ADVICE FOR ADULTS ONLY: Always Talk To Strangers

When Gayle and I are out and about traveling in state, around the country, or abroad, we make it a point to strike up a conversation with strangers unless they appear dangerous or unhinged.  Invariably we meet engaging and interesting people who have more in common with us than we could have ever imagined.  Conversely, sometimes they are radically different from us in spite of their appearance and it's loads of fun to listen to their stories.  On a ski trip to Copper Mountain when our three sons were young, we shared a table with a couple our age and their two kids.  Since that day, we've stayed in touch and recently talked about getting together for a visit.  The nice thing about talking to strangers is that if they appear normal but after a minute of conversation we get weird or unwelcome vibes, it's easy to escape by turning on our heels and saying "we've got to join our friends" over our shoulders as we run away.  It rarely happens like that.  Most of the time, it's a very pleasant way to pass a few minutes and share experiences.  It reminds us that most everybody is fairly interesting and that we're all just trying to do the best we can. 

I LOVE LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN

Last night I wrote a note on the pad I keep on my nightstand reminding me to call my CPA first thing.  As I ran through downtown at the end of my jog this morning, I saw my CPA in front of his building.  I stopped and discussed with him the tax issue about which I had planned to call him.  Last week I discovered one of my tires flat in my carport.  I walked the two blocks to my office and called my friend who owns a tire business.  By nine a.m., his service crew had come to my house, replaced the tire and called to tell me my vehicle was road-ready again.  Yesterday I left the office at five p.m., peak traffic time, and was home in mere moments, surviving another "rush minute" on local streets.  Through the internet and satellite I see everything that's going on in the world.  I read online the best newspapers here and abroad.  There's no glitz and glamour, but living small town life sure is convenient.  Easy on the blood pressure, too.

Cherish Your Friends Now

Tom Murchison died last Saturday, January 7, 2012.  He was a mentor of mine, incredibly well-read, and a gentle soul.  He was a truly honest man; he exuded integrity.  When I first began to write novels and screenplays, he was encouraging and enthusiastic, urging me on.  When he finished reading my first published novel, he told me it was "riveting."  I remember that conversation like it was yesterday.  He was generous with his time--I wish I had shared more of it.  Too late, now. He did leave a poem for his friends.  I'm keeping it in a place that's handy.  It's a long piece, but simple and enduring.  Here's one stanza:
"Consider the lowly ant, which has in its vocabulary, no word for can't. 
Does it contemplate like us?  I doubt it.  It is too busy, I suppose, being an ant."
Spend times with your friends.  Do it now.

Fiction Writers I Like

When someone asks "what are you reading?", it takes me a while to answer because I usually have several books going at the same time in different genres.  So, I'm going to pretend I was asked "what fiction have you read and enjoyed?"  Here's a non-comprehensive list of fiction writers and some comments.  I reserve the right to supplement this list.

1.  The late Robert Parker for these reasons: Spenser, Hawk, Jesse Stone, Virgil Cole, and Everett Hitch.
2.  Elizabeth George: I have read every book she's written, and look forward to each new one.
3.  Elmore Leonard: He is one cool guy, and writes dialogue like no one else.  His understated action scenes are works of art.
4.  Michael Connelly and Robert Crais: I used to go out to L.A. a good bit. These two guys write L.A. crime stories better than anyone.  In fact, no one writes better crime stories, no matter where they take place.
5.  Historical Fiction:  If you haven't read C.J.Sansom's four-part Matthew Shardlake series in the time of Henry VIII, or if you haven't read David Liss's series involving 17th century thief-taker Benjamin Weaver, you haven't walked the offal and excrement filled streets of 17th century London. You should try it.
6. Daniel Silva's fine art restorer/Mossad operative Gabriel Allon is by far the most intriguing character in modern spy novels.
7. In Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe foretold the future.  Years after 1987, life imitated his story about the ruin of Master of the Universe Sherman McCoy, the scams of Rev. Bacon, and the tragic life of ADA Kramer.  I still laugh thinking about Brit ex-pat Peter Fallow's hangover.  I've read it about ten times. 

More later. Thanks.  Mike