A Taste of Home - The Characters

I've been waiting to do this but I guess now is as good of a time as any. After all, the chicken is still thawing and the pot I need to the spaghetti is busy in the dishwaser at the moment. Every good story needs strong characters and good characters are those that the reader can relate to or say outloud 'Gee... I know a geek just like that'! Maybe you can relate to one of these or you know someone that this describes. So, with out further delay...here are the characters to my upcoming novel "A Taste of Home".
First...a little disclaimer. This story was outlined almost six years ago and the characters were named then. Since then, I've met quite a few people that have the same last name as my characters in the book. Coincidence...or are my psychic abilities fine tuning. Either way...don't get excited or pissed off because you have a similar name to some of the people in this book. After all, do you know how many Chad Millers there are in the United States?

Toby Liberman - The main character. Toby is a middle aged aerospace worker born and stuck in a small closed minded town. He hates his job, he has reason to believe that his wife is cheating, and his daughter could use a good back hand across the face from time to time. Not only is he constantly disrespected on a daily basis...he no longer possesses the intestinal fortitude to earn any. A horrible marriage will do that to a man after so long...(think Dante Hicks from the movie Clerks)

Jessica Liberman - Toby's wife. A few years younger than Toby, Jessica has held on to her high school beauty and is the kind of girl that turn every head in a bar upon walking in. In the past few months, she's been a little distant from her husband and daughter. Some people think that she's been catting around on the wrong side of town with the wrong people and doing the wrong things. (think every slutty dope fiend chick that you've ever known)

Johnny Haynes - Toby's best friend and Jessica's brother. When the two of them are together, Toby is unstoppable. He emits enough nerve and wit for the both of them. Even after all these years, they work together, play together, and stick by one another through thick and thin. Even though he embarrasses Toby from time to time, he really don't know what he'd do without him. He can turn any conversation into a witty display of humor and sharp comebacks. (think Randall Graves from the movie Clerks...yes...the first person that read this book laughed and said "this is almost like Dante and Randall meet the Werewolf!)

Jessie McGee - Toby's bitter enemy from their high school days...and he's not very fond of Johnny either. He's been in love with Jessica for decades but has never been able to be truly close to her due to the two of them. Maybe that was why he got involved in law enforcement and became the town's Sheriff. Now he's got all the power and he's not afraid to use it. There are even some that think his power isn't always used for good...(think 1 out of 2 of your local PD)(if you're a cop and you take offense to that...don't stand in groups of 2...that way we can identify you from the ones that are described above)

Katie Liberman - Toby and Jessica's daughter...even though the last name probably gave it away. 13 years old and she already knows everything there is to know about life from modern television, her witty uncle and father, and the joys of public schools. Unfortunately, she, like her uncle, has an undiagnosed case of tourettes and don't know when to shut up. She display's her mother's beauty but could care less if anybody notices it. She has very few friends...but she could care less. All she needs is her family (this character was actually based on an ex coworker's daughter in every aspect. We miss and love you Kerri)

Kurt Jimmerson - A total stranger to the town...or is he? No one really knows him...but he seems to know much about everyone. (based on every creepy drifter that you ever met at 2am in any large city in America)

Now, I place all these characters in the following scenario...and there you go:

Toby Liberman is plagued by a cheating wife, dead-end job, and a daughter that is mature beyond her years. After confronting his wife’s lover, the town’s Sheriff, Toby encounters a mysterious creature in the woods that bestows upon him an unspeakable curse.

A series of events lead to a charge of triple homicide against Toby. While incarcerated, Toby meets a man who tells him he is now a werewolf. Toby is mentored in the ways of the animal and joins forces with the man in an attempt to bring the Sheriff to his knees. Forced into a final confrontation, Toby realizes that he is no longer the only one in town that has secrets.

And there you go. Sure, there's tons of stuff inbetween but I can't tell you everything. The official cover should be arriving soon and I'll post it as soon as I can. Until then...keep believing...

Sitting In The Dark With REO Speedwagon...

