Another weekend has arrived, and we are gathered at the bar in eager anticipation of the arrival of our guest, John W. Howell. To keep the occasion interesting, John, Cheryl, David and I will have to contend with Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. This week, she challenges us with:
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘collar.’ Use it as a verb, a noun, or metaphorically. Bonus points for using it in all three ways! Enjoy!”
Since he’s the published author, maybe John will take care of some of these, he likes bonus points as much as I do.
If we were having a beer, we’d be loosening our collective collar just as our guest is arriving.
“Dan, is that a 1956 Oldsmobile pulling in?”
“I think it is Cheryl. And it looks like our guest of honor.”
“Well, I better dust off a new bottle of bourbon.”
“Wait a minute, you poured me a glass out of the old bottle.”
“That’s true, David, and, if you want another splash, you can have the rest for free. But I’m opening a new bottle for John. Dan, I assume you’re sticking with Corona.”
“John might not recognize me otherwise, Cheryl.”
“Let’s see, a Corona Extra, long-neck. A glass of bourbon, a snifter of seltzer a glass of ice, and some Cherries. I think I’ve come to the right place.”
“Welcome to my bar, John.”
“Thank you so much Cheryl. It is great to be here with you. A rose among thorns.”
“I think I know what you’re drinking, but do you have any special requirements? Some people get, you know, a little weird about these things.”
“Yeah, I’m real fussy. How about three fingers of Willett in a glass with a water on the side.”
“Great. I’ll put the water in a snifter, so you won’t stand out.”
“Enough David-bashing, Cheryl. John, I am pleased to meet you, and I must thank you for suggesting this wonderful bourbon. But enough of that, you have a new book, and I’m a bit embarrassed to say, I haven’t read it – yet – I do plan to. I am familiar with the My GRL trilogy, is this book similar?”
“Gosh, David I’m humbled that you are familiar with My GRL. I have to tell you this book is totally different. Yeah there are some thrills but also there is time travel, romance, adventure, paranormal, a little erotica, and even an appearance by Lucifer. It is very unlike what I have written so far.”
“Lucifer? I’d hate to be collared by that guy. Now you’ve piqued my interest. Dan, you didn’t mention Lucifer.”
“I didn’t mention other noteworthy characters, either, David, but I did suggest that you read the book.”
“Dan, I suggested he shouldn’t have cherries in his bourbon. He should drink it the way John does. Here’s your bourbon, John.”
“Thank you, Cheryl. I guess I learned to drink bourbon without anything added. I can say there is more than one way to drink it. I think David should enjoy his cherries.”
“I have read the book, John, and I was surprised by the romance, especially given the, um, circumstances. Where did you get the idea for this book?”
“Well, Cheryl, the idea for the book came to me as I was thinking of another story. I wanted to write about the old West and was doing some research. All of a sudden, the two characters James and Sam showed up. I immediately got them out of my mind by writing a short story about Sam hitchhiking and James picking her up. The whole story took off from there. The idea that they were both dead and that Sam was appointed to be James’ guide to his eternal home took hold and we all went from there. I guess you could say the two hung like a collar around my neck until I gave them a full book.”
“Characters will do that, John. Dan, you look like you need another beer.”
“I think you’re right about that beer, Cheryl. Time travel is such a tricky subject, John. I hope Tiny didn’t have to make an appearance. I often feel like I’d be subject to his wrath on Mondays.”
“Ha ha ha. I told Tiny that he would have to attend the group counseling session that he’s missed for the last few months. So, he’s been very busy getting in his sessions. For your readers who don’t know Tiny, he is the WWF champ who does time travel. Unfortunately, Tiny has some self-esteem and anger issues that require court ordered group sessions. Tiny is found on my blog on Mondays when we all take off for a different time zone. Come to think of it, Dan, sounds kinda nuts doesn’t it?”
“It does, but you do it so well, John.”
“Speaking of time travel and the old west, John, I read the excerpt at Jessica’a place the other day, that got a little interesting for a moment.”
“David, you’re like most boys, I mean men, you always expect the old west to be shoot-em-ups and horses. We never would have made it to the industrial age without a little romance.”
“You’re right, Cheryl, but why Tombstone? And, while I’m at it, were you by any chance a journalism major, John?”
“I did take some journalism courses and worked on the school paper in high school. I don’t think that qualifies me as a major but did have some interest in becoming one. I opted for a generalist degree since I had a tough time making up my mind.”
“OK, these two have been trying to convince me to buy this book. Now that I’ve had the chance to sit with the author, I definitely want to. How do I do that, John?”
“It is so easy David. All you have to do is click on one of the universal links and you will be taken to Amazon. I might add that the Kindle format is on sale at 99ç so if I were you that’s the one I would pick.
“Thanks John. My reputation for seeking a bargain precedes me. I will jump on that Kindle link, right away. I see that Dan is sticking with paper…and I though I was the old man.”
“I prefer paper, David, but I also bought the Kindle version. I’m trying to get a nice library on there in case I’m ever stuck with just my iPad.”
“I want to thank you all, and especially Dan for allowing me to visit the bar today. It was a special time and I hope to be able to do it again. Great meeting you, David and so nice to see you Cheryl.”
“Thank you John. Your welcome any time.”
“In case you want to meet Tiny here is my website. http://johnwhowell.com – He’s there every Monday.”
Kindle Universal link mybook.to/EternalRoad
Paper universal link mybook.to/Eternalroadpaper
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