Welcome to The End of Sheppard’s Block

I’m new to the whole “blog thing”, so please bear with me as I work through some of the basics.

Let me start with a bit about myself.  I developed an interest in writing later in life than many. It wasn’t until after I turned 60 that I gave any thought to writing.  During my childhood and teenage years, I grew-up reading and enjoying the works of authors; E.G. Poe, Jack London, Leo Tolstoy, and John Hersey. Currently, I am an engineer for a major Japanese automobile company.  I have a BA in Biblical studies. When I write, I prefer to mix history and suspense.  Ten Days is my first book, and I’m working on the sequel; Seeds of the Bitter Harvest. My thinking is to make them part of a series I call the Fallen Capital Series.

The title for this blog, The End of Sheppard’s Block, draws on two basic broad concepts or goals I have for writing a blog in the first place.

All kinds of “blocks” come to mind.  There are cinder blocks used for building, or the wooden children’s blocks. Remember them; the wooden ones, with letters on them?  Some might think of “block heads”. I’ve been accused of and been proven to be one on several occasions.

The two blocks I have in mind for this blog are:

·   The very popular nemesis of all writers; Writer’s Block.  Often is when a writer can’t think of the right word(s) to use.  Sometimes, it’s a struggle with where to take the scene, or how to finish a chapter.  I’ll share some of my experiences working through the block.

· Then there’s a block, like the one where I/you live; the neighborhood where we grew-up. A place to belong.

As a kid, I felt safe “on my block”, I knew my neighbors.  It was a friendly place. I want this blog to be a welcoming place.  My friendships span a wide berth of ages, backgrounds, beliefs, and ethnic groups. I want all to feel accepted here.

It isn’t that there won’t be disagreements; that there isn’t a place for strong points of view.  I have very strong opinions on all kinds of topics. It’s how those differences are approached.  How can we hear what someone else is saying if we’re yelling at each other all the time?

So, as I said earlier; welcome to the End of Sheppard’s Block.  I hope you’ll come back and visit again.