Interview of Author, Linda Pendleton by Brian Drake

Brian Drake interviewed me about my novel, Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator on his Blog: “Where an independent author talks about books, writing, and anything else that comes to mind.” Brian is the author of three books, Show No Mercy, Justified Sins, and Reader’s Dozen, 12 tales of Crime & Suspense. I really enjoyed reading his Intro to my interview and he asked me some great questions about writing.

Brian is also a member of Jon Guenther’s Blog, Ctrl+Alt+Pub: "A blog for independent authors interested in self-publishing, alternative publishing, and non-traditional publishing."

You may read my Interview here at Brian’s Blog.

~Linda

Debate on Self Publishing Continues, and Continues

Author Jon Guenther posted interesting comments on his blog about self-publishing and the ebook debate which is the current hot topic in the world of publishing. (I agree with him). And I have a feeling the topic will not cool to a tepid temp for quite some time.

This week a news item from mass market paperback publisher Dorchester Publishing, reported in Publishers Weekly and elsewhere, stating the company "has dropped its traditional print publishing business in favor of an e-book/print-on-demand model effective with its September titles that are “shipping” now." They have been in the mass market paperback business publishing mainly romance, and also westerns, thrillers, etc., and although not one of the NY conglomerates, they've been a stable and recognized publisher since 1971.

It is also an indication that the movement by many authors into self-publishing ebooks and PODs, along with the public buying and reading ebooks, is definetly having an impact on the book world. Every few days it seems, another topic of interest regarding ebooks arises, whether from Amazon, authors, agents or publishers.

I am currently expanding my ebook distribution beyond Amazon's Kindle now to the various other platforms for reader devices through Smashwords.com. And this week Amazon.com in the UK now has Kindle and our U.S. books available.

Times they are A'Changin' .... and A'Changin'

And many of us are happy to see the changes and new opportunities taking place. I believe it gives us a new sense of identity as authors to have not only choice in the way we publish our books, but control over our works as never before.

Some of my previous posts about the subject of self-publishing PODs and ebooks.

Charlie Rose Interviews Amazon's Jeff Bezos

Linda Pendleton on the Self-Publishing Debate

Linda Pendleton on Pixels and Fonts: Ebooks and Ebook Readers

And two articles I published nearly ten years ago concerning the subject at a time when the interest in ebooks was really just beginning:

Pixels and Fonts, Should it Matter? Resistance to Ebook Publishing by Some in the Library Profession.

Ebook Publishing vs. Print Publishing: A Look at the Pros and Cons.

And more from Jon Guenther on his Blog: Amazon and the Kindle Rock.

Yes, Times they are A'Changin'

Yipee...



~Linda

Novel Writing Guide by Jon Guenther

"HEY, DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?"

Author Jon Guenther has a new blog for writers...aspiring writers...or those interesting in the art of writing...

Novel Writing Guide
Your ultimate guide to creating, writing and publishing a novel by Jon Guenther.

Take a look as he has some excellent comments and ideas--and this will be an ongoing series of instruction and information.

~Linda

Reviews of PI Novel, Shattered Lens by Linda Pendleton

Amazon.com (temporarily) has lowered the price on my novel, Shattered Lens: Catherine Winter, Private Investigator!

I’m pleased at the response I am getting from readers about my book. When the manuscript was completed, my friend, Richard S. Prather had asked to read it. The late Richard S. Prather was a best-selling author for many years. He wrote the Shell Scott Mystery Series of forty books, very popular during the 1950s through the 1970s, with the last two Shell Scott novels published in 1986 and 1987. Not too long ago, one of his non Shell Scott books was re-issued by Hard Case Crime. I’m involved with his estate in marketing his very last manuscript, The Death Gods.

So when Prather asked to read my book I was a little anxious because he was a stickler for pacing and especially for plot. And any critique from him was valuable, very much in the same way it would have been from my late husband, Don Pendleton, and from several other well-seasoned writers.

Well, Richard loved the book and loved my character, Catherine Winter. He gave me this endorsement, “Linda Pendleton’s first private-eye novel is a brilliant debut.” He said many good things about my book and also encouraged me to write a Catherine Winter series. At that time I did not think I would write a second book.

