Mindjacker is now available as an e-book

My first crime thriller novel, MINDJACKER is now available as an ebook HERE

Irish Crime novelist and journalist Declan Burke posted a Q & A he did with me on his blog on June 26th HERE

Dec's novel THE BIG-O and the follow up CRIME ALWAYS PAYS are excellent reads, and his blog is a must read for any author.

MINDJACKER will be available in the APPLE bookstore and in print in July!

The Snake River Canyon Jump

September 8, 1974: Evel Knieval was a celebrity of the highest order and when he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in his skycyle everyone watched. It was my indoctrination to the "media spectacle".

If you never saw it, click here

Evil survived the jump with only minor injuries. Evel made the ultimate jump to the afterlife on November 30, 2007.

BUDDY CAN YOU SPARE......A ROCK

1975: Gary Dahl established Rock Bottom Productions, a company that sold the rocks for $3.95 each. The stones were imported from Rosarito Beach in Baja California and arrived swaddled in packing material and nestled in a small cardboard box, with air holes for the rock to breathe.

A thirty-two page official training manual was included, with instructions on how to properly raise and care for the Pet Rock. The instruction manual was full of gags, puns and jokes. It contained several commands that could be taught, like "sit" and "stay".

The fad lasted about six months and ended after the Christmas season of December 1975. I never owned one.

Currently Reading:"Dead Yard" (Adrian McKinty) & "Divorcing Jack" (Colin Bateman)

Song of the Day on the Commute: "Mistral Wind (live version)" (Heart)

Completed Novel: MINDJACKER, Crime Thriller

Current WIP: SISSY MURPHY, Crime Thriller

More Than A Feeling, for BOSTON

1976: Boston's debut album blew me away. I was 11 and again staying over my Granparent's double-decker in Boston. The houses were close together and some older kids lived next door. I heard this playing and listened from the window. Later that day, I asked one of the kids what they were listening to. They told it was a new group called Boston. The next day my Grandmother took me on the subway to downtown boston and bought it for me.

The lead guitarist, Tom Scholz, an MIT grad, actually created the effects devices that gave his playing it's signature sound.

Sadly, the lead singer Brad Delp killed himself in 2007.

I 100% think Boston belongs in the Music Hall of Fame.

Currently Reading: "Dead Yard" (Adrian McKinty) & "Divorcing Jack" (Colin Bateman)

Song of the Day on the Commute: "Girl From A Pawn Shop" (live version) (Black Crowes)

Completed Novel: MINDJACKER, Crime Thriller

Current WIP: SISSY MURPHY, Crime Thriller

LANCE KERWIN: 70's TEEN IDOL

Lance Kerwin was a household name in the 1970's. Most everyone knows him from the "Salem's Lot" mini-series. He was the poster boy for teens who dealt with issues of the times. The titles themselves say a lot obout what kind of movies they were: "James at Fifteen", "Children of Divorce", "The Boy who Drank too Much", you get the picture.

Lance was also in one of my top 5 favorite 1970's made-for-tv movies of all time, "THE DEATH OF RITCHIE". This movie will be the topic of another post, as will the other 4 favorites. So, stay tuned!

THE 45 RPM INSERT THINGY

Legend has it that when I went to visit my Grandmother even though I was only 2 1/2 years old in 1968, I would run right to her portable record player, rifle though her collection of old 45's and grab "Big John" by Jimmy Dean. I would snap the 45 RPM insert in, push the record onto the post, and push the lever to initiate the process that would drop the record onto the turnatable. My first spoken word was "light" because there was a little orange LED on the record player and I would point to it and say "light". Music has and always will be a huge part of my life, and it all started with the 45 RPM insert.

Currently Reading: "Dead Yard" (Adrian McKinty) & "Divorcing Jack" (Colin Bateman)

Song of the Day on the Commute: "Jesus Christ Pose" (Soundgarden)

Completed Novel: MINDJACKER, Crime Thriller

Current WIP: SISSY MURPHY, Crime Thriller

R.I.P Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper passed away over the weekend. He co-starred with Peter Fonda in EASY RIDER, which came out in 1969, but I didn't see it until around 1976, on TV. I loved it and it is still one of my all-time fav's.