One More Time

 

Welcome letters have been sent. Moms and Dads walk the aisles of Walmart and Target alongside eager kids seeking supplies for the year. My wife has worked this summer putting together an online course for seventh graders. And I’m pecking away on my laptop thinking about the first day of my 47^th year in education.

47 years!

A long time for many, but I can think of at least two teachers who have me beat. One is a substitute now, while the other is still teaching English. I’m only part time, which means thirty hours a week. Have to keep it at or under 30 because I am “officially retired” in the eyes of the state. Yet, I just renewed my license for another ten years, so …

47 years!

A lot has changed in education since I started back in 1976. I developed two courses based on behavioral objectives. Was big on Bloom’s Taxonomy back then. Still am, I guess. Huge on reading and writing, even in social studies and psychology- my field of study and teaching.

Back then in Wyoming, a common practice was “paddling” a student for disciplinary measures. The principal did the application, while I had to be a second set of eyes on more than one occasion. Have to admit I shut my eyes and tried not to hear the whack and sudden gasp of breath, and tried not to see the tears. Demeaning on many levels. Hell, I don’t think Kim nor I ever spanked our kids. Just couldn’t bring ourselves to do that.

Was a coach back then. Basketball and football, though basketball was where I made my mark. Or I should say, the kids made my mark. I was more of a motivator than a coach. Hung up the whistle after ten or so years. Tired of it. All time consuming. Became a year-round job. I was looking to settle down. Thought of marriage and having kids, though it was several years before that actually happened. Fortunate it did. Happy it did. I love my wife, my kids, and my life.

47 years!

I am an online learning facilitator. I don’t know if that’s an official title or one I made up. Whatever, it fits what I do. I help kids who use a learning platform for their course. A lot like monitoring a study hall, but kids are busy working. I’m there to help if help is needed. Not much interaction, though I like to tease them and a few will tease me back.

47 years!

A teacher, coach, counselor, administrator, back to teaching once again. Grew up in Wisconsin. Lived in Wyoming, Nebraska, and California. Met Kim in California, though she too, was from Wisconsin, growing up only ten miles from where I went to high school. Didn’t know her until we ended up on the same campus. I was a counselor. She was a PE and health teacher and head softball coach. This summer, we celebrated 30 years together.

We talk about what we might have done differently, given the chance. Only things we come up with and talk about is getting married sooner and never leaving California. Loved it there. But we wanted to be nearer to our families.

47 years!

A lot has changed. A lot is still the same. I’m quieter now. Move a bit slower. No longer an administrator, I don’t have to make decisions. Thankful about that. Don’t have to deal with paperwork or politics- my least two favorite things about teaching and education. I smile more. I’m happier now. Much happier. Thankful, actually. Hell, it only took 47 years to get there! Something to think about …

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

My ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. I am so pleased with this book. It differs from my other work in that it is a coming-of-age story embedded in a tight thriller. More to come on that- I promise! In fact, if you check out my author website at www.jrlewisauthor.blog/ you will find more about me, my writing, my books, and Fan Mail.

While you wait for Fan Mail to hit, I hope you take the time to enjoy my other work. The last four books have won twelve awards, while my Lives Trilogy has won two.

If you have read one of my books, I would like to ask a favor. If you could go online and write a review or, at the least, give a rating on the book, it would be of great help. Both a review and a rating would be wonderful. The review could be one or two lines. It doesn’t have to be long. Just let others know you read it and hopefully, enjoyed it. Obviously, 4s and 5s are the best. Thanks for this consideration.

Connect with me on Social Media: 
Author Website: www.jrlewisauthor.blog/
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author  
Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Blaze In, Blaze Out: A Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read! A BestThriller’s Editor’s Pick!

Eiselmann and O’Connor thought the conviction of Dmitry Andruko, the head of a Ukrainian crime family, meant the end. It was only the beginning. They forgot that revenge knows no boundaries, vindictiveness knows no restraints, and ruthlessness never worries about collateral damage. Andruko hired contract killers to go after and kill O’Connor and Eiselmann. The killers can be anyone and be anywhere. They can strike at any time. They care nothing of collateral damage. Andruko believes a target is a target, and in the end, the target must die. https://amzn.to/34lNllP

Betrayed: A PenCraft 1^st Place Winner for Thriller-Fiction! A Maxy Award Runner-Up for Mystery/Suspense! A Literary Titan Silver Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read Award Winner! A Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner for Fiction-Crime-Mystery!

