid titles that are the same as other books out there. But that is getting harder with so many people publishing and writing books these days the same title I've had online for years.
On one of my earlier books I shared by email with family and friends several concepts for covers. Got some good advice. But haven't done that since. For my most selling book, I hired an award-winning professional. While the book is attracting readers and sales, the cover is way to apocalyptic for me. The book starts with fires and the cover shows it very well on both the front and back. But most of the book is very green and jungle like, and he missed that part of it altogether. Unfortunately, he gives me only one chance to make minor revisions. On my bookshelf, the title is way too dark. I wish I had an opportunity now to change the color to a color that could be seen more easily from a distance amid the dark fire raging above ravaged buildings.
For my last cover I enlisted my nephew, a talented artist. Working as a heating mechanic in midwinter Wisconsin, he didn't have time and only sent me pencil sketches on sepia. They were good, but I was looking for full-color illustrations. I only had three and put them all in the book. The one I chose shows my protagonist at 16 with his horse and dog. Unfortunately, anyone seeing the cover might think it was a book for youngsters rather than the life story of the grandson of the Iceman of the Alps, and his killer by unfortunate circumstance in the first chapter. There was one head sketch of him as a grown man, but it wasn't enough for the cover.
Meredith made me wish I had joined Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tick-Tok, and the like. But I had my own website by 1997 and certainly didn't want to spend all of my time keeping all of those threads up to date, like I keep Authors Den, while trying to maintain my thousand pages on my website. But again, people will want to watch her videos because she is part performer and actress… I am not. I have made many videos, but they are all on my obscure MyTube on my website rather than on YouTube where I should've put them from the very beginning… Sigh.
It was interesting that she apparently, was determined and is determined to get an agent. I'm beginning to think that the big houses and agents are like stockbrokers. The big houses may survive if they stop using agents and just go for those who have the most hits on the various Internet platforms. I have a poem with 23,000 views that was taught in a couple of high schools for a few years, but that's it.
As far as comparables, I don't have any problem with where my books fit on a library shelf by their titles and genres.
All in all, a very informative interview with Meredith, thank you.
Ron
Short Storyteller (Article) - 6/13/2023 12:47:15 PM
Once again, I didn't have time to listen to the whole interview, but if you endorse her, so will I. Immediately, as Pia (Pamela) read from that very poignant story, it took me back to my childhood and all of the farms that had mud rooms and with those smells that sometimes even accompanied farmers when they came to the city. She certainly is a detailed and remarkable storyteller. I loved her description of how she took that great picture that fits the book perfectly.
Our driveway in Marshfield was rotten red granite. The whole area around Wausau used the glacier made available granite for roadways and it was excellent for shedding water and less dusty than gravel roads.
I spent my elementary years in Wausau. Picked beans on many farms to the south and east of Wausau, but not northwest. The town of Hull, named after my great-grandfather, is directly west of Wausau about 40 miles. He had a mail route between Abbotsford and Medford. My mother showed me a story written back then about life on the farm there.
Ron
Stop Being a Scaredy-cat (Article) - 6/3/2023 1:13:39 AM
Right On!! Really enjoyed this...
I needed to hear it!!
In Depth with DeDakis (Article) - 4/16/2023 2:11:34 PM
Michael McClellan's brief biography and interview with you was overly long, but I think, after reading it, I now know John Dukakis. Earlier, from your articles, I caught a glimpse of your life and found remarkably, how we crossed paths several times on our widely different career paths to becoming an author.
I write fiction like you, and incorporate some of my life experiences into my writing, making it more realistic. And even though I have to use fictitious names sometimes, I'm often writing about real places and events that actually took place. Like you, I also suffer no writers block. I just write straight through to the end of each chapter and then started another until I have the book and a finish that I thought of along the way. Unlike you, I usually do my rewriting and thorough editing after a chapter. And then, when I put all the chapters together in a book I make sure that things are consistent throughout. Rewriting there were necessary.
You are right. All I have to do is tell people that I write and show them one of my books and they are all ears and want to know about what I'm writing. My reviews are very good but my sales are not. The Last Wanderer: Last Man on Earth, is the one exception that has been selling regularly on Amazon. None of my books are in the bookstores.
Ron
Author Interview: Amy Pendino (Article) - 3/9/2023 11:44:59 AM
I know I could learn a lot, but I never seem to have time to spend watching your long videos with these fascinating authors. And, as time goes along, I seem to have more distractions that is even cutting into my ability to write every day and take a few moments with every author here to read what they have to say and comment.
