Category: My Books

Into the Fog – Book Excerpt

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Through The Fog]The following is an excerpt from my Irish mystery novel, Into the Fog, a sequel to Through the Fog.

“Niall; Fearghal. Step in side and have a whiskey.” The look on their faces was almost worth the days that came after.

“Told you he was here.”

“You also said he wasn’t a fool. You’re one for two, Niall.”

Niall glared at his older, larger (but, shall we say, less intellectual?) brother and moved toward the front step. “I’ve given up whiskey entirely, Martin, but a cup of something hot wouldn’t go amiss.” I had to step back inside to make room in the doorway for them to come in.

Fearghal O’ Quinn wasn’t quite tall enough to duck as he came through, but he filled a normal sized room well enough. Niall, not as tall and not as broad, always seemed restless, as if he were anticipating a surprise he wasn’t going to like.

Niall jostled Fearghal. “Get in, get in; my backside’s hanging out the door.” Stepping around his brother, he stopped cold.

… more … “Into the Fog – Book Excerpt”

Ginger and the Captain Part 2 – from an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Ginger]Ginger had been sitting very still, looking through the kitchen door, hoping he could dash through the kitchen door when it was open and out through the dining room. But he could never tell when the door was going to open. Boom! It would open and someone would come through. Then it would just slam shut again.

He started to get worried and without realizing it he stood up. When he moved, the chef saw him out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and there was a cat in his kitchen! The chef screamed in Japanese and he threw a great big meat cleaver at Ginger. … more … “Ginger and the Captain Part 2 – from an Unpublished Work”

Writing in Public: A Silkworm Instead of a Parachute

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: happy landings!” width=”222″ height=”164″ class=”alignright size-full wp-image-3493]A guitarist I once knew said he had a friend who wanted a band to play at his anniversary party.

I said “Take the gig, and we’ll put a band together.”

He blinked a couple times and said “I find your level of confidence disturbing.”

Since I grew up (at the age of 43) I’ve often leapt from airplanes with a silkworm instead of a parachute. It lends immediacy to the task.

I chickened out just a little and didn’t tell you about this until I was 11,000 words in, but I’m writing another light mystery, a 1,000-word chapter at a time, over on my personal blog. It’s called A Long Hard Look.

I have an idea where the story will go, just as when you leap from an airplane you’re fairly certain of your destination.

Getting there in one piece, though, is not a foregone conclusion.

The Shower – From an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: shower of pain]I looked up as the shower needled my I suppose lower chest would be correct though not necessarily medically or anatomically accurate (I apologize in advance to those who know what things are called for being fairly loose in my terminology — but just this once). As I say, I looked up and noticed that the mini-blind wand (see previous apology) was inside the shower as was I.

At first it seemed as though the blinds had been installed a bit too wide at the top and cut to width around the shower. Further reflection during my aqueous impalement suggested another answer for the strange inverted L shape. It appeared that the almost human-sized glass box I was in had been installed after the window and blinds already existed.

Since the bathroom was only just larger than many showers I have used in the past, perhaps originally the entire room was used for bathing with, perhaps, a drain in the center of the floor. … more … “The Shower – From an Unpublished Work”

Ginger and the Captain – An Excerpt From an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Ginger]The following is an excerpt from an unpublished children’s story. It’s transcribed from the recording of me telling the story to our Little One. Completely unedited at this point. The illustration is a sketch by Davina Kinney, who just might illustrate the series of 30 Ginger stories I’ve written.

The first Ginger story was about Ginger the Captain’s cat. Ginger lives on a sailing ship and he belongs to the Captain of the ship.

Ginger went everywhere with the Captain of the ship. When they would stop at a port Ginger always rode with the sailors when they went into town and Ginger would always find something interesting to do. He liked meeting new cats and seeing people and looking at what was going on. He enjoyed traveling the world.

… more … “Ginger and the Captain – An Excerpt From an Unpublished Work”

The Farm, the Wilderness, and the Beautiful City

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: The Farm, The Wilderness, And The Beautiful City]This post originally appeared on my philosophy blog.

Smart by anyone’s standards and strong by most, the young lad thought he’d find a better use for his talents than the family farm. As is often the case, he set out for the city.

Not just any city would do. He’d heard of a beautiful city whose smile would fill his soul, whose touch would inspire his dreams, whose breath would take his own away. Trusting that this ethereal place was the proper milieu for his own good judgment and drive, he set out.

Knowing the journey would be long and hard, he prepared well. He packed efficiently, found the best maps, and ate a hearty breakfast of whole grains and strong tea before stepping across his parents’ threshold.

… more … “The Farm, the Wilderness, and the Beautiful City”

The Village Id – Excerpt from an Unpublished Work

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Below is an excerpt from one of my unpublished works, The Village Id — my homage to P. G. Wodehouse.

Every village has a character. I don’t mean the village idiot. I mean a personality, a feel that’s obvious to visitors, yet invisible to residents.

Come to think of it, every village has a character in the other sense. Not necessarily an idiot. That would hardly be polite, and rarely truthful.

No, a character: the odd man out, the one whose character isn’t totally aligned with the village’s.

In Iddington village that would be me: I’m the only sane person there.

[image: The Village]

… more … “The Village Id – Excerpt from an Unpublished Work”

Book Excerpt from “Through the Fog: An Irish Adventure”

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Through The Fog front]It was good to be back in Ireland. My annual trips to Sligo had not only helped my understanding of the ancient language of the land, but given me an almost native comprehension of the modern as well.

It was a warm morning for Sligo; the sea breeze was usually cooler this time of year. Doesn’t matter; I’ll just lay here a bit longer; eyes closed, pondering the first cup of tea like you can’t get anywhere else in the world. Milk, not cream; no sugar, please.

The pain in my temple made me shoot upright in bed, which not only made the pain worse, but confused me immensely—there was no reason I should be in Sligo right now; the first glimpse of the room confirmed that, indeed, I was not.

I should, in fact, have been on the floor of the shed outside this house, not lying in my underwear in a feather bed in an upstairs bedroom.

Memory; that’s it, I’ve been having trouble with my memory.

An excerpt from my book, “Through the Fog: An Irish Advenure”. It is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt from Getting Your Book Out of the Someday Box

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Wednesdays we’ll be posting excerpts of Joel’s writings. Today’s excerpt is from Getting Your Book Out of the Someday Box.

Connect with an accountability mentor. You have friends and professional acquaintances who’d be delighted if you asked them to help you get your book done. A couple points on choosing them:

1. They need to believe. Somebody once started the lie that having someone tell you you’ll never succeed would inspire you to prove them wrong. Wrong. You do not need a troll, you need a rabid cheerleader who’ll make you believe when you forget to.

2. They need to not believe. … more … “Book Excerpt from Getting Your Book Out of the Someday Box”

Married to an Author

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

[image: Joel and Sue Canfield]I’m married to an author. I work with an author. In fact, many authors. In my work for Someday Box I’ve worked with a dozen authors or so this year. In my virtual assistant business I’ve worked with another dozen or so this past year. So I know quite a bit about authors.

If you are married to an author, you know authors can have their quirks.

… more … “Married to an Author”