I have a friend, Bret, that lives out on the east coast.  Before I released my book, THE GOUGE , I sent him an advance copy to read.  He’s been exceptionally reliable with honest feedback about my writing, and I’ve always appreciated his opinion.   So, Bret read the book, and then called me up to tell me what he thought.  He had a ton of good things to say about The Gouge, and some critiques, but one comment stood out to me more than the rest for some reason.   “I couldn’t help but hear your country boy accent in Carson’s voice, as I was reading it,” Bret said. Okay, it took me a long time to acknowledge it, but admittedly, I do have what most people would call a “country boy” accent.  I can’t help it.  I was raised in the sticks of the Midwest around farmers and hillbillies.  It’s something that I picked up without even realizing it.  I think everyone experiences this growing up, and some of us adapt and grow out of it—I guess I never did.     Let me be clear that I am not embarrassed

This week, I thought I would share a clip from my New Suspense/Thriller, THE GOUGE !  I know, you two have been seeing nothing but posts about this book from me, but I think it's about time you just take a moment to read a few chapters.  I hope that it hooks you, and you desire to read more!   NOTE:  Please excuse the formatting in this post.  I simply copied and pasted the text to this post, so it will not appear formatted here as it does in the actual book.  Buy the book, and it will be displayed properly.   The kids in Cypress Creek tell of an urban legend—a ghost story spun out of control.  Teens that ventured into the woods of Cypress Creek were found cut up and what was left of their bodies was hung from the trees.  They say that the killer, whose heart was hardened by a long-lost lover, slayed those that loved the way that he could no longer.  They called him:  “The Man in the Woods” CHAPTER 1 Sometimes, the smell of the leaves could take Karen all the way back to when she w