I know Don could pick up any book and read less than a page and say whether the author was a good writer or not. I’m not sure that I can do that in reading a page of someone’s work unless it happens to be so badly written that it falls apart at first sight.

Another friend, author Jon Guenther, who has written about thirty books now, most being Don Pendleton’s Executioners and spin-off Stony Man novels, and his most recent book, Soul Runner, wrote two great reviews—one he put up at Amazon.com and the other he posted to his blog. I was thrilled with what he said about Shattered Lens.

I think you may see why....

“The hardcore mystery makes a come-back! Too many mysteries these days are little more than watered-down thrillers. At last, a whodunit in the spirit of a Sherlock Holmes mystery has returned. Linda Pendleton busts out of the gate with her first novel of licensed private investigator Catherine Winter. Winter picks up a young girl for a client--a young girl wrapped up in the glitz, drugs, and porn of Hollywood life--who shortly thereafter winds up dead. And the list of suspects is neither short nor usual.

“What makes the book so pleasurable to read outside of the brisk pace is that nothing comes easy for Winter. She has to "earn" it in the same way that Linda has earned her right to sit at the top with today's other crime writers. The inside look at Hollywood and surrounding areas rings with authenticity. As a writer, I've often been disappointed in a lot of mysteries on the shelf but I knocked this one out in no time at all. Yeah, it was just that easy. Part police procedural, part hardboiled, and all entertaining, this one's a keeper.” ~Jon Guenther, Author, Soul Runner

Here is a review from a reader:

“Great! Another page turner I couldn't put down from Linda Pendleton. I really enjoyed the main character, Catherine Winter, Private Investigator. Interesting, no nonsense, but fun, well rounded older gal. She is just as interesting and sexy as the younger ones.

“She's also a great detective. Meets up with some interesting characters to solve this crime of murder. Of course things are never as easy or clear as they seem at first. Twists and turns, a new clue, a new character, you never know what's coming. You will definitely enjoy this one.” ~Anne Boss

Amazon does not seem to tell us authors how long our book may be listed on sale but apparently from what Amazon has told me, the periodically reduce prices, and in this case my book is now reduced more than $4.00. So you can now pick it up in tradepaper back for the sales price $10.76...and for you Kindle readers, it is $8.95.

Thanks to those of you who have read it—and I love getting the great comments and reviews! It is becasue of the response I have received that I decided to write a second Catherine Winter...and hopefully it will be completed over the next few weeks.

I’ve been away from writing the story for the last week or more as I’ve been busy formatting five of Don Pendleton’s Joe Copp Private Eye novels for Kindle. More about those soon.

~Linda

Don Pendleton Tribute

Writer and friend, Jon Guenther posted on his blog a very nice tribute, Remembering Don Pendleton in memory of my late husband, author Don Pendleton. Don passed away 14 years ago on October 23, 1995 and I have to say it almost seems impossible that much time has gone by since he left this physical world. Although absent in the physical dimension, he is still very much here.

I had a telephone conversation with Jon today. Jon has written close to thirty books in the Harlequin Executioner program (Executioners, Super Bolans, Stony Man). He is one of many fans who was inspired by Don’s books at a fairly young age. And like a few others, that inspiration resulted in becoming writers themselves. I still enjoy getting the fan emails and hearing how the writings of Don Pendleton influenced lives in various ways.

There is something special about Don’s Mack Bolan character that he created and wrote about in his original series of 38 books. Don gave Bolan the essence of a true hero that has lived on through the “pen” of other writers for about 700 books. Forty years since the first Executioner, War Against the Mafia. Don was known as "the father of action/adventure."

This week I published The Cosmic Breath, Metaphysical Essays of Don Pendleton, Introduction by Linda Pendleton.

Although Don was a successful novelist for many years, he also wrote nonfiction, including metaphysical essays. He had a life-long interest in metaphysics and considered himself a metaphysical scholar. His nonfiction book, (in original E-book edition), A Search for Meaning from the Surface of a Small Planet, was winner of The Independent E-book Award 2002 for Metaphysics, and the Digital Literature Best of Non-fiction, 2002 Award.

The Cosmic Breath is available in tradepaper at Amazon and will be available for Kindle in a few days.

Thank you, Jon for remembering.

And if you missed my interview with Jon Guenther about his new book, Soul Runner, you can find it here.