Betrayed is Now Available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! https://amzn.to/3AfUUpS

A late-night phone call, a missing kid, a murdered family, but no one is talking. A promise is made and kept, but it could mean the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Greed can be all-consuming, and 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. So far, he has murdered eight people. 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, do not know 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 

Caught in a Web is also available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! http://bit.ly/2WO3kka

They found the bodies of high school and middle school kids dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. A violent gang, MS-13, controls the drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors. They send Ricardo Fuentes 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. 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. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696  
 
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 live in separate parts of the country, the lives of 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 Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their futures grow dark as each search for a way out. https://amzn.to/34nXBH5
 
Book One, Stolen Lives: Editor’s Pick by BestThrillers! Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Crime Thriller finalist in the 2021 Best Thriller Book Awards!
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 will end up like the other kids they found- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. To make the investigation that much tougher, Kelliher suspects that one of his team members might be involved. https://amzn.to/3oMo4qZ  
 
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
The boys are home, but now they have to fit back in with their families and friends. Their parents and the FBI thought the boys were safe. They were until people began dying. Now the hunt is on for six dangerous and desperate men who vow revenge. With no leads and nothing to go on, the FBI can only sit back and wait. A dangerous game that threatens not only the boys, but their families. https://amzn.to/2RAYIk2 
 
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
Three dangerous men with nothing to lose offer a handsome reward to anyone willing to kill fourteen-year-old Brett McGovern. He does not know that he, his younger brother, and a friend are targets. More than anyone, these three men vow to kill George, whom they blame for forcing them to run and hide. A fun vacation turns into a nightmare and ends where it started, back on the Navajo Nation Reservation, high on a mesa held sacred by George and his grandfather. Outnumbered and outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives  

Photo Courtesy of Deleece Cook and Unsplash.

 

 

 

Signals

This summer, I didn’t do much. In other summers, I worked as an administrator year-round, with days or a week or two off for vacation. This summer, I helped summer school for one week, and was a remote online learning facilitator. Basically, I did what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted. Kim and I had time to spend together and that was fun.

Each July, we take a family vacation. Typically, we head to the beach because our family is a water family. Earlier this month, we spent our vacation in Charleston, South Carolina in a beach house. It was small, cozy, and opened up right on the beach. We saw dolphins. A momma turtle laid eggs, and we saw a volunteer move the eggs to a safer location on the beach, and our daughter, Hannah, helped dig it as deep as it needed to be.

We toured the downtown. Took two boat tours. Enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage tour. Listened to the history of the city and area. We walked miles. We took turns preparing meals or ate out at our leisure.

Then we came home.

It seems that the end of our vacation signals the start of a new school year. Hannah, a third grade teacher in a district in her home town, starts near Labor Day. Emily and her boyfriend begin new jobs in August. Emily, as a therapist, and Q as a special education teacher and head wrestling coach.

Kim begins in a week with what we call, Teacher Week. I am semi-retired working as an online learning facilitator thirty hours a week. I begin with Kim, though I am not “expected” to be present for all of Teacher Week. I work as needed.

I also notice the displays at different stores change. School supplies. Halloween decorations. Advertisements for fall clothing. I’ve even seen several notifications of Christmas “around the corner.”

Signals.

All around us. We step on a scale and see the numbers grow- a signal we might need to eat better and get more active. We receive a phone call from a doctor- a signal we have a health check up coming, or perhaps we had one and the results are as great as we had hoped. The check engine light glows ominously on the dashboard- a signal our car needs to be taken care of.

We move slower- a signal we are getting older. We enter a room and forget what it was we came to get- a signal we need to sharpen our memory. We receive news of some sort letting us know of someone’s passing, or a marriage of a dear friend, or a birth of a child, or of someone moving to a different location.

Signals.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Signals are harbingers of good, as well as bad, happy as well as sad, and all things in between. Signals need to be heeded, whatever they may be. Signals give us an opportunity to take stock of our lives, our thinking, our hearts, and our souls. Signals give us an opportunity to change, to do better, to be better.

As one season changes to another, as one month fades away and another begins, even as one week ends and another begins, let’s take stock of where we are at the moment. Let’s heed our signals- be them big or small, alarming or not. It’s never too late to change course, to begin again, to renew our thoughts, our hearts, our souls. Never too late. Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

My ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. I am so pleased with this book. It differs from my other work in that it is a coming-of-age story embedded in a tight thriller. More to come on that- I promise!

While you wait for Fan Mail to hit, I hope you take the time to enjoy my other work. The last four books have won twelve awards, while my Lives Trilogy has won two.

