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I recently came across an exceptional story on vacation in Dublin. The Jeanie Johnston was a ship during the Irish Potato Famine with an incredible outcome.

The Great Famine was a dark stretch of European history. Ireland was ruled by Britain at the time and had about eight million people of which three million were poor potato sharecroppers. The potatoes were their primary food and how they paid the rent. When a fungus blight destroyed this harvest, things got ugly fast.

These poor farmers couldn't pay their rent, many were kicked off their plots and starved. From 1845 to 1852 an estimated 1.2 million Irish starved to death and another 1.5 million people had to leave or starve. That is nearly 38% of the population, and a big reason Ireland is one of the few countries in Western Europe with a lower population now than in 1850.

As was explained to me, there was actually enough other food on the island to feed the people, but the powers that be chose to export it for profit instead.

Truly a dark time.

Regardless, the only option for many was to accept indentured servitude contracts in America as compensation for passage costs and try to get your family over piecemeal. This was much easier said than done. They called the ships "Coffin Ships" for good reason. Conditions for the voyage were horrible. They would cram three hundred people down on the floor, in a cramped, dark, ship's hold with poor food, no sanitation, or access to fresh air, for six to eight weeks.

It's no surprise on average twenty to thirty percent of a coffin ships passengers died of infection or disease en route to America.

The Jeanie Johnston was different.

She was knows as the blessed "miracle ship."

In sixteen trips across the Atlantic not one passenger perished, in fact the ship net added a life, as a baby was born in one crossing.

This outcome was less divine intervention than a confluence of the compassion and competence of three humanitarian men.

First, the ship's owner was a Canadian who sold lumber to Ireland. He allowed the empty hold, for the passage home, to be used for Irish emigrants. He was a businessman but also a humanitarian. He only allowed two hundred people onboard per voyage to give folks more space. He hired an experienced captain, and in an unprecedented move, he hired an excellent doctor to watch over the passengers health. Last but not least, he didn't raise prices once the ship had success.

Second, the captain was also a highly experienced, compassionate man whose professionalism resulted in safe passages.

The hero however, was Dr. Blennerhassett, a talented physician who took less money to serve on the Jeanie Johnston. The doctor had seen shipborne disease firsthand in India and rejected the backward science of the time. He correctly believed that diseases such as cholera were spread, not through the air, but through contaminated water, waste contact, and lack of hygiene.

The doctor implemented three strict rules. First, no one with signs of disease was accepted onboard. Second, the passengers were made to clean out their living area and waste buckets daily. Finally, everyone had to spend at least thirty minutes a day on deck for fresh air.

Seen through a modern lens, these rules seem common sense, but they were revolutionary science at the time. The result was sixteen crossings without a single death.

So many stories come from the Jeanie Johnston, some wonderful and some sad. The baby born at sea went on to become a successful tavern owner in Minnesota. His mother, without a penny to her name, gave him nineteen names to honor the passengers who shared their food with her on the voyage. The wonderful doctor ironically succumbed to disease as a passenger on another ship sailing to see his mother. As for the Jeanie Johnston she eventually sank, with a cargo full of lumber, in an Atlantic storm but kept her perfect record. All of her crew were rescued. The ship pictured is an exact replica which serves as a floating museum.

If you read history sometimes it's dark. The Jeanie Johnston was an exceptional example of what's possible when compassionate and competent people do the right thing in dark times.

Spring is back, birds are chirping, and cherry blossoms are peeking into view. Father King, the third book in The Ballad of Shannon Dumas series has taken its sweet time but is in final edits.

If you want something in life, it's easier if you surround yourself with like minded folks. The recent 20Books Holland Conference was an inspirational eye-opening experience.

Amsterdam's nice enough but was surprisingly chilly in April, though my hotel room had a wonderful full poem in the shower.

