New Review

http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Books_Reviews/Reviews/NEW_CHRISTIAN_BOOK_REVIEW_DIGEST/36819

New book review in the cypress times for He's the Pen, I'm the Paper.

Research and Thanksgiving

Blessings to everyone. Things are going very well on many project fronts.
I've got a few days of shooting down on my Underground Railroad Documentary tomorrow is a research day. My girlfriend Melissa has been a huge help and her ideas always give me another way to look at things to keep me thinking. I've been looking through a book published in 1898 for some background info and many more are yet to come.

I did a poetry reading with some great poets at the Anderson Center Fri. the 19th and met a lot of wonderful people. God is good!

I have continued writing on "Healer" and actually recited a few poems from it recently. It's a book that is an encouragement and more open to nonbelievers than I think any of my projects have ever been.

Finally...Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and please if you know someone over seas in the military that cant be home give them a call.

Here is one poem from the book I'm writing "Healer"

Scars Run Deeper Than The Skin

He got off the plane,
And one war veteran shakes his hand,
But then another person shouts,
Murderer!
He continues walking,
If you can call it that,
He's missing his right leg from the knee down,
The prosthetic is still taking some getting used to,
After retrieving his bag,
He heads out to rent a car,
Because he never owned one before he left,
Times we tough,
And his single mom didn't have the money,
She died two weeks after he left,
A blood clot she kept putting off going to the doctor for,
Because she didn't have the money,
He gets behind the wheel,
Broken from the war,
Scars visible on his body,
From an IDE,
But nothing compared to the scars on the inside,
He's alone,
And he has to deal with the nightmares,
The other troops that didn't get to come home,
Friends,
People he ate with,
Slept in the same room with,
Gone forever,
He's got to be strong,
Find a way to get all this pain out!
Suicide has crossed his mind a few times,
But he's not there yet,
He stops at a small mom and pop restaurant,
Then sits at the first table he sees on the right,
The older waitress comes up smiling,
Takes his order,
And begins to walk away,
But turns back,
Looks him in the eye,
And says,
I don't know exactly what you've been through,
But God can make beauty from ashes,
He just stares,
God?
God!
His mind wanders to his past with God,
I don't know anything about Him,
Accept people from a nearby church,
They used to bring food by the house sometimes,
And presents around Christmas,
Those were good people,
But he'd never been to church,
What could God do?
A voice in his head says,
Maybe more than you can think,
Before he finishes thinking,
His food arrives,
You ever been to church?
The waitress asks,
No,
He replies,
And she sits down,
Listening as he asks questions about God,
And when she answers,
She gets up,
And gives him a hug,
But even more,
She gives him hope.

Shooting

I just started shooting a documentary on the Underground Railroad in Clermont County Ohio. Very excited about the project. There are so many ways the county was vital and it also has many of the stops still standing in very good condition.

I have an Idea!

I may start shooting a few music video style videos for some of my new poems and maybe a few old ones. There is more than one way to tell a story!!!!

So maybe I was wrong!

Today I have drastically picked up the pace on "Healer". It will probably bring more tears and thought than I have into any project I've ever done. Now I'm not saying the other books aren't wonderful it's just this one is really meant to touch the heart in a very special place.

I've also decided that I needed to tell stories..deep, tragic, healing, helpful stories in this book. My work has never been so focused as it has been on these last two books. I want to touch peoples hearts if they happen to be followers of God good, if not just as good. I want to touch people who have never had any experience with God ever just as much as someone who lives their life for God.

I am working so much harder than I ever have at improving and encouraging others in these books. It's like when you have a camera and are taking a picture sometimes those pictures can be fuzzy and other times they are very very sharp and the details are amazing. With each book the writing is getting sharper.

I know I said it had been a struggle so far but today was a huge breakthrough.

Catching UP!

Been a very busy year and has continued to be so into fall. I've finished one book, started another, promoted two books,and released one. Things have been busy at my tv job and I signed up to do a documentary on The Underground Railroad in the county I live in. Wow! On top of that my son started kindergarten. So you can understand the lack of updates lately..right?

I've started writing "Healer" and so far it's been pretty rough. I can write about the pain but the healing parts aren't coming along so well yet. It's easy to understand pain because we all are going through it in one area or another but explaining how God can heal you from it without over stating the pain is proving to be extremely difficult. I could use some prayer for that.

Promoting the books hasn't been so easy either. It's hard getting people who don't know you to read your work. I'm learning and I feel much more comfortable with it now than I did. I send the books out to be reviewed and sometimes I expect to have someone just tear it to pieces so I can finally get that over with. So far everyone has enjoyed what they have read and some have cried, others have said it was exactly what churches should be talking about, still a few have found it simple but enjoyable, etc.

God give us all talents and time. We need to be wise stewards of both as well as everything He gives us. We only have so much time after all.

God Bless you.