If you have read one of my books, I would like to ask a favor. If you could go online and write a review or, at the least, give a rating on the book, it would be of great help. Both a review and a rating would be wonderful. The review could be one or two lines. It doesn’t have to be long. Just let others know you read it and hopefully, enjoyed it. Obviously, 4s and 5s are the best. Thanks for this consideration.

Connect with me on Social Media: 
Author Website: www.jrlewisauthor.blog/
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author  
Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Blaze In, Blaze Out: A Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read! A BestThriller’s Editor’s Pick!

Eiselmann and O’Connor thought the conviction of Dmitry Andruko, the head of a Ukrainian crime family, meant the end. It was only the beginning. They forgot that revenge knows no boundaries, vindictiveness knows no restraints, and ruthlessness never worries about collateral damage. Andruko hired contract killers to go after and kill O’Connor and Eiselmann. The killers can be anyone and be anywhere. They can strike at any time. They care nothing of collateral damage. Andruko believes a target is a target, and in the end, the target must die. https://amzn.to/34lNllP

Betrayed: A PenCraft 1^st Place Winner for Thriller-Fiction! A Maxy Award Runner-Up for Mystery/Suspense! A Literary Titan Silver Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read Award Winner! A Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner for Fiction-Crime-Mystery!

Betrayed is Now Available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! https://amzn.to/3AfUUpS

A late-night phone call, a missing kid, a murdered family, but no one is talking. A promise is made and kept, but it could mean the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Greed can be all-consuming, and 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. So far, he has murdered eight people. 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, do not know 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 

Caught in a Web is also available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! http://bit.ly/2WO3kka

They found the bodies of high school and middle school kids dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. A violent gang, MS-13, controls the drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors. They send Ricardo Fuentes 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. 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. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696  
 
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 live in separate parts of the country, the lives of 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 Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their futures grow dark as each search for a way out. https://amzn.to/34nXBH5
 
Book One, Stolen Lives: Editor’s Pick by BestThrillers! Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Crime Thriller finalist in the 2021 Best Thriller Book Awards!
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 will end up like the other kids they found- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. To make the investigation that much tougher, Kelliher suspects that one of his team members might be involved. https://amzn.to/3oMo4qZ  
 
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
The boys are home, but now they have to fit back in with their families and friends. Their parents and the FBI thought the boys were safe. They were until people began dying. Now the hunt is on for six dangerous and desperate men who vow revenge. With no leads and nothing to go on, the FBI can only sit back and wait. A dangerous game that threatens not only the boys, but their families. https://amzn.to/2RAYIk2 
 
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
Three dangerous men with nothing to lose offer a handsome reward to anyone willing to kill fourteen-year-old Brett McGovern. He does not know that he, his younger brother, and a friend are targets. More than anyone, these three men vow to kill George, whom they blame for forcing them to run and hide. A fun vacation turns into a nightmare and ends where it started, back on the Navajo Nation Reservation, high on a mesa held sacred by George and his grandfather. Outnumbered and outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives  

Photo Courtesy of Mark Stosberg and Unsplash.

 

 

   

Moments

I’ve written on this topic before, but I’ve had an experience recently that caused me to pause and consider the topic again. I’m at the age when the “check engine” light comes on and it better be heeded.

In the last week or so, I took one of the home testing kits that has been advertised. I’ve taken it before, approximately six years ago, and it came back negative. No problems, all is good. However, this go-round, it came back positive. The doctor’s office contacted me and said I needed to see a specialist because of the possibility of cancer.

Cancer.

Kim did some research and found that a “positive” doesn’t always mean cancer, but rather, the test “detects something” in the body. And, the test has its share of false positives. My worry was still present, but it lessened.

I made an appointment with the specialist, a procedure was done, and the doctor sent two specimens to pathology, but he also stated with a fair amount of certainty that nothing was abnormal and I’d be fine.

Still, I began thinking of the many moments in my life that meant something to me. My marriage to Kim. The birth of our first child, Hannah. The adoption of our son, Wil. The birth of our daughter, Emily. The first book I wrote and published. Going way back, taking a team to a state championship and winning. My first teaching and coaching position in Wyoming. Being asked to coach at the collegiate level. My first and second master’s degree. Being a counselor. An administrator.

Watching my daughter play in a collegiate soccer game, earning several awards along the way. Watching both daughters graduate and receive jobs. Walking Hannah down the aisle with Kim at Hannah’s and Alex’s wedding.