~Linda

Interview with Jon Guenther, Author of Soul Runner: A Novel of High Adventure

OUR INTERVIEW

Linda: Jon, you’ve had a productive writing career in what seems like a relatively short time. I will always remember the fan letter you sent to my husband, Don Pendleton, which included a sample of your writing. It caught both Don’s attention and mine. He said as he finished reading your sample, “This guy’s good.”

That was in 1995 and I don’t believe any of us knew at that time you’d become one of The Executioner: Mack Bolan writers for Harlequin’s Gold Eagle program, but of course, that was one of your goals. Since that time you have written more than thirty novels, starting with your own Chaser and Chaser’s Return, both published as audio books, a number of Executioners, Mack Bolan, and Stony Man novels and now your publication of your new book, Soul Runner: A Novel of High Adventure.When did you become interested in writing? Did you write as a kid? I don’t mean for school but for yourself? Do you recall the first story you ever wrote? If so do you want to share what it was about?

Jon: I became consciously aware of those interests probably when I was around twelve years old. I remember taking a typing class in sixth grade (which would have been around 1980), and just that act alone made me realize that with this “highly advanced machine” I could produce my own stories—and quicker than by mere handwritten means. I suppose, however, I was a born writer; that I had a God-given talent and desire to do it. I was also a voracious reader, whether comic books or novels (I loved the Narnia Chronicles). I think the spark of creativity grew out of my love for Star Wars and Star Trek, and fantasy novels. By that age, I had also started to read The Destroyer series by Warren Murphy and Dick Sapir. The Executioner series followed shortly thereafter (or at least the Gold Eagle books, which had just started coming out around that same time).

Linda: Who or what has influenced your writing and in what way?

Jon: Oh my! Many things influence or have influenced my writing. Again, reading was a definite motivator from my earliest recollections. But more than that I can say with earnest my parents lovingly fostered my desire to write instead of trying to suppress it. In later years, you and Don certainly encouraged me to be persistent in the work, to train and hone my skills by writing. Over the years there are other authors to whom I wrote fan letters, and who responded to me like Ed McBain, David Morrell, Steve Mertz and Mike Newton.


Linda: How much of your background as a soldier, firefighter, and paramedic, along with your interests in martial arts, history, music, and technology play into your writings?

Jon: All of those interests have played into my writing, certainly; whether subconsciously or consciously, they are part of what ties my creative right-brain with my logical left-brain. Those experiences and interests are inescapable parts woven into the seams of what Don called the “inner dramatic laboratory” in The Metaphysics of the Novel. My experiences as a firefighter/paramedic gave me an inside look into the human situation, not only the victories but the most abject miseries. Many of my characters are veterans or soldiers, or have some military background, which is only natural in the kinds of stories I love to tell. I don’t generally talk about my military service. I’m proud of it, but I choose not to go into any great detail about it. Music and technology play less into my work, although you never know. I might surprise you some time.

Linda: Who have been your favorite writers over the years? What books do you believe have influenced your writing? What books have most influenced your life and/or your world view?

Jon: My favorite writers are almost too numerous to list because I love to read! Top five picks would be Don Pendleton, Alistair MacLean, David Morrell, Jon Cleary and Ernest Hemingway. The Executioner/Mack Bolan books have most definitely influenced my writing, along with other action-adventure series in that similar vein. The books of my favorite authors have, naturally, helped influence how I write (i.e., how to plot, pace, establish setting, evoke conflict, write dialog, and so forth). The Bible has absolutely guided me through much of my life—or the later years when I moved past my rebellious phases—along with many of our greatest adventure classics like Kidnapped, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Prisoner of Zenda. The list goes on.

Linda: As most writers, I have read a number of books on creative writing and techniques of novel writing. What books on writing have you found to be of value, and why?

Jon: Three books immediately come to mind: The Metaphysics of the Novel (which I’ve read about a half-dozen times), On Writing by Stephen King, and The Art of Fiction by John Gardner. I also made good use of many of the Writers’ Digest fiction series books in my early days, as a writer. They are great starting references to learn the “rules” of writing, which is why I found them of good use. But I firmly believe (and I think most veteran writers will agree) that eventually I began to surpass them as I gained experience, and realized I had begun to form my own opinions and values as a writer. In part, this is one reason I’ve never attempted to write just “another writing book.” There are already plenty of great resources in the marketplace, and I feel writers—to become skilled writers—must eventually come into their own style and voice. Now I do most of my learning by reading the work of others and building on my own, internal toolkit.

