February 08th, 2022

My fifth book would start with a character. I didn't know how old, what race or sex, rich or poor. Nothing. All I knew was the universe would show me that character in due time. So, I looked around and kept looking and didn't see the character. Until Labor Day, 2021, when Jody and I decided to go out for dinner. All the restaurants were closed so we ended up at the Fort Wayne Truck Plaza restaurant. And there she was. A tall, young woman waiting tables, glowing in the dark even though all the lights were on. I didn't talk to her or even watch her closely for very long. But I knew she was the one. Her name is now Muriel, but she goes by Murray. Her father died two years ago but not before he taught her how to drive an 18-wheel rig. I'm now 26,000 words into the book and, I swear, she talks to me, first thing in the morning, as I'm waking, and tells me where her story should go next.