Hello, friends!

 

Despite having been shot at in Montenegro and epically roasted in the front row of a comedy show on a boat in the Ionian Sea, this writer and his family are back in Maine, safe and sound.

 

Let me back up…

 

Last night, we returned from a glorious adventure to Europe, over three weeks, seeing some new-to-us places in Italy and Spain, with a bit of Greece, Croatia, and Montenegro thrown in. We started in Ischia, a magical island off the coast of Naples, IT, then met some dear friends in Rome to take a cruise around the boot of Italy and up through Cephalonia and Corfu in Greece, then Montenegro and Croatia. After the boat, we continued on and had a lovely visit to Venice, where we just missed the Bezos wedding, followed by a week with more great friends in Estepona, a town in southern Spain that captured my heart in a big way.

 

We've been craving a longer family trip, something that made us feel young again, like when I used to backpack Europe back in the nineties and aughts. And we wanted to give our son, Riggs, a huge taste of it too. As I've said before, we want him to learn through travel and encountering people far different from him that the more open-minded we live, the better the world will be.

 

I don't know many places as beautiful as the Bay of Kotor, a fjord-like passage that cuts into Montenegro. Mikella got up around 5 a.m. to go out to the balcony and enjoy the views as we passed through. Riggs and I were still asleep. Breaking through the silence and beauty of the morning, three kids on motorcycles appeared on the shore and raced alongside us. One of them pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the boat. After hitting the floor, Mikella crawled inside to wake me. We weren't the only ones to report it to the port authority, and I suspect those kids might be in jail now--unless their dads are in the Serbian mafia and pulled some strings. It's a bit sketchy over there.

 

A day later, Riggs and our godson talked us into sitting front row for a British comedian act in the big theater. As we all know, the first rule of comedy shows is to never sit up front. I got roasted hard! She started asking audience members their names, then doing a funny bit about them. I seized up, knowing she'd strike gold if she asked me. Guess what? After about three others, she pointed her finger my way. Once I told her, she cracked a grin and let loose on me. “Boo? Am I hearing that right?” And when I told her I was a novelist, she said, “No surprise there! Anyone with the name Boo could never have a real job!” It was a super special night laughing to tears.

 

Yes, of course, I was doing research and writing. See proof below, a pic of me, cappuccino in hand, hacking away at 6 a.m. in our Ischia hotel. (Never mind the hair.) 

 

I was and still am trying to make some sort of sense out of these four American expats who inhabited my head a few years ago and have been demanding to meet the page ever since. So if you wonder why you're not hearing more from me, it's that this book is whooping my arse properly, and it's due on August 11th. OMG!! The next month will be a caffeine-induced mad dance of writing.

 

By the way, you might see some new covers for the Red Mountain series start to pop up on Amazon. I thought it would be fun for a refresh in anticipation of Otis's origin story hitting shelves in September. I'll share more later.

 

Lastly, Kerry Lonsdale, a writer friend of mine who is a great inspiration to me, has a new book out called Falling for You Again that should be on your radar. She's going through a super-difficult time right now, and her author family is trying to help spread word of her new release. Please check it out.

 

I'll write again soon. Just need to escape jet lag and put all my focus on this book. It's go time! I'll leave you with some fun pics of our escapade. Oh, and how are you? How is the summer? What are you reading that you recommend? I'm in the middle of My Friends, Fredrik Backman's latest. It's lovely.

P.S. Please forgive me if I don't respond to your emails. Know that I joyfully read each one. In fact, your notes keep me going. It's just that I best put my energy into meeting the next deadline. Thanks for understanding.

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