All of this started as a hobby for me, hoping to write a book my young son reads someday. I'd never been around professional authors and it was like meeting old friends. That group is fantastic and humbling. Their warmth and generosity made up for the cold rain. The spectrum ranged from folks who hoped to publish a book someday to others who quit their day jobs and make six or seven figures from their books. They shared insights about everything from writing better action scenes, the future of AI and books, and how to actually market books if this is what you want.

My gentle readers have been reminding me I need to get to work writing! After Father King is published, Dawn's Roar the next Eagle Feather book is overdue. I'm also very excited about a historical fiction series set in the Mediterranean as my next project.

Finally, I visited London for a few days and was reminded why it's one of the world's great cities. It has to be the most kid friendly city in the world. The museums are world class and free, the zoo is top notch, and they go bonkers over all things Harry Potter. We tried a traditional English tea service, and of course the Indian food is second to none. I discovered a tranquil little duck pond which is naturally the best place to write wild west action scenes...

Happy Spring and if my goal is 20 books, I need to get back to writing!

Sincerely Yours,

Aashish

If you want to watch the Super Bowl from Europe kickoff is half past midnight. A freshly minted author friend was kind enough to set up a projector and provide refreshments. He was excited at having recently finished his first novel, I was excited for him and happy to have played a small part in the process.

Optimism is a sensible philosophy in life, however negative motivation in small doses can be surprisingly effective. My friend had half of book written and simply couldn't find the motivation to finish. Life happens, especially when someone is trying to balance family and work obligations. I frankly would never have published my first book if not for the pandemic lockdown. I only put out one book in 2022. Family and work come first, sometimes you look up and it's been six months, but this is something I must remedy. There are just too many good stories that need to be told.

My friend hails from a very conservative part of America, and he's as calm and considerate as they come. Which is why an obnoxious bet got him to finish his first novel. It was simple, if he didn't finish his novel in four months by his birthday he'd have to wear a particularly polarizing red ballcap every day for a month.

That did it. He powered through and is now an author.

It's nice to give back some considering all the help and support I've gotten. The 20booksto50k group from Facebook shares their experience and wisdom freely, they just ask you be polite and respectful. It's funny how technology works, I've never met these people yet their advice on so many book related topics has been wonderful. I will finally get a chance to meet some of them at an event in Europe this year.

Sports isn't life, but sometimes it resonates magnificently. As someone who grew up in Texas and the Midwest, at least one of my teams, is enjoying success. The Chiefs fortunes changed when a legendary coach made a bold move trading up for the player he believed could lead them to championships. This player, Patrick Mahomes, has elite skill, leadership, and humility to boot.

Patrick Mahomes was legendary in Super Bowl LVII. He's regarded as the best player in the NFL and with that comes pressure. In this game he was recovering from an injured ankle and the opposing team was playing lights out with a 10 point lead shortly before halftime. When Mahomes went down reinjuring his ankle all seemed lost.

In a Disney movie, the hero rallies back against the odds. Life isn't always a Disney movie. The adage is the big time players, come up big, in big games.

Mahomes lived up to this legend, playing against elite competition, with the world watching. He was noticeably hobbled by his injury, but came back and simply took over the game. He brought the Chiefs back to win his second championship in dramatic fashion with seconds left on the clock. Then in the post game press conference he gave all the credit to his teammates and coaches.

Inspiration is rare in the skeptical age of social media. This was the real deal.

This was Big Time.

A legendary performance.

Spring is here. The birds are chirping and it's easy to be distracted. A friend talked me into the opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle, in Essen Germany. It's an old coal mining town in the Ruhr Valley with a stunning opera house.

I grew up with a reasonable amount of culture but confess there's an ocean of difference to being dragged kicking and screaming to the Magic Flute in high school and choosing to see a Hungarian opera on your own volition. It's a dark Brothers Grimm fairy tale of curiosity and peril. It reminded me of Beauty and the Beast.

This could also be the current theme for Europe. This spring is different. Despite the budding cherry blossoms, the azure beauty of a Venetian sunrise, or the decadence of Austrian pastries there is a wicked tint to the air. In addition to actively seeking out the beautiful things in life, I'm running more and writing less. There's scant chance of the latter developing into a habit, the fact is most of continental Europe is focusing a wary eye on the barbaric aggression of the Ukraine invasion.

