What is Your Treasure?

Growing up in a family of ten on one income, even way back in the fifties and sixties, was tough. We didn’t have much, but we had plenty. Ironic, isn’t it?

We wore hand-me-downs, and mom patched holes in our jeans. Dad repainted bicycles. We had sports to play, books to read, a radio to listen to, and a TV to watch. Mom made sure we had food on the table, prepared and baked by her.

We had a backyard to play in, woods to explore, and a river to raft on. Church each Sunday- left side, third or fourth pew. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, though I didn’t excel or pursue scouting. I was into other things. Sports. Music. And school.

We had neighborhood friends to play with, but mostly, we had each other.

And then, somehow, I lost my treasure!

In college, I had a passion for coaching, but in order to coach, one should be (or so I thought) a teacher. I had always wanted to coach football alongside my brother, Jack. He’d coach defense, and I’d coach offense. Not to happen. I became a basketball coach by chance. The phone call to come interview stated I would teach social studies and be a head football coach, assistant basketball coach. Fine with me. Got to the interview, and about half-way through, they informed me they had hired a head football coach, and offered me head basketball with assistant football. I didn’t think much about it, and I said yes!

Thought I had found my treasure!

Always wanting better, always wanting bigger, I coached three years at the high school level, then two at the college level while earning a master’s degree in counseling, then went back to high school for five more. Tiring of it, I became a counselor.

Did that for many years- loved it. But I had wanted more: money, a bigger job, bigger whatever, so I became an administrator. Assistant at a large school for one year, principal at a small school my next. Principal at a bigger school for my next stop, and then principal for an even bigger school at my last stop.

Always wanting bigger, better. More pay. Bigger and nicer house. More. The thing is, at first it was for me. A bigger name, more recognition, all that … stuff.

The treasure I thought I had wasn’t much after all!

Then, I got married and had three beautiful kids. Everything shifted- as it should have. Maybe I matured. Maybe I evolved. Maybe I learned. Who knows?

My life became about them: Kim, Wil, Hannah, and Emily. Whatever I did, I wanted it for them! To make them happy, to see them successful, to ensure their lives beyond our own family.

I began doing for them, not me. Instead of money and recognition and all the “trappings” (and I emphasize trappings!) of my own success, it shifted and became about Kim and the kids! They have become and are my treasure.

And how satisfying it is now, and looking back on my life before Kim and my kids, how unsatisfying it all was then. What I thought was my treasure wasn’t. 

I think my semi-retirement has helped. No pressure. No paperwork or politics that come with the office of the principal. No major decisions other than what to eat that day. Nothing major except can the laundry wait one more day or should it be done now? 

I get up early on weekdays and do my part-time job at the high school- love it! I come home and I write- love it! I text the girls each day and many times throughout the day. I love hearing about their lives and what they’ve been up to. And Kim and I talk. We spend time together. Our biggest decision is what to watch on TV or what to eat for dinner.

My treasure became not about me- the me in my younger years, but has become about them- my family, my wife and kids- my true loves. They’ve become my life. They’ve become my treasure!

I’m so much happier for it. I’m so much healthier for it. I now have real and lasting treasure! Something to think about …

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

I have a new gig!

I was asked, and I accepted a position of Story Writer for Acorn TV. I write short stories or submit my books to them and they decided if they want to develop them into a TV series or movie. Good News! One of my short stories, Changes and Secrets, is going into production. They are flying in a crew of fifteen and a production manager to scout out locations, production design, and production schedule, and discuss with me the script, and possible changes. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

I mentioned in my last post that my ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. If you check out my author website at www.jrlewisauthor.blog/ you will find more about me, my writing, my books, my new gig as Story Writer, and my new book, 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: Two Top Shelf Awards: 1^st Place Fiction-Mystery; and Runner-Up Fiction-Crime; 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 Bjorn Pierre and Unsplash.

Don

Back in the early 90s, I was a counselor at a large high school in a high-poverty, high-gang area in Southern California. Kim and I had just gotten married, and we had Wil, seven or eight at the time, and Hannah, who was in day care. The school had approximately 2,400 students and among the student body, three active gangs: OVS (Ontario Villains), Pomona Kings, and Dog Patch. The principal, Bill, was fantastic, a great mentor, and I learned so much from him. Much of what I do and have become was a result of his influence.

It could have been a tense situation were it not for the wonderful, caring teachers and staff. I was part of a fantastic counseling team. I remember we had one shooting and a knifing that took place, both at lunch on separate days, and the way the faculty, staff and students responded was remarkable. No one died, thankfully, but as I recall it, I am still in awe at the school’s response.

I mentioned there were a number of remarkable staff. One teacher, in particular looms large in my memory.

Don.

An older guy, a math teacher. Graduated from an alternative high school. You know, the kind of school for struggling kids. Kids who don’t do well in a “normal” school. A school for kids who had run-ins with the administration, perhaps suspended long term.

In the years I worked with Don, he never told me why he graduated from an alternative school, other than to say, “School was not my thing.” Interesting that he became a teacher.

As a counselor (and later as an administrator), I learned that a school is much like a golf course. There are plenty of beautiful fairways to navigate, and more than a few rough areas, and of course, sand traps. There are the teachers you look for who will guide, nurture and love a kid. There were others that, depending upon the kid and the day, it could work out just fine. And then there were those you felt guilty for placing a kiddo in that teacher’s classroom. I think if you are a teacher, counselor or administrator reading this, you know who I’m talking about.

Don. 

On the surface, and at first glance, you might think he was a curmudgeon. Cranky. A sand trap. Some of his department mates didn’t care for him. Saw him as an outsider. And I guess that description would be correct. For good reason, though.

Kids loved Don. “Mr. A” they called him. Gang kids. Popular kids. Athletes. Band and choir kids. All kids.

You’re probably thinking, “Must be a pretty easy teacher.” Dead wrong! Tough as nails. High expectations. But what came along with those high expectations was his willingness to work with each kid- no matter who- to reach and exceed past those expectations. What came with those high expectations was his refusal to let a kid fail.

He didn’t believe in kids failing. If a kid didn’t pass a test, the kid had to show up for tutoring and retake it. As many times as needed until the kid passed. Not the same test. He had a different test for each time a kid took it. Different problems, but the same number of problems. Same level of difficulty.

Kids would show up before and after school. Even kids who had other math teachers. Rival gang members sitting side by side. Athletes, band kids, quiet kids, popular kids, all sitting together relearning the material and retaking a test. And all passed! Each kid. Simply because Don refused to give up on them.

I asked him why. I mentioned he puts in enormous amounts of time and effort. He has to construct the same tests over and over. All he did was shrug, smile and say, “I had a teacher who didn’t give up on me. I want to pass it on.” And with that, he walked back to his classroom because kids were lined up at his door waiting to get in. Waiting to get in, because they wanted to get in. They knew Don wouldn’t give up on them. Something to think about …

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

I mentioned in my last post that my ninth book, Fan Mail, has been accepted by my publisher, Black Rose Writing. The publication date is March 30, 2023. 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 Adrien Olicho and Unsplash.

 

 

 

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.