Back in the summer of 1978, I made a solemn pronouncement over breakfast toast: “Mom, someday I’m going to write a novel like Stephen King does.” She smiled with a bemused expression that said, “Sure, sweetie—after you remember to pick up your socks.”
Forty-seven years later, I’ve finally made good on that promise… and yes, I did eventually get the sock situation under control.
Reunion: Coda wasn’t the book my teenage self imagined. I pictured epic battles, spaceships, maybe a military campaign against alien turncoats. Instead, I wrote about Jim Garraty, a history professor tangled in memories and quiet revelations. It’s not flashy—but it’s human. And as it turns out, that’s harder to write than a TIE fighter chase.
Between March 2023 and April 2025, I moved twice, misplaced several coffee mugs, learned the subtle tyranny of Kindle formatting, and rewrote chapters that refused to behave. My expectations danced around a Winter 2023 release; life, meanwhile, took the cha-cha route: charming, unpredictable, and slightly off-beat.
Reunion: Coda wasn’t the book my teenage self imagined. I pictured epic battles, spaceships, maybe a military campaign against alien turncoats. Instead, I wrote about Jim Garraty, a history professor tangled in memories and quiet revelations. It’s not flashy—but it’s human. And as it turns out, that’s harder to write than a TIE fighter chase.
And through it all, this story became something more. A romance? Sure. But also a meditation on timing, trust, and letting go. Jim, Marty, Mark, and Maddie weren’t characters waiting to be written—they were old friends finally ready to speak.
Somewhere along the way, a third story emerged—Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen. It’s not a prequel or a sequel, but a companion. A mixtape moment from 1984: a party Jim never wanted to attend, a girl who didn’t look away, and a conversation that became a kind of grace. Kelly Moore may never become a household name, but her ability to see Jim—to truly see him—is the kind of alchemy that stories live for. It’s not about falling in love. It’s about finally feeling known.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Wow, he took two years to write a book about emotions?”—yes. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, because the emotions were real, and the storytelling was honest. Besides, dramatic space battles don’t teach us what to do when someone tells us they’re proud of us and we don’t know how to respond.
To those who’ve picked up the Reunion Duology or spent a quiet hour with Jim and Kelly in Comings and Goings, thank you. These stories were stitched together across states, seasons, and self-doubt. They weren’t easy—but they were mine. And now, they’re yours too.
Here’s to the next one. Just don’t expect aliens. Or perfectly folded socks.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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