A PROUD DAD

Hi folks,

First, thanks to a lot of people's generosity and warm, giving natures, Craig McNeely emailed me to say that he and his family will be able to get a place to live by tomorrow! He asked me to thank all of the folks we may have reached. I know that like me, you're glad that his two little girls, his wife, and himself are going to be able to get off the streets! This is where social media shows its soul.

Now, I have to brag on my son Mike a bit. Mike's kind of a Renaissance Man in that he's talented on many levels. When he was in grade school, he and his friends made a spoof movie on Saving Private Ryan, he retitled Saving Ryan's Privates, where he followed his friend Ryan around school with a movie camera, and every time he came close to a girl Mike and his buddy tackled him in a heroic effort to save their friend's "privates." In high school, he was a star pitcher who played on several outstanding travel teams all over the country and his h.s. team won the large school state title twice.

On the mound for Snider H.S.

On his uncle's Harley...

And, as an 8th grade basketball player.


Nowadays, Mike is the top salesman at the Rogers & Hollands' Jewelry Store in Ft. Wayne, and recently was awarded their top employee of the year from all 80 of their stores.

In his spare time, Mike has always drawn really abstract forms and posted them on Instagram. Just recently, his work was discovered by a major art dealer who is going to present them in an exhibition and for sale. Won't name the gallery just yet until it's cleared to do so, but the owner is a well-regarded name in art circles. Anyway, I thought I'd post the images Mike sent to her which are being prepared for exhibition and sale. I think Mike got his art ability from me since I have none left, whereas his mother still has a lot. That only makes sense, right?

Anyway, here's Mike's drawings:

He has literally dozens and dozens and dozens of these as well as "regular" artwork. I'm really proud of him and this may mean the dawn of a new career for him. Hope you enjoy the look at his weird mind... That, I know he got from dad...

Not to mention his sister, Sienna is an extremely good artist as well. His other sister, Britney, is the outlier as she's a computer guru... We can't point to any parent for where she got those skills... not from me, anyway! But, we do know she got her brains from her mother since I still have all of mine...

In case you can't tell, I'm so damned proud of all of my kids!

Blue skies,
Les

I AM ONE PROUD FATHER!

Hi folks,

I am absolutely beaming these days! My oldest daughter Britney and my son-in-law Ray Robinson just released their book to help thyroid sufferers, my youngest daughter Sienna and my son-in-law Jason Cox keep growing the cutest grandson in the world, and then today... my son Mike was just named the Associate of the Year for Full-Time Employees by his boss at the premier jewelers, Rogers and Hollands. They award one part-time award and one award for full-time employees. Out of their chain of 80 stores! Mike nailed the full-time employee award! He works at the Ft. Wayne store and is always their leading salesperson. Also, just recently, Mike was awarded his 7th Platinum Sales Award in a row for his sales performance. I have to say that Mike got his brains from his mom Mary--the reason I know this is because I still have all of mine...

(Here's a photo of me and Mike getting made-up before one of our two appearances on MSNBC-TV for baseball. He was in the eighth grade then. He's a lot bigger now! Towers over me.)

CONGRATULATIONS, MIKE. Your mom and I are so darned proud of you, son! I'm so proud of all of my children!

(Please forgive a dad for bragging on his kids... but that's what we're supposed to do, right?)

Blue skies,
Les

Review of Terrence McCauley's PROHIBITION

Hi folks,

Today, I want to give some props to a friend of mine, Terrence McCauley, and his new novel, PROHIBITION. Terrence is an amazing writer and this is a book I really could not put down until I reached the end. Writing students could study this for its pacing alone.

Hope you trust my judgment and show Terrence some love by glomming onto his book if it looks like your cup of tea. Don't forget to hit the "Like" button and if you can, provide a review for him.

PROHIBITION by Terrence McCauley

At one time, it was assumed pulp fiction died in the fifties, but the genre is making a solid comeback these days. One of the publishers responsible for its rebirth is Airship 27. What is noteworthy is that original pulp fiction novels were famous both for their stories and for their cover art. In fact, individual artists would develop a reputation by being able to convey what the story was about with just a glance at the cover. Airship 27 has recognized this by giving readers outstanding work in both areas, as evidenced by their latest release, Terrence McCauley’s PROHIBITION, featuring ex-boxer and now mob enforcer Terry Quinn as the tough-as-barbed wire protagonist and illustrated by Rob Moran with Shannon Hall providing the coloring of Moran’s images. The result is a veritable return of the glory days of pulp. Each on their own—either McCauley’s story or Moran’s art—are worth the price of admission. Together, they’re worth much, much more.

Rarely have I encountered a novel that made me turn the pages at such a breathless pace. Mob enforcer Terry Quinn is destined to have his own wax figure unveiled if ever they create a pulp fiction hall of fame. PROHIBITION has it all—mob guys, gorgeous broads, speakeasies, Tommy guns, crooked politicians, smarmy reporters, Molotov cocktails, blood and bodies galore—everything pulp fiction fans want in their reading pleasure is here. My first thought after I read “The end” was that I wanted to read more Quinn. What a wonderful character! He’s realistic, original, and yet so true to the original pulp fiction milieu that it was like picking up one of those wonderful classics of yesteryear that I thought had disappeared forever. It’s back and with a vengeance!

McCauley immerses us not only into a physical world that’s totally believable and based on real historical figures, but the novel is also centered around a mystery that is revealed in the same way a clever and top-notch fighter reveals his skills in the ring to a respected opponent, little by little, round by round. Left hooks and right crosses come out at moments when you least expect them and they have the same effect as a real-life punch would. They smack you in the solar plexus and take your breath away. The pacing is superb. It just builds and builds and builds and the last third feels like you’re hurtling along in one of those high-speed Japanese trains. You sense immediately you’re in the hands of a writing master.

When you read this—and you should—take a moment to savor the cover and the art that graces each chapter heading. The drawings will flat-out take your breath away. Taken together—the art and the writing—signal a return to the glory that was once pulp fiction and is again.

Warning: Literary snobs may not enjoy it as much for it contains the one thing that many of those folks detest—entertainment value. This isn’t about some middle-aged English prof contemplating his navel and wondering why his wife left him. Terry Quinn and other such characters are why she left him—they got tired of hearing the guy conjugate verbs and wanted to hook up with someone who actually had a life, did things and had a set of steel beans in his jeans. That means that if you prefer your books to have sleeping powder qualities—don’t start reading this book.

You ain’t gonna sleep until it’s over.

I've got some other writer friends who I owe reviews of their terrific books, but I kind of slid Terrence in here ahead of the pile--just because. I'm working on the others!

Blue skies,
Les

Just posting this because it's one of my favorite pictures of my son Mike. This was his eighth-grade basketball team photo. He was about six feet tall then and played the post. Now, he's 6' 2" and plays... the couch... (One thing that hasn't changed--he's still a babe magnet...)