Ron
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/16/2021 11:59:13 AM
How terribly, terribly sad, I am so sorry for your loss.
Steve
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 6/6/2016 12:32:32 PM
I was really emotional about reading this poem.
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 3/23/2014 8:01:35 PM
John,
I sat here for some time trying to reach a decision as to whether it would be appropriate to respond to your post after such considerable time had passed. However, the memory you shared of your conversation with your son over "Metro Girl", followed by your son's own thoughts put to paper, were so sweet and insightful ... and so filled with a father's love that I simply wanted to acknowledge that I read "Metro Girl" and I am wiser person for doing so.
I am so glad that you found his prose/poem. I am sure the loss of your son never gets easier, so may you and your family always find the strength and support you need.
Jeanne
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/27/2012 11:53:43 AM
What a beautiful, tragic tale--a modern Romeo and Juliet, Trust that they will meet again in another life.
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/13/2012 6:28:00 AM
Absolutely beautifully written. It would be so awesome for her to read this piece. Thank you for sharing this!
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/8/2012 3:35:50 AM
Hi John:
This is such a sweet poem. Your son, Stephen, obviously had care about this girl a lot. I'm so happy for you that you have found one of Stephen's fond memories.
((((( Hugs )))))
Sandi Angel
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/4/2012 11:20:43 AM
Tragic to lose a son, I lost a brother in 1975 on his 21st bday..there is a reason you found this poem beyond that it was for this girl that caught more than his eye...messages for his Dad are here as well..a gift...I am so sorry for your loss.
Christine
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/1/2012 8:23:30 AM
sad, heartfelt write ... my condolences ...
life has a tendency of letting the people we feel an affinity for, slip away ...
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/1/2012 7:12:58 AM
We all kick ourselves many times for missed chances.
For who is to say how they may have turned out?
Would our lives have turned out different?
Answers to questions we will never know.
Walt
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 5/1/2012 1:48:33 AM
A beautiful poem...this touched me,I am so sorry for your loss,he was very handsome and what a beautiful smile.Love to you and yours
from
Kay
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 9:23:33 AM
A touching story. There are many missed opportunities in life. I sense your son may have felt that she was beyond his station, working in that office. That often results in a missed connection even though there are sparks, purposely unfulfilled.
Ron
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 9:06:09 AM
Extraordinary, endless lyrics John ~ I marvel at this piece for so many reasons.
I'm desperately sorry for your loss, and he looks just like you, your smile.
Blessings,
Christine
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 5:40:53 AM
I cannot express adequately just how much this moved me...I am so sad for you on the loss of your son...You have managed however from the ashes of your grief to produce a piece of writing that is so evocative and conveys so much feeling...
My belated condolences,
Love, Diana...
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 5:31:41 AM
An honest, reflective and perfectly crafted piece which is totally absorbing in its introspection...
Best wishes, Diana...
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 5:24:52 AM
This is an absolute masterpiece!...it stirred many heartfelt memories of my own Dad...The journey you take us on is heartbreaking yet dignified of a life well-lived with love at its heart...
This is the best poem I have read for a very long time...one of the best I have ever read. Firmly tucked away in my library...Thank you...and thanks to your dear Dad also...
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 5:15:45 AM
This is utterly beautiful!...You have put into words what I have often felt and experienced...The photo is a perfect complement...
Diana...
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/30/2012 5:05:18 AM
How lovely you have immortalised this chance meeting and your sons words here...you have made the meeting momentous, and I'm sure your son would be happy about this...
He was very gifted in his expression. God Bless Him, and you too...
Love, Diana...
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 6:51:27 PM
Bravo John. I may be [unknowingly] a romantic at heart for I imagine a girl somewhere wishing she had taken the initiative and offered her digits, then thinking... "No - I don't want him to think I'm forward or desperate." Stephen was a handsome young man with a beautiful smile.
May peace be upon you.
:) Janna
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 4:19:59 PM
John,
This is a wonderful memory of your son, I am very sorry for your loss he sounds like a fine son.
Budd
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 2:39:02 PM
you really touched me. i feel like crying. i'm so sorry for your loss. i'm so sorry for his almost. i have tears glistening in my eyes right now. thank you for sharing this. i mean it from the bottom of my heart. and the poem isn't rough at all. it's very beautiful. god bless you for sharing it.