I thought about the events in my life that were tragic. The death of our son, Wil. The illness and death of my sisters, Donna, Betty, and Joanne. The death of my father and mother.  

And I thought about the things I still wanted to do. Hold my first (of many) grandchild. More vacations with Kim. Holiday celebrations with my family. Other book ideas I want to put in print.

Just so much more . . .

I wrote and completed a new book recently. Fan Mail drops in March 2023. In it, there is a conversation that takes place between Brian, a high school kid struggling with his family and discovering who he is, and his basketball coach, Tommy Harrison. The conversation is one of the deeper moments in the story. Harrison says:

“… but when it comes to living your own life, there is no wrong or right. We are given a life. We are given moments. We have to make the most of those moments in our lives.”

When I wrote this and subsequent passages in that book, I did not know my home test would give me a positive result and no idea the result would be false. Yet, that test brought me right back to this passage in the book I had written. How my life parallels the lives of the characters I create in my books! Not totally, of course. The characters aren’t me. Yet, they are me because they come from me.

Just this week, there were/are several huge moments in my life. The birthday of my son-in-law, Alex, was July 9^th. Today, July 11^th is Kim’s and my anniversary. Tomorrow, July 12^th, is the day our son, Wil, was shot and killed as he walked down a Chicago street. And there will be other moments to come, some I know about, others not until they happen.

There was a modern pope, and I forget which one, who on his deathbed stated, “I am ready. My bags are packed.” What a cool way to go out. When my time comes, I’d like to think that my bags will be packed, too. Right now, however, they aren’t. I have things scattered everywhere. There are things I still want to do. Necessary things? Probably not to others, but necessary to me. Yet, when the time comes, I want my bags to be packed. I want to be ready.

And like Harrison said in my book, Fan Mail, between now and then, I have a life to live and moments to embrace and cherish. I think all of us do, don’t we? Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Positive Difference! 

To My Readers:

My publisher, Black Rose Writing, has a special tomorrow only! You can purchase the Kindle version of my book, Stolen Lives, for only $0.99. Again, this is only for tomorrow. If you’d like to start at the beginning of my books, this would be a great way to begin. Stolen Lives is the first book of the Lives Trilogy and introduces you to all or most of the characters in my subsequent books. Tomorrow only- $0.99 on Kindle.

My ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. I am so pleased with this book. It differs from my other work in that it is a coming-of-age story embedded in a tight thriller. More to come on that- I promise!

While you wait for Fan Mail to hit, I hope you take the time to enjoy my other work. The last four books have won twelve awards, while my Lives Trilogy has won two awards.

And, if you have read one of my books, I would like to ask a favor. If you could go online and write a review or, at the least, give a rating on the book, it would be of great help. Both a review and a rating would be wonderful. The review could be one or two lines. It doesn’t have to be long. Just let others know you read it and hopefully, enjoyed it. Obviously, 4s and 5s are the best. Thanks for this consideration.

Connect with me on Social Media: 
Author Website: www.jrlewisauthor.blog/
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author  
Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Blaze In, Blaze Out: A Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read! A BestThriller’s Editor’s Pick!

Eiselmann and O’Connor thought the conviction of Dmitry Andruko, the head of a Ukrainian crime family, meant the end. It was only the beginning. They forgot that revenge knows no boundaries, vindictiveness knows no restraints, and ruthlessness never worries about collateral damage. Andruko hired contract killers to go after and kill O’Connor and Eiselmann. The killers can be anyone and be anywhere. They can strike at any time. They care nothing of collateral damage. Andruko believes a target is a target, and in the end, the target must die. https://amzn.to/34lNllP

Betrayed: A PenCraft 1^st Place Winner for Thriller-Fiction! A Maxy Award Runner-Up for Mystery/Suspense! A Literary Titan Silver Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read Award Winner! A Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner for Fiction-Crime-Mystery!

Betrayed is Now Available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! https://amzn.to/3AfUUpS

A late-night phone call, a missing kid, a murdered family, but no one is talking. A promise is made and kept, but it could mean the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Greed can be all-consuming, and 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. So far, he has murdered eight people. 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, do not know 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 

Caught in a Web is also available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! http://bit.ly/2WO3kka

They found the bodies of high school and middle school kids dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. A violent gang, MS-13, controls the drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors. They send Ricardo Fuentes 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. 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. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696  
 
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 live in separate parts of the country, the lives of 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 Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their futures grow dark as each search for a way out. https://amzn.to/34nXBH5
 