As a family man, and a Texan from a military family, it's hard to see such scenes of deliberate violence aimed at civilians, especially women and children. It's a very different visceral feeling on this side of the pond from back home on the American side of the Atlantic.

The cold calculus is America cannot enter direct conflict with a nuclear power unless NATO is attacked. That doesn't stifle guilt when watching this tragedy unfold not far to the East. My European friends have stopped teasing me about arguing freedom isn't free.

There's a brave Ukrainian Member of Parliament I follow on Twitter. She refuses to leave Kyiv and looks like a typical cute midwestern soccer mom. Her salient concerns should be getting her kids to eat more vegetables or trying to fit in date nights with her spouse. Instead, she practices daily with her AK-47, teaches her toddlers their blood types and reveals images of the daily toll from Russian rocket attacks. I'm humbled beyond words.

So, I confess to watching too much CNN, eating too much chocolate, running daily, and hugging my kid as much as possible. I'm still concurrently working on the next Eagle Feather Saga and Shannon books, it just seems less important now.

However, a dear friend and beta reader rebuked me with the ultimate compliment. He asked why Dawn's Roar and Dodge City were taking longer than expected. I mumbled back something about being busy at work and how crazy the world is right now. He replied, "Exactly, which is why I need the distractions of your stories more than ever."

Understood, if anyone else feels similar, it's the least I can do.

The parallels are stunning. The precedent is the stuff of legend. What is a hero? Who is a heroine? Sometimes they are extraordinary people, more often they are ordinary imperfect people rising up to do the right thing under extraordinary circumstances. It doesn't matter what facts you choose to believe from your social media feed of choice. The nihilists are wrong. Heroes exist.

The ancient Spartan King Leonidas is immortal to this day. In contemporary European times, the gallantry of a King Albert of Belgium, or the brazen grit of a Sir Winston Churchill come to mind. No one thought any of them would come to power, yet all three inspired the world.

In 480 BC, a despot from the East, invaded Greece's fledgling democracy with a massive army. The world knows the story to this day. A Spartan king stood and died at Thermopylae. Fifteen hundred years later, few recall the despot's name, just say the word Spartan and Leonidas comes to mind.

In August of 1914, the German Empire gave tiny Belgium an ultimatum. Let us pass to attack France or else. King Albert of Belgium refused and led the defence of his country for four years.

Sir Winston Churchill is the most dramatic modern example. He was extraordinary, flaws and all. Compelling arguments were made by both his friends and foes alike, but none could deny his eloquence or courage. The fact is, Hitler had almost won it all in 1940. The Nazis ruled Western Europe. Only Britain remained, and her army had been thoroughly defeated and forced to leave their weapons behind at Dunkirk. The German Luftwaffe was the most powerful air force in the world. They were already bombing England as a prelude to invasion. It seemed a foregone conclusion; Hitler would rule Europe. England must surrender.

She did not.

Churchill's brazen defiance against the odds, bolstered the British people, and inspired the world. He was the first to show the world the Nazis could be beaten.

Flash forward eighty-two years. Mark Twain was right. "History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes." The peace in Europe has been shattered. A despot from the East, is once again attacking a European democracy. Russia has invaded Ukraine once again. Two things are very clear. The Russians have overwhelming military superiority, and the Ukrainian people have lion hearted spirit.

The Ukrainians have a leader. A European leader is inspiring his people, and the world once again.

Russia's Putin underestimated Volodymyr Zelensky. It was easy to do so. Hollywood would have rejected this script. Zelensky was literally a comedian, with zero political experience, elected to office. He was embroiled in the Trump impeachment story.

The Russians will likely win in Ukraine. Their assassination teams are aggressively targeting the Ukrainian leadership. President Zelensky of Ukraine refuses to leave encircled Kyiv. He is imploring his countrymen to resist tyranny and thus setting an example for the ages.

