Healing through story

Tag: Off-road (Page 2 of 2)

The Red VW in “Off-Road”

Hey. How are you? It’s been another long gap in posting. Caregiving is falling into a routine now, and I’ve dealt with a minor health issue of my own. So…I’m back. My goal is to post weekly from here on out.

My new book, Off-Road, is ready for publication. I will be putting it up on Amazon Kindle next month. The story starts out with three teens – Tessa Warren, Eric Pyne, Lyndie Reed – the Film Crew. They’re filming an off-road race in the Mojave Desert. In September. Yup…blazing sun, heat, dirt, dust. And adventure. Lots of obstacles to them getting their film made. Some of them man-made.

Red VW desert racer from "Off-Road"
Red VW desert racer

A red VW beetle, modified for off-road racing, features in the race. It belongs to driver Jimmy Hassett, a friend of Eric Pyne’s father. Eric and Jimmy mount two GoPro action cameras on the VW to capture the race.

Interior of off-road VW racer

The VW racer features an interior reinforced with roll bars. A light bar across the roof – not needed in this particular race, which is a daytime event. Glass only in the front windshield. Spare tire mounted in the rear window shelf. Skid plates to protect the underbody.

My First Car

The red VW reminds me of my first car, a blue VW with a canvas sun roof. That was a fun car. I learned to drive stick on it. Along with one of my friends, I drove it from New York to Montreal on Christmas break one year. Parked it in Montreal the first night. It froze solid overnight. I had to have it towed and thawed out all day in a garage.

VW with canvas sunroof

My VW was a dream to maintain. Battery inside under the rear seat. I replaced a muffler. Put on new shocks. And me not a mechanic by any means. I still miss it.

Driving home from Montreal a few nights later, we drove south on the New York State Thruway. Lots of snow and slush. Huge trucks, most of them passing us. Cold. The heater barely worked. But the VW never quit.

I will alert you as soon as Off-Road is up on Amazon. And I would appreciate you sharing the info with others. Every mention helps. 

Thanks. See you next week.

Film Crew Shorts

Re-thinking the Story

Six months since my last post. Life has a way of throwing up obstacles as I plan my next book. Further illness in the family set me back for a while more. Things are getting better again, but it’s a slow process.

Last September I participated in an online writing course offered by the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. What I valued most was the feedback from other course participants. It went deeper than “Nice job, Bob.” The comments were insightful, constructive, sometimes direction-changing. I learned much about my own writing, and came to appreciate how helpful criticism can be from other writers. 

The course made me re-think some of my story and my characters. I’m now busy re-writing parts of the book. It should be done later this month. The characters most affected are Tessa and Lyndie. I hope to deepen their friendship and the way they deal with the challenges they face.

New Book Cover

Here’s a preview of the book’s cover. Off-Road will be the first in a series I call “Film Crew Shorts.” Each book will be a short read. A fun adventure that I hope will spark enthusiasm for reading among young people. Inspiration for this model comes in part from author James Patterson’s BookShots series. Easy reads to spark interest in books.

New book cover for Off-Road, a Film Crew Short book.

Talk soon.

Don’t Wait for Anyone

“Don’t wait for anyone. Life doesn’t wait. Don’t become what you most fear. A wasted soul. Leap for the rope and swing towards the stars.”

John Patrick Shanley

 

It’s been a long time since I last posted here. A family illness, now resolving itself, absorbed time and attention. I’m working my way back.

My next book, Off-Road, is close to completion. The time away from working on it gave me a new perspective, and I am re-structuring the story. Publication date will likely be September. I’ll keep you informed.

One of the most fun aspects of writing this story has been creating and developing the characters. One of them, Lyndie Reed, is a high school junior. She’s always on the move. An avid runner, she logs many miles every day. Lyndie is inspired by one of my nieces, who recently ran the Boston Marathon twice – in the same day! She started early, ran the course backwards, and arrived at the official starting line in time to run the prescribed course with all the other runners. Fifty-two point four miles. Amazing.

Lyndie is Tessa Warren’s best friend. It’s a new friendship. Tessa has spent the last two years mourning for her brother, killed in a car crash a few months after he graduated from film school. She’s now “leaping for the rope,” beginning to step into her brother’s film shoes.

I look forward to introducing the Film Crew to you. And, with luck, the book will become a series. Talk soon.

Off-Road

Off-Road

Off-Road: A Film Crew Adventure

Coming soon. I am close to finishing the last edit on the opening story in my Young Adult Film Crew series, titled: Off-Road: A Film Crew Adventure.

Off-road

Off-road

High school junior Tessa Warren and her friends Lyndie Reed and Eric Vargas set out to film the Cactus 100 off-road race in California’s Mojave Desert. They want to enter the documentary in local youth film festivals. But environmental protestors, out to shut down the race, target Tessa and her friends with a mis-directed hostility that endangers them and their project.

The stories will be short reads posted to Kindle and other websites.

Look for the Film Crew this spring.

 

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