In last week’s newsletter, I talked a little about the relationship with my old man, such as it was. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like the guy, at least in my later years. When you hit your 50s, I think most of us would agree that your take on things both hardens and smooths out at the same time. I saw my formative years through the lens of someone who could comprehend, at least a little, what it must have been like to grow up in Brooklyn in the 30s, sharing a small brownstone with five other Italian families and most of them unemployed.
It sets a tone.
I find myself now chasing a new dream? Hobby? Business opportunity? I’m going to take a crack at becoming a knife maker. My grandfather was a cobbler. What the hell? I’m good with my hands, and I’ve always loved edged steel.
So, I was recently cleaning out my office and found something that I’d been hanging onto for decades. It was my father’s old hunting knife. I’m not sure where he got it, but I can guess he bought it when he bought a shotgun in Louisiana to go rabbit hunting with his new in-laws. That’s a long story. What’s important here is that it had gathered dust in his shop for years when I asked him for it.
The handle was loose, the antler grip chipped with a glued in piece. He had no use for it, so it came to me.
My first blade work was on a kit my wife gave me for Christmas. I had a blast doing it, and it turned out okay. I plan on doing a custom sheath on it, and I may even rework the stacked-leather grip, but for now I’m going to burn some juice on turning this rickety old hunter into a more modern hunter with a resin/micarta grip. I’m going to tune up the brass fittings as well.
I’d already started the work when the above pics were taken. I’d polished the guard, which I now plan on replacing. I’d also polished the pommel, and I’m considering buying a custom-mold brass pommel as a replacement.
I’m looking forward to spending some hours on this little project. It’s a tie to my past while helping me shape my future. The fact that it goes back to my father is just icing on the cake.
I guess the takeaway for anyone reading this is that it’s never too late to take your life in new directions. It’s also never too late to delve into your own past and look at it through new or at least different lenses.
Don’t worry, I’m still going to be working on my novels. In fact, I’m close to finally wrapping up “Demons of Veynkal,” the sequel to “Seeds of Dominion.” It should be out this summer some time, and I’ve really enjoyed writing the next stage of Rellen’s war with a demon goddess.
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We do have an update with Eldros Legacy. We signed a new contract with H.Y. Gregor, who has already written a new Daemanon novel. It’s fantastic, and I think you’ll become a fast fan of her writing. Also, we have the next Eldros Legacy novel up for pre-order on Amazon.
It’s called Dark & Secret Paths by C.A. Farrell. I haven’t had a chance to read the manuscript yet, but Marie—who runs the Pyranon continent—says this one is a lot of fun. The book goes live on April 18th, and we’re delighted to have 10—that’s TEN—novels in our rapidly growing body of fiction. We’ve crossed a million published words, and we’re just getting started.
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So, if you’re receiving this newsletter, then you’ve probably read at least one of my short stories. Hopefully, you’ve read one of my novels. If you’ve read either of those and you’re still getting my newsletter, then the odds are you don’t think I suck at writing.
If that’s the case, I’d like to ask that you go back and review on Amazon whatever it was you read. For authors, reviews are gold… not like gold stars you get in kindergarten, but the gold that a person builds empires on.
The more reviews my fans write, the more fans I’ll get. It’s just that simple. Below is a link to my author page on Amazon. Just about everything I’ve ever written is listed there. And whether you click it or not, thanks for keeping up with everything going on in this crazy business of mine. I really do appreciate it.
Help Us Get the Word Out about Eldros Legacy…
You can learn more about Eldros Legacy at www.EldrosLegacy.com. And don’t forget that Rhenn the Traveler was just released. It’s the ninth book from Eldros and the third in Todd Fahnestock’s legacy of Shadows.
Also, don’t forget to follow me on my website and check out the growing list of free short stories I have on BookFunnel and StoryOrigin. I’m attacking 2023 with a vengeance!