Book One, Stolen Lives: Editor’s Pick by BestThrillers! Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Crime Thriller finalist in the 2021 Best Thriller Book Awards!
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 will end up like the other kids they found- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. To make the investigation that much tougher, Kelliher suspects that one of his team members might be involved. https://amzn.to/3oMo4qZ  
 
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
The boys are home, but now they have to fit back in with their families and friends. Their parents and the FBI thought the boys were safe. They were until people began dying. Now the hunt is on for six dangerous and desperate men who vow revenge. With no leads and nothing to go on, the FBI can only sit back and wait. A dangerous game that threatens not only the boys, but their families. https://amzn.to/2RAYIk2 
 
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
Three dangerous men with nothing to lose offer a handsome reward to anyone willing to kill fourteen-year-old Brett McGovern. He does not know that he, his younger brother, and a friend are targets. More than anyone, these three men vow to kill George, whom they blame for forcing them to run and hide. A fun vacation turns into a nightmare and ends where it started, back on the Navajo Nation Reservation, high on a mesa held sacred by George and his grandfather. Outnumbered and outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives  

Photo of Unknown, most likely family.

Enemies

During the summer before we worked at odd jobs, as a kid growing up in the country by the river and not having much in terms of toys, my brothers and I could let our imaginations run wild. The big green apple tree in the backyard was everything from a WWII bomber to a pirate ship to a haunted house to a fort and more. We would climb as high as we could and play. The branches worn to something more comfortable. Hours upon hours. Went into the house for meals or a potty break and finally to bed. The routine would begin the next day.

One side was the good guys, while the other side was the bad guys. Whichever flavor of good and bad fit us at the moment. Cowboys over the Indians. The Union over the Confederates. The US over the Germans or Japanese. Remember, we were little, and it was the late fifties and early sixties, so political niceties were unknown to us. Now, even as I write the above, I cringe. This paragraph came close to not existing because I didn’t and don’t want to offend anyone.

As I grew older, I discovered not all were friends. Sometimes, for whatever reason, some didn’t like me. Generally, I stayed away from them and went about my business and they to their own. Mostly, it worked. I remember a fistfight or two, but even they were rare. 

Later came organized sports. Teams. Of course, the team we were on were the good guys, and the other team were the bad guys, the enemy. We had to beat them. The higher the margin, the better. Records were kept. Statistics written down, letting us know just how good we did. 

It carried on into my adult life as I became a coach. A state consolation championship, a state runner-up, and a state championship in my first three years of coaching. A 56 and 17 record earned in those three years. We were at or near the top and other teams and coaches gunned for us and me.

Later, as I coached another team, my record wasn’t so stellar. But it was fun, and we had our share of success. Some fond memories.

As a teacher, a coach, a counselor, and as an administrator, I developed my share of supporters and my share of detractors. Some loved everything I did, while others, not so much. As the old saying goes, “If everyone agrees with you, you’re probably doing something wrong.” and “Can’t please everyone.” I made some decisions I’d like to take back, while others I knew in my heart were for the best. Still, not everyone agreed with me.

In today’s world, especially in politics, you are friend or foe. If you carry one label, you can’t and you shouldn’t side with those carrying a different label. Unheard of. Impossible. We can’t agree with the other side, because then we will never keep or get the majority. In fact, we need to do all we can to make the other guys look stupid, look weak, and look ineffective. Such is the world of politics today.

When President Obama was elected, he requested a photograph of the living presidents all together. George W. Bush arranged for that to happen. In one candid shot, they were laughing at something and it seemed so genuine, so honest, so sincere. No labels. No winners or losers. Just a group of men enjoying each other’s company and enjoying a laugh. I remember George W. Bush handing a mint to Mrs. Obama at a solemn ceremony. Touching. They are friends still.

I’m on the backside of the mountain of life. A lot of miles on my tread. Missing some hair, and what hair I have is mostly gray. I’m thicker in the middle. I’ve shrunk at least an inch. (I’m afraid if I keep shrinking, I’ll be moved to someone’s flower bed with a pointy hat on my head and a garden tool in my hand and wearing bib overalls.) I don’t move so quickly anymore. Sometimes, it takes me a moment to remember things.

I remember the little, sometimes the big, hurts others caused me or members of my family. I remember the time and place and in some of those memories, I remember the circumstances and situations. However, what has left me was the anger I felt. Sometimes the hurt has lingered, but the anger, not so much. I think it’s better that way, don’t you?

