Martin Luther King day message

Martin Luther King day message

Probably one of, if not the greatest, leaders in the history of the United States was and is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You don’t have to be a president, king, or governor to be a leader. In fact some of those ‘leaders’ are not leaders at all and many of them brought the greatest evil in history of this world. A leader does so with their actions. Dr. King lead by example. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that.” This quote sums the life and message of Dr. King.

We hear and see a lot of postings of his quotes on this day but do we really take them to heart. Often I get chills reading some of these quotes. His message has sounded like an echo throughout our history and his message is as true as the day he said it. In the eyes of God we are equal. It’s not such an easy concept for our flawed human logic to grasp but it is true. We are all created equal and of free will. We as a human race ignore that simple truth day after day. When one stops and takes a deep thought about that we can understand that this is true but for selfish reasons ignore it. I pray for enlightenment today and everyday. We should use the wisdom of Dr. King to guide you as a leader, as a parent, as a boss… It is those who lead by example and not by an iron fist who will bring light into the world. With so much darkness it is often hard to see the light. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” You might think that you are just one person. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

Today as we honor Dr. King I believe if he were alive today he would not welcome being honored but instead ask that we all study his words, let them cycle within our hearts. Let them guide us to a path of enlightenment. “Almost always the creative dedicated minority y has made the world better.”

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daylight of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…I believe that the unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

My top books of 2012

The final books sales are in and the results are listed below. The Orwellian political thriller took the top spot for two years in a row with the romantic story of a man who couldn't shake the tropics after coming home from from vacation and turned it to a life philosophy taking second and the Gettysburg ghost story took third though The soldier's story wasn't far behind and so far after a couple of weeks in 2013 it has the lead though there's plenty of year left. It, along with the other books, will have two new comers to the list this year with "Pieces of the Puzzle," and the sequel to "Visitor's From Yubarri" coming this year. I am currently working on "Pieces of the Puzzle" which my fans have been patiently waiting for a long time. The wait will soon be over. More music coming soon and also currently working on a new song "Waiting on You" sung by Lola de Hanna. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of this week or next week.


1. A Modern Day Animal Farm Tale
2. Island Time
3. Tears of a Green Eyed Angel
4. A Soldier's Story
5. Love in The Big Apple
6. Whiskey on a Heartache
7. Visitor's From Yubarri
8. Love Notes
9. Old Man and the Moon
10. From My Heart to Yours

New song and upcoming songs

An update on my musical endeavors. I just completed an alternative rock song called "Rock Star," now available for your listening pleasure on Reverb Nation. The song will be part of my rock album "Concrete Roses for Soft Hearts." This song won't be released as a single. The inspiration behind the song was pretty simple, every girl wants to be be their man's "rock star." What a perfect way to tell that special lady what she means to you... total rock star.

The next two songs in the works are also alternative songs with a blues piece in its beginning stages. The next song will be featuring Lola de Hanna (Chordslinger & Lola) on vocals again. She also sang on "Gray Tomorrow" and "Queen of Diamonds." This song is called "Waiting on You" and it's about waiting your whole life for that perfect person to come along. Lots of guitar, piano, and groovy flute solo cast behind Lola's seductive and mystical vocals. It's an upbeat song you can dance to. 

It has been a while since I last checked in here and a lot has happened since then. I am currently working on three new albums musically and two new novellas which I expect to release in February 2013.

First the albums. As an enthusiast of music I like many different genres. Thus I am currently working on three different albums: one alternative rock, one blues, and a jazz album. The rock album is the farthest along and I'm hoping for May or June of 2013 as a release date for that album. You can listen to some of the tracks already completed on the player on the top right of the page. There are some of the blues and jazz tracks on the player as well. Also, you may purchase some of the singles available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify etc. The rock album features several different styles and guest singers Lola de Hanna (Gray Tomorrow, and Waiting on You) and Laurie Webb (Hour Glass).

My writing projects continue to move along. I am currently working on a sequel to "Visitors From Yubarri."
Goyo and Robert left Earth to come to the Yubarrian home world. In the sequel they have been on the planet for thirty years and wish to return home to Earth, but Earth has become a world controlled  by elitists who have enslaved the entire human race. Goyo and Robert, with the help of the Yubarrians, wish to return freedom and stability to their home world. It is a wild adventure through two galaxies and the Earth's solar system. You can purchase the short story that started it all as ebook only and only $.99 at Amazon, iTunes book store, Sony Reader Store, Barnes&Nobel, and many other fine stores

The second story is much different and smaller but also involves humanity. This story, "Pieces of the Puzzle," is about a family fighting cancer and trying to build a family. Christina is battling for her life while Sara, her mother, and her doctor who so happens to be her father (she doesn't find this out until later) are rekindling their romance. The story follows the lives of everyone throughout their life until Christina, in her adult life, makes an incredible discovery. It is an inspiring story that will have you cheering for all the characters.

At last I will leave you with some pictures of my recent trip to Maryland which is the setting for my novella "Love Notes." Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Wild Horse on Assategue Island, MD

Bridge over the C&D Canal Chesapeake City, MD

Wicomico River Princess Anne, MD

                  

Bay Bridge Kent Island, MD

Assateague Island on the Ocean

       

      

New Cover art for Definitions and more

Hello everyone and I hope you're enjoying your holiday season. First thing I'd like to announce that Barnes and Noble is carrying the print version of "Apollo's Flame" with the nook version coming soon. Barnes and Noble is also now carrying the nook book "Love Notes" for just $.99.

