Having been blessed with two sisters, but no brothers, I take a whimsical look into the world of famous brothers. The picture of course is of the Fogerty brothers who formed the rock band, Credence Clearwater Revival, but don't let the picture make you think the story is all about rockers. I found interesting tales, some of them of a sad nature, of several bands of brothers.  This story was fun to write and the words just fell on the pages. 

This short story was my first, and in my opinion, the best. What happens when the protagonist of a story, Dracula, somehow chases the author, Stoker, in this case, right back to his home, chasing after his wife. This story is full of historical facts, including that the renown author Oscar Wilde actually had girlfriends. (I mention this as the story was rejected by a magazine because they claimed Wilde was gay and never had girlfriends.) I gave this story a touch of Victorian English as well. 

Originally titles, LBJ and those Darn Mets, I changed it to Summer of '69 so as the title did not chase folks off for possible political reasons. Go back to the year 1969 with my cousin and I and get a humorous glimpse into the lives of two twelve-year-olds growing up in a small town. Most of the story is true, too. 

In this short story I delve into science fiction, using motor cycle gang members as the protagonists. While the story happens in Arizona, I used my own home town of Chebanse, in Illinois, and a specific bar and grill I used to frequent before it closed. Some of the characters are people I knew. 

On a recent trip to New York City, I discovered there was a Broadway play near my hotel, called Tommy. It brought back the painful memory of a 15-year-old with tickets to a Sunday matinee of the original version with the actual group, the Who, driving through a snowstorm only to find the show was canceled. With nothing better to do, I attended the play and was extremely happy I did. 

After a visit to London where I went to Abbey Road Studio's and learned some of the intricate details of the members of the Beatles, I got to thinking about drummer Pete Best, the original drummer to the Beatles. Can you imagine having been part of the Beatles hyper-experience and have been invited to leave the band. I invite you to learn some history of the 5th Beatle. 

Can I Have a Lick is a humorous and warm tale from Frankfort Illinois recently on a hot Friday night, after I jokingly asked a young boy for a lick of his ice cream bar. He was in the back of an SUV with his mother and sister when I happened to park next to him.