Revisiting My Blog

 I've decided to give my blog another go, in case you've had anxiety over my lack of posts. Since the last time, I've had two short stories published and a new short story about a post-apocalyptic city on the Moon, "Olympus," about to be published. I actually completed three novels, but my original intent was to publish them as a trilogy. I decided instead to publish each to stand on their own, so I'm starting a rewrite of the first book. Authors, like painters, often take a longer look at their creations and decide it's just not good enough. In the meanwhile, I decided it was a good idea to raise my appeal among publishers by publishing some short stories. A mentor, author Catherine Jordan, whom I admire, accused me of not writing enough. Catherine's workshops are the reason I've become a better writer, as has my wife Carol, now published, and my daughter, Amy K. Lauver, whose novel Soulbound, will be released on September 20. Catherine was correct about my productivity. I could claim I write a great deal if I include Facebook and Twitter, but I have no chance of a Pulitzer Prize in social media. Which is the reason I am returning here. I have no problem turning a 280 character opinion into a 5,000-word essay. My posts are often way too long on Facebook. I prefer a more leisurely stroll.

I tend to become distracted by multiple interests, including an in-depth examination of my family history. I've discovered a few very interesting stories in my family tree that I may turn into books or short stories. They include such tales, all verified as true, as my 5th-great-grandfather who lived to age 124; my 10th great-grandmother accused of being a witch in New England in the mid-1600s; my ancestor who slew the Prince of Wales and became knighted; my grandfather who survived near death wounds on a French WWI battlefield and married the nurse who cared for him.

History is also full of interesting ideas for fiction or nonfiction, including a young woman who was born in my county of residence and, at age 29, was the last woman hanged in Boston in 1789. Rachel Schmidt Wall, if indeed that was her real name, is part legend and part tragic figure. She was hanged for "highway robbery," pleading her innocence to the end. But the legend of her being America's first lady pirate has far exceeded the evidence. Her story will either be an exoneration of her alleged crimes and history corrected, or it will turn into a novel of piracy. It's an interesting quandary. 

I have more to say, but that's enough for your reading endurement.

Stay healthy, my friends,
The Time Voyager.