Lt. Gino Tenpenny, an old-school cop, goes paranormal to track down a killer.

“Devil’s Hollow” is a detective mystery that introduces Lt. Gino Tenpenny, a well-seasoned, no-nonsense lawman attached to a fictitious city in northern New Jersey.

Once a Marine, always a Marine, Tenpenny says of himself.

Tenpenny is like two of his football heroes: Vince Lombardi and Jim Brown, two legends from another time. He’s someone who believes in tradition and commands respect like Lombardi. But he’s also someone who is old-school tough like Brown.

And very much like Jim Brown, be aware that there’s a danger to Tenpenny lurking just underneath the surface. Continue reading →

A story about family and the magic of Christmas in the old neighborhood.

“One Christmas Knight” is overflowing with colorful characters that sparkle on the digital page. They’re composites of family members, friends and acquaintances, all of whom I grew up with in the old neighborhood. Their names have been changed to protect the innocent – or not so innocent. All, that is, but one.

Jake, also known as “The Christmas Puppy” or simply “Crazy Dog,” is the real deal. And, for some reason, he has become the overwhelming favorite of many readers. So much so that Jake has let it go to his head. He’s let it be known that he expects a larger role in any and all sequels.

This isn’t your ordinary family dog. Continue reading →

It must be way cooler to use a staff rather than a walking stick, but outside of Middle Earth staffs are harder to find than hobbits.

Gandalf the Gray had a staff that was simply magic in his hands. It didn’t appear to be much different than a walking stick, and that was the charm of it. As Wormtongue found out in “The Two Towers,” you were playing with fire if the old wizard entered your hall without first leaving his staff at the door.

Thunder erupted from one end of Gandalf’s staff while lightning shot out from the other. In the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Gandalf was something like 64-1 when fighting with his staff. His only defeat came at the hands of his then-boss Saruman the White, who was pretty nifty with a staff himself at the time. Of course, Gandalf scored a first-round knockout in the rematch once he had been promoted to Gandalf the White.

Sort of like earning a black belt in martial arts. Continue reading →