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 12:40:06 PM
Okay, I'll admit I weep at weddings, so it's no surprise this brought tears to my eyes. How beautiful. I have no other words for something so straight from a loving heart, and so romantic. What a precious memory of your son, John. Blessings to you, and to him.
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 11:50:39 AM
John, those one-in-a-million occasions are the memories that last forever. This was a wonderful poem.
Cheers,
Dan
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 10:46:37 AM
what a beautiful bitter-sweet message you've shared ... done with i imagine painful yet cathargic words.
isn't it amazing how his words go out now as a reminder to so many to 'seize the day'...moment...hour. i like to imagine that the 'metro girl' will sometime read this and remember their encounter with regret that she too did not get the digits from this man on the subhappenstance
Metro Girl (Poetry) - 4/29/2012 9:13:47 AM
I'm sure if he saw her again, he would of been able to speak with her, his feelings were normal and he was a good writer also. i don't blame you for carrying it around with you, i would too, memories are always good to have and to know he was happy in life like this is such good therapy too. I thank you for sharing.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 10/28/2011 12:48:54 AM
Do I sense a touch of regret here? We all have those. The trick is to forgive yourself and everyone else. We are all different people to those who we were half our lives ago. Lovely poem, and so true.Thank you for sharing. Val.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 10/28/2011 12:37:15 AM
This poem is so beautiful, but it breaks my heart -- not as much as it must have broken yours. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 10/1/2011 8:32:15 AM
Profound and deeply intense poem that says what is in your heart. We feel your loss through the words and it touches all of us. That is what poetry is about.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/24/2011 7:26:16 PM
Dear Heavens, John this sounds like a very sad day! My heart-felt condolances! Sandi
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/23/2011 5:47:43 AM
Dear John, So sorry for your loss, and perhaps for once, I'm at a loss for words to comfort. Blessings to you and yours...Frances
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/22/2011 11:37:47 PM
Well penned, John
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/20/2011 4:15:26 PM
the remnants and curios of death are surreal and disorienting ... grief can never be discarded ... my condolences ...
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/16/2011 5:37:31 PM
Oh John, I feel your pain as I lost a child too in a violent way. Writing saved my life, especially poems like yours that seem to portray the pain more than any other venue. I pray for you and your family and all who loved and lost him.
Blessings and prayers,
Micki Peluso
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/15/2011 10:20:34 PM
First of all John, my sincere condolences to you for you terrible loss!!
Wot a joy to read such a poetic write, in light of all you and yours are feeling right now, truly inspiring, with such poignant metaphors for the situation. Well done. Stay well, blessings to you all.
Cherry
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:38:28 PM
My mind swims in the parallels of your poised grief. To vent so fluently with wounds so fresh…
May you be comforted.
Janna
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:20:31 PM
This is gut-wrenching. I feel the gloom of your terrible bereavement as you plod through necessary tasks. May God bless and comfort you.
Today I attended a memorial service for a 22-yr. old mother of 3. Such a loss is a raw wound that will take a long, long time to heal and will never be forgotten.
As I pray for my young friend's family, I will pray for you and yours.
Connie
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:02:34 PM
Such a beauty here, John,
the poet coming to terms with loss and pain
that is so personal and real.
My deepest condolences.
John
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 3:51:06 PM
The analogy between a funeral and taking out the garbage hits hard, also the pieces of a life discovered along the way. Thank you for sharing.
Chip Bergeron
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 3:39:13 PM
Moving poem...my condolences on your loss. Sue
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 11:20:44 AM
John, I'm not much good at poetry either, but I often put my deepest emotions into the lines of a poem which nobody will ever see. but me. Your poem spoke to my heart and I walked beside you as you trudged up the stairs.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 10:22:08 AM
Poignant. I hope cathartic as well. It is hard to wrap your brain around these things. I have not lost a child, thank god. But I am within the support system of 4 people who are very close to me that have lost children who were adult or late teen. Only mentioning in case you would like to add supportive friends, John. Love and hugs! I pray that you and yours will find peace in your minds and hearts.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 10:04:35 AM
Pure soul touching poetry...thank you for sharing!!
Love Tinka
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 7:51:44 AM
"But their life ended too soon...like his - puddles of fuchsia tears.
'not much of a poet'? - I think, you've stumbled upon your poet's voice. It often comes in our darkest hours and speaks to help us through these moments.