President Zelensky will likely die fighting for his people's freedom.

The world is watching all of this. This is a real man. This is a leader.

He is rising up to face overwhelming evil.

Zelensky's leadership in the crucible is shaming the world's apathy against tyranny. Ironically a comedian, makes the most powerful leaders in the free world seem like a gaggle of narcissistic, corrupt clowns.

As I watch young people celebrate Carnival in Europe the sounds of merriment abound. Young people are costumed, singing, flirting and having fun. The kids are munching candy. This is the way the world should be. Yet, right now in Kyiv young people are fighting invading Russian tanks amidst calls for Molotov cocktails.

Is this modern Europe?

No matter what happens in Ukraine this will be the end of Putin. This is a wake-up call for Europe. The world has been reminded evil exists. NATO will grow in power, united against tyranny. Russia's neighbours Finland and Sweden will join NATO. The blowback will be overwhelming.

Godspeed President Zelensky of Ukraine.

You are a modern Leonidas.

A.K. Vyas gave early promise of being nothing special whatsoever. He was born in the small New England village best known for the witch trials, then banished to Texas at a tender age. Being annoyingly well-read for a Texan and exceptionally stubborn as a child, the smart money predicted a brief but clumsy career as a rodeo clown, while others foresaw an early death. To everyone's intense disbelief, U.C. Berkeley made the mistake of admitting him, and he squeaked out a degree or two while doing silly, acrobatic, things in small planes. The Navy eventually decided it was safer for all parties involved (including the enemy) if he didn't fly jets. Like most wayward souls he ended up on Wall Street, a lifestyle interrupted from time to time by an occasional date, unless of course, it was NCAA football season. (You can take a boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy.) To date, his young family has survived two Category 5 hurricanes, and an infatuation with TexMex cast iron skillet recipes. Europe is currently home, and for unknown reasons, people on the street everywhere always ask him for directions. The Eagle Feather was his debut attempt at the ancient art of storytelling and was written for his beautiful, perfect, athletic, and wonderful son. Writing has since become a cathartic hobby. As our Author of the Day, he tells us all about his book, Carnival Girls.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that just made you want to tackle this? A dark international serial killer story seems interesting. Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs was great, but we've had so much technology and globalization since then, I've also seen the chaos of Mardi Gras and Carnival.

You have lived all over the world, including Texas - how has this influenced your writing? An authentic feel for culture and places makes a story real. I've traveled extensively and lived across America and in Europe. Whenever possible, I describe actual experiences.

The book contains a lot of twists and turns - did you plan it all out before you started writing, or did some of it just "happen" along the way? A good story is familiar but unpredictable. I plan it all out. Readers tell me the creativity and unexpected twists keep them guessing and make the book hard to put down. I hope so.

Readers say the book had them hooked from the beginning. How did you pull that off? It's hard. You basically ask a question, often through a vivid scene, which focuses on a universal basic human emotion, like greed, fear, or lust. That opens up the plot drivers of anticipation, tension, and relatability.

What did you have the most fun with while writing Carnival Girls? Sitting down over cocktails with real cops and hackers and hearing their war stories about colorful cases and characters. Most of my characters are based on amalgamations of people I know.

Does the book contain a hidden message? What do you hope readers take away from this? The message is overt. Evil exists, and there is a tough price paid by those who protect us from it.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do? I write the dedication. This focuses me to do a good job for a friend or loved one.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you? I get up at 5am and make a cup of black coffee with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt. Navy style. I write for an hour listening to 80's music. If I don't do this, family and work obligations take over the day fast.

What are you working on right now? Dodge City, which is a sequel to my Western novel Shannon. I write in three genres. Historical Fiction, Thrillers, and Westerns.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you? Come to my website akvyas.com or go to the Amazon page. I truly value reader feedback. I blog and try to read every reader email and put out a reader focused monthly newsletter. "Wooden Nickels."

Happy Holidays!

