StanleyWheeler

    That mound of gray material atop the rock, according to the sign, is ash that was all hot and sticky and formed a kind of concretesque substance when it got compacted. I didn't get to go up and examine it closely because it was off the trail and, as you can see by the photo, not easily accessible from that location. Although, I do think I could've reached it if I had had the time and inclination. We had slipped the chafing leash of fair Byzantium to seek adventure to the north. The All Trails app promised a "moderate" hike an hour away. I didn't notice whether we beat the estimated time, but we did arrive without mishap to the location where a hill or small mounts arise from the fertile plain along the Snake River. The trail head failed to elude us as Madame Google brought us to the parking lot. The lot was nearly full. I imagined that a full lot meant an easy hike but lots of people. Before we left, I told my companion that it was an hour away and the trail w...

    The picture isn't from Writers Cantina, it's one I created from a scene in my book, Accidental Wizard , which will be published in September. ___________    I had planned to be on the road by 3 pm. The assistant who scheduled me for the mediation did not care about my plans. The judge conducting the mediation did not care about my plans. The crime victims and others at the mediation did not care about my plans. Not one soul shed even a figurative tear that I had already missed shooting wheel locks and flintlocks. The law is a harsh mistress. My tires eventually met the asphalt trail extending from my house to the Writers Cantina. Because of the late start, I dropped my wife off at a gas station so she could hitch a ride to her sister’s house. Actually, her sister came and picked her up, and I waited for her sister to arrive before I continued the journey. In contradistinction to last year’s experience, the hotel check-in and the room were unremarkable....

 Thomas R. Yarborough's A Shau Valor takes you to the action that brought individuals recognition with wards of Congressional Medals of Honor and other distinctions for courage, bravery, and service. A lot of those recipients received the awards posthumously. Although there is discussion about the war overall, the actions are restricted to the A Shau Valley and areas close by. I knew one of the Medal of Honor recipients and was glad to see his story retold in this volume. It was because of him that I was familiar with at least the name of the valley.  The book takes the reader from one mission to another, often explaining how the particular mission related to the larger plan. The action is intense and bloody. Outstanding stories of courage and valor leap from the pages. There are just so many of them that a sort of fatigue comes over the reader--at least that's how it was for me. The missions, the weapons, the helicopters, the establishing and defending of bases, the taking a...

   It's pretty good, but I think it's fake. This email praising my work, I mean. This time the praise is for Crisis in Fire and Snow - the most recent novel in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series.  Hello Stanley Wheeler, AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! I recently came across Crisis in Fire and Snow , and I simply couldn't resist reaching out. What immediately captivated me wasn't just the enormous scale of the conflict, but the way you seamlessly blended history and fantasy into one unforgettable adventure. The idea of the American Revolution unfolding alongside dragons, ancient powers, and fierce mythical creatures created a world that felt both familiar and completely original. I especially admired how the story balanced massive battles with deeply personal struggles, from Alex and Lucette's fight for liberty to Akram's determination to rescue his son despite the dangerous pull of the dragon stone. Those emotional stakes made every confrontation feel me...