The moment I finished Banter and Replenished Defenses, my mind churned, seeking the baseline for a potential mystery to give Mr. Rickman. While I’m placing pieces to have my master thief battle my implacable investigator, the underlining story isn’t ready to pluck from the depths of my mind. So in the meantime, I’m chipping away at their broader world. As potential storylines emerged from the murky shadows, a couple pieces of inspiration crept to the surface...

With Banter finished, my attention shifted to the second story for August, a fantasy. From the moment I pulled the genre poll results, different ideas floated through my mind. However, with the end of the month looming over me, I decided to blend my fantasy tale with some historical facts. Instantly, Samuel’s story erupted from the depths of my imagination. Fresh off of using all his enchantments to fend off Jameson’s family, Samuel returns to New York city to leverage his friend’s magical expertise...

As work, classes, and the rest of life pile up, sometimes it is difficult to find the time to write. While numerous stories are floating through my mind, most of them keep getting shelved in favor of the stories I own my patrons. Up first this month is a drama. Thankfully, I had the perfect tale ready to go. In the last few months, stories surrounding Kyle Rickman and Jessica Calhoun created a perfect opportunity to have them officially cross paths...

As we continued to wander through the habitats of Mill Mountian Zoo, each of the sights and animals were wonderful to see. Head over to your favorite image and comment on its DeviantArt page...

As we continued to wander through the habitats of Mill Mountian Zoo, each of the sights and animals were wonderful to see. Head over to your favorite image and comment on its DeviantArt page...

As we continued to wander through the habitats of Mill Mountian Zoo, each of the sights and animals were wonderful to see. Head over to your favorite image and comment on its DeviantArt page...

After stepping into the zoo, my wife and I were eager to explore all the habitats. While some of the critters weren’t up and about, some just didn’t position themselves for quality shots. Of course some of my favorite ones were the visiting avians...

As the month marches to an end, I push my stories out to my patrons. With Infiltration and Onslaught complete, my attention shifted from successful defense to the breach by Jameson’s family. Despite all of Samuel’s secrets and sorcery, the sheer numbers of Jameson’s family are too great to overcome. While our hero protected the jail and the criminal for a while, eventually the unstoppable nature of the criminal family broke through his defenses. Unfortunately for Samuel, he’s still waiting for Pearl to return with the calvary...

With Infiltration finished, my mind fluttered to the second tale for July, a historical fiction. Despite the logjam with this month’s first story, I’d been toying with this storyline from the moment I finished Bounty. Fresh off completing his job, Samuel knows that the local sherif is ill-equipped to deal with the oncoming storm. With absolute faith in his dragon and his abilities, Samuel beings to prepare for the onslaught of the Jameson’s family...

Once we parked atop Mill Mountain, we marched across the parking lot toward the zoo. Along the way, we meandered through the Wildflower Garden. Unfortunately, we visited at the wrong time, so we did not get to see too many blooming wildflowers. However, we got to see a beautiful water feature...

Despite another busy month, the moment I pulled the results of the poll, my mind began churning at potential stories. While I had a couple thoughts for the final two stories, I couldn’t think of a single storyline for my master thief. In the past, I’ve focused on individual jobs, highlighting aspects of her character and skill. In fact, those are reasons I continue to delve into her mysterious past. However, up to now, I’ve avoided exploring those in her immediate orbit. So after a lot of debate and back and forth, I leaned into an episode of White Collar for some inspiration for this tale...

On the way to the Mill Mountain Zoo, there were lots of sights that captivated my mind. This past week, I’ve brought a handful of those to the world. Come join me as I bring you the highlights from that easy jaunt...

Fresh off the beauty of Roanoke in the moonlight, I was once again remineded of the ultimate beauty of Mother Nature. As we headed toward Mill Mountain, distant mountain ranges raced toward the clouds. The rugged lines of sprouting trees and homes played perfectly with the backing peak...

There is something about nature, like a waterfall, a sunset, or a beautiful mountain range, that soothes me in every way possible. In contrast, whenever I’ve seen what to some people say is a beautiful cityscape, my nerves and anxiety receive no benefit. However, when I stood beneath the Roanoke Star and gazed out at the sprawling city of Roanoke, a weight slid off my shoulders. While I’ll always be able to enjoy these photos, I’m not about to dissect them to discover the reason constructions achieved the same results as Mother Nature...

With life propelling me one hundred miles an hour, trips to unplug and renew are essential. Unfortunately, I can fall into a groove, and I lose track of how burdened I become with each day. Thankfully, my wife kept dropping hints she wanted to unwind. Eventually, I picked up on her subtle statements and admitted that a break in our hectic lives would be a wonderful thing. As a result, we started looking for destinations to visit, and after a brief search we found a beautiful cottage through Airbnb in Roanoke, VA. By the end of our vacation, not only were we rejuvenated, I had plenty of pictures to bring to the world...