Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. I had the honor and privilege of walking my youngest daughter down the aisle last week. It was a humbling experience to share in her joy, one that I will never forget or take for granted. I took a short sabbatical over the holiday season and want to give you an update. After much thought and consultation, I've decided to self publish my next novel. This wasn't an easy decision for me. There are always pros and cons to going it alone. I held out hope for a while that my work would get classically published, but that wasn't meant to be. I have learned that the writing experience is challenging and not for the faint of heart. Also going the self publishing route gives me more artistic control over my projects. We will see how the results stack up against my first novel, A Common Man, which was published by a small publishing company.

My second novel, The Sins of Men, has been edited and proofed. It is now awaiting a book cover design which is being done by a very talented artist. I'm excited about this project coming together and being made available to all of you.This book is vastly different from my first one. There is no time travel and it is being told through a first party lens by three main characters. As with any historical fiction novel, there is a lot of history dispersed throughout. I did all the research myself and look forward to my readers digesting the action and providing feedback about me being true to the time period. To wet your appetite, I've enclosed another exert from the book.

I opened my eyes wider to get a better view of the darkened room. My body swayed from a gentle rocking motion. At the muffled sounds of men yelling, I cocked my head, but they sounded far away. I cringed and wrinkled my nose at the sour odor of rotting wood and the unmistakable stench of urine. Where am I? I spread out my arms and ran them over a surface that had to be wood. My fingers were cold and wet. Reluctantly, I tried to stand on shaking legs. Every instinct told me I needed to escape. Suddenly footsteps approached. Just as I turned in the direction of the sound, the loud screech of rusting hinges made me jump back. As light entered the room, I saw the outline of a man.

"There you are, boy. Time to go see the captain."

I put my fist in my mouth to muffle a scream. Panic overtook me and I sprinted away from the man. I ran faster, not caring where I was going, knowing only there was evil waiting for me in the form of the captain. I ran endlessly but could sense the man was right behind me. In the distance I spied a bright light and, just when I thought I would reach it, a hand clasped me firmly on the shoulder.

Look for upcoming announcements on the release date. I hope you are as excited as I am. Please sign up so that I can provide you updates and for a chance to win a copy of the book. If you still haven't had the opportunity to read A Common Man, it's still available on Amazon.

Dan