Best wishes for everyone this holiday season, and in the new year. When people think of history it conjures up images of black and white newsreels. This isn't so. The past few years with the pandemic is as historically significant as it gets. When I look back to my 2020 Xmas Eve blogpost, the tree looks so lonely amidst the uncertainty. We are all in better place. At this point, COVID vaccination is available for most anyone. As I write this our 6-year-old is taking a well earned Xmas nap after a whirlwind of morning excitement, pancakes, presents and playtime with his cousins. This is the way it should be. The fact that he, and children across the world are COVID vaccinated is a relief to all parents.

If I'm ever blessed with the opportunity for grandkids, I'm looking forward to them asking, "Wait, the whole planet wore masks, really, no way?"

On the writing front, Crimson Sky, the third Eagle Feather saga book published this week. I have ideas for at least four more Eagle Feather books already, and will offer the first three books in a box set. In addition, my gentle readers have asked for SHANNON and Carnival Girls sequels as well. All are in the works for 2022.

Finally, I'm truly grateful for my family and friends, none of this would be possible without your unconditional love and support. I'm also blessed with a wonderful editor, and these superheroes called "Beta Readers" who manage to give me creative honest feedback while juggling family, work, and life responsibilities.

Life is Hard, but Beautiful.

Best Wishes to you and yours in 2022!

America like a beautiful old tree, just gets better with time. There's no place like home, even though you could do worse than Europe. Six months of lockdown, and a strict curfew, definitely affects your mindset. America for all her faults, is still the place to be. You truly realize this when living abroad. I was fortunate to be able to deal with some family stuff, catch up with loved ones, get vaccinated, and write daily.

I learned a great deal about Delaware County, which is as lush, idyllic, and serene a place as can be. In my ignorance, Philadelphia was a gritty, urban area. Parts of the city certainly fit that description, but a few miles north it's all trees, deer, and red fox.

You know you are with loved ones when you can pick up right where you left off, even if time has passed, and you are very different people. I'm not sure if loved ones stateside realize how wonderful it is just to speak English or have an old fashioned at a restaurant again. This pandemic has changed all of us more than we realize.

On the reading front, I highly recommend Like War by P.W. Singer. I'm not a significant social media consumer. It was eye opening to see the extent to which social media has taken over just about every aspect of society.

On the writing front, some tips from a book by prolific Sci Fi writer Chris Fox were very helpful, and worth sharing.

1) He does what he calls "writing sprints", where he puts himself in position to succeed at daily writing.

2) For example, pick a consistent time of day, write in the same physical spot, and put your PC in airplane mode so the internet won't hijack you.

3) He just writes, no editing, no worries about grammar. IMHO he's spot on this is the only way to finish a book.

4) Finally, he tracks how many words he wrote in an hour. Like any muscle writing strengthens with practice, and you need the positive reinforcement.

I'm looking forward to seeing my little boy after a few weeks. Batteries are now recharged. Winter's Wind the sequel to The Eagle Feather is set to be published this week!

Finally, a quote by a great American, Ben Franklin caught my eye.

"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing."

It's funny how life works. Sometimes, the first step is just the hardest.

Good news and Bad news. (Always end with good)

The bad is while I've learned few things in life are as simple as they seem, sometimes it is what it is. Like most expats during COVID, homesickness is real. They recently opened a Five Guys here, and it seems I've already spent the GDP of a small island nation there.

Europe, is still suffering month six of a second COVID lockdown, since letting the kindergartners in the school next door would likely be handling the EU vaccine rollout more efficiently...

The good news is the world sees light at the end of the COVID tunnel, my family and friends are all healthy, and my finished Western is in the hands of beta readers. Maybe it's the pandemic, but it took over forty years for me to fulfill the goal of publishing a book. I've now written two and a half more in the ensuing four months. Maybe that's a lesson for other parts of life.

