Welcome to my page, and many thanks for visiting!

I hope you find some stories you enjoy. If you like something, leave me a note. If you hate something, I'd like to hear about that too. Compliments are fun, but criticism is what helps me improve. 

Mystery and suspense...

are mainly what you'll find here, with a few rants, some angry mutterings, four chapters from The Man in the Darkness, plus a sample chapter from Here You'll Find Bones. Incidentally, if you like the sample chapters from The Man in the Darkness, the link to purchase the book is at the end of each chapter. Here You'll Find Bones is still in the works, but when it's completed, I will look for a traditional publisher, so no more chapters will be posted on Booksie.

Duck River, Tennessee, winding around Old Stone Fort State Park. Nobody knows exactly why it was built, or exactly who built it. It's a mystery.

About me: I spent most of my childhood and adolescence in and around little towns in Tennessee--yes, yes, most of the towns in Tennessee are little. This town's called Wartrace, named by Andrew Jackson during the Creek War. He carved on a tree near the creek: "This is War Trace (or Trail) creek." The neighboring town is called Bell Buckle. Nobody is sure why. Another mystery.

Life in a small town gives you a good view of humanity, and life in a very old small town makes you see history differently than just reading about it in a book. After all, it's one thing to read that was a Civil War battle between two long-dead generals, and there will be a test on Monday. It's another to learn that cannonballs were flying back and forth across the river behind your house and the town courthouse went up in flames in 1863. Confederates responsible: somebody dropped a cigarette.

It's one thing to read that race riots occurred, and they were just awful. It's another to learn that the local courthouse in your hometown (rebuilt after the Civil War ) got burned to the ground again in 1934 by an angry mob.

Take a look at the people in the picture. Are they ranting, wild-eyed loons? No. Just regular folks. Yet these regular folks torched the courthouse, threatened the black citizens of the town, and bayed for the blood of the Sheriff. Why? Why would normal persons threaten their neighbors, try to murder a courageous officer of the law, and destroy one of the most beautiful buildings in town? The reasons are many: ignorance, fear/resentment of outsiders, suppressed rage coming to the fore, a mob mentality. But the main answer is all too simple:  human nature. Human nature is the thing that keeps psychiatrists, politicians and policemen awake at night. It also keeps writers busy. You're a writer. So am I.

"We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why they write so little." -Anne Lamott

My profile picture: I am standing in the loft of a gristmill, now turned into a charming bed and breakfast. It was built in 1884, and is in fact the "new" mill, built to replace the old mill built in 1810 that got destroyed in a storm. Tornado? Lightning? Nobody knows.

Think of it: for two hundred years people have been working at that little mill in the woods. Who were they? What did they think of the world? What adventures did they have?

You can sit in a place like that and let your imagination run loose while you enjoy a slice of chess pie and a great cup of coffee. You can even pretend you're writing. Why do they call it "Chess" pie? Nobody knows. Have another slice.

The name of the place, incidentally, is Ledford Mill. If you are ever in Bedford County, give it a try.

Oh, please be aware: I do not read or write horror or erotica. I do not read or write anything to do with vampires, ghosts, witches or anything else paranormal. And although my stories contain scumbags galore, you will never hear them cursing. Yes, I know scumbags curse in real life. In real life, they also pass gas.

And another thing: There have been cases of abuse on this website. Do not, ever, for any reason, post your real name, location, link to your Facebook or MySpace page on this or any other site. Visit www.spokeo.com if you don't understand why. You would be shocked to find out how much of your personal information is available to the whole stinking planet, so don't put yourself in danger by helping some random dirtbag to find you. If somebody here on Booksie treats you or anyone else abusively (in other words, if you've got a creeper on your hands) go to this link: http://www.booksie.com/booksie_watch. It's our very own little neigborhood watch program, and it is there for just such situations. Kudos to Gideon Elrod, who came up with this idea.