The Dark and Stormy Night Series is a collection of short stories I have written over a 15 year period. The Series started as a literary project after I retired in the mid 1990's, and continues today. Every short story could easily expand into a bigger novel. However, keeping the stories short allows me to develop many different themes, with different twists and turns. I am also creating and developing a novel about Celtic Mythology.
The inspiration for writing short stories comes from reading Louis L'Amour stories, and my own experiences traveling around the world. Unfortunately, I was never a merchant sailor, a longshoreman, a cowboy, or any of the other titles Mr L'Amour experienced. However, I have traveled to Europe, Asia, and Polynesia. And traveling alone, I was almost shanghaied in Honolulu, robbed in Barcelona, and kidnapped in Bangkok and Chicago. I would have loved exchanging stories with Louis L'Amour.
Louis once said that good stories always begin with the main character appearing in some type of tough situation, right at the start. So I have tried to follow this suggestion. I normally begin a new short story with a few paragraphs, and then walk away. Some time later (days, weeks, even months) I return to the story, reread what I started and then add some more to the plot. Again, I walk away, and return later to reread and add more to the story.
Sometimes, I will start several stories and have two or three going at the same time. But I always follow the same pattern, start with the main person, leave, return, reread, write a little, leave, return, etc. This of course means it can take a long time to finish anything. Well, time just flows along, or as I say in my Celtic novel "Time floats freely on the Wind." I plan to run out of stories before I run out of time.
One of my Tai Chi students has helped me organize and start to get my stories published. That is "self-published." I took ten stories and organized them into two Volumes, namely Volume 1 and Volume 2. Very creative! I have printed here, the "start" of each of the ten stories for your "reading pleasure." Hopefully, you will get a good 'picture' about the story, from this sample. Louis L'Amour would have been proud of me!
People can make a donation of $10 for each Volume. If I have to mail them to you, then you'll need to pickup the postage. And I will donate all the profits to animal shelters. I have done this before with several of my art works. Even if you don't like the stories, your donation will be for a good cause.
Also, several people have asked about adding something about my Celtic Mythology novel. So I have included some of the beginning chapter for "your reading pleasure." Look for the 'Novel Page'.
I hope you like it.