Judgement day is at hand. No...not all of that doom and gloom that has been recited to you repeatedly by various preachers on the coming of the end...but a completely different kind of J Day altogether. Today is the last day that my publisher's art department has to deliver my newest books cover before my agent bites their heads off. Ahh...it's nice to be represented sometimes. So while I'm sitting here counting the seconds until their midnight deadline of doom...I'm sitting here in the darkness of my dungeon aka my bedroom listening to tunes of old, singing along when I know the words, and vocalizing some unintelligable gibberish when I don't. Perhaps I should look those lyrics up before I make my big stage debut...
REO Speedwagon would be so disappointed in me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not all about some wuss rock but the windows media player is on random and who am I to stop progress. Besides, everyone needs a ballad every now and then. Actually, I prefer them. They're the driving force behind every failed relationship I've encountered since age 13. Where would I be today without Poison or Guns N Roses making me come to near tears when my flavor of the week went away during my high school angst? Music was actually the driving force behind 'A Taste of Home'. I used it often to create the mood for the chapters...a Metallica explosion for the action scenes in my head and a good slow hair band love song for the sweet parts. One in particular actually...and a song that so few of you have even experienced. The song is Street of Dreams by Guns N Roses from the Chinese Democracy album that came out a couple of years ago. Man...if you want to feel a man's pain, listen to this song...pure masterpiece in my opinion. 'I don't know just what I should do...everywhere I go I see you...though it's what you planned this much is true...what I thought was beautiful don't live inside of you anymore'. Call me a wimp if you want...but listen to this song and see if it doesn't stir up some 'dumped at the high school prom' emotions. I'll just leave it at that. The rest is for you to figure out...

How it all begins...

"The North East Texas drought that had lasted almost a decade had ended and now the rain poured strongly down upon the rusted tin overhang of the building’s roof. The beating rhythm of the liquefied projectiles played out a song that resembled a never ending drum roll to any audience that was close enough to experience the performance. Tonight, it only played for an audience of one. Staying hidden deep within the shadows of the darkened structure, a small boy cowered by the name of Ryan Weldon."

This opening paragraph was never in the original short story. As a matter of fact, the entire short story was about a man who had been on the receiving end of the wolf's curse that woke and reflected every morning after identifying the previous night's victim. Gotta love small town life...everyone knows everyone! One morning, he wakes up to the remains of his own daughter...thus the title...A Taste of Home. Divorce can really screw up someone's head lol. Five years later, I outlined the entire story, changed a few things, and came up with something I'm extremely happy with. So...without further B.S. here is the back cover text that describes what is now the completed version of "A Taste of Home". This is only the beginning. After all...we can't let Stephanie Meyer sparkle all over the place...


Toby Liberman is plagued by a cheating wife, dead-end job, and a daughter that is mature beyond her years. After confronting his wife’s lover, the town’s Sheriff, Toby encounters a mysterious creature in the woods that bestows upon him an unspeakable curse.

A series of events lead to a charge of triple homicide against Toby. While incarcerated, Toby meets a man who tells him he is now a werewolf. Toby is mentored in the ways of the animal and joins forces with the man in an attempt to bring the Sheriff to his knees. Forced into a final confrontation, Toby realizes that he is no longer the only one in town that has secrets.

The Werewolf Legend...With a Texas Twist

Wow...this is my first official blog posting here and I'm really excited! Too much? O.K. you caught me...it's sort of cool. Anyway...a little about myself (because I'll drag out all the meat and potatoes later) I'm really looking forward to my new book hitting shelves because my last two are pretty much all but collector's items now. They are called "A Ghost Hunter's Journal" and "We Believe You...A Ghost Hunter's Journal Continues..." They're both still available from my former publisher, who also doubles as a manic depressive medium, at http://www.publishamerica.com . Just type in my name and hopefully they'll do the rest. I'm starting fresh however with my first jump into the fiction/horror genre. New agent, new publisher, new distributor...it's almost too much to take at once...but I'm taking it all in stride. The new book "A Taste of Home" was originally a short story I'd written during a nasty divorce about six years ago long before I'd ever put pen to paper with my first two novels. Somehow...I always knew that there would be more to it...and eventually it began growing. My profile pic is actually a concept cover that was designed by D.J. Eichelman but I believe that my publisher is determined to change it. As soon as they figure out the skinny on that...I'll change my profile pic to match. Well, this should more than bring people up to speed on who I am and what I do. If you want more, hop by the good old facebook account. We can turn on the juice and see what shakes loose. Keep Believing...