Again and again, my heart is woeful for your loss and words too slight for pertinent relevance. While today it's yours, at any given moment it could be mine or someone else's. Blessings for you and your family, as empathy is all that I may offer.
Peace and Strength be Yours,
Sudo Nym
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 7:46:12 AM
John real poetry comes from the heart. We all deal with things in different ways. I think this is eloquently stated.
You are a poet, sir.
I would also like to add my belated condolences.
Walt
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 7:44:56 AM
Wow! Brilliant. I read this three times..the third time..wow.. profound. Thinking of you...
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 7:27:22 AM
Moving. I am saddened by your loss. Blessings, R
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:33:02 AM
Mr. DeDakis, there are no words than can come close to this pain...wondering why anything matters anymore, deadlines, trash, waking up... wondering how life goes on all around you...all is nothing but a garbage day after such a loss, with this kind of pain. My heart aches for you and your family...
In Spirit,
Bear
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:07:54 AM
John, an absolutely beautiful piece of writing...
Cheers,
Dan
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 6:06:28 AM
Forget not being "much of a poet." Your poem brought across the point of your poem. It will always have meaning to you and yours. It also had for me. Well done.
Garbage Day (Poetry) - 9/12/2011 5:55:35 AM
John, I am so sorry for your loss please accept my condolences to you and your family.
Through your words, one can feel the pain and and sadness of loss through the simple job of taking out the trash. This was a stunning piece of writing...I wish you and your family much peace.
Dan
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 5/26/2011 6:48:42 AM
Yep, I think we all can say that. I would like to read this ten years from now, if I ever see my ex-husband, to see if he realizes what mistakes he's made and has forgiven mine. It's nice to be friends after all these years. It's just so easy to hate, more so than be friends. But, this says it all.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 5/25/2011 6:54:46 PM
so heart felt. My dad didn't get a chance to do that, they just took him, it's hard to leave the home you knew, but you have memories, to keep them and him alive. so well written and this will stay with me, for along time.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 5/17/2011 10:17:17 AM
Excellent use of the word "hush" to show respect. An excellent tribute, John, and well done. Nice to meet you, I'm new here.
Bob
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/3/2011 12:15:35 PM
The reverence in this piece is pronounced and quite moving! lovely! Sandi
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 2/2/2011 6:14:56 AM
Hello John, so well written. Susan
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 1/12/2011 5:59:28 AM
A true poetic memoir. I really like this. Its real and packed with feelings and introspection.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 12/24/2010 12:13:04 PM
Very Very reverent and charming. I really enjoyed the read. Thank you so much for sharing. Karen
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 10/13/2010 4:32:23 PM
John, I understand and enjoyed your words. I mentioned a post I left at my site here at Authors Den "You Asked Me To Dance." I know you will enjoy it. The story is true, which I have many like this due to many losses in my life at an early age. I certainly enjoyed your poem. Sincerely, Nancy
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 8/22/2010 11:35:49 AM
Beautiful call for silence to listen.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 4/22/2010 8:51:51 AM
Wow I just loved this write of yours. I felt I could really relate to this piece as I am in my early fifties and I can see my half lives ago. Your readings have inspired me and I look forward to reading more of your works. I see your a very talented young man here. Kudos to you and so nice to meet you.
Ms Magics:)
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/21/2010 7:42:36 PM
Wow shed a tear here. How beautiful this is and thank you for writing it.
Magics
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/17/2010 6:12:06 PM
I hope you come together with the heart that was born "half your lives ago". . .and find the treasures that used to glow. If not, I too, feel sad for you.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/17/2010 6:01:49 PM
"I stop and stand silent on a patch of sacred ground,
A solitary figure straddling the short distance separating
Life from eternity." Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 2/23/2010 5:37:41 AM
Love this, John...
Love and Peace~
Kimmy~
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 11/18/2009 6:44:46 AM
These words penned are very profound!
John I found this poem interesting,
"A solitary figure straddling the short distance separating
Life from eternity."
Much Love,
Margaret,
Inspire Hope
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 10/16/2009 5:44:50 PM
I can respect this and enjoy at the same time. I love to look at the really old head stones and imagine who they were. Thanks for this John.
PS. Hush, you just might hear them
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 9/24/2009 12:00:16 PM
I loved the picture you painted with your words.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 9/10/2009 4:28:10 AM
John - Loved the contrast of the peacefulness of the cemetery and the roar of the Parkway,
Hush
Their lives have stopped, yet the souls of
So many others speed past them, oblivious.
