Category: Life and Other Odds & Ends

TALLAHATCHIE is HERE!!

The road was long with many turns, but Tallahatchie, the first book in my Southern Fiction Series, is now published. It is available in both paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. And here is the really good news: go to my website Rick DeStefanis – The Word Hunter and sign up for the free flash fiction downloads available there, then send me an email note telling me as much. I will gift you the Amazon Kindle Edition of Tallahatchie at no charge, sending it directly to your Kindle. The only thing I ask in return is that you write your review of the book on Amazon. Tell me what you liked about it. Also, please send me your comments on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RickDeStefanisAuthor/. Tell me what you think. I really want to hear from you.

There are many people to whom I must express my deepest appreciation. My cover designer Todd Hebertson, Editor Elisabeth Hallett and a group of friends, editors, and contributors who without their help this book would have been much more difficult to publish. These include my childhood friend, Carol Carlson, my two long-time fellow writer friends, Ellen Morris Prewitt and Chris Davis, Managing Director of the DeSoto Arts Council, Margaret Yates, and many others. My sincerest thanks to all for their help and support.

Read more about Tallahatchie as well as my Vietnam War Series of novels, including the award-winning story, The Gomorrah Principle, on the website. Also, check out the reviews of these books on Amazon. All of the books are also available for order at your local Barnes and Nobles Book Stores, Davis Kidd and other booksellers. Signed print copies can be obtained by contacting me directly through the website at Rick DeStefanis – The Word Hunter or by email. Message me on Facebook, and I will send you my email address.

You may also enjoy: Rawlins: No Longer Young and Valley of the Purple Hearts

Tallahatchie the Novel

Okay, my dear friends, according to all the book marketing gurus, this is where I was supposed to have a big online “cover reveal,” slowly peeling back slide-after-slide until you see the complete image of the cover for my upcoming new Southern fiction novel, Tallahatchie. Sorry. I put all the drama in my books. Here it is.

This is an actual rendering of a highway and railroad bridge over the Tallahatchie River. And for those of you so observant as to recognize that it’s not the one in Tallahatchie County bridge, don’t get too stressed. It’s actually the one crossing the Tallahatchie River in Lafayette County. Hopefully, you will forgive the artistic license that my cover designer, Todd Hebertson, www.bookcoverart.webs.com/ and I took. Besides, I like it.

So, anyway, with a little luck, I’ll have this novel ready for you to take to the beach, mountains or wherever you go on vacation this summer. It is a substantial departure from my military fiction. The first book of my Southern Fiction series, this story takes you on a journey to a part of the modern rural South that many of you may recognize. It takes place in the Mississippi Delta near Clarksdale, in the fictional town of Tallahatchie, Mississippi during the late 1990s.

As you many of you know, Tallahatchie County is well known and has a somewhat notorious reputation. Please understand that the novel does not delve into the dark past, but into the present and the lives of some who live there now.

If you want to know when the novel is actually published, you can go to my website at Rick DeStefanis – The Word Hunter and signup for the free flash fiction giveaways. This way I can let you know when the book is out. And, oh by the way, the first chapter of Tallahatchie is included with the free flash fiction giveaway.

Please send me your comments. Do you like the cover?

Is the guy who scores the winning touchdown a hero, or is it the Medal of Honor recipient?

Okay, friends, today I’m going to be a cranky old curmudgeon…..just saying. It has to do with the current use of the word “hero” to describe about half the people who get out of bed each day. The word “hero” has been marginalized to the point that our kids and grand-kids have difficulty truly understanding what a real hero actually is. The DeSoto Arts Council (http://www.desotoarts.com/) Kids Summer Camp committee met yesterday, and the theme this year is “Super Heroes.” Don’t get me wrong. This is not to say we can’t have fun with Super Man, Spider-Man or Wonder Woman. Heck, I grew up on superheroes, and Mighty Mouse was my favorite. He kicked some serious cat butt for the endangered mouse community. However, what truly made my day was when the arts council managing director, Margaret Yates, said, “We want to make certain the kids first know what real heroes are…” I believe by the end of that first day of summer camp these kids will know. It’s the rest of America that concerns me.

My problem stems from the now widespread practice of describing just about anyone who does something fairly exceptional as being a hero. I have met sports stars, yes, but never a sports “hero.” I don’t even believe someone who is in the military as I was, or who is in law enforcement or who is a firefighter is by definition a hero. My definition of a hero is one who puts his or her life at immediate risk for the benefit of another person or a noble cause—with “immediate” being the keyword. Yes, it’s a little more restrictive than Webster’s definition, but I simply have a problem grouping people who play ball well with Medal of Honor Winners. Want to read about some real heroes? Check out http://www.cmohs.org. And there are many more real heroes who pass us on the street every day, including an entire generation that came home after the Vietnam war and was never recognized. This has always been one of the primary motivations for my Vietnam War fiction as I try to depict ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. The best war fiction doesn’t glorify the battle but the men who must fight it.

Am I tilting at windmills? Probably. Am I wasting my time? Probably. Will people stop referencing every Good Samaritan as a hero? It’s doubtful, but I had to say it. So, there, and now that I got that off my chest, we can move on…..or not. I’ll surely get lambasted for this one.

The featured photo this week is one I took a couple years ago near the Mississippi River not far from where I live. I was set up in a blind on the side of a slough waiting for a single buck or other critters to show up. It was late on a November afternoon and the rut was in full swing, but as I waited the sun began dropping lower and lower in the sky. It finally set behind the trees, and the light of day began rapidly receding.

Only then did I see this group of deer trotting through the Cypress, coming my way. I rapidly adjusted the camera for the decreasing light as a doe approached, followed by several suitors. In what is often the case with wildlife photography, I was blessed with a true stroke of luck when she stopped on the opposite bank to feed on the green grass growing beside the water. This resulted in the magnificent reflection. Note that a couple of the bucks have swollen necks and are about to face off. It was one of those rare moments in nature. Enjoy.

You may also enjoy: Rawlings: No Longer Young and The Nature of Things in Mississippi and Valley of the Purple Hearts