Who Is Tan Swiftwater?

So it's a Thursday and the first day of your 30% off Kohl's coupon and you really need a new kitchen mat. The $50 mat is on sale for $30, and you have a $10 Rewards credit in addition to the 30% off coupon.

Abracadabra! Alakazam!
Give me a discount from Kohl's . . .
Shazam!

That $50 kitchen mat is now $16.62. Sold!

And that was not the best part of my day. When I returned home and retrieved my mail, I found a good-sized book amid the advertising junk. I was expecting this package. My friend Gary just published a work of fiction based on his own story, and a compelling story it is. Force of Will by Tan Swiftwater has been released! (I could take issue with Gary's pseudonym, but I'm sure he has a good reason for it.)

I opened the package and started flipping pages. And there it was, on the page before the beginning of the story: "For Terry, who inspired me . . . " Yep, that's me. Who knew that arguing and editing could be considered inspiring? I also found myself as a minor character (with my very own fake name) in Chapters 24, 31, 38, and 39. My dog even claimed territory in the story. (Still miss that sweetheart.)

I met Gary on a fluke several years ago. We were both living in a small town and both listening to the same public radio station, WFUV, broadcast from Fordham University in NYC. The morning deejay, Claudia Marshall, posed a "Question of the Day" to which one could respond with a song. Several times, a song she played was suggested by "Gary from Sussex." Curious as to who this neighbor who knew good music was, I found him among Claudia's Facebook friends and messaged him. Turns out that our kids had attended school together. Our mutual love of music inspired our first meeting on October 3, 2012, when we attended the "Love for Levon" concert at the Izod Center. (Levon Helm, a member of The Band, had died six months earlier, and the concert was an effort to keep "The Barn," his music studio, going.) After that "date," we became "concert buddies" and took in a lot of good music, both locally and in NYC.

When I met Gary, he was newly separated from his wife. Bit by bit, he told me his story, which was complicated by false accusations, false arrests, false friendships . . . and false religion. Certainly, the stuff of novels! Gary claims that I encouraged him to write about it, although it's more than likely that I said things like, "OMG! You can't make this stuff up!" or "Your life reads like a bad novel, Gary!" Nonetheless, Gary, a more-than-competent writer, put it all down in words. I became one of his editors during the process, and I have to admit, I was compelled by his ability to turn his torrid tale into a page-turner. I am looking forward to reading it again, minus the weight of editing responsibilities.

Gary's book can be found online at Barnes & Noble and at Amazon. It's a good read.

And I'm in it!