Todd was Tom’s Stand-in for Jack’s Pinewood Derby When Tom Was In Iraq.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
So, my pal, Todd Welvaert goes black powder shooting with my husband and kids. And this was his post on Facebook:
“Shot a .50 caliber black powder flintlock rifle for the first time. I would encourage anyone who is a fan of history to do this. Amazing, thanks Tom. It goes like this. Aim, pull the trigger and try not to scream like a girl when the flint drops into the powder tray and produces a mammoth fireball about 2 inches in front of your face. Count two, feel the rifle kick and (when the smoke clears) see you’ve missed your target by about 6 inches. Be stupid happy you hit anything at all. Think about what it must of have been like to face a British charge with this in your hands. Be amazed our founding fathers could hear anything over their huge, clanging brass balls.”
He’s funnier than me. He’s also a better writer, but he won’t finish his book. I’ve known Todd and his wife Lisa for 24 years now. He’s known my husband since cub scouts.
Todd’s the guy who took my author head shot and the guy I used for this squib, Chapter 13 of STAND BY YOUR HITMAN:
“If I ran for a position of leadership in this town, my platform would be, ‘A howler monkey in every home,’ because nothing says community like a whole mess of howler monkeys.”
See, he’s funnier than me. And I wish he’d finish his damned book. My husband has threatened to just show up at his house with duct tape and a shotgun, to drive him to some remote hotel and keep him locked up until he finished it.
Ever have a friend like this? Someone you know actually has a good book inside them, but refuses to finish it? It’s a pain in the ass, because there are so many out there who will finish a book, who SHOULDN’T finish a book.
If you have any ideas on motivating this guy, let me know. You think my books are funny – this guy would blow your mind.
The Assassin