The Western was fun and hard. A lot more complexity and research was needed. Reading and writing can teach you a lot about the past. The current project is a serial killer thriller set in Europe. This will be a real challenge because of the villain. In the other books, the adversaries where either animals, or simply not excessively fleshed out. In the thriller, the villain is a prominent character. The challenge is making him "interestingly evil" if that's a term.

A few friends who are working on their own first books, have asked me for tips. This is nuts because, Cormac McCarthy is a real author, I'm just a dad who writes in his free time. I've noticed a few things that help me.

1. Get up, with no social media, and write. 2. Do something hard or unpleasant first. 3. Finally, there is a real chance flying back stateside in a month is my best chance at getting vaccinated before the fall.

A geopolitical newsletter I follow had some interesting insights. The gentleman who has an eerie habit of successfully predicting global events based on geopolitics mentioned how he makes presentations in different countries.

He mentioned Americans are generally too optimistic so he starts with the good news, and leaves them with the bad at the end. With Germans, he does the exact opposite, since he claims "dourness" is their natural state. He admits, these are clearly broad sweeping generalizations. As an American in Europe, I'm not sure which best applies, but it's an interesting notion.

As previously mentioned, a Western is my current project, as illogical as that may seem. The latest challenge is writing a decent southern accent. At first, I considered writing words out phonetically in a southern drawl.

That got old to read, fast.

Real fast.

A reasonable compromise seems to be dropping the g's off the end of words, and an emphasis on those colorful phrases which exist only in the American South.

COVID lockdown in winter is great reading time.

A classic book for any parent, especially fathers and son is the "Vater und Sohn" comic series (Father and Son) by Mr. Erich Ohser who wrote under the pseudonym E.O. Plauen. I give a copy to any friends who have a baby boy. It's that good.

It's basically a comic strip about the antics of a father and his young son, back in the day. The timeless themes can warm your heart, and hopefully remind you of shenanigans past. Unfortunately, Mr. Ohser's fate was not commensurate with the joy his artistry brought the world.

Mr. Ohser's courage was truly inspirational. He wasn't just a cartoonist, he also satirized Hitler and the Nazi's in his other works, which resulted in his persecution, arrest, and death in custody in 1944.

We're all tired of lockdown, but this helps put things in perspective.

A Western back East?

European friends often tease me about the unbridled optimism of Americans. This sentiment increases the further east you head. Poland, is an underrated gem of a country. They appreciate freedom there, and have experienced dark times on a scale many of us in the States simply can't comprehend.

As we sit early in the third month of the second COVID lockdown, it's starting to feel like that movie Groundhog Day. In a way, the singular lesson of a young 2021 is careful what you wish for. The days are short. The nights are long, it's cold out. COVID can't end fast enough for any of us.

Half of writing is reading. Growing up in Texas, and on the Great Plains of the Midwest, a good Western always appealed to me. So, I'm the guy re-reading classic westerns in the chilly winter woods.

A Western novel is in the works.

It's the home stretch for the Holiday Season, Xmas Eve for those who celebrate it. Stateside, maybe if you were good, you get to open one present tonight. Christmas morning is the big day, at least as a kid, it couldn't come fast enough. The Germans, do the whole shebang Xmas Eve. Either way, every year is precious time, though 2020 for the world seems like that classic Xmas ballad, "All I want for Xmas is my two front teeth."

There might be a bit of symbolism in 2020 the sad old tree, sitting unadorned, and solo by an oldtown gate. No lights, no hot cocoa, or gluhwein, or kids playing, or friends catching up in the wonderfully, cozy European Xmas Markets. It's alive though, some years you thrive, others just survive.

This has been the darkest year for the planet collectively since WW2. The pandemic shows despite the astonishing technology advances since 1920, we are still quite susceptible to Mother Nature's whims.

All things being equal, while we followed the guidelines, COVID-19 became real for me when a dear friend from New York and his family got it. They ended up fine, but that's when it hit home.

