This may be an off-approach to talking about a book but I would like to step back in time for a moment…

                As a fan of history, I can’t help but talk about the many travels and incarnations of my second book, No More Tales To Tell.

                I knew at a young age that I wanted to create – to write, direct, produce, whatever it involved to be in that creative sphere.  As a teen, I entertained friends, classmates, and even a few teachers with my stories, and so it just felt natural to want to do that with my life.  My first semester at college propelled me into the Honors program and I wanted to take an elevated Creative Writing course, which was an independent study program.  The professor, author/musician Tom Lucas (Red Letter Day, Lifeboats), had not had me as a student and when I walked into his office for our first meeting, he looked at me from his desk with some disdain.

                “I’m not sure you can make it in my class,” he said, “I need to see a writing sample before I allow you to continue…”

                I left abruptly, dejected but somewhat angry; who was he to judge me without knowing me?

                I returned that Friday with 25 TYPED pages of a project I had started (this was in the mid 80’s, no computer).  The project was the abbreviated unfinished version of No More Tales.  I dropped it on his desk and left.  When I returned on Monday, he was a completely different person.  He had taken my only copy of the story and marked it up with comments, to the point where some lines were totally obscured.  His passion for the story quickly made us friends (and still friends to this day).  His instruction, his direction so long ago drove me to continue this work and finally finish the story nearly 30 years after its inception.

                No More Tales is unique, as it is often misconstrued as a collection of short stories.  In fact, each of the five stories are woven into the overall novel concept and are not stand-alone tales.

                Five men, immersed in their own decadence, gather each month to tell stories of death and present the others with some type of artifact from each of their supposedly factual tales.  Murder, suicide, accidental death, and a touch of the macabre fascinate these men.  However, on this night they are joined by a newcomer who has his own tale to spin upon the group.

                Now, back for a moment to the history of this book…

                It started 35 years ago with a collection of five tales that each of the original members told; over time, two of the stories left No More Tales – one became the very violent and morally questioned story, MONSTER, in my first book, Four Corners.  The second still lingers in my filing cabinet to this day, awaiting its return to the light when the time is right. 

                I grew up a fan of horror, with the films of Argento, Romero, Cronenberg and others, and the obvious writers like King, Saul, and Barker heavily influencing who I was at a young age.  Their ability to reach their audience with either graphic imagery or subtle nuance fascinated me, and still does to this day.  A good creepy tale will always make me smile, and I hope to do that for a reader when they finish No More Tales.

                For those out there wondering whether or not to finish that story or to sit down and write that novel, I would hope that my story connects with you.  It’s never too late to give up on your writing, and there’s always an audience to motivate you forward.  It’s not necessarily how many books that you sell but allowing the reader to connect to you through your work.  Never give up!  (quick nod to Author’s Lounge for giving me the opportunity to preach…)

                No More Tales To Tell is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle!

             Visit Amazon Website:    No More Tales To Tell