My Tabernacle

It’s been almost a year and a half since we’ve been in Palm Springs. Last Fall, Sharon’s health issues curtailed traveling and relegated us to a long cold winter in Minnesota. Now we hope to return this fall. One of the first things I want to do upon my return to the desert is climb a mountain.

It’s my ‘third place’ in the desert much like my mulch garden is back in Minnesota. Most of us have a third place. First is home, second is work and third is some gathering spot for collecting one’s thoughts and sharing human kind. For me, it’s strictly a place to reflect and meditate on life’s bountiful basket of hopes and dreams, stumbles and leaps forward.

As much as I relish my citrus grove, lake front and Mississippi River for though-gathering, the mountains are special. Not just any mountain but my favorite sanctuary of solitude and comfort in my backyard. It’s my granite tabernacle for reflection and contemplation. A slab of rock that warms my bottom as well as my soul. An escape for quiet soul-searching amid the shadows of Indian lore and homes of the rich and invisible.  

The Coachella Valley is shouldered by several mountain chains which have imbued this area with numerous opportunities to seek solace, quiet reflection, exercise, and release from the routine of our daily lives.

Something magical; no almost spiritual, can happen during a mountain hike. It’s a physical as well as mental challenge. At face value, it can be an afternoon of hiking, climbing or finger-probing the rough crags and fissures of the mountain face. On a more spiritual level, it’s an assent into the vaulted realm of oxygen deprivation, aching muscles, sweat-drenched clothing, and overall mental exhilaration…all to put your head in the right place.

There’s a culture here among a small group of old ‘desert rats’ who work and hike these mountains year-round.  They care for the trails as an elder does the tribe. They endure scorching summer heat and windy overcast winter days. Most are rail-thin. Their skin looks like weathered copper or dried up old parchment. Most of them are lithe as an antelope.

Following that elite group of desert denizens come another eccentric group of trail runners and new age meditators.  They frequent the mountains like others hang out at Starbucks. Finally come the tourists, snowbirds and occasional weekend explorer (many with families in tow.)

In the spring, the trail is accented with blooming yellow brittlebush and flowering cacti…and at times an abundance of rattlesnakes. These rattlesnakes are usually very difficult to see since their coloration blends in perfectly with the rocks and gravel on the trail. One bite and it’s off to the hospital for several vials of antivenin serum. It’s an expensive proposition at several thousand dollars per vial.   

           

There are picnic tables at the top which are perfect for casual reflection without worrying about some rattlesnake biting you on the butt. Scenic vistas go on forever in a field of quiet that is almost deafening. Along with dreams and meandering what-ifs, it’s a perfect place to escape within your head and do some exploring there. But it still doesn’t compare to my tabernacle.

I’ve tried yoga, marathons and long trail runs. Collectively they punish the body and sometimes sooth the soul. Oxygen deprivation and bodily stress can cause the mind to wander into some very strange places. My tabernacle can also take me there. It just takes a long climb to get there.

Undressing My Avatar

One of the biggest challenges and ultimately greatest satisfaction for any writer comes from creating those characters that inhabit his or her world of fiction. It’s often the culmination of reimagining those elusive memories of people, places and events that made a significant im-pression on them. For me, it’s the art of encapsulating then capturing enough of a memory bubble to help recreate an avatar out of my past.

Sometimes the images jump out at me easily, defining themselves as perfect caricatures for the personas I’m trying to create. Other times they’re a combination of several individuals I’ve met or known in my past. It could also be someone’s unique personality, a character or figure from something I read or encountered or observed ions ago.

Yet there is always one major obstacle in creating such an avatar. The challenge of separating the reality of who I thought those people were from the reality of who really were. It’s like playing checkers inside my head, jumping from real to fictional, trading imagination for reality. The length of years passed only adds to the challenge of searching through the fog of time to gleam their true identity.

In essence I’m trying to unlock the layers of my memory bank and figure out who those people were back then and the role they played in my life. I am trying to undress them and, in the process, reveal their soul to my readers. Army friends, for example, stuck in khaki limbo, until another world beckoned them away.

But since mindset often colors personal experience, my recollections about that person tend to be less than completely accurate. Usually they’re reactions or prejudices based on limited knowledge or smeared into distortion by the passage of time and age and past conditioning.

Like most writers, I don’t know how to divorce my past lives, relationships, experiences, pre-judices, incidents, failures and successes from my story telling. That certainly is true when it comes to creating female characters in my stories.

The female protagonist, with all of her inherent complexities, is always harder to create than her male counterpart. Who am I really thinking of when I create a female character? My avatars aren’t always women I have known. They could be a movie character or stage persona that struck me with their unique characteristics, real or fictional. Unfortunately, it’s never a straight forward procedure but rather a rather subliminal process each time I want to create a new female character. I wish it were as easy as: “I knew that person…that person would suit my character… I will recreate that avatar in my character’s role.”

