'Twas the night for spatchcocking! 

    

'Twas the night for spatchcocking, so let's crush this bird!

Before you get too excited, It's not a dirty word.

I flipped that bird over, and cut out its spine

Broke his meaty chest, and set him to brine!

His name is Lance and he's our main dinner feast

He's been brining for 48 hours - that big, sexy beast.

Buttermilk and salt, and maybe an herb...

All soak into the meat of this once noble bird.

The pie is baked, the potatoes are a boil

Time to head outside, and drop bird 2 in some oil!

Bird Number 2 is a sight to behold.

Coated and covered in all the sauce he can hold.

I've had enough bourbon to make this all fun

And not burn the house down before the bird is done...

In the oil I place the turkey just right... 

Sriracha and Bourbon? That shit is TIGHT!

The children are screaming and running amuck

They all want hotdogs, the ungrateful little... ahem... 

But we've got pie and drinks and friends a-plenty

I haven't had this much fun since before 2020.

Angie's mashed the taters and she's drinking some wine

I've got double-birds cooking and I'm feeling quite fine

We cook, we drink, and we do a little dance.

Because tonight's the night we get to eat LANCE! 

The birds are all done, the friends are all here

It's time to eat Lance and have some holiday cheer!

I carve up the birds like some giant holiday elf

And I do it without once cutting myself.

We serve up the food, we hand out the drink

We marvel at all the dishes piling up in the sink

It doesn't matter, it's Friendsmas night!

And everything in the world seems all right.

"Hey, Ben!" someone shouts across the room

I turn and smile, and it's quiet as a tomb...

From outside in the drive I heard something rumble

I took to the door and with latch I did fumble.

I began to scream. I began to recoil... 

"Oh shit!" I shouted... I forgot to turn off the oil!

When the smoke cleared and the garage was but rubble

I went back to the house and poured me a double.

"Sit down," I said, to the onlooking masses.

Time to eat Lance, and fatten our asses!

"To Lance!" We all cheer and raised our glasses high

Tonight is for merriment, for turkey, for PIE!

The smoldering heap will be there tomorrow

Along with denied insurance and a shit ton of sorrow.

Go out there today! Eat, drink, and and be merry!

Forget the problems of every Tom, Dick, and Harry. 

It's time to relax, eat food, and not fight!

So Merry Christmas to all and TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Starting Over

Tonight, standing in my garage, I looked at the wall covered in photos and memorabilia from my life...  and while these things bring me joy to look at, to remember the times and places I'd been, they're holding me back... They're preventing growth. They are a tomb in which I've housed my creativity, never to be used again. They've become an altar to my past in which I pray my previous works and deeds will be enough to get me through life... and that's not how it works.

It is time to move forward. 

I need to remember why and how I accomplished all of these things and do them again. I don't want to wear these images and tokens from my past like a moth-worn letterman jacket. I want them to be streamers attached to the guidon of my life... And I want to add more with each passing day.

2020 and 2021 have been a real eye-opener for me. I became an award-winning author. I found a great job. I like what I do. I get compensated very well for my time and efforts... And that leaves me with the ability to let go of the past and move forward. It gives me a freedom to break the shackles of looking backward and set my sights on the future... 

I am going to create more.

I am going to draw, and take photos.

I am going to write another book - Sexy vampires in Space! Volume ONE! ... wait, that's been done I think... Or maybe I'm just thinking of Twitter? 

... where was I? Oh, right ... 

I'm going to make it my goal in life to help other people do what they want to do! What's your dream? What are you going to do in 2022?  Stop looking back and saying, "That was the best I'll be." and, instead, say, "That was just the beginning."

I took down my wall of stuff... my altar to the younger me. I cleared out the whole area. I moved shelves, threw things in the trash, ripped old photos down, and I've made space for the next chapter in my life. In OUR lives actually... mine and A.J.'s.

