Firefighters
Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 1
I wrote my memoir Angel Hero, Murder in Hawaii, A True Story to honor Vic, a courageous firefighter whose unconditional love transformed me. I wrote the nonfiction short story Speak, Love, Last to expand on what I wrote in my memoir about the love that grew between Vic and me after I quit “pussyfooting” around,…
Read MoreTwo Incendiary Firefighting Memoirs
Dennis Smith’s Report from Engine Co. 82 and Lizbeth Hartz’ Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story are both memoirs about firefighters. One big difference is the setting: Smith’s in New York City, Hartz’s on a military base in Hawai’i. How accurate is Angel Hero? Every detail is true except for names, dates, and places—a necessary…
Read MoreHawai’i Changes the Law on First-Degree Murder Again – Part 1
While attending a Sisters (and Misters) in Crime meeting during May of this year, the topic of first-degree murder in Hawai’i raised its grisly head. Actually, I raised it. My intentions were good. I wanted my fellow SINCs (Sisters in Crime) to get their facts straight when they wrote about murder. Since I’m the only…
Read MoreFirst Chapter, Angel Hero, as Poetry
Thanks to the feedback from readers who said they liked the Angel Hero prologue poem I posted on Halloween, I am posting the next two poems. These touch on the events of the first part of Chapter One. First Part Chapter 1, Setting the Scene Minutes before midnight, couldn’t see much, moon hid…
Read MoreResurrection Song, Second Version
In 2004, when I was writing song lyrics, I had the good fortune to hook up with talented singer/songwriter Shelley Miller. On a shoestring, without the aid of a recording studio, she transformed my lyrics into a medium-tempo folk song, created the music, and sang my Resurrection song beautifully. In less than two weeks, she…
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