The Day The Earth Stood Still

I just don't get it.... A friend of mine was in a motorcycle accident yesterday in Flagstaff, Arizona. She was not wearing a helmet, and had just left the bar before dumping her bike alongside the road.

Was she drinking? Hell, yes, she was drinking! Did she get killed? No, but she should have. Did she get a DUI? No, she rode the damn thing home bleeding like a stuck pig while somehow managing not to get stopped. Was it the first time she had wore here bike after drinking and then riding? No! I have lost count how many times the earth stood still for me when I got news of her drinking spills.

I am close to my friend, but not close enough to get her to stop being stupid. You think she's got a death wish? Duh, must be, because that's where she is headed like a moth to a flame.

I have been riding for a day or two, and I know how much fun hanging with biker buds and budettes can be. It's a special feeling being part of a group who watches each other's back and trust is automatic. Being a free spirit is what it is all about, but being a dead spirit due to spirits sucks!

Have I ridden drunk? Yes. I have, and one time it ended up with a spill and me soaking in a tub of bleach in the hospital because of sever road burns. I was out of commission for weeks and I hurt like hell for months. I learned that NA beer tasted just as good as the hard stuff at rallies and runs. Hell, I rode to Sturgis and back sucking down NAs like they were soda pop and had a fabulous time riding in the safe zone!

I know there have been millions of words written about not driving or riding drunk and yet, thousands of people end up dead or worse every year. Some end up killing an innocent bystander and spend a long stretch in prison. Well, here are a few more words about not driving or riding drunk. It's better me writing them than just staying silent.

If my friend dies being an idiot, at least I kept trying to help her the only way I know how.

Write on,

Mittster

Riding to China

There is a chapter in my murder mystery novel, Evil in the Mirror, when Detective Jon Mull finds out that the parents of two teens, murdered by the evil twins, commit suicide. Jon thinks he should ride his Harley all the way to China and quit police work.








You might not be able to ride all the way to China, but after you fly the big bird there you can rent a Harley, ride for about a hundred years, and not see the same road twice. Yes, China has a Harley-Davidson dealership and the middle-class population (about two billion people) are about to get off of their Vespas motor scooters and run with the big dogs!

I read recently that Harley-Davidson is contemplating moving out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, because of the high cost of labor at their manufacturing plant. Shades of Detroit, Michigan...hello, Harley workers, ten percent of Americans are out of work and would love to have the plant in their home state! In fact, Mr. Davidson, how about moving to Phoenix, Arizona, where everyday is a riding day, the weather doesn't affect shipping, and labor is reasonable?

I am impressed with Harley-Davidson for taking a stand against high labor costs. I suppose if I were working at the plant and stood to lose my high paying, big benefits job, I too would be threatening to sell my bike. Well, I don't work there, and I had to sell my bike because I lost my job and needed the money. So, shut the hell up, and work for less or lose what you have right along with the rest of us!

I hope the venture in China is successful and I expect it will be. After all, the Chinese are world- class businessmen and women. Perhaps Harley will move their plant to sunny Arizona and if and when my writing career takes off, I will again be riding in the wind.

I'm just saying,

Mittster

Being an Unknown Author

I take pride in being an unknown author. Why? Because I have stayed true to myself and have never, nor will I ever, stop writing the best possible murder mysteries. The reading public deserves quality and honesty for their hard-earned money and if the reviews are any indication, I have attained that goal.

I found one legitimate POD publisher who warned me from the very beginning that becoming a successful author is a long and expensive road lined with failures, heartbreak and discouragement. I responded with, "Full speed ahead and damn the discouragements!" Full speed ahead it has been, and just like riding a wooden-track roller coaster, it has been a rough and scary ride, but exciting beyond belief!

"I have yet begun to fight!" This is my montra also and I will continue to do the thing I love most, writing exciting, page-tuning murder mysteries. Grab a cup of coffee, turn on all the lights, sit down and read Evil in the Mirror. The only thing you will regret is putting it down before you are finished.

Write on,

Mittster

Two Down And Three To Go

My newest murder mystery, Day Stalker, is finished! The contract with Wheatmark Publishing is signed and now starts the publishing process. We are working on a cover design and hopefully it will be completed before the Sedona Book Festival so folks can see it.

Writing the sequel to Evil in the Mirror was so exciting. I cannot describe the thrill that engulfs me as I put together a fast-paced murder mystery. Each chapter is a scene in which I become the characters, good or bad. I literally live the story and by the time it is finished, I sit, worn out and exhausted, glad the evil antagonist has been brought to justice.

My goal is to write five books in a series with the same detectives struggling to catch the bad guys and save the innocent maidens. Oh, what fun it is...I am so lucky to be an author!

Write on,

Mittster

I Am There In My Heart

Oh, innocent silver birds of destiny, your end draws near,
and on your backs were loved ones held tight in mortal fear
drawn together, shocked, but strong in common bonds of belief
as you were ridden hard through space by whip and spear.

I could not behold your fury, bright with fire and smoke,
the pain was beyond my capability to cope
turning my head each and every time the picture showed
your silver bodies disappearing in a flash of failed hope.

I am saddened that I could not help the silver birds fly away,
but at the same time glad at what I could give and say
which is that I love each and every one who gave their all
to help save the rest who fled the fire and smoke that day.

I'm just saying,

Mittster