There are big things in the works here, kids—Big, awesome, wonderful, strange, and terrifying things!

And it's going to be fucking awesome.

As a Thank You for Veterans Day

This week, we take time to honor our Veterans. We say thank you for all that they've done and all that the continue to endure after they've come home.

It's not always easy to come home from the war and return to a "normal life" in the civilian world - and this is something I have tried very hard to portray in Alone In The Light. I have taken great pains to show the physical, mental, and emotional trauma that plagues many of our veterans after they come home.

I wanted to share these experiences with the world. Both veterans and civilians alike - to help understand that when we say "We're fine" that we're not always fine. We like to put on a brave face, keep moving, and soldier on... but it's not always easy.

And so, for the next 5 days - I am giving this book away. As a thank you to my fellow veterans in an effort to maybe help them see they're not alone and as a way for their friends and family to possibly see what's going on inside.

From Monday, November 8th, until midnight on  Friday, November 12th - I will be lowering the prices of my paperback and hardcover to the lowest amount allowed by amazon:

$8.22 for the paperback. (Normally $16.99)

$16.00 for the hardcover. (Normally $22.00)

In addition: The eBook will be 100% free Monday, November 8th, until midnight on  Friday, November 12th this is free to EVERYONE with the Kindle App.

This means I get $0.00 for these sales. 

I don't care about the money. I care about helping to spread understanding to our friends and families.

Please help me say Thank You by spreading this news and telling your friends and family members who want to know what it can be like for those of us facing our demons - within and without.

Lastly - I ask you all to check out these organizations for yourself, your fellow veterans, or your veteran family members:

Til Valhalla Project - Starting in 2019 Til Valhalla Project donates an additional 20% of net proceeds towards reducing veteran suicide; we have now raised over $870,000 toward the battle against veteran suicide. 

Mission 22 - Funding veterans to receive treatment for Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and other issues they may be facing. The Mission 22 campaign has brought veteran issues to millions of people so that they too can make a difference. Awareness precedes change and without it we can not heal our nation. 

The Gary Sinise Foundation - The Gary Sinise Foundation serves our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. We do this by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.

Thank you.

Keep moving forward!

"The story is there, I just need to tell it."

Today is September 9, and 8 years ago, I wrote, "The story is there, I just need to tell it." Well, 8 years later I'm an award-winning author with over 3,000 copies of my book in circulation, a professionally produced Audiobook with amazing narrators, and a National re-release coming on November 9, 2021 through my Publisher, Hurn Publications. 

It's a very exciting time for me.

Saturday, September 11th, 2021 will be the Ripley County Reads Author Fair! I will be in attendance with 20 other authors, including the author of Paige's Story and Tales of Fort Thomas - the very talented, A.J. Bass.

I'm excited about this Author Fair, but I don't know why... It's here in Batesville which is smalltown, USA. But maybe more local people will see my work and A.J.'s work and connect with us on a "We all live here" level. I mean, part of my book takes place in Batesville, so that's a plus.

On the down side... I will probably not have any books to hand out/sell, which blows.

According to my publisher, there is a massive nationwide backlog of printing and my books will not be ready in time. So I'm going to go in with my smile, the last 5 copies I have in the house, and I'm just going to have fun with it. 

I'll be shaking babies and kissing hands!!

...Wait, reverse that! 

Anyway, I've been absent on social media lately, and I'd like to say it's because I'm working on the next book. But that would be a lie. Like, Pants-On-Fire levels of a lie. I haven't written anything substantial since the book went off to the presses the first time. I've got ideas floating around and I've got snippets of stories that I can see and want to explore, but I can't see them fully yet... so they have to wait.

In the meantime, I hope you'll all join me and A.J. on Saturday. Come in, get some coffee, buy some books, eat a scone... get a free Omega pin to wear. Then go explore the town. see the Farmer's Market, eat at The Big Four, and see why we made this town our forever-home.

Until next time! 

-Ben