· Rolla Preceded Roswell · A good portion of the population has heard of Roswell, New Mexico; not for its desert beauty, but for the decision of the US government to cover up the truth about UFOs and early alien contact in 1947. A little known fact is that Rolla, in southwest Kansas, was the epicenter of alien visitation nearly twenty years before the Roswell Incident. My Grandpa Clarence, who farmed there, explained it to me over the course of my family visits to Hutchinson, … [Read more...] about The Big Lie
Archives for October 2017
Stretching the Truth
· Tall Tales · My Grandpa Clarence used to talk about the fertile farmland in western Kansas before the drought, grasshoppers, jack rabbits, and dust storms ravaged the country. He said he and the family had some extremely productive years for over a decade before "The Crash." When our family visited, just in case I doubted him, he would dig out his photographs and hand them to me as positive proof. "A picture's worth a thousand words," he'd advise, then silently begin rolling a cigarette … [Read more...] about Stretching the Truth
Back Story
· Going Backward in Order to Go Forward · "422 to 409." "409, go ahead." "If you want to stop by, you can take some more photographs for us." "No thanks, I've got other plans. Do you have enough help without me?" "10-4." I should have been thankful for the offer, instead it only reinforced my unwillingness to be a part of one more grisly scene of death. My shift was over. I had paid my dues. I just didn't have it in me to look at one more dead body. As I pulled into my driveway, only … [Read more...] about Back Story
Mix Things Up
· Braiding · Braiding means weaving information into the story, especially characters, like a hairdresser weaving strands of hair into one strong braid. In my novel, Taking Back the Bullet, I focus on three main characters and their families. Out of thirty-four chapters in the book, I use the first nine chapters introducing the fictional characters. The first two chapters are set in Prairie Grove, Kansas, where the reader meets jailer Tom Jennings and artist Jesse Thomas. In the … [Read more...] about Mix Things Up