One of the philosophies in The Eagle Feather originates from Americans who volunteer to be in harm's way for freedom. It's the philosophy of "Good." It's quite simple actually, which is quite different from easy. No matter what comes, you just say "Good" then adapt, improvise, and overcome. So simple, yet so immensely powerful. 2020 tested this to the max.

Despite all of the rough events, and suffering in 2020, it also seems we've witnessed unsung acts of courage, selflessness, and humanity. After 9/11, as a New Yorker you wanted to buy every fireman in sight a beer. This is how we should feel about the healthcare workers, and the folks who bravely stock the food shelves, so a pandemic doesn't turn into one of those trendy dystopian shows.

A few decent reads (besides The Eagle Feather...naturally) if you find lockdown dragging these winter months;

A Gentleman in Moscow- Amor Towles. - This is a human survival story in its own right, amidst a multi decade long, chilling lockdown.

We Few-Nick Brokhausen.- The best SOG memoir I've read. I'm deeply grateful our nation can find such people.

Finally, I'm very close to finishing the rough draft of the sequel to The Eagle Feather, and hope someone will want to read that too, as lockdown ends, and we all go roaring into 2021.

Be safe, Everyone.

As of midnight, Pacific Standard Time today, I'm a published author. I realize this fact and $5 can buy you an overpriced latte. Anyone can do anything, though somethings come easier to everyone. In hindsight, I wish I'd done this twenty years ago. It's almost exponential how much easier writing gets after the first book. I'll let the gentle reader opine on quality. Quantity wise, I've written 80% of the sequel to The Eagle Feather in about 20 days.

A lifelong reader of history, mythology, and crime fiction, I always enjoyed writing. Every job I've had, they ended up having me write all the monthly client letters. I wanted to be published author as a life goal, so many stories to tell. Though in 40 plus years, I never had the discipline to stick to it.

It's not my profession, but in part due to forced lockdowns, it's evolved into a cathartic hobby. It's now at times, a flow like state, like the simple beauty of some colorful fall leaves around a grand old tree. I'm relaxed and two hours has flown by.

A few writing related tips that help me.

1) Leave in the middle- I force myself to stop writing every day with an unfinished paragraph, or train of thought. This notion of unfinished business compels me back to write the next day.

2) Edit Out Loud with Paper- It's really hard to self-edit on a screen. I printed out the pages and read them out loud with a yellow highlighter. I found more typos, and tuned up the writing better and faster than screen-based reads.

3) Coffee Tonic- I rediscovered the coffee tonic. It's just an espresso shot with ice cubes and tonic water. It's one of those things that just works.

Finally, I wrote my first book for my son to have someday when he's older. I was able to reconnect with some old friends who had teens and young adult children. Their feedback was some of the themes in the book would be good for their teens to read. This gave me a completely unexpected sense of fulfillment.

Long walks are generally a good idea, but especially during Pandemic lockdown. We're a few weeks into the second lockdown of 2020. So far, it's not as severe as the first one this spring. We have a better idea of what to expect, but doing the right thing to keep everyone safe can lead to cabin fever. Something as simple as a long walk at dusk, snapping a few pics, and a take away burrito can work wonders.

2020 has been such a crazy time for the world. Ironically, given some of the recent divisiveness back stateside, it's always a thrill to hear American voices overseas, even in a nice place like Europe.

I've often read outdoor walks/runs benefit the creative process, there seems to be something to this. A few tips which helped me finally finish writing that first book follow below.

1) Wait to Edit- Editing is half of writing, but it's not writing. I'd write a few pages and then go back and edit. A month later, this chapter was tuned up nicely but twenty chapters could have been written in this same time period.

2) Volume leads to better edits- When you only have 2,000 words the idea of cutting two pages is tough. On the other hand when you are 200 pages in, cutting ten pages is psychologically much easier.

3) Work on two books at a time- This came from an article on Don Winslow. His process is get up early and just write then go for a walk. He always works on two books at a time. Writer's block can ebb and flow.

4) 20 Books to 50k- This is a Facebook writing group I wish I'd discovered ages back. There is a treasure trove of information on every aspect of writing, publishing etc.