We’re taught to forgive and forget. Sometimes, not the easiest thing to do. But I’ve come to realize that if I hold on to that hurt and anger, I’m weighed down. I’m burdened by it. Simply remembering it changes my mood and my day.

I think I’ve learned to forgive, but sometimes the forgetting is harder to do. But I’m older. Maybe not wiser, but I know I’m older. I’m not going to carry around that baggage any longer. Most all of it has been tossed to the side. Time and distance does that. Age does that. I find I’d rather enjoy the moment, the present, rather than the past. More meaningful that way.

Some memories I will always cherish. Others? Not so much. I think when you realize there isn’t as much time left as there once was, a lot of it becomes small and meaningless. I’d rather remember the good times, those memories that I’ve kept tucked away in my heart. I’d rather keep those. Maybe for you too? I hope so. Something to think about. . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

My ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. I am so pleased with this book. It differs from my other work in that it is a coming-of-age story embedded in a tight thriller. More to come on that- I promise!

While you wait for Fan Mail to hit, I hope you take the time to enjoy my other work. The last four have won ten awards, while my Lives Trilogy has won two awards.

And, if you have read one of my books, I would like to ask a favor. If you could go online and write a review or, at the least, give a rating on the book, it would be of great help. Both a review and a rating would be wonderful. The review could be one or two lines. It doesn’t have to be long. Just let others know you read it and hopefully, enjoyed it. Obviously, 4s and 5s are the best. Thanks for this consideration.

Connect with me on Social Media: 
Author Website: www.jrlewisauthor.blog/
Twitter at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author  
Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /

Blaze In, Blaze Out: A Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read! A BestThriller’s Editor’s Pick!

Eiselmann and O’Connor thought the conviction of Dmitry Andruko, the head of a Ukrainian crime family, meant the end. It was only the beginning. They forgot that revenge knows no boundaries, vindictiveness knows no restraints, and ruthlessness never worries about collateral damage. Andruko hired contract killers to go after and kill O’Connor and Eiselmann. The killers can be anyone and be anywhere. They can strike at any time. They care nothing of collateral damage. Andruko believes a target is a target, and in the end, the target must die. https://amzn.to/34lNllP

Betrayed: A PenCraft 1^st Place Winner for Thriller-Fiction! A Maxy Award Runner-Up for Mystery/Suspense! A Literary Titan Silver Book Award Winner! A Reader’s Ready Recommended Read Award Winner! A Reader’s Favorite Honorable Mention Award Winner for Fiction-Crime-Mystery!

Betrayed is Now Available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! https://amzn.to/3AfUUpS

A late-night phone call, a missing kid, a murdered family, but no one is talking. A promise is made and kept, but it could mean the death of a fifteen-year-old boy. Greed can be all-consuming, and 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. So far, he has murdered eight people. 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, do not know 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 

Caught in a Web is also available in Audio Book, Kindle and Paperback! http://bit.ly/2WO3kka

They found the bodies of high school and middle school kids dead from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. A violent gang, MS-13, controls the drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors. They send Ricardo Fuentes 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. 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. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696  
 
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 live in separate parts of the country, the lives of 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 Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their futures grow dark as each search for a way out. https://amzn.to/34nXBH5
 
Book One, Stolen Lives: Editor’s Pick by BestThrillers! Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner! A Crime Thriller finalist in the 2021 Best Thriller Book Awards!
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 will end up like the other kids they found- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. To make the investigation that much tougher, Kelliher suspects that one of his team members might be involved. https://amzn.to/3oMo4qZ  
 
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
The boys are home, but now they have to fit back in with their families and friends. Their parents and the FBI thought the boys were safe. They were until people began dying. Now the hunt is on for six dangerous and desperate men who vow revenge. With no leads and nothing to go on, the FBI can only sit back and wait. A dangerous game that threatens not only the boys, but their families. https://amzn.to/2RAYIk2 
 
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
Three dangerous men with nothing to lose offer a handsome reward to anyone willing to kill fourteen-year-old Brett McGovern. He does not know that he, his younger brother, and a friend are targets. More than anyone, these three men vow to kill George, whom they blame for forcing them to run and hide. A fun vacation turns into a nightmare and ends where it started, back on the Navajo Nation Reservation, high on a mesa held sacred by George and his grandfather. Outnumbered and outgunned, George will make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his adoptive father and his adoptive brothers- but can he? Without knowing who these men are? Or where they are? Without knowing whom to trust? Is he prepared for betrayal that leads to his heartbreak and death? http://bit.ly/SplinteredLives  

Photo of GR Stocks and Unsplash.