Spoiler Alert
I would suggest that you wait until you have read the book to look at these notes. You don’t want to spoil the …surprises!
Thank you for taking the time to read my newest book. It has a very special place in my heart, and I hope you had as much pleasure reading it as I did while writing it.
People ask me where I get the ideas for short stories like these. Well, an author begins with what he knows, and then lets his imagination take over. Obviously, these stories are fictional. But all except one are based on brief memories from my past. Let me share with you the moments of inspiration that generated each one, in the order in which they appear in the book.
The Feather: I once walked along the beach, found a pristine white feather, and gave it to a little girl who was digging in the sand with her mother. I let it go and a breeze off the ocean took it to her. I have often wondered where she is and what she is doing now. I love this story and didn’t want it to get lost, so I wrote the book in order to preserve it. And I did say, “Here, you need a feather.”
Memories: I have had my own past death recall, which set me on course for a new career. The details of that recall are recorded in two of my non-fiction books. Studying the influence of our past lives can produce significant insights into our current phobias and abilities.
The Key: I once restored a 1942 Chevy Aerosedan, which necessitated going to a local Vo-Tech school to learn how to do auto body work. That’s a photo of my car, which I bought for $250 and sold for $1,000 in the 1970’s. Ain’t she purty?
Merlen: Pure fantasy. I love stories about real mystical events, like this example of after-death communication, of which there are many on record. They show how closely interrelated are the physical and spiritual worlds.
Charlie: Charlie was a real person who was in my grade at Roosevelt School and who lived across the street from the school building. He was one of only two African-American kids in the entire school, and I wonder now what it must have been like for him to be in that all-white school in the 1930’s and ’40’s.
The Voice: I bought a 1950 Chevy Styleline Two-Door Sedan when I graduated from college in 1954. It was a crappy tan color, but I loved it. You always love your first car. I used it to go to graduate school at Princeton Seminary and to visit my girlfriend, Helen, who was a nursing student in Baltimore. We have been married now for 57 years.
The Lighter: I recently had to drive a long detour every day, because the bridge on the only direct road into town was being replaced. There was a right turn in that detour which everyone took. I often wondered if a wreck like the one I describe in the story might some day happen at that intersection.
The Dedication: You might have noticed that I dedicated the book to my four great-grandchildren. I also snuck their names into two of the short stories. You will forgive me if I make use of an author’s prerogative and call attention to the exceptional short people in my family.
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