The "oblivious" works on both the literal and figurative level.
The repetition of "hush" throughout the poem creates a gentle peacefulness in sound and meaning, especially that last "hush."
Hush
I stop and stand silent on a patch of sacred ground,
A solitary figure straddling the short distance separating
Life from eternity.
Hush
I'll be back to read more. - David
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 6/29/2009 7:45:32 PM
I'm a bit late getting here, John, but so glad I finally
got the chance to read your beautifully crafted Cemetery at
Sunset. Having spent a number of years in the District, I am
quite familiar with Rockcreek Park--and in fact miss it.
-gene.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 6/20/2009 2:24:27 PM
You wrote:
A solitary figure straddling the short distance separating
Life from eternity.
Hush
* * *
...straddling the short distance...
Heard, if only.
Understood, if we dare.
Great work here, John.
Be blessed!
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 5/5/2009 3:32:31 AM
Wonderful! The love you have for your father is strongly evident in this piece. Precious moments in time aren't the ones we spend doing large things, rather the quiet moments connecting with loved ones. Nice job!
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 5/5/2009 3:29:52 AM
Very nicely penned. This poem gave me a peaceful feeling. Hush
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 4/3/2009 11:57:03 AM
Very nice reflection, John....the ways of youth viewed from the seat of maturity. How many times have I thought of how I might have done things differently, but the thoughtfullness for what actually was, there is a better reward.....Jerry
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 4/3/2009 11:54:05 AM
You touched me even though you frightened me for a moment that he might pour his drink over his cereal...already been amongst those who mix whiskey and coffee. I liked the write, especially in light of the recent loss of my own father...Jerry
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/3/2009 11:49:47 AM
I echo the thoughts of others here that I greatly appreciate the contrast between the hush for the dead and the place as connected to the bustle of the living, a well-done contrast coupled with the feelings of respect and awe....Jerry
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/4/2009 5:21:22 AM
The eerie part of this for me right now is that they just issued an arrest warrant to that Salvadoran illegal alien in the case of Chandra Levy (whose remains were found in Rock Creek Park - for those unfamiliar with the case). May she now rest in peace.
It's been a long time since I last walked through Rock Creek Park, but in spute of all of the hustle and bustle, I think we should heed the warning an hush.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 3/4/2009 5:13:01 AM
It is such a hard thing to have to watch as our elders submit to letting of the things that they and their beloved cherished so much in order to move on and learn how to live alone again (maybe not entirely alone - just without their beloved). I also got a bit teary-eyed while reading this.
I loved the title, too.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/4/2009 5:05:50 AM
Wow! I can definitely relate to this one. I am in my 40s now and have done that, not once, but twice within the last three years. The seventh stanza definitely rings true in both situations. I once again let go of the one that I met straight out of college, but the one that I dated in high school is still a great friend.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 2/23/2009 8:10:48 AM
You not only capture the serenity of the cemetery of the ones who have earned their peaceful rest; but also the busy bodies who are striving everyday to get there.
I love this poem!!
Sandie Angel :o)
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 1/13/2009 11:39:09 AM
My first love is my present love, twenty-five years and two children later. Our love is not the idylic infatuation of yester-year, but a deep pond of giving, sharing, and becoming--a pond whose surface reflects the environment we have created. I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself mirrored on the glassy surface of our pond, and know that I am growing older. The same reflection lights my beloved's eyes with admiration, and I know that he sees beyond the toll that time has taken and basks in the treasures of our deep, deep, pond--a love that began 'half our lives ago.'
A sweet sentiment, John, that got me thinking about the love of my life both yesterday and today. Beautifully penned.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 12/27/2008 2:55:44 PM
There is nothing like the solemnity of a cemetery to turn our thoughts to deep and mysterious musings. Thank you for sharing "Cemetery at Sunset."
