Jeffrey Michael's Blog

Well at long last 'A Not-So-Virgin Mary' has been released. The book launch and signing party will be at the Havana Cigar Club in Warwick, RI. I'm really excited about this one. My sample audience told me they couldn't put it down so I'm very hopeful. The book is about the extraordinary life of an ordinary woman who was born and raised in Brockton, Mass. She led a very incredible life that started with her enlistment in the Navy during WWII where she worked on a project that was classfied as 'Top-Secret' until the 1990s. After her discharge from the Navy at the end of the war, Mary Blanche Dacier ('D' to her friends) enrolled in the Brockton Business College and upon graduating was hired to go to South Korea to be an aide to an up-and-coming politician in that country ... Syngman Rhee, who was the first freely elected President of the new country. D remained in South Korea even after the U.S. troops pulled out. Then came the North Koreans storming across the 38th parallel to start the Korean Conflict. D helped get President Rhee out of the capital and on his way to a secondary capital , then went back to help the Vice President and his family excapbe but was captured by the North Koreans. After a short stay in the North Korean P.O.W. camp, D headed back to the U.S.A. where she re-elisted in the Navy and worked in the Pentagon. But that's only part of her amazing story.

Hi all! Yes, as the title implies I made a trip to England and got a chance to visit Stonehenge in person. The whole trip was great but Stonehenge has been on my 'bucket list' for a long time and it's also a factor of my Alchemy, Sorcery & Magic series. I have to say that it was everything I had imagined and more. The whole thing in real life is quite impressive. Those stones are huge and the engineering required to drag them from the supposed origins and then to put them up and cap the ring with such large stones back in 3000 b.c. is just mind boggling! Face it there just wasn't the civilization around the area that the pyramids had in that era so how did they do it and WHO did it? Until actual time travel is developed we'll never know.

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted here and a lot has happened. I'm still working on my third novel, fell in love, having a hard time getting back in touch with my artist, etc.

Yes, I continue down the path of writing the next book but I've been given the opportunity to combine a bit of research with relaxation. My AS&M series features Stonehenge and I'm leaving this Friday (11/29/13) for London so I'm going to head out to Stonehenge for some first hand research. lol

Yeah, I'm excited both because I'm going there with my love and we will be spending time in and around the London area.

Well I've finally got the final touches made to the next in the Alchemy, Sorcery & Magic series. The title is Crossings and I just e-published to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I just have to wait for the projects to be approved. Next up will be the final touches on the spine and back cover to get the printed version ready! Now it's on to the next project which is already well under way.

The next project is based on a true story of a woman born and raised in Brockton, Mass. It's the story of the life of an amazing woman who served in the Navy during WWII, worked in South Korea as an advisor to the Korean president Syngman Rhee, was captured by the North Koreans at the start of the Korean War, spent a couple of weeks in a POW camp, tortured then rescued by the U.S. Was she an OSS operative in WWII? Was she an agent of the fledgling CIA in S. Korea? Did she get dragged back into the covert world after military retirement? Those and many other questions are left up to you, the reader as you take in the story.

OK, the editor finished my next manuscript and it's almost ready to be published! She did a great job and I'm really happy about the second volume in the AS&M series, it's so much better than my first effort. There are just a few finishing touched before I can send it in to be published. I'll be ready to put the e-version up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble within a week or so. I'm so excited. Now it's on to my next project called "Not So Virgin Mary". It's based on a true story of an amazing woman who was born and raised in Brockton, Ma. I'll be posting the new cover shortly. Once again my friend J.D. Strode of Dreamscape Covers did a great job for my book. I'm very proud to consider her one of my friends as well as a business associate. Look for the new book or check my website for sample chapters of the new book at http://jeffreymichael.weebly.com.

OK, so I'm a bit late on my next book! lol Yeah, the nice weather hit and I'd rather spend time out in the sun than inside writing but I did buckle down a bit and finish the manuscript to the second Alchemy, Sorcery & Magic volume called Crossings. Dreamscape covers did another awesome job on the cover. Now I'm anxiously waiting for the editor to finish up. Do you know how hard it is to keep from e-mailing her on the hour with ... "Is it done yet?" ... "Is it done yet?" ... "Is it done yet? Why NOT?!" Yep, I'm a perpetual 12 year-old. lol

I'll be posting a picture of the new cover soon and, hopefully, the finished product will be on the e-shelves followed by the printed copy in short order.

Yes, the sequel to my first novel should be ready for proofreading and editing within the next couple of weeks. I'm so excited! With any kind of luck I should have it ready to go to market before summer hits. The perfect excuse for me to NOT write over the summer and just enjoy my pool/bar/deck/yard and the golf course. :)

The characters and storyline took me to some odd places but hey, what can I say? The characters made me do it!

This volume is going to some rather dark places that kind of evolved on their own from the first volume. It's now kind of like 50 Shades meets Harry Potter meets Stephen King. Touch base with my website for some free sample chapters and see for yourself.

Yes, that's right, a sad face. lol As much as I enjoy the warm weather I also know that it will be the death of my prodigious writing efforts. You see, during the cold months staying inside out of the cold is in my nature. However, as the weather warms up, I'd rather be outside. Sitting by my pool, playing golf, playing with the dog, working in the yard, taking a walk, going for a bicycle ride, etc. Did you notice that not one time did I mention 'writing' or 'working on my novels'? Yep, that's because as well intentioned as I may be, just taking the laptop outside on the deck doesn't mean I'll be writing. :)

Therefore, the sad face. If I don't finish up my current writing project soon, it might not get finished until the fall.

OK, I've actually been making progress on my books and I think that it's because of the atmosphere. I enjoy a good cigar from time to time and what better way to enjoy a cigar than with a nice glass of Chevas Regal scotch right? Well my local cigar shop has a wonderful sitting area where they encourage people to stop and enjoy a cigar. They also allow us to bring in a beverage of choice. The wonderful owners have also encouraged me to bring in my laptop and work on my books in progress. It's a very friendly group who gather here which is both a good and bad thing. Good because it's a diverse group of people who are great to talk to. Bad because I tend to talk instead of writing. But it's worth it. I have a nice warm place to have my cigar, sip my scotch and work on the books.

Though I now tend to smoke more cigars than I had in the past because there's no smoking in my house. In the summer I spend that time out by my pool doing pretty much the same thing but since I live in the New England area and I can't stand the cold I just can't seem to motivate myself write. Now I sit in comfort with my laptop and even though I don't write non-stop I'm making progress on my books.

What about you? Do you have a particular environment that you feel is condusive to writing?

Yes I was listening to the radio this morning and that Monkees tune keeps running through my head. I hope writing it down will help extricate the bugger! lol

I have a bit of a quandary. I love seeing young people on the site and want to befriend them to help encourage them down the road to reading. But I feel it's kind of creepy, being an older guy and all. I want to nudge them to read more, explore areas of their mind that they didn't know existed. Sail unchartered waters. Follow a path with an open mind to the possibilities yet temper it with enough cynicism that they aren't swallowed whole by the whale like Jonas. Just because it's posed in something that looks scientific doesn't mean that it's true.

So what do you think? Creepy right? :)