At times, it might be a compilation of several people that I’ve known or met in my past life even if I can’t identify with whom and or when or what exactly happened back then. But something did happen that scratched a memory scar on my brain that only now, through the creative process, is being uncovered as its multiple layers are peeled away.

It could be someone I never really knew that well but nevertheless left a strong impression on me. Like the dark-haired woman sipping her demitasse in Montmartre, Paris. She looked right through me with distain and disregard. Maybe it was that Canadian beauty in her tight turtle neck sweater pondering a new life in Belgium.

It could have been Maria, from Danish laundry, yearning for her Spanish homeland or the amorous Danish student who wanted to take me away for the weekend. It could have been Tina and our late night cerebral rendezvous in some nameless village in Denmark. It could have been that homeless old woman I met at Starbucks on Times Square.

It could be a moment in time that somehow left a scar in my brain. Images, real or otherwise, like that dusty curtain that framed a bedroom window overlooking the road outside, my mother’s sofa or singing folk songs at the Newman Center.

Photo Courtesy of Jerry Hoffman

I’ve met a lot of people through a lifetime of living and they’ve all left multiple impressions on my mind even if it wasn’t readily apparent at the time. Yet by wandering those dark dusty pass-ages of my memory alleys and byways, their personality traits/quirks/ flaws or subtle enounces often come to surface once again.

I want to remember what they felt like, smelt like, the vibes they were giving off even though most of us were oblivious to it at the time. I need to explore the essence of who they really were and then use that to recreate that person/s as my character.

If, in fact, my avatar is someone I used to know, I have to gleam from those scattered memories the most memorable incidents that defined that person. Their names define a moment, an in-cident and ultimately a part of me. Yet that process is never cut and dry. It took me six chapters before I figured out who Katherine really was in my novel “Follow the Cobbler.”  I was a bit surprised at first but then it really made perfect sense that this woman would bubble up to the surface and burst forth on my written pages. Fifty-five years and counting, she’s still around.

Some avatars are easy finds; others not so much. Yet all of them are a part of the wonderful discovery and refinement process that takes place when I finally seduce some fine woman into becoming my heroine, protagonist and, hopefully, memorable character in one of my stories.

Writing fiction for a female protagonist is more fluid than real life but can be just as challenging.

AI; Friend or Foe

What the heck is A.I. (artificial intelligence) and where does it fit in your life?

The New York Times, Sunday, June 7^th, 2026 carried an interesting article on A.I. It was called ‘Pitching Comfort Over Technology.’ The article begins with: ‘Artificial Intelligence is going to cure cancer, solve life’s mysteries and liberate humankind from drudgery. But maybe, when all is said and done, it will give you just the right pasta recipe to impress someone you have a crush on.’

In other words, don’t hold your breath for AI to do all the thinking for you from now on. It’s a tool like a tooth brush, an automobile, and a snow blower - to be used when needed. The key here is to engage your brain before you let bites, bytes, code and lithium do all the thinking for you.

Aristotle defined intelligence ‘not merely as the accumulation of facts, but as the capacity to apply knowledge practically and cultivate both the mind and the soul. His core philosophies on intelligence focused on open-mindedness, the integration of emotion with intellect, and the pursuit of wisdom.’

If the key to art is authenticity, then how does one stay true to his or her own vision but still avail themselves to the wealth of information available through AI? I’m still trying to figure that out. So is Vida, my editor.

Thus far, our shared experience of marketing books has been a series to toe-dips into the ocean of AI material available for the average cyber explorer. While I don’t lack for a plethora of great ideas, imagined outcomes, and rehashed verbiage, I still have no clue where to begin this process of discovery.

After a lot of soul-searching with Vida, we decided to explore AI with the simple goal of seeing what it could do to help market two of my suspense mystery novels. The world of mystery novels is huge but chopped up into a plethora of different categories. We hoped AI could help us further categorize novels. While my novels aren’t ‘cozies,’ neither are they filled with gratuitous sex or excessive violence. Putting the novels into a certain mystery category can certainly help find the right readers for both.

Interestingly enough, ChatGPT provided the first step in that process. A while ago, Vida fed both novels into ChatGPT and it came back with a wonderful, concise, and thorough description of both novels beginning with ‘Follow the Cobbler.’

Story Breakdown as written by ChatGPT:

When linguist and adventurer Brian teams up with brilliant archaeologist Katherine, a simple research trip becomes a globe-spanning quest through history, myth, and danger. What begins in the quiet archives of Minnesota soon propels them to the jungles of Cambodia, the ruins of Machu Picchu, the ancient streets of Rome, and the sacred hills of Bethlehem—all in pursuit of one impossible figure: the Cobbler, a man said to have lived through centuries, shaping the course of civilization itself.

