Today’s post concerns a book that I just finished reading, entitled My GRL, which is the name of a boat that plays a central role in a great story for fans of thrillers. The main character, John Cannon, has taken a leave of absence from his law firm, and I can easily see him returning in future books if that leave continues. Give My GRL a look, and pick up your copy on Amazon. 

Review of My GRL

by

John W. Howell

     I wasn’t able to fully fall into this book because I’m not a fan of first person, present tense. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it’s because the narration tends to be too casual for my personal tastes. I like the narrative to be a little more formal, with a distinct line between it and everything that makes up the rest of the story.    

   That being said, I did enjoy the book quite a bit. The plot is a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up and moves quite well. Strange things can happen to normal people, and My GRL is exactly that kind of story. This is a book that has most of what I like. Action, intrigue, betrayal, “good” guys gone bad, and good character development reside between the covers and pull you in to join them.  

   The main character, John Cannon, is a guy who’s easy to like. His sense of humor is just offbeat enough to appeal to me, and I liked the moments when it got a chance to break through. Despite a career as a lawyer, he’s very much an average Joe, which makes him even more fun. His quirks, his glitches, and his human frailty are what make him believable, make him real. This is a character that could easily come back in another story, and be just as well received.

   My GRL could probably use one more proofreading but aside from that, it’s an easy, fairly fast paced read and will hold you until the very last page.  

 

After 365 days of waiting, Christmas of 2014 has finally arrived. May you have many blessings today, & for the remainder of the holiday season.

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a Christmas memory from my younger days. Yes, I get a bit nostalgic during this time of the year, and I can’t help but hink fondly of my childhood, and the magic that Christmas always brought into my life.

   My mother’s family was fairly large. She had five surviving sisters, plus their husbands and children, so our family get-togethers on Christmas Eve tended to be fairly large and more than a little crazy.

   We would all gather at my maternal grandparents’ house, where we had kind of a potluck that always ended up being more of a cookie feast. We would spend about an hour eating great holiday food that, for some reason, never made it to a table at any other time of the year.

   After the social hour was done, we would all load our plates, find a chair, and watch a show put on by the kids. We would play instruments, sing, or act in some Christmas themed mini-play. My mom and her sisters would also sing, and I loved hearing the Christmas carols in five part harmony. Then my grandfather would read the Christmas story from his ancient Bible, and we would all recite the parts we knew from memory.

   Then came the best part – the gift exchange. We drew names for our Christmas Eve gift giving because we were such a large group. But the kids all got a pair of pajamas from grandma and grandpa, and a gift envelope containing five dollars!

   After grandma passed, we continued to meet on Christmas Eve, but divided our gathering between two houses. We started at Aunt Bev and Uncle Walt’s, with cookies, assorted holiday treats, and paper cups of split pea soup or clam chowder. Then we would head over to Aunt Lucile and Uncle Willard’s for the program and the gift exchange.

   This continued for the next twenty-two years, and ended with the passing of my grandfather. After that, the families no longer met on Christmas Eve, but by that time, the kids were all adults with families of their own.

   This year marks twenty years since the death of my grandfather, and ten since that of my father.  Maybe it’s for that reason that I find myself lost in Christmas past more so than usual. I don’t know. What I do know is that I miss the childish excitement of those Christmas gatherings. I miss filling my clam chowder cup with oyster crackers, and keeping a watchful eye on the table to make sure that I was first in line when the second round of cookies came out. I miss the wide-eyed anticipation of lifting the flap of that little white envelope and seeing Lincoln inside, even though I already knew that he’d be in there, waiting for me. I miss those that we’ve lost, and the sense of family that has faded so much over the years. Above all, I miss the magic that fell with each drifting snowflake, coating my world with a wintry blanket that promised reindeer, and elves, and a treasure trove of gifts that would be traded for the cookies left on the dining room table. I don’t know. I just know that something special died with my grandfather, and whatever it was hasn’t been seen since by these eyes.  

   Wow, what a Christmas present I got today! I opened my email and found out that 4Wills Publishing, the amazing group who has tirelessly promoted my novel, Shadow of the Drill, had put together a surprise 7 Day/40 Stop blog tour for Shirley Slaughter, Harmony Kent, and myself. I am still in shock!

   Nonnie Jules and the team at 4Wills Publishing are just the most wonderful people and they get a GINORMAS thank you from me for gifting us with this incredible event.

   You can find information about the Religion, Rage, and w(R)iting blog tour on the events page of 4Wills Publishing. http://4willspublishing.wordpress.com/upcoming- And hile you’re there, take a look at the awesome tour trailer that they made for us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM3SGg6gUpg&feature=youtu.be

   Please stop by some of the tour stops if you get a chance. You’ll be introduced to some fantastic books, (Shadow included), and maybe learn something new about the people who wrote them.