One of my favorite
vacation destinations is the beach. I prefer the ocean, but honestly, I’ll take
any beach, anywhere. I like the west coast because the sunsets are gorgeous,
but the eastern seaboard is growing on me.
This past summer,
my family spent a week on the beach. In the mornings before there were too many
people, I would take a walk in the sand. Dolphins played in the water close by.
Crabs scurried here and there. I think my footfalls disturbed them so they did
their crab walk to the safety of the holes they had burrowed into the sand.
As I walked, I
noticed that there were footprints both ahead of and behind me. I was not the
first one to walk the shore, nor was I the last. Some of the footprints were
small, others large. Some made a deeper impression than others. Some were small
and light, barely into the sand at all, but though faint, still visible.
Though I was on
vacation, my mind drifted off to school. I thought of the new teachers and
staff we hired. I thought of the new kids who would enter and make the school
their “home” for the next few years. I thought of the kids who were returning,
one year older.
I wondered how
many wanted a fresh start, a new beginning. I wondered who among us might allow
for that rather than placing their past front and center so that a fresh or new
start might not happen.
And I thought of
footprints . . .
Small or large.
Light or deep. Some fresh, some faded by time and the elements.
We touch lives,
all of us. We leave footprints on hearts and souls. Sometimes deeply embedded,
while others light and small. We shape the lives of kids . . . and each other .
. . by the words we use, by our actions. Sometimes we shape the lives of kids .
. . and each other . . . by the words we don’t use or by the actions we don’t
take.
Lives change, and
we change them. Directions are taken and paths are created by us whether we
know it or realize it or not. That is the essence of life, all of life.
With our
footprints, it is within our nature, our control, to create a smile or a tear.
With our footprints, it is within our power to build up and offer hope, or to
tear down and create despair. With our footprints, we can create confidence or
cause insecurity.
The thing is, each
of us, and each of the kids we work with . . . the kids we see in the hallway
or in the cafeteria; the kids who sit quietly in the classroom hoping against
hope that no one notices them; the adult who stands in the mailroom or sits
alone in a room; each of us has a story.
Each story is
likely different from our own. Some stories are like a Disney movie where all
is well and resolved at the end, while other stories read like a tragedy, and
perhaps there is no satisfying ending and never will be.
And then there are
those footprints . . . the ones that came before us and the ones who will come
after us. The footprints we leave on hearts and souls and minds, treading
kindly and softly, or roughly and hurtful. Footprints that might fade with time
or last a lifetime. With each footprint, a story. A story added to the story
already being played out. A story, good or bad, happy or sad. And our
footprints only adding to the story.
What footprints
will you leave behind? What stories will you help change . . . or create? We have that power, you and
I. We use it or abuse it each day. What is our choice . . . Today? Tomorrow? It
is our choice, our action or reaction. Our words or lack of them. Our
footprints. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
I have been absent
for about two months. I needed to recharge. I read. I watched movies. I wrote.
I spent time with my family, both immediate and extended. I needed it, so I hope
you don’t mind.
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer for Midwest Review
had some wonderful things to say about Spiral
Into Darkness:
“Joseph Lewis
excels in building more than just a 'whodunnit' mystery. His is a novel of
psychological suspense that weaves a 'cat-and-mouse' game into the equation of
dealing with a killer who is much cleverer than anyone he's run up against in
his career as a detective. Tension builds in an excellent, methodical manner as
Lewis creates a scenario that rests firmly on not just the actions of all
involved, but their psychological foundations. The result is a powerfully
written work of psychological fiction that is highly recommended not just for
mystery and police procedural readers, but for those who appreciate literary
works well grounded in strong characters, plot development, and emotional
tension. Great buildup, great insights, great reading!”
Readers Favorites wrote:
“If you enjoy
thrillers, especially psychological ones, Spiral
Into Darkness by Joseph Lewis will grab you good and proper in the opening
two chapters. You will find yourself avidly turning pages as a serial killer
accosts his victims, confirms their identities and blasts away their faces with
a .38 pistol. If you are interested in both the good and bad sides of humanity
and why we each turn out as we do, Spiral
Into Darkness won’t disappoint.”
Best Thrillers wrote:
“The Bottom Line:
A thoroughly compulsive police procedural by one of America’s most promising
new writers. Joseph Lewis, author of our
Best of 2018 pick Caught in a Web, is back with another crime thriller
featuring world-weary Milwaukee detective Jamie Graff . . . While Lewis
savagely explores romance, drama, and sexuality with his wider cast of
characters, Jamie’s interpersonal life is refreshingly free of drama for a cop,
enabling him to be the determined, resourceful rock capable of cracking the
case. The result is a thoroughly compulsive crime thriller.”
And, Spiral Into Darkness has made it into the Top 50
Indie Books by Reader’s Choice!
You can find Spiral Into Darkness on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm and on Barnes and Noble at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spiral-into-darkness-joseph-lewis/1129937958;jsessionid=0C9F7881E2F56139FAD36435022CB35D.prodny_store01-atgap18?ean=9781684332090
Best Thrillers had
previously reviewed my book, Caught in a
Web. It was named as a PenCraft
Literary Award Winner for Thriller Fiction! Best Thrillers called it “one of the best crime thriller books of
the year!” I am both proud and humbled.
You can find Caught in a Web on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696 or on Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
Caught in a Web is
now available in Audio format. You
can find it at https://www.beaconaudiobooks.com/audiobookreleases/high-school-drug-rings-gangs-and-revenge-are-all-encompassing-in-caught-in-a-web-by-joseph-lewis
If you do read Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, or any of my other books, please leave a
rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Spiral Into Darkness:
He blends in. He
is successful, intelligent and methodical. He has a list and has murdered eight
on it so far. There is no discernible pattern. There are no clues. There are no
leads. The only thing the FBI and local police have to go on is the method of
death: two bullets to the face- gruesome and meant to send a message. But it’s
difficult to understand any message coming from a dark and damaged mind. Two
adopted boys, struggling in their own world, have no idea they are the next
targets. Neither does their family. And neither does local law enforcement. https://amzn.to/2RBWvTm
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
Photo courtesy of Christopher
Sardegna and Unsplash
well said!
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