These tips helped me.

There's an ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." The global COVID Pandemic seems to meet this criteria. First, deep condolences to anyone who has lost friends or loved ones to this virus. We will beat Corona, it's a test of our discipline until our best and brightest minds develop a vaccine.

There's a silver lining to every cloud, and as rough as lockdown can get, it does seem to lend itself to reading and writing. Hemingway, Barbara Tuchman, Cormac McCarthy, Don Winslow, and Orhan Pamuk are writers, as are Voltaire, and any of the Russian greats. I'm just a guy who finally finished his first young adult novel after decades of excuses and procrastination.

The initial inspiration was our little boy's excitement over all things Prehistoric, so much so, we had a Stone Age themed birthday party for him. The highlight here was a gaggle of rambunctious toddlers gleefully smacking me silly with plastic clubs. Maybe it knocked some inspiration my way?

The cliche is write the book you want to read. I finished writing a book I hope my toddler reads as a teen or young man. Two things got me over the hump, into the daily writing habit. People and frankly the Pandemic.

First, the expat friends I've made recently all love to read and are working on their own books. One of these friends turned me on to The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. His approach particularly the "Foolscap Method" just clicked with me.

Second, the Pandemic lockdowns were frankly a big part of the process as well. Writing and jogging became my stress relief, and then cathartic. I set a goal of either writing or jogging every morning for a week.

I learned writing is like a muscle, just like running it gets easier with practice. I wanted to accomplish something positive during The Pandemic. Finishing The Eagle Feather is the result.

We are creatures of habit, and forming a new one is easier if there is a reward. It was coffee for me. "For one week, I'm going to wake up, brush my teeth, and then write for 30 minutes. Then my reward is coffee. Big Boy rules, no writing no java."

This started the habit.

So, it's fair to say caffeine addiction and a once in a lifetime Pandemic are largely responsible for finishing my first book.

This blog is generally focused on writing, books, etc. However, especially on this historic date, IMHO it made sense to discuss an important timely topic. The Eagle Feather was written to share lessons from my late father to his grandson. Courage, Honesty, and Grit are prevalent themes.

As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, I follow the team closely. Dak Prescott the Dallas QB is a 27 year old who has displayed class and character both on and off the field. He is deeply respected as a leader by his team mates.

Dak came from a broken home, his mother was taken by Cancer when he was in college, and his brother recently committed suicide. Dak recently came forward about suffering depression as a result of COVID lockdown, and his brother's suicide.

Skip Bayless who is 68, runs a sports talk show, is an avid Cowboys fan. Skip's livelihood depends on saying controversial things. The media headlines indicate Skip stated a lack of compassion for Dak's depression revelation.

My $.02 on this, Skip isn't seeing the forest for the trees here.

First, people should actually watch what Skip said, while I disagree with his opinion, it wasn't nearly as callous as portrayed in the press. He basically said Dak shouldn't show weakness in a prominent leadership position for multiple reasons.

Winston Churchill, the legendary British Prime Minister who courageously defied Hitler when all the chips were down, also suffered from depression. He referred to it as "The Black Dog." A nation's leader in wartime is clearly more important than a football player. It made sense for Churchill to keep this under wraps, when his people were looking to him for strength, while the Luftwaffe bombed them daily.

This however isn't war, but just sports, which is entertainment. What Skip misses is two things. First, times change, the younger generation of men is more expressive about their emotions, which for better or worse is what it is.

However, the most important thing here is though a sports figure, Dak Prescott is one of the highest profile Americans on the planet, and the pandemic is a troubling time for the world. Any number of Americans are experiencing anxiety, depression, etc. these days.

If just one life is saved kudos to Dak. If just one person of any age, wrestling with the dark weight of depression looks to Dak Prescott's courageous example and seeks help in time, it's worth it.

The message is clear. Depression doesn't care if you are the Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, a young, rich, sports hero, it can affect us all.

There is no shame in getting help. Bravo Dak!