Linda: Did you ever take creative writing classes or belong to a writers critique group?

Jon: I never took any hard-core creative writing classes beyond those required in my general education (high school and college). Most of my writing there, too, was purely academic or non-creative. I’ve never gone for critique groups as a matter of preference. I believe they’re invaluable for some writers, but I consider writing an entirely personal and individual affair. It requires a certain amount of labor and intellect that can only be found within me. That’s something I can’t move past and I’m relatively superstitious about some facets (like I generally won’t talk about or even let someone read an unfinished work outside of a select few individuals in whom I place an inordinate amount of trust to give me the real deal).

Linda: Tell us about your latest book, Soul Runner, and what inspired you to write it.

Jon: Soul Runner is the story of Dr. Abram Aronsfeld, an anthropologist and history professor who is recruited by a secret organization called ARK to rescue persecuted Christians from countries all over the world. The book is predominantly set in 1988 Romania—less than two years prior to the collapse of the Communist dictatorship under Nicolae Ceauseşcu—and Bram is assigned to steal a Christian gypsy woman by the name of Ileana Tarus out of the country. Unfortunately, things quickly turn perilous once he’s in Romania. The story is told in Bram’s voice, and pre-readers told me it moves at a frenetic pace. It was upon reading a pamphlet in 2006 from an organization called The Voice of the Martyrs out of Bartlesville, Oklahoma that I first learned of the magnitude of Christian persecution in the world today, and that inspired me to run with it. The novel contains an afterword where I go into a bit more detail on the inspiration, and soon I’ll be providing an eBook on my site called The Writing of Soul Runner that will expand considerably on the whole history of this book (which I felt would be of interest to some readers).

Linda: Will Soul Runner be a series of novels?

Jon: Ah, the old series question. I suppose the best way to answer it is that it definitely could be. The topic of Christian persecution is a giant one, so I have a global playing field in which to set additional books. The concept here is that ARK has many Soul Runners (Bram isn’t the only one); you could liken them to sort of “secret agents” in God’s service. When the original publisher offered a contract on the book (they backed out in December 2008 under relatively obscure reasons), the acquisitions editor certainly expressed an interest in what he termed a “loose” series—about which I can clarify my meaning, if requested. I think for now, however, I would not write more books unless fans clamored for them. Novels are a lot of work and I have other stories I’d like to tell.

Linda: What is your usual writing routine, Jon?

Jon: I had a much different routine during the short period I wrote full time (how I do miss that time). Since I’ve held down a “day job” most of my writing career, however, the typical routine is hectic, at times. I’m almost always under contract with a book in The Executioner or Stony Man series, so often that gets the priority over other projects due to deadlines. I usually write every evening, beginning around 9:00 p.m., and go a couple of hours. I start by reading what I’ve written the previous evening, and then write anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 words. I do a bit more on Saturday afternoons. Since I attend church services on Saturday night, I take Sundays off to spend time with family, do little projects around the house or just relax with a good book. When the work is finished, I set it aside for a month or so (if time permits), and then sit down and read it straight through. By this time, Marilyn (my wife) has also copy-edited the work. I then make any additional edits to hers and then off it goes to the editor. I take a couple of vacations a year, during which time I stay away from the keyboard so I can rejuvenate and give family my full attention.

Linda: I often ask writers how they receive their inspiration. Many writers feel the inspiration comes from beyond them at times as they are working with their characters. Do you experience that in your writing? Do you visualize your scenes? Do you “walk” in your character’s shoes? And one more question along that line… do you outline prior to writing a story?

Jon: My main source of inspiration is God. I also take a lot from my observations about the world around me, and the behaviors and intents (both public and “secret”) of the people that inhabit it. In other words, I glimpse what “could” be from what I perceive “is”. And the one person I can never fool is me, so I have to write with some level of honesty if I want to remain credible. You see, I believe fiction should do three things: inspire, inform and entertain. I take that approach with each new project I tackle, forming and tooling and shaping my story into something that’s passionate and dramatic. I’m always trying to elicit a set of non-prescribed responses from my readers; to leave them the freedom to decide what they will think and feel about what I’ve written. Hopefully, my readers will take something away from it. That’s all I can ask for. And whenever someone tells me they enjoyed one of my books, or that they learned something or were inspired in some way, it’s music to my ears!

