Pay Attention to the RED FLAGS

Okay. Way back in the day, before it was cool or trendy or whatever, I was trained by the military for long-range recon. One of the things they taught us was to pay attention to our instincts—those subconscious red flags that occasionally wave well back in the depths of our minds. You know what I mean, I’m sure—the ones we often overlook, those little hints of darkness from which the timid quickly look away.

Now, I’m not a big conspiracy nut. I do believe we landed on the moon, and I do believe Nancy and Bernie are simply idiots and not controlled by George Soros, but there are some things nowadays we need to seriously question.

Here’s an example: It’s a Tuesday—2/19/19 to be exact—and I call an old buddy. He’s a crop-duster pilot. I mean he owns a fleet of planes—yes, and a whole lot more, but I won’t go into his somewhat classified resume. Anyway, it’s his birthday, so I give him a call. We shuck and jive a while and I repeatedly wish him “Happy Birthday” and tell him he’s pushing the envelope on becoming an official “senior citizen.”
After a few minutes, I hang up. As the God who looks over us all is my witness, three to four minutes later my cell phone starts buzzing and doing whatever cell phones do when you’re supposed to answer them. I do, but it’s not a call. It’s a text message:

+1 (818) 592-2144
Hi Rick, Birthday’s are a great
Time to review your Medicare
Coverage and options. Call your
Agent now at 818-592-2143 or
text STOP to unsubscribe.

Call it a coincidence only if you wish to steadfastly ignore the red flags, but don’t tell me the bastards aren’t listening. This is not the first “coincidence” of this nature I’ve experienced. And yes, I will testify ON THE RECORD.

And if I frightened any thumb-sucking snowflakes with this post, both Melody Hill and The Gomorrah Principle would be good reads for you. They are both novels based on real events that involved a lot of good but naïve men during the Vietnam War. Not paranoid? That’s okay. The world is full of sheep.

The Tallahatchie 2nd Edition is Now Available.

Not only does the new Tallahatchie 2nd Edition have a new cover by designer Todd Hebertson (www.BookCoverArt.webs.com), it also has a newly redesigned interior with text edits included to better tell the story of Jack Hartman and his visit to the Mississippi Delta. Of course, I must give credit where it is due, so I want to pass on my special thanks to Dana Delamar (www.byyoursideselfpub.com) for the interior design, and to Danna Shirley and Carol Carlson for their help with editing and proofing.

Now available in both paperback and Kindle editions the Tallahatchie 2nd Edition can be purchased from the Amazon website at: (https://www.amazon.com/Tallahatchie-Southern-Fiction-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01I49BZAC).

And…for the first time, the Tallahatchie 2nd Edition, is also available in a hardcover edition. Contact me via the contact form on this site (www.rickdestefanis.com/contact) for more information.

Here are excerpts from a couple of reviews of Tallahatchie:

At its heart, good fiction (southern or any other kind) is about good characters, half of whom you want to smack or laugh at, and all the action, feel, or setting won’t make up for weak ones. The author…absolutely nails a time and a region and it is a very well written story. …it is simply a really good novel. Period!

–William F. Brown, Author

WOW! …DeStefanis has proven to be a consummate story-teller, (as he) paints an incredible picture of life in the poor, impoverished Mississippi (Delta), with water skis, and bass fishing, and truck stops, sweet tea, and trips to the river casinos, and deer hunting, and a crazy employee related to the sheriff, and Memphis Blues…The story-telling reminds me of some of the best non-lawyer fiction by Mississippi favorite John Grisham—like A Painted House.

–Robert Enzenauer

Check it out yourself. I think you will be delighted.