Shadowing their every move is LeFay, a ruthless druid chieftain determined to uncover the Cobbler’s secret for his own dark order. As assassins close in and clues intertwine—from lost poems and relics to ancient Hebrew stones and Roman sandals—Brian and Katherine must decipher the truth behind a legend that blurs the line between science and the supernatural.

Their journey uncovers not only the origins of faith and alchemy but also a revelation that could alter humanity’s understanding of life, death, and rebirth.

Follow the Cobbler is a thrilling fusion of history, mysticism, and adventure—part Da Vinci Code, part Indiana Jones, and entirely original—a race across continents and centuries in search of a truth the world was never meant to know.

Story Summary by ChatGPT:

When a Minnesota researcher uncovers a mysterious flash drive, he and a brilliant archaeologist are thrust into a centuries-old mystery linking ancient Druids, lost civilizations, and a legendary immortal known only as the Cobbler. From Saint Paul to Machu Picchu, Rome, and Angkor Wat, they race to decode clues before a global cult can unleash a secret that could rewrite human history. Follow the Cobbler blends history, faith, and adventure in a thrilling journey where the past refuses to stay buried.

My next novel described by ChatGPT was ‘Playground for the Devil.’

Story Breakdown by ChatGPT:

In the shadowy world of SCL Publishing, ambition can be deadly.

When Bradley Fitzgerald—a war-hardened veteran turned struggling writer—lands a dream job at a prestigious California publishing house, he expects long hours and tough edits. What he doesn’t expect is seduction, corruption, and murder. Beneath SCL’s glittering literary façade lies a sinister network of greed, blackmail, and buried secrets that reach from the boardroom to the mist-shrouded cliffs of Big Sur.

Drawn into the orbit of Laci—brilliant, mysterious, and hiding her own dangerous truths—Brad finds himself chasing more than fame. Together they uncover a conspiracy tied to a legendary lost manuscript of Henry Miller, a secret worth millions and worth killing for. From San Francisco’s art scene to the wild canyons along Highway 1, their pursuit becomes a fight for survival against men who would turn the world of literature into a playground for the devil.

Smart, sensual, and steeped in California noir, Playground for the Devil is a taut literary thriller about deception, desire, and the darkness that hides beneath creative genius.

Story Summary by ChatGPT:

A rising writer joins a San Francisco publishing house—only to uncover a web of corruption, seduction, and murder hidden behind its glittering façade. As he and a mysterious woman dig deeper, their search for a legendary lost manuscript leads them into a deadly conspiracy stretching from the city’s art scene to the haunted cliffs of Big Sur. Playground for the Devil is a gripping literary thriller where ambition and desire collide in the shadow of genius.

So, we had our description of my two novels. Now, where to place them? We needed research to begin the process. With her immense knowledge of computer programming, Vida was able to study the plethora of new AI programs, in place or on the horizon, and discern which programs might best fit our needs. My caveat was simple enough. I wasn’t shy about spending ‘real money’ on the experiment but I wanted to hedge my bets that the outcome would be somewhat beneficial to the cause; that is, selling more of my books.

After breaking down the various features and benefits of a multitude of AI programs, Vida designed a plan of attack. The goal was to use AI to research the marketplace, identify my own products by their most salient qualities and then plan a coordinated marketing approach to place them in the hands of readers.

SparkToro

Research

Use AI to help me identify the various markets most likely to respond to my marketing message/s

Who are my readers / How to best identify their characteristics.

What other web sites are available besides: Facebook, Reading Groups, etc.

What are some other optional places where these buyers might be reached

What about specific mailing lists of suspense readers

ChatGPT

Brainstorming

What is the best marketing approach/s to use.

For example:  Mini web site like I have for ‘Debris’ and ‘Agnes.’

                                                One page ad

                                                A teaser

                                                Two versions: Kindle & Print

Can AI identify the specific parts of a suspense novel that these audiences are looking for                         What are some cheap or inexpensive AI tool to use for this research

RankScore & Rytr

More market research

I want to see how these AI programs can do more intense market research to best identify web sites to approach

Brevo & Shortwave

            Need for a customer platform?

Do I care about e-mail marketing?

I don’t think I want an AI customer platform (correct, no CRM needed)

Soro / Vibie / Realize

            Paid Advertising

            Do I want to use advertising in my marketing plan?

            What kind of paid advertising is most effective for my two novels

It’s too early to tell where or how far this new AI-driven marketing approach is all going to go. It’ll probably be a series of starts, stops, stumbles, dead-ends, closed loops, and tiny bits of treasured research neither Vida nor I would ever have gleaned on our own.

The secret will be to take those nuggets of information and use them in a direct instead of the old familiar circuitous route to connect with readers who might find my novels of interest.