Linda
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 8/2/2008 6:33:36 AM
This piece is a beautiful and reflective piece. This is my favorite part of the poem, "We're fifty now, or close to it, Long removed from an island summer of frolic -- and fudge, We talked about God, but experienced forbidden pleasure." It sums up life so beautifully, as we can all relate to a more simple time in our lives when we were carefree and enjoyed what I call "the decadent" times of exploration and forbidden pleasures. This poem has so much deep meaning, and reminded me of my earlier years. I am 41, but I think back at my younger years and see how much I have grown, and have changed. This is an excellent poem. Stop into my authors den if you have a chance.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 8/2/2008 6:29:08 AM
Memories never dim. Your memory will always be in your heart. I love your writing style, as I was able to see the faded photos in my mind, as you described the way you sat by the crackling fire. This is a very moving and touching poem. It reminds me of the stories and times that I had spent visiting with my grandfather. The simple things about a special person in our life are the things that we remember the most. I can picture the old house in my head, as you write so descriptively. Wonderful poem! Stop into my authors den if you have a chance
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 7/31/2008 8:43:38 AM
Yes, I agree! This is a somber subject.
My first wife died of cancer and it took over 20yrs. to write about our experiences during the last days of her life. I have the short story on my Author's Den Website. Please visit when you have time.
Blessings,
John Michael
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 7/12/2008 2:23:59 PM
You provide pause for reflection, John. Mayhaps that's why I want to be cremated. I do love the way you expressed this though. Love and peace to you,
Regis
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 6/27/2008 5:00:20 PM
Intense and compelling. Superb writing!
Wanda
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 6/15/2008 11:52:16 AM
He not really all gone, but is here with us in his spirit and on Father's Day this is a great tribute to write about him. It fits today and he was a great man and remembering him this way is so great of you. Back in those days, men were different than today and felt more for their families too and did more. Today eveyone is so busy, and no time for them to get together always. A great trip you took that day with your Father, and memories made for all time. Peace and love go out to you and yours.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 6/15/2008 11:49:22 AM
This is a true write from your heart, reliving that first love, and saying what remembrances come from it. Things change fast and yet some things remain in our hearts forever and stay forever. Half our lives ago is so sentimental poetry, it is well worth reading and pondering over. Good luck to you in your future still.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 6/13/2008 11:07:23 AM
My Father's birthday March 23 1908 and also his death day March 23 1972. I love to visit the cemetery and now have to go see Hubby Tom Aug 17 07, I probably told you his date before, anyway this photo is so fantastic, and your write is so endearing to me. I just have a thing with cemeteries and won't let go. I am so glad I read you write today, it will be in another month Tom would have gone a year, and I still don't know where I am coming from or going. Mostly that is quite frustrating too. But therapy is the den and the good poems here too.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 6/9/2008 1:10:33 PM
Love the opposites in this poem. The peaceful cemetery versus the busy road. Love the use of "Hush" here - it shows respect and continues to enhance the different scenes. The last full line is thought provoking. Great imagery~
Sheila
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 5/4/2008 8:03:19 AM
Your words have captured the picture perfectly!!
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/27/2008 10:46:59 AM
I'm glad I backed up to check on postings while I was away from the den or else I would have missed this one! A very intense offering my friend, deep and moving indeed! You take the reader there with your outstanding imagery...thought provoking, and very compelling, lingers on one's thoughts!
Blessings,
Joyce B.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 4/20/2008 10:42:25 PM
I really enjoyed how I got a sense of you in this poem. I was first attracted to visit your profile and works by your quote and bio pic; and when I read this poem it was sort of a climax for me regarding who you are
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/8/2008 5:08:37 PM
This is deep and soulful. The photograph adds to the intensity of the poem.
Stephanie
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/3/2008 7:11:38 AM
What a marvelous play with words and great penmenship! A moving work of art...indeed...and might I add... a very thought provoking poem displaying creativity and raw talent. Thanks for sharing.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 4/1/2008 12:59:23 PM
A compelling write, Holly
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/31/2008 11:10:00 PM
Honest...beautiful...feeling a sense of regret. "Now when we flirt, it’s with retirement, not each other,"...my favorite line.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/31/2008 11:05:59 PM
I read this poem twice...first quietly and then aloud. Beautiful...in sound and in imagery.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/30/2008 3:21:29 PM
Deep peaceful atmosphere described with all those "s" and "sh" sounds. I love the imagery in
"Their lives have stopped, yet the souls of
So many others speed past them, oblivious"
full of contrasts, full of truth.
Axilea
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/27/2008 7:42:57 AM
Words after my own heart...beautiful
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/27/2008 7:40:45 AM
Amazing poem....hush....I should hush now
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/26/2008 7:12:40 AM
Beautifully and profoundly penned.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/24/2008 3:32:55 PM
A cemetery can be a place of refuge from the stresses of life, a quiet place to reflect and pray. You have written a gorgeous poem, accompanied by a gorgeous photograph.