As to the visualization of scenes or internalization of my characters, I don’t really story tell in that fashion. I more see the words, almost as if I were reading the book for the first time, and that’s usually when the process is the most fun for me because I surprise myself. I believe this is why I don’t outline. That just feels too much like writing the book before I write the book. I’ve read many authors who say they outline, and in almost every circumstance those authors have said they do it to keep them on track or so they know what they’re supposed to work on that day. I already know every time I sit down at the keyboard I’m there to write. I don’t need an outline to tell me that.

On that note, I’d like to make a point here. I once read a book where a very well-known writer said that most of what writers say about their own work is nonsense (albeit, he used a more colorful metaphor). I’m not sure I agree with that. There’s a mantra I’ve carried with me most of my writing career, posited by the great adventure novelist, Alistair MacLean. He said: “I am not a novelist, I’m a storyteller. There is no art in what I do, no mystique.” MacLean had a very clear picture of his role as a writer (interestingly, it’s been said he actually hated the process of writing and the draft he turned into his editors was the first and only). His vision is very similar to my own, in that respect—although I never turn in a first draft.

Linda: Jon, you’ve written a lot of The Executioner, Mack Bolan books and I know you have tried to keep true to Don Pendleton’s vision of his Mack Bolan character. From your point of view as a writer of those books, what is it that has kept Mack Bolan alive all these forty years? In your own novels is there anything you strive to put into your stories to keep them alive, to keep the words jumping off the page and inspiring a reader to want more?...Even in a subtle way.

Jon: I often ask myself that same question about Mack Bolan; even after twenty-something books, I’m still not sure I have the answer (although Don certainly handed off the wisdom baton in our correspondence). I’m persuaded the secret of Bolan’s longevity is the mythical qualities of the character. Bolan is a consummate warrior; a soldier of unswerving duty; a moral agent; a dispatcher of justice and protector of the innocent. How can you not love the guy?! For me personally, Bolan is real—or at least what he stands for. It’s been that way ever since I started reading the books nearly thirty years ago. He emulates many of the qualities that decent, honest people everywhere can admire, and in that context he is every bit accessible as a fictional character. We can identify with him. We can believe in him because he’s doing what most of wish we could do: he fights the injustices in the world and he wins! It’s a classic formula, sure: good triumphs over evil. But it works because of the Bolan character, not in spite of him.

I certainly try to build some of these qualities into my own heroes and heroines, but I also strive to make sure I don’t “mimic” Don’s style. That’s the thing about Don, and one of the reasons he’s my all-time favorite writer. He was an original, the real deal, and he created a hero of the same mold. Pretty tough to compete with that, and I wouldn’t deign to try. But I learned a lot of lessons from reading Don’s works, and I do try to emulate him on different levels by just being true to myself and my own style. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I don’t. But then that’s part of the fun of being a writer. The journey of self-discovery is a priceless return on the investment.

Linda: Of the elements that go into a novel such as characterizations, dialogue, action scenes, plotting, sex scenes, and setting, among other things, which do you find easiest for you personally in your art of writing? In other words, what do you consider your strength to be?

Jon: I’ve never thought about it, really, but I suppose if I had to pick my greatest strength it would be pacing (or I suppose some might call that plot). I try to remember at all times that my chief duty as a storyteller is to entertain. It has to be my paramount consideration because of the natural convergence of all the elements that go into fiction (many of which you listed above). That’s a juggling act and I feel it’s important to season my work with equal measures of putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Anything less is tantamount to literary suicide for a writer, and nothing bugs me more than when a writer has the temerity to withhold entertaining me for their own, selfish purposes. Yeah, I said “withhold”, because I believe this is a purposeful act. It usually happens because they want to hide behind the words, fearful of venturing their own thoughts for the sake of being politically correct or stylish. Utter bunk and I have no use for that kind of writing (and you’ll notice I’m not shy about saying it).

