House Mountain Views

This excerpt is from Choosing Family, the fifth book in the Boone Series, scheduled for release in May of this year. For print or ebook copies of the Boone Series or any of my books, visit the book catalog page on my website.

This excerpt from Following Frankie, the fourth book in the Boone Series, is being published to mark the release of Choosing Family, the fifth book, scheduled for May of this year. For print or ebook copies of the Boone Series, or any of my books, visit the book catalog page on my website.

This excerpt from Keeping Secrets, the third book in the series, is being published to mark the release of Choosing Family, the fifth book, scheduled for May of this year. For print or ebook copies of any of the Boone series, or my other books, visit the book catalog page on my website.

This excerpt from Matching Scars, the second book in the Boone Series, is being published to mark the release of the fifth book, Choosing Family, in May of this year. For print or ebook copies of any of the Boone Series, or my other books, visit the book catalog page on my website.

This first in a series of five podcasts is an excerpt from Pushing Back, Book One in the Boone Series. Choosing Family, Book Five in the series, is scheduled for release in May of this year.

Thoughts on the Boone series and how marginalized youth see it.

Some thoughts on the celebration of inequality in our society.

A reflection on the pandemic a year and a half in, and the importance of artists like Amanda Gorman.

Exploring the ideas and themes behind the Boone series, and how shutting out the marginalized makes us weaker as a society.

This is the essay I wrote for Karen Krogh's book, "Love is the Spirit: the journey of a courageous and resilient community," her photographic portrayal of the year following the TVUUC shooting. July 27 is the anniversary date.

In the final part of the teen's journey, he begins reaching out to his peers to share what he has begun to learn.

In Part Three, the teen and his mentor begin looking ahead to his release from the confines of the alternative school and what steps he needs to make next.

In Part Two, the teen, at first combative and mistrustful, begins to form a relationship with his counselor.

Part One of an anonymous teen's journey from rage and mistrust to the beginnings of self-awareness. Set in an alternative high school, the teen is full of anger and resentment, spoiling for a fight and viewing all adults as the enemy.

Boone pays a long overdue visit to his father's grave.

Boone agrees to a request from Carrie and gets a cryptic message from Gamaliel.

Boone and Nancy share a drink and a trip to the pool.

Boone tells Nancy about the shine and she has her first taste.

Boone is confronted with a decision that he's been thinking about for a while. How much should he tell Nancy about what he and Gamaliel have been doing?

Boone gets instructions from Gamaliel and makes a discovery in the tool shed.

Gamaliel has emergency surgery, and Boone makes plans for when he recovers.

Memories of the details of his brother's death overwhelm Boone and he misses a promised visit to Gamaliel.

Boone tries to repair his relationship with Nancy and realizes he has no idea how to do that.

Boone's inability to shake his father's demons damages his relationship with Nancy.

Boone gets another visit from the local thieves, and Nancy finds out about Gamaliel's hospitalization.

Boone goes back to the hospital and gets the latest news on Gamaliel, and Carrie makes him an offer.

Boone makes a visit to the hospital and deals with hospital security. Later, he gets an unwelcome phone call from a relative.

Boone visits a laundromat for the first time, and makes a frightening discovery when he visits Gamaliel.

Boone surprises the thieves for a second time, this time at Gamaliel's, and comes away with an injury for his troubles.

Boone has his first encounter with Nancy's younger brother, and things get off to a rocky start.

Boone gets a dog.

Boone tries to keep Gamaliel's secrets safe, and gets a surprise visit.

Carrie confronts Boone, defending her husband, and Boone interrupts a pair of thieves at his house.

Boone finds out the origin of Gamaliel's name and shares the story about how he was named. He has a serious confrontation with Jerry in his own living room.

Boone gets Gamaliel's house ready for his return. He surprises a couple of thieves, and the tension between him and Jerry gets worse.

Boone is dumbstruck by what he finds at Gamaliel's house. He gets a letter from his mother with devastating news, and confides further in Nancy.

Nancy fills Boone in on the latest school gossip about a hated teacher, and Boone tells Nancy about the stash of shine (and immediately wonders if that was a huge mistake).

Gamaliel's daughter asks Boone to watch the house while the old man is in the hospital for some routine tests; Gamaliel cautions Boone about keeping their project secure.

Boone goes back to school (in a way), and ends up on a first-name basis with Mr. Everett.

Boone discovers a few surprises about Mr. Everett's relationship with his father, and comes to an agreement with the old man.

Boone finally gets Nancy to visit him at home, but things don't go as planned.

Boone brings a gift along on his next visit with Mr. Everett and gets a surprise. His old neighbor is a lot more interesting than he thought.

Boone meets his neighbor's daughter and son-in-law and has another run-in with Deputy Anderson.

Boone has his first encounter with local law enforcement since the incident with his father, and makes a discovery in the woods behind his house.

Boone looks in on a grief-stricken neighbor, and receives a letter from his mother that contains devastating news.

Boone takes stock of his assets, takes the truck out on the road for the first time, and works on what to tell people about what happened to his daddy.

Boone reaches out to his neighbor for help with a new problem, finds his daddy's stash, and is approached by a girl at school.

Boone deals with the initial aftermath of his family's explosive breakup, primarily wrestling with what to do about his father. The reality of his situation starts to sink in.

Boone's family begins its final disintegration, and he has his first encounter with a reclusive neighbor.

Boone confronts his daddy and is demeaned and belittled once again, but this time a real crisis is brewing.

Boone struggles with trying to protect his mother and sister while dealing with his own fear of his father's angry explosions.