My new book, Where Once Was Peace, is finished. All I have to do now is find a publisher. Here are some excerpts from the book:
From Chapter One
“What’re you thinking, about Tam?’
Tam Alexander and Chap Hollingsworth were parked on Blue Slide Road just above the Van Duzen River. They were sitting on the hood of Tam’s ’57 Chevy, drinking beers and watching the cool green water slide silently along the grassy river banks. It was a warm mid-August night in 1963. Tam had been staring into space scanning the stars in the sky for several minutes.
“Tam?”
“I was thinking how much I love living in Fortuna and how quiet and peaceful it is out here by the river tonight. Trouble is, I don’t feel peace in my heart because Katie’s leaving and I can’t do anything about it.”
“She still heading over to Boise State in a couple of weeks?”
“Why is she doing that? I thought we were going to stay together after high school. Now she’s leaving! Maybe for good! What if she never comes back?
“You just have to have courage and trust God that everything will turn out all right Tam.”
“I’m not real happy with God these days.”
“I know.”
“Besides Katie leaving, look at all the other crazy, scary stuff that’s happening in the world right now. You’ve got Khrushchev telling Kennedy that Russia will bury the U.S.- the Cold War could result in nuclear Armageddon. The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was a colossal failure. Then we nearly got sucked into war with Cuba and Russia because of those missiles. It’s hard to be at peace with so many things like that going on.”
From Chapter 6
“Al’s probably got the woman in his truck,” Tam said. “We gotta’ get to them before that husband does or there’s no tellin’ what might happen.”
Tam could see the redhead’s husband looking in car windows trying to find his wayward wife. Tam and Chap slunk quietly between rows of vehicles, trying to keep low and out of sight of the angry avenger.
“Aw crap,” Tam whispered when the two boys reached Al’s truck.
The driver’s door of the truck was wide open. The interior of the truck was illuminated by the dome light and the lights of the parking lot. Two partially naked bodies, stretched out across the seat, one on top of the other, were plainly visible for all the world to see.
The redhead was on the bottom moaning in frenzied delight. Al was humping away wildly on top. Neither Al nor the redhead seemed to feel the biting cold in the least. Tam hated to break the two rutting lovers up. On the other hand, the redhead’s husband might arrive on the scene any second and pump several rounds of lead into the two copulating bodies. Tam was afraid he might have to do something stupidly noble then, like stepping in front of the husband’s gun. He did not relish the idea of dying a virgin just to save his stepfather.
From Chapter 15
As Tam ran toward an enemy foxhole, a VC soldier jumped up out of it and came straight at Tam, pointing his rifle at him, obviously aiming to stab Tam with a bayonet. Tam sidestepped the VC soldier enough to stab him first. He would never forget the feeling of stabbing the VC soldier, how the sharp point of his own bayonet at the end of his M-16 penetrated the man’s body so easily, but how hard it was to pull the bayonet back out. Tam twisted and tugged with all his might, trying frantically to remember how he’d been taught at boot camp to extract his bayonet.. At the same time he was watching the pain and horrifying recognition that he was going to die etch itself across the V.C. man’s face. Tam knew he would never forget the look of fear that leaped into the VC man’s eyes and the quick recognition by the man that he had screwed up. Tam wondered if the VC man had believed in God or Buddha or someone who would guide him to Nirvana or his personal version of heaven. Tam hoped so.
He begged his own God for forgiveness that night. He had often wondered whether God really existed and if he did where the heck he was. After shooting the guy on South Fork Mountain, Tam had been exceedingly angry that God had allowed that incident to happen and that God had let Al’s stupidity and lust nearly ruin Tam’s life. After losing Katie Tam felt especially alienated from God.
“What’re you thinking, about Tam?’
Tam Alexander and Chap Hollingsworth were parked on Blue Slide Road just above the Van Duzen River. They were sitting on the hood of Tam’s ’57 Chevy, drinking beers and watching the cool green water slide silently along the grassy river banks. It was a warm mid-August night in 1963. Tam had been staring into space scanning the stars in the sky for several minutes.
“Tam?”
“I was thinking how much I love living in Fortuna and how quiet and peaceful it is out here by the river tonight. Trouble is, I don’t feel peace in my heart because Katie’s leaving and I can’t do anything about it.”
“She still heading over to Boise State in a couple of weeks?”
“Why is she doing that? I thought we were going to stay together after high school. Now she’s leaving! Maybe for good! What if she never comes back?
“You just have to have courage and trust God that everything will turn out all right Tam.”
“I’m not real happy with God these days.”
“I know.”
“Besides Katie leaving, look at all the other crazy, scary stuff that’s happening in the world right now. You’ve got Khrushchev telling Kennedy that Russia will bury the U.S.- the Cold War could result in nuclear Armageddon. The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was a colossal failure. Then we nearly got sucked into war with Cuba and Russia because of those missiles. It’s hard to be at peace with so many things like that going on.”
From Chapter 6
“Al’s probably got the woman in his truck,” Tam said. “We gotta’ get to them before that husband does or there’s no tellin’ what might happen.”
Tam could see the redhead’s husband looking in car windows trying to find his wayward wife. Tam and Chap slunk quietly between rows of vehicles, trying to keep low and out of sight of the angry avenger.
“Aw crap,” Tam whispered when the two boys reached Al’s truck.
The driver’s door of the truck was wide open. The interior of the truck was illuminated by the dome light and the lights of the parking lot. Two partially naked bodies, stretched out across the seat, one on top of the other, were plainly visible for all the world to see.
The redhead was on the bottom moaning in frenzied delight. Al was humping away wildly on top. Neither Al nor the redhead seemed to feel the biting cold in the least. Tam hated to break the two rutting lovers up. On the other hand, the redhead’s husband might arrive on the scene any second and pump several rounds of lead into the two copulating bodies. Tam was afraid he might have to do something stupidly noble then, like stepping in front of the husband’s gun. He did not relish the idea of dying a virgin just to save his stepfather.
From Chapter 15
As Tam ran toward an enemy foxhole, a VC soldier jumped up out of it and came straight at Tam, pointing his rifle at him, obviously aiming to stab Tam with a bayonet. Tam sidestepped the VC soldier enough to stab him first. He would never forget the feeling of stabbing the VC soldier, how the sharp point of his own bayonet at the end of his M-16 penetrated the man’s body so easily, but how hard it was to pull the bayonet back out. Tam twisted and tugged with all his might, trying frantically to remember how he’d been taught at boot camp to extract his bayonet.. At the same time he was watching the pain and horrifying recognition that he was going to die etch itself across the V.C. man’s face. Tam knew he would never forget the look of fear that leaped into the VC man’s eyes and the quick recognition by the man that he had screwed up. Tam wondered if the VC man had believed in God or Buddha or someone who would guide him to Nirvana or his personal version of heaven. Tam hoped so.
He begged his own God for forgiveness that night. He had often wondered whether God really existed and if he did where the heck he was. After shooting the guy on South Fork Mountain, Tam had been exceedingly angry that God had allowed that incident to happen and that God had let Al’s stupidity and lust nearly ruin Tam’s life. After losing Katie Tam felt especially alienated from God.
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