On Writing & Storytelling: Quickie Reviews for ‘Reunion,’ and Hopes and Aspirations for My Workday

Morning, Monday, July 24, 2023, Lithia, Florida

Hi, there, Dear Reader.

Well, as I write this, it’s late morning on the first day of the last work week of July 2023. It is, of course (this being Florida), another stifling hot, if perhaps not as sunny, summer day. The current temperature is 87°F/31°C under mostly cloudy skies, although with a mostly becalmed wind and humidity at 75%, the feels-like temperature is 97°F/36°C. It hasn’t rained here yet – the skies were so gray when I woke up earlier that I thought it was raining (or about to start, anyway) – but the radar images on my PC’s Weather app do show a bunch of heavy rain showers or even thunderstorms out in the Gulf of Mexico, and the hour-by-hour forecast section does predict that the Tampa Bay area will see rain between 12 and 2 PM.

Short Reviews for Reunion

In case you are new to A Certain Point of View, Too, or if you want to know if my novella, Reunion: A Story, is worth buying and reading, here are a few short reviews – two of which were from when I showed the story to some friends in 2004, 14 years before I decided to self-publish it on Amazon – by folks who have read my first attempt at genre fiction.

I just read your book.

After the first few pages, I was hooked and just kept reading. If I stopped reading to do something else my mind kept wandering back to the story and wondering what was going to happen next.

Well done, I’m impressed! – Tommy Rupp via Facebook

I really enjoyed reading this story. The author’s descriptive writing brought me back to high school. Really made me think about the “what ifs” in life. – Cindy K. Shaeffer via Amazon

This story brings you on a journey back to those days of high school. I really enjoyed walking down the halls with Jim and listening to his thoughts about his love, his memories of high school and what he felt. Thank you for a great read!! – Amy via Amazon

Truly beautiful. Very poignant and so very true. Thank you for writing this, it touches my heart deeply. – Luriena via the 2004 “Readers’ Group” evaluation

A quick and easy read that will take you back to your youth. Very well written. I would love to see a full-length novel from the author. He has wonderful writing skills and knows how to capture and hold the reader’s interest. – Peggy Jensen Cai via Amazon

Outstanding! “Reunion” is full of honest emotion, mature reflection, and rich details that made the story real. A lovely and bittersweet memory that reminded me how important my high school days were to me. – Anonymous via the 2004 “Reader’s Group” evaluation

Action This Day

My plan for this last full workweek of July is, obviously, to work on the manuscript for Reunion: Coda. I did some revisions on Saturday, but yesterday I took a rest day and didn’t even open the Word file which contains the rough draft file.  And since today is the beginning of the aforementioned workweek, working on Scene Two of Chapter 10 is at the top of my agenda after my late morning/midday rest break.

My fondest hope is that after the break I will be able to write the phone conversation between Jim and Maddie, preferably with witty, believable dialogue that crackles off the page and into the reader’s imagination.

That’s all I have to share with you today, Dear Reader. So, until next time, Dear Reader, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.