Fathers set the example

Father's day is coming up and this is a picture of me on my father's shoulders. I was nine... and at nine every boy has the desire to be exactly like their father. He was a mechanic. He didn't read fiction, but nightly he read his manuals on new advances in automobile transmissions, fuel injection, and other such stuff. Then before he went to bed he read his bible. It was always on his table by his recliner. I don't remember my mother being a reader. I can't remember her reading any book at all except cookbooks, however, she was the one who encouraged me to read. She bought me all kinds of historical and factual books. Most were about explorers or informative facts of some kind or some fashion. I remember reading parts of books from the elementary school library like Louis Carroll's 'Wizard of Oz,' and L. Frank Baum's 'Alice in Wonderland.' (I didn't read the whole thing... I usually skipped through to the next exciting part.) I think I was 11 years old when I actually finished a book completely.... reading it cover to cover. It was captivating. It was 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle. I truly believe being a reader was a key part in my love of story telling. Because of my mother's encouragement I have all kinds of unless knowledge on all kinds of subjects. My father was the one who set the example. He was the one I saw reading. I think that is an important thing many of todays dads don't get... fathers set the example. In my story 'Deal of a Lifetime' in my book 'Spies Lie and Spies Die' the character of Blair is on his way to visit his grandfather. His mother and father have divorced and his mom feels that he needs a positive role model. Through the dialogue the reader learns that Blair admires his father. He thinks of his father as a great adventurer, and although he may not be a part of Blair's life that doesn't matter much (not that he shouldn't be a part of his life but Blair doesn't have any control of that) as long as he knows his father is an important person.

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"Spies Lie and Spies Die"

The Presentation for the Rotary Club in Post, Texas

Sorry there are no actual pics of the event in this post... I finished my presentation for the Rotary Club in Post, Texas and it went great. What wonderful people. (South Plains people are indeed wonderful but these guys were terrific.) Thank you for having me. As for pics... I was talking so I didn't get one of the event myself, I'll get one from the Club President or maybe the Assistant Governor of the Rotary Area and post it later. It was all great fun.

If any group or organization would like for me to come and speak about writing and publishing please contact me at Dan.Dwayne.Spencer.Novelist@gmail.com

CLICK HERE - Books by Dan Dwayne Spencer

Plows and Treasures

My mother told a story about how (in the 1930's) my grandfather went to the bank and borrowed the money for the next year. They had a good size farm... So, he would (and could) borrow enough money to buy seed to plant and then the rest would hold the family over till the crop came in. That money was for food, clothing (including fabrics), entertainment, and as for food it was to pay for the feed for the horses and the cows. He stopped by the seed store on the way home and bought the seed for the year's planting. Then he came home, changed out of his Sunday best (he had been to see the banker you know) into his work clothes and started seeding his land... Planting his crop. When he returned to the house he was going to show granny the money he had borrowed and that there was enough for them to live on till the harvest... but he couldn't find his billfold. It was gone. He went over his trip again. He looked everywhere and nothing was to be found. It was lost. It must have fallen out of his pocket. They had a hard season, needless to say. The next year he goes back to the bank. Gets the money for that year and stops by and gets the seed. He is very sure to keep a grip on his billfold this time. He gets home changes his clothes and starts plowing his fields. He is plowing when he sees something strange turn up as the earth is broken and the plowshare turns the soil. It was his billfold. That year they had money from the year before and the current year too. In my story "A Deal of a Lifetime" a fortune is dropped in Helen Baxter's lap by mistake. The scam artists misplaced the real statue and Helen accidently bought the priceless object. Of course no one came hunting my grandfather down for the money but have you ever tried to put off those bill collectors? They are the worst!    


CLICK HERE - Books by Dan Dwayne Spencer

What kind of Gun is on the Cover of "Spies Lie & Spies Die?"

I had to decide what kind of gun to use on the cover. I knew I wanted it to be golden and hang on the ribbon but should it be a Smith and Wesson? Maybe it should be Remington or maybe it should be a Barretta. All three of these guns appear in the nine stories of "Spies Lie & Spies Die." I decided on the Berretta because there are more Barrettes in the book.  I looked at one and using my mouse I clicked off the image of the gun in Photoshop. I added in the shadows and details. (Although I purposefully kept it a bit nondescript on the details.) Then I flipped it upside down onto the ribbon.