Linda: Would you like to share what your current or next project is?

Jon: I’m currently working on a new, original action series about an “everyman” helping out the little guy in America. I think it’s time we got some new heroes we can admire in today’s world.

Linda: What is your favorite quote?

Jon: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
—Jesus Christ, John 3:16 (KJV)

Linda: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Jon: There is no secret formula I can give you; no magical talisman; no profound wisdom. All of those you must find within. Simply read, believe in yourself, and write… write… write!

And one other thing I suppose bears an honorable mention. Never measure success by whether you’re published; measure it by the joys of self-discovery along the way.

Linda: That’s true, Jon. That is what writing is all about: self-discovery. Thank you so much, Jon for giving us this insight into your writing. I wish you the best with Soul Runner. It is a fascinating adventure story and I know readers will enjoy it tremendously.

Visit Jon Guenther’s website to learn more about Soul Runner and Jon’s other books. Soul Runner is available at Amazon.com in trade paper and for the Kindle Reader, and autographed copies available at his website. Follow Jon's Blog.

© Copyright 2009 by Linda Pendleton and Jon Guenther.

Jon Guenther's Review of Don Pendleton's Metaphysics of the Novel
My blogs about the 40th Anniversary of Don Pendleton's Executioner Series
~Linda

What is a Hero Today?

My friend and fellow-writer, Jon Guenther posted a Blog today about “A Resurgence of American Heroes” and within his comments he quoted and linked to an article, “Joseph Campbell's Definition of Heroes: Does Traditional Hero Still Exist?.” I found myself disagreeing with the author of that article on Joseph Campbell, as Jon did. I love Joseph Campbell but I almost felt as if the author missed the point of Campbell’s intense study of mythology and the impact of inspirational myth on cultures down through the ages.

I no longer have Campbell’s classic book, Hero with a Thousand Faces, first published 1949, in my library, but I do have Power of Myth, from the Bill Moyers ' PBS interviews with Campbell. Campbell said, “Even in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

When my late husband, Don Pendleton conceived his fictional character, Mack Bolan, forty years ago, he not only put Bolan into a situation of “giving” his life to something LARGER than himself but also to a courageous battle for justice for others. But the writing of the Executioner: Mack Bolan Series went even beyond that with a spiritual, metaphysical element.

Campbell had this to say about the two types of deeds of a hero. “One is the physical deed, in which the hero performs a courageous act in battle or saves a life. The other kind is the spiritual deed, in which the hero learns to experience the supernormal range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message.” This can be something as simple as taking a journey inward, inside ourselves, emotionally and spiritually, and discovering a strong connection to the Divine, which may result in a new understanding of life, a new purpose, a passion, such as to serve all of humanity in some way, large or small, or to bring positive change.

Most of us grew up with Superman, a fantasy hero, but I believe what has happened in recent years is a “false hero worship.” And that is as a result of the media and the impact celebrity now has on society. Now, youth too often look up to sports figures, singers, and other popular figures who really lack any qualities that should qualify them for heroes.

So where have all the heroes gone?

The heroes of today are people like many during 9-11 or Katrina, who set their own lives aside to save others—or the guy down the street who pulls someone from a burning car or home—or someone who gives a kidney to save a stranger—or anyone we know who may do some courageous act at a time when needed. Heroes are ordinary people, probably flawed and not perfect in all their personality traits, but people who are able to go beyond to do something that makes a difference in the world.

Even those who inspire with words:

“We should always be at war with injustice. Always.” ~Maya Angelou
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” ~Mark Twain
“We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” ~Will Rogers.

I do agree with Jon that with the several years of corruption, war, and now the failing economy, we do have a need to look up to someone with heroic qualities, and even a fictional hero that will entertain us and take us to an imaginary place and restore our hope. But hey, I am optimistic that better times are ahead.

Joseph Campbell also said we need to get in touch with our “real self.” He stated, “The world is full of people who have stopped listening to themselves or have listened only to their neighbors to learn what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, and what the values are that they should be living for.” And his famous words, “Follow your bliss.”

I’m sure Jon Guenther will come up with a great idea for a new series of books, and with a believable hero. I intended to comment directly on his Blog but I wrote too much for that, so here it is.

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

~Linda