People have told me they wanted to read a sample of my books before buying them and they can't do that online. Not true, there are many different ways in which you can sample, every retailer has a sample. Amazon has a "look inside" feature. This allows you to read a portion of the book. By default it shows about 40% of the book including the front and back cover. It also has a search feature. Kindle will allow you to download a sample to your device (Kindle, iPod, iPad, computer etc.). The Apple iBook store, Kobo, Smashwords, and others also allow you to download samples to your device. As with all ebook devices, if you like the book you can purchase it and keep reading. Barnes and noble doesn't have an "inside the book" feature yet but nook users can download a sample. Unique to Barnes and Noble; nook users can go into the store and read the book for free. Chill out in the cafe, have a coffee, and check out my books or any other ebook Barnes and Noble offers. Below are some links to my books on both Barnes and Noble and Amazon. feel free to check it out. The other cool thing that is in the works is an electronic library service which works much like music sites such as Rhapsody, Napster, Jango, and Pandora. These sites allow you to check out the book and read it. This is a pay service but is much cheaper than buying lots of books. I foresee the major retailers jumping onto this bandwagon soon enough.  

The last bit of news is the new cover for Definitions, my first book of poetry. The picture was taken in Ocean City when I was there to shoot the cover for "Love Notes". This is a sunset picture bay side. The book with the new cover should be available within a couple of weeks. I'm offering a special deal for those who have already purchased the original book. If you catch me at a poetry reading or book signing after the first of the year and you bring your first version of "Definitions" you will get a new copy for free and I'll sign them both.

Links:
Amazon look inside link Apollo's Flame
Amazon look inside link Definitions 
Amazon Kindle link Apollo's Flame
Amazon Kindle link Definitions
Amazon kindle link Love Notes
Amazon Kindle link Old Man and the Moon
Barnes and Noble nook link Love Notes
Barnes and Noble nook link Definitions
Barnes and Noble nook link Old Man and the Moon

Apollo's Flame is not yet available for nook, Apple iPad, Sony Reader, or Kobo but will be soon.

Apollo's Flame is now available

On a hot summer weekend in Georgia at the Roswell Storytelling Festival in 2009 the idea of Apollo's Flame was born. Today the book is available in paperback and kindle version at Amazon.com. This book features over 100 poems including Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, and Cinquain. Along with the poetry are nine short stories including the mini novel Love Notes. The book also has an afterword that explains the ideas behind many of the poems and stories.

Love Notes is now available

Love Notes is now available at Amazon.com for just $.99. It will be available at other retailers shortly such as: Apple iBookstore, Kobo books, Sony Store, and Barnes & Noble.

Today I'm going to discuss a little about how the story was conceived, places it was written, and a little about the story.

First the story is set in modern times in mainly Elkton and Ocean City, MD. The story is about an average couple. They begin a romance, marry, honeymoon in Paris, then have children. Things are great until tragedy strikes and their marriage is put to the test but in the end they stay together. Later their son becomes a Major League pitcher making his parents very proud. His dad remembers the first day he put on a baseball cap and couldn't hold the bat straight. The story ends at the end of main character Mia's life after her husband dies. She reflects on their life together, all the poems they had written each other, and their adventures. The story is told through their emails, love notes, and poems to each other.

The idea for the book was originally very different. It was conceived as I did an interview with an elderly couple to develop characters for a story. The idea was always to write a life-long romance but in the standard style of face to face dialogue. However, in the interview, they spoke of how they left love notes for each other with poetry. Being a poet, this intrigued me. After the interview I thought of how I could tell an entire story through just love notes sent to each other but realized I couldn't do dialogue very well this way. Later that day it occurred to me in this day of blackberrys and other mobile devices a story using email to communicate is very true. I carry conversations all the time emailing back and forth. Therefore the idea was born.

The setting was chosen because I was working around the Baltimore and Delmarva region. I stayed in Elkton, MD and quickly became enamored with the entire area which is tucked at the top of the Chesapeake bay. While working in the region I also made a visit to Ocean City, MD. I had first discovered the city on a trip in high school years ago. I was curious about it so I decided to visit and do some writing there and it became apparent that this awesome place had to become part of the story. It is a big part of the story. The picture on the cover is the pier by the carnival at the end of the boardwalk. Mia and Peter first discover the area while vacationing there and decide to move to Elkton after Peter takes a job in Baltimore. Other areas with significance to the book are listed below.

I am the type of writer in love with interesting places and find inspiration in my surroundings. I often write in places "with a great view". This story was no different. With laptop in hand I wrote on the beach in Ocean City, MD. In and around Elkton, MD including Chesapeake City, MD and Elk Neck state park which is where the Elk river meets the Chesapeake Bay. This is a wonderful unique area of the United States which I encourage people to see. Other places I wrote the story include: New York City, Liberty Park in New Jersey, Delaware Water Gap on top of the mountain, at a park on the banks of Susquehanna River in PA, in and around Nashville, TN and many other places. While not part of the story these place always help me with creative flow.

Below is a list of different characters and settings:
Main characters:
Peter Sargent
Mia Sargent
Stephen Sargent
Veronica Christa Sargent
Veronica Sargent (granddaughter)

Other Characters:
Peter's best friend Bob
Gina Sargent
Mia's mother

Main setting:
Elkton, MD
Ocean City, MD

other settings:
Phoenixville, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Baltimore, MD
Pullman, WA (WSU)

Below is a link to purchase. This version is only available via ebook. However it is also part of a larger book coming soon titled "Apollo's Flame" which contains poetry, prose, and more short stories. No release date yet but it will be out very soon. This story will also be part of another fiction book coming later which will just have short stories. Details on that book will be posted as the writing for it is completed.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the story.