Very fine piece.
Connie
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/24/2008 8:25:42 AM
Intriguing. Conjures many ponderings and brings me to the thought that nothing ever really ends, but is only transformed to something else.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/24/2008 2:12:33 AM
it can take a while to put words to experiences...
sometimes words refuse to stick to internal feelings...
i think you have captured my attention well and drawn me into this experience...
you know... i used to be petrified of cemetaries... i couldnt go near them and if i did i never slept for weeks afterward.
im not sure why i stopped being so scared of them but now... now they can be such peaceful places, far from the hustle and bustle of life.
what strikes me most about this piece is the seemingly forgottenness of this cemetery and therefore those who rest there.
its too easy to forget those who have passed away... not on purpose...just life keeps happening and our grief runs out of time somehow...
beautiful piece.
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/23/2008 5:32:34 PM
Done so skillfully. Great repetition of Hush. Can't be better and what a topic!
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/23/2008 5:22:20 PM
...your write...holds quiet moments...and in solitude...your words speak peacefully...of reverent ground given much beauty in your imagery.
excellent pen here John...
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/23/2008 5:17:20 PM
John,
OH!!! Sighhhhh A Gorgeous Photo!! I Love Cemeteries, Graves, & Mausoleums. I hope to visit an underground Mausoleum someday soon.
Your Poem Is Fantastic! I Love It!
"I stop and stand silent on a patch of sacred ground,
A solitary figure straddling the short distance separating
Life from eternity."
Beautiful!! & True!
Embrasse'
Vickie
Cemetery at Sunset (Poetry) - 3/23/2008 4:52:37 PM
Oh my gosh, John ... I don't know what to say. This poem is magnificent, a true work of art. I feel embraced by the quiet of your cemetery, in awe of the absolute truth of what you have conveyed. I almost want to cry, but maybe it's just my mood. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 3/22/2008 6:53:47 PM
I really enjoyed this it brought a tear to my eyes. The treasured memories of those we hold so dear remain in our hearts always where their legacy lives on.
Best wishes,
Pisces
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 3/12/2008 7:03:08 AM
Good Morning John,
I felt your memory as if it were my own, it is a sad thing letting go. Not of the House...but of the Home. It's very hard to do & for some impossible, and then for some crippling.
Ok I think I need a tissue this morning.....Memories Are Powerful & Contagious!!!
Embrasse'
Vickie
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/11/2008 4:15:12 AM
Hello John,
I enjoyed your poetic express of young love & the maturity of the journey.
I myself only wanted love back in those days, and never even knew what it really was in all actuality. Or I was in Love with the idea of Love-I am not sure. I do envy couples who have been together from the beginning of their Quests With Love. I find them to be truly blessed.
Embrasse'
Vickie
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 3/9/2008 2:46:42 PM
This brought back memories of my G-Pa & G-ma Amy (they loved Southern Comfort. See my poem Encased in Memories, it's based on them). Your writing paints such a vivid picture in my mind, it's like a tape in my head recording the scene both visually and audibly. I am visibly moved.
Janet
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 3/5/2008 3:12:06 PM
This really moved me and I can relate. At 49, I wonder at times about the love of my 20's. I am happy though and grateful for a walk down my own memory lane.
Janet
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 3/5/2008 9:10:50 AM
Wonderous write, thanks for taking me along on the journey with your Dad. Although this is sad, to have had such a memory with my dad (he died when I was five) would have been a blessing as I would've had more time with him.
Sandy
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 2/22/2008 11:29:13 AM
Come September...these two figures continue on in their lives with the beauty they share in a genuine, honest way. I know...I've been there too.
Blessings and love,
Susan
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 2/22/2008 11:26:39 AM
Sad and overwhelming with emotions of the past and, just about, anyone's future. To my bones I felt this in memory of my dear uncle and when I brought him to Savannah from his home in Cornelia.
Blessings and love to your wonderful heart.
