Greetings, Fire Enthusiasts! Happy Holidays!

I only state it that way because as I pen this note Thanksgiving is two days away, and certainly before we know it Christmas will be here and gone. Hopefully, the season finds you and yours well and feeling very thankful. I know we are. As you can see from the photo on the left, my wife and I were blessed to travel this past summer. She teaches, so summer is currently our only option. We spent a few days in Portugal and then traveled across Spain. It was pretty hot in Madrid and Barcelona, but fantastic. As those of you who travel can attest, afterward, when you look back on the photos, all you remember is how great it was. In the photo we were at the Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal. There's a Kevin Max song "Stay" that mentions Sintra, so now I have a whole new perspective when I hear it.

I'm actually supposed to be in Israel now, but things sometimes happen that we can't control. We'll see about next summer in Iceland. That's where we're scheduled next, but things aren't exactly quiet and calm there either. If you watch the news you know all about this.

In any event, it has been so long since my last note here that I thought I should sweep away the virtual spider webs with an update on my writing. Book #6 is currently in the capable hands of Natalie, my trusty editor. If there are mistakes, they are mine. If the book is good, it's because of her skill to figure out just what in the world I was hoping to say! Lol. Okay, perhaps I'm not giving myself enough credit there. You know what I mean! We also have a cover. The amazing Maria Zannini has crafted another beauty. I'll be sharing that soon, but before then there will be teasers and synopsis to share.

The book should be an early 2024 release. It is a stand alone; however, there could be a little something-something in there to delight long time readers. You'll have to wait and see.

Alright. That's enough for now. I'm still alive, still writing. I'm very much looking forward to being surrounded by family this Thanksgiving week. I hope you are too. As soon as my Cowboys surprise or fail me on Thursday afternoon I will immediately launch into decorating for Christmas. Yes, I'm that guy! You'd think I'd be all about Halloween and spooky stuff, but no. You'd be wrong. I'm about drinking coffee out of Christmas mugs, working through our stack of Christmas DVDs and Blurays and enjoying our house lit up on the inside for the next 5 weeks.

Cheers, everyone! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas. We'll talk soon.