Shepard Smokey Colson

While at dinner with a friend, I saw a news report that a man I revered, Colonel Wesley Howzer, and his wife, Doreen, died in a freak accident in Greece, leaving behind a son.  I felt the pull to attend the funeral and offer the young man, a chef, my assistance.  His father wasn’t just the man who had been my training officer when I was in John Wayne School for Delta.  He was Saber, a well-respected member of Alpha Unit One, the same Ranger Unit Gabriele ‘Gabby’ Torrente, the linguist, belonged to when he was still in the Army.

My history with the military was bleak, but I owed Saber a debt of thanks for being there for me when I was going through a wicked time in my life.  If it weren’t for Saber, I’d have likely not lived to see the next day after I was dishonorably discharged. 

Going to Georgia to support the man’s son and offer any assistance was a no-brainer.  I had no idea what I was walking into, but when I met the son of the man I admired nearly as much as my own father?  I couldn’t walk away, regardless of where the road would lead me. 

I’d met Parker Howzer when he was seventeen, and I was being kicked out of the Army.  My head wasn’t on straight at the time, and all I remembered about the kid was he wore braces and seemed to want to be anywhere but at the table with his parents and me at the time.  The beautiful man I met in a small diner in Columbus, Georgia wasn’t anything I expected.  What would it take to pay my debt to Saber?  I’d learn it would be more than just a condolence visit.  It might be the thing to change my life.

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Parker Buckley Howzer

My parents were dead, or so I’d been told by a friend of theirs over the phone.  That was the only thing that echoed in my head.  My job didn’t matter.  My personal life didn’t matter.  The only two people in the whole world who ever loved me were gone, and how was I supposed to survive that?  They’d been a blessing to me when they adopted me at twelve, and I thought I had life by the tail because of Wesley and Doreen.

Suddenly, with one phone call, I was an orphan again.  An orphan with a lot of problems because someone was looking for something belonging to my parents, and they believed I had it, or so I would learn.  I had no idea what or why, and no thoughts about how to figure it out. 

Shepard Colson, or Smokey to his friends, came along like an avenging angel from heaven.  He seemed to sense early on I was in danger, and he vowed to keep me safe, but at what cost to both of us?  That worried me more than anything because Shepard held a power over me that would be life-altering.  Whether I was ready or not, my life was about to change.  I just didn’t know how much.

Please Note: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers.  It includes graphic language, violence, and/or adult situations and descriptions of sexual activity between two, consenting adult males.  This fictional story is intended for adults over 18, is approximately 87,000 words in length.  It is the third book in the series entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.”  Each book can be read alone or as part of the series.  I hope you enjoy them.

Guardian Gabe is live on Amazon.  

Second in the Lonely Heroes Series.  I hope you’ll check it out!

I hope you’ll check it out!

has gone live on Amazon.  I hope you’ll check it out!

Hank Schatz

When I decided it was time for me to get out of the Army to begin making my way back to my humanity and beyond the pain that leeched into my soul over time, I had no idea what I would do with my life.  I’d been the property of Uncle Sam for fifteen years, and I’d been an Army Ranger for ten, a member of a distinguished group of brothers-in-arms who would give their lives for their country and each other, too many of whom already lost in the fight.  The term, “war is hell,” wasn’t coined for no reason, and I’d had enough hell to last me a lifetime.

It was time to go home and get to know my family again, especially my little sister, Jewel.  She was the light in our family and much younger than me.  I wanted to spend time with her and learn for myself all the wonderful things she brought to our family, and I hoped her gentle spirit could help me fight the demons that accosted me when I least expected it.

I also had another mission…to tell my family the secret I’d been hiding from them for too many years…the secret that had nothing to do with my career as an Army Ranger.  It was time I began living my truth, but how to start?  That was a question I couldn’t answer until I went to my sister’s Christmas program and met my sister’s teacher.  He was one who made me want to find the answers.  I didn’t want to be lonely anymore.

Reed Bayless

I had more than a few issues to work through when I moved to a small town in Central Missouri to work as a Special Education teacher at Carver Middle School.  The kids were amazing, and their parents were supportive, unlike my last school where the parents believed their expensive tuition relieved them of their obligation to actually participate in their children’s education.

I had embraced my new job and my sweet students easily, but the Christmas Eve service at the local Lutheran church found me wanting to embrace the brother of one of my most precious pupils, Jewel.

Her brother was a handsome man, but there was a sadness about him that made me want to hold him in my arms until his hurts healed.  Of course, he was an Army Ranger, the toughest of the tough and the straightest of the straight.  The odd friendship that grew between us made me want more from the man because I was tired of being alone.  Add in a comfort dog named Cosmo, and I was in over my head before I even knew what happened.  The Ranger had me wanting things that weren’t possible…or were they?

Please Note: This book contains material which may be offensive to some readers.  It includes graphic language and/or adult situations and descriptions of sexual activity between two, consenting adult males.  This fictional story is intended for adults over 18, is approximately 140,000 words in length, and doesn’t end with a cliffhanger.  It is part of a new series of stories entitled, “The Lonely Heroes Series.”  Each book can be read alone or as part of the series.  I hope you enjoy them.

since I’ve touched base with you, but I’m happy to finally have a new story.  It’s about an Army Ranger who returns home to his small town to get reacquainted with his parents, brother, and his little sister, Jewel.  She’s the love of his life…that is until he meets her teacher…  I hope you’ll check it out.

want to thank friends who wished me well.  As I’ve aged, I’ve come to decide Fall isn’t my favorite time of year because it’s my birthday.  It’s a time where we recognize there are a lot of reasons to be thankful.  If you’re a farmer, it’s a time to be thankful for a harvest.  If you’re a nature lover, it’s a time to be thankful for the lovely display Mother Nature offers us.  If you’re an American, it’s time to be thankful for those who protect our liberties, and I’m talking about soldiers.  Thank you for your service.

Sometimes, it is darkest before the dawn, as was famously quoted before I was even born, but when things seem like they’re out of control in the world, where can we turn for security?  I hope for our better angels to guide those in charge, but if that doesn’t work?  I’m wondering where the nearest bunker is because I don’t have one of my own.

I ask all (one) of you who follow me to put out as much positive energy as possible.  I believe we are in deep need of a hero, and it’s not anyone who is elected to office.

May we all…