Susan
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 2/5/2008 1:21:15 PM
There was a breath of a poem in this peice, but I rather took it as prose. It didn't steal a bit of the pleasure i've had. You really have style and talent. While the soul of your poems is perfect, the body has to suffer a bit. If you understand what I mean:) I like it that you didn't try to make your poem original and modern. I hate it when people do that. You just wrote what you felt, and I suppose you would do much better writing short novels and stories, where you don't have to care about shape, and I don't have to read the same line several times trying to find the best rhytm. Ending up my HONEST comment I would like to say that someone, who writes things like these, must be wise. It's a pleasure to know you.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 2/5/2008 1:12:38 PM
I liked the idea. Honestly, I think that personal poems mean more than generals one thousands of people can relate to. The poem must be YOURS. I like using 'he' and 'she' persons in poems and I often do it too. It's lovely. Yet, I found it difficult to read a poem with almost no rhytm. There were places where your metrics and rhyme were steady, but then they skipped of again. Behind it all, the message is touching in its intimacy.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 1/30/2008 6:37:58 AM
Oh My, you took me there and introduced me to your special Dad. Great poem, heart touching.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 1/29/2008 11:48:03 AM
Such nostalgia, such love, such memories!
You have a way of gripping your reader's heart with simple honesty and sentiment.
Gina
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 1/29/2008 11:44:55 AM
You express the ups and downs of life very well here...the wistful questions...the losses and the change in perspective...you pack a whole lot of philosophy into a few lines...and the need to hold on, even if on a different level.
Well done.
Gina
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 1/24/2008 7:43:17 AM
Interesting journey John...one I've been on as well and asking the same questions. Be well, Holly
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 1/22/2008 5:12:27 PM
Difficult to read at the moment as my own Father just passed away...life is so short, so precious, Holly
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 1/22/2008 9:02:25 AM
A touching write filled with heart and soul of memories of your dad that will forever last a lifetime...well done!
Blessings,
Joyce B.
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 1/21/2008 5:24:18 AM
Emotions sit on the surface of these well-expressed words. Honesty, regret, nostalgia, uncertainty seem to all rise up and pull the reader in. It feels like a movie - like Bridges of Madison County, perhaps.
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 9/15/2007 8:58:23 PM
You really got me with this one. I remember my dad with his war stories, and especially how much he loved those trees in the back yard. Beautiful Poem
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 9/15/2007 8:43:54 AM
Losing a parent brings back so many memories. Helping them close a part of their lives is something you will charish for a lifetime. Heartfelt, deep emotion. Thank you for sharing this most personal time with your Dad. This poetry brings back many memories of my own Dad, also. Rhoda
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 9/14/2007 8:07:43 PM
Great title for this poem of reflection. Wonderful memories as the way it should be. Reading your submission leave a good feeling within. Rhoda LI, NY
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 5/31/2007 12:06:52 AM
John,
I can really feel deep inside what it is you're conveying in this
beautifully written poem. Thanks for sharing!
God Bless!
Mary E Tilley
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 2/21/2007 4:47:44 AM
I am right there in that wonderfully written tunnel of time and reflection. Beautifully project processing of a time . . . Thanks! I am so glad I found your writings now! Linda (L. K. Craft)
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 2/20/2007 4:15:03 AM
So touching and wonderfully written. Great imagery of a part of your life that was precious. Great writing! L. K. Craft
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 1/16/2007 11:45:41 PM
THIS is what I call a poem!
You have talent John.
I don't dare call myself a poet..LOL!
I only write thoughts that churn within my heart and soul!
I can relate to this gem of a write.
An avalanche of memories struck me as I read your words.
Thankyou John!
Vesna:)
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 12/5/2006 4:28:11 PM
I can relate to what the author is experiencing right now, as I am going through the same passages with my Dad. Also, I like the fact that is a good old fahioned poem. Imagery and rhyme pattern are lovely. Well done-- I was getting teary-eyed while reading it. (Thanks a lot!)
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 11/15/2006 11:22:08 AM
Wow. This really touches the heart.
I think death, dying, leaving could have been better planned by the Creator. It's too wrenching the way it is.
Love this...you were a good son.
Elizabeth
Of Frosted Flakes and Southern Comfort (Poetry) - 11/15/2006 10:39:41 AM
Old homesteads, special memories shared, with the most special people of our lives, and recalling forever more...such welcomed reflections!
I love looking back!
I loved this write! And so nice to meet you, John
Love and Peace~
Kimmy
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 5/21/2006 11:30:51 PM
John,
..."life-defining" moments so earnestly penned...I truly enjoyed Half Our Lives Ago and found myself smiling with understanding.
...jeanne...
Half Our Lives Ago (Poetry) - 5/15/2006 1:12:49 PM
I love that you were so honest in this poem, that what we hold on to on that sleeve is who we were then, not the persons we are, great poem.
