Thursday, December 25, 2025

Traders (New Free Ebook)


A two-bit trading caravan, a young man serving as lead guard for little more than meals.  Traveling from one small, poor village to the next, barely making enough to survive.

The lead guard is young—too young.  He's determined on a better life, but will his lack of maturity keep him from attaining it?  Will he cause too much unthinking harm to others on the way?

What trade-offs will he have to make?

A free (but not public domain) ebook, though you'll need an account to download it:

https://self.gutenberg.org/eBooks/WPLBN0100751116-Traders-by-Johnson-Kevin-Wade.aspx? 

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

We're Not Going to Make It


Wondering what brought on my last entry?  Read on:

My wife recently had a terrifying medical emergency.  Don't worry, she's recovered and doing really well.  Still, she said after too long a time in the hospital, that if she'd been alone in the house when it happened, she'd probably be dead.

Terrifying.  Makes me think of things like the image atop this entry.

I don't ever want to see her laid low like that again.  I don't ever want to see her that ill.  That frightened.

But it brought home something I've known since my father's death long ago.  Life doesn't just keep going.  "Happily ever after" can happen, but it won't be forever.  Nothing is forever.

So, while I never want to see something like that again—or to go through an ordeal like I had in my own hospitalization a couple of years ago—I or we or she probably will.

Which is to say, we're fine for now…but not forever.

For those of you impatiently waiting for my next novel, take heart: it's written.  It's been through a round of revisions, even.  And it'll get another round, and be (self-)published.  Only a matter of time.

For that matter, the novel after that is mostly written as well; over 80k words.  But it's not going quickly.  Nothing is right now, not for me.  So take heart, and I'm sorry I'm taking so much time.

Time.  "Too long a time."  "Only a matter of time."  How many meanings those words can take on.

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Turn Off My Heart

Turn off my heart
Be guided by my brain
My feelings overwhelm
Like a downhill train

Since I—
Since I—

Turn off my heart
I can't go on this way
Think and only think
Don't let my heart betray

Since I—
Since I—

Turn off my heart
I can't afford to feel
There's too much to decide
Must have nerves of steel

Since I saw you fall
Since I stood appalled—

Turn off my heart