I
lived in several states. I grew up and lived in Wisconsin, and for my first
teaching and coaching position, I moved to Wyoming where I lived for three years.
There is a rugged beauty to that state. I lived in what are called the Nebraska
Sand Hills on the east-central part of the state. Wind was constant and cold
was numbing.
Being
a rookie (or an idiot) when it comes to propane, I woke up one night seeing my
breath and freezing. The propane tank was empty. Talk about bone chilling. A family
who looked after me while I lived out there took me to their house, where I
called the propane company, and they came out and filled my tank. Nice of the
family to do that, but they did that sort of thing all the time for me. I am so
thankful to them, and for them to have taken me in, so to speak. And, I learned
my lesson.
After
Wyoming, I lived in Omaha, Nebraska for two years, where I assisted as a coach
for the university and earned my master's degree in counseling. Then back to
Wisconsin for six years.
In
1987, I moved to California where even in the middle of winter, I didn’t have
to wear sixteen layers of clothes to keep warm. It seldom rained (my second
least favorite thing on the earth, though my wife might put bugs right up there
ahead of rain), and the weather was almost always sunny, and we loved it there.
That’s where I met Kim (also from Wisconsin, but we had to travel to the west
coast to find each other), and where we started or family.
Then
we moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family. Ten years. And it was cold.
Again.
I
found that when you grow up in cold weather, you don’t think much of it. You
get used to it. Throw on a sweater, a jacket, a hat, some boots and some mittens,
and you’re pretty much good to go. But leave the cold climate and live in a
warm climate, and then move back, it is a rude and unwelcomed awakening. So
much so, in 2008, Kim and I moved to Virginia, where we still get some weather,
but by and large, it’s comfortable year-round.
I
thought of my experience with cold weather and warm weather, and thought of
those poor folks in Texas and other southern states who aren’t used to the cold
and who can’t jet away to Cancun to escape it. Folks without water, without
electricity, without quite a bit that I . . . we . . . take for granted.
Parents
not having enough food or water or heat. And when it thaws, and it will thaw,
whatever was frozen becomes unfrozen. Pipes burst. Walls and ceilings and floors
are ruined. Houses trashed along with some lives. Some lives lost.
It
makes me . . . hopefully, us . . . appreciate what we have. The little
inconveniences in my life are nothing compared to what these poor folks in Texas
and other southern states are going through. I’ve never had to boil water in my
lifetime. I had only one experience when cold took my comfort away, and that
was short-lived. My life returned to normal only after a few hours, whereas
these poor folks’ lives return to normal will take days, weeks, or possibly
longer.
Tragedy,
and I would classify the events of this past week or so as exactly that, knows
no religion. Tragedy knows no political party. Tragedy doesn’t care if you are
wealthy or poor. Tragedy doesn’t respect differences in gender, in sexual
preference, in age. Tragedy touches what it wants, when it wants, where it
wants without concern for boundary or what side of the tracks one lives.
I
write this at the kitchen table in a fairly comfortable chair, with the heat
on, the TV playing in the background, and after I ate my breakfast and took a
shower and cleaned myself up for the day. There are folks out there right now,
living right now, who don’t have these basic necessities. Parents who are
worried about their children. Kids who are worried about their parents. So much
pain. So much worry. Something to think about . . .
Live
Your Life, and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
I have a new
author's website, in addition to my Facebook Author’s Page.
On it, I talk about
writing. I introduce characters from my books. I release snippets from those
books. I let you in on any interviews I have done. I will let you know of any
events coming up for books sales and signings. Mostly, it is my way of reaching
out to you so that you get to know my author side of life.
You can find it at: https://jrlewisauthor.blog/
Some recent posts
include:
- Parts of a Story – the Middle
- Betrayed – What is it about? And What
were my thoughts writing it?
- Parts of a Story – the Beginning
-
Why I Write, and Why I Read
-
A Snippet from Spiral Into Darkness
- The Book Description and Book Trailer
for Caught in a Web
- The Importance and Use of Setting
- Meet Brian, One of My Characters!
- Meet George, One of My Characters!
Other ways you can connect with me on Social
Media:
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Another Five Star Review for my book, Betrayed:
“This 339-page psychological thriller from talented Joseph
Lewis draw us into his characters’ lives and keeps us page-turning. The intricate character-driven action and adventure
plot is solidly written. In this emotional and stirring tale of teenage love,
adventure and murder, the story examines blended family relationships, how they
relate to one another amid a mystery—with a larger mystery that swiftly turns
violent—and gives unique background viewpoints into Navajo culture and beliefs.
This is a multi-layered adventure story with twists and turns, exploding
eventually into a hair-raising bullet-ridden finale.
Written with honesty and integrity, this able author presents
us with a unique story of survival and kinship. It is educational, interesting,
and entertaining. Joseph
Lewis’ skill and sensitivity in handling delicate and potentially troubling
subject matters, is deserving of this 5-star review. Readers can look forward
to accessing more of his well-written and stirring unusual tales. Well done Mr. Lewis.”
– Eliza Earsman,
author of Days of Elijah
Betrayed: A Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Winner!
A late-night phone call, a missing kid, a
murdered family, but no one is willing to talk. A promise is made and kept, but
it could mean the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Seeing is not believing. No
one can be trusted, and the hunters become the hunted. https://amzn.to/2EKHudx
Spiral Into Darkness: Named a Recommended Read
in the Author Shout Reader Awards!
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: A PenCraft Literary Award
Winner! Named “One of the Best Thrillers of 2018!” by BestThrillers.com
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. 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, the FBI can
protect him or his family. And he cannot protect himself. http://tinyurl.com/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis
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 Robert Zunikoff and Unsplash
