This is Helen and Bill Hilton at the VR-24 Reunion last fall.  They met when we were all in Naples in the ’60s and Bill married the lady from Great Britain. On Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 Bill lost his Helen and we are all so very much poorer as a result.

Photo by Jennie Linehan

Taken at Sarah and Dean’s wedding.

If you would like to purchase a copy, click on the cover!

As promised, here is where you can check out Jim Baen’s Universe…

Walt Boyes, the Marketing Director of Jim Baen’s Universe, also known as the Bananslug, and I have a chat each month on Steven Euin Cobb’s The Future And You podcast. Give us a listen!

Here are some shots of my last two signings…

This was in the "Ready Room" at the VR-24 Reunion in Pensacola, Florida. I had 20 books at the beginning of the reunion and only 4 by the end. Two of my old shipmates brought their copies with them so I could sign them. Reuniting with men I served with over 40 years ago was not only emotional, but an incredible rush. Their support of my work was the icing on the cake. I just love the sign; Colette had it made for me.

Four shipmates. I love them dearly.

From left to right behind me: Kari and Jessica Herring, my nieces, Mary and Jess Herring, my inlaws.

Jess is a WWII veteran and Mary is a Belgian war bride. All four are wonderful people and I feel privileged to be part of their family.

This is Titus Pullo (yes, named after the character in the HBO series Rome who was smart, brave, loyal, fun, and an animal at heart - just ask Cleopatra!) who is the latest addition to our family. She is a 9-week-old Australian Blue Heeler and she’s been with us for two days (12-28-07). We’re very thrilled to have her and now I realize I have to put up photos of all the cats…

This is Pete, I call him Don Petey, the Godfather cat. Pete lost his left front foot to some assholes in Alabama who cut it off and threw him out of a moving car in front of Joe and Tanya’s house who lived next door to Colette’s parents. They told Colette about him and she brought Pete home and he’s been with her ever since. There is nothing more sick or twisted than people who harm cats, dogs, or children. People like that are why I favor the death penalty.
Pete is about 9 years old.

This is Bubba in our bathroom window. It is a toasty spot when the sun is out and he and Maggie both love to sleep there. Below is another photo of Bubba to get an idea of his size. Colette found him sitting in the middle of an intersection. She opened the car door and he jumped in and has been with her ever since. He’s about 10 years old.

Maggie’s left eye isn’t really blue, the flash did that, but I think it’s an excellent indication of her personality. She is the Princess Cat and the only one who has total run of our bedroom. We’re afraid to leave her out in the rest of the house with the others for fear she’ll do them harm. It is very obvious that she thinks she’s the only cat we require and attacks any of the others who get near her. A neighbor brought Maggie to Colette about 8 years ago, the newborn kitten was literally covered with maggots and Colette cleaned her up and nursed her until she could eat on her own.

Pete and Bubba will sometimes ambush her outside, or stay close enough to the critter door that she can’t get in without a confrontation. After awhile Bubba gets bored and does something else, but Petey will sit there until the cows come home. Maggie and Pete hate each other.

Penelope Jo and Alexis Jane (P-Jo and AJ) are sisters. Their brother, Pierre, went missing in June of ‘07. We miss him. P-Jo is a complicated little thing, very smart but willful and some times just a bit insane, you can see the edge of feral in her eyes.

AJ weighs twice as much as P-Jo and is constantly yowling for food. We think she has some sort of physical problem but no clue to what it is. They were born in a gutter and discovered by Colette who brought the four kittens to a vet who told her they would all die. One did and the other three lived. That was about 7 years ago.

We brought two other cats to Washington from Alabama when I moved Colette up here. Spock and Mickey were two old gentlemen cats, Spock was a Maine Coon. Both have moved on to the next plane, Spock was 22 and Mickey was 20. That’s all human years.

When I married Colette I had not lived with a cat in 35 years. The period of adjustment lasted about six months with most of them and over a year with Maggie. Now I understand and appreciate each of them for who and how they are. I guess you can teach an old human new tricks.

When we drove into the driveway the first day after buying our house inthe spring of ‘04, Dante was sitting on the back deck to welcome us. Unlike the other feral cats we feed and worry about, he was immediately approachable. Soon he took off and we didn’t see him for weeks at a time. Then he would pop up and we would feed him and pet him.

In  the Summer of ‘07 Colette finally enticed him indoors to eat and in the Fall he began sleeping in the laundry room on top of the washer near the back door. We know there are other humans who feed him and treat him well, so we understand when he just isn’t there any more and we don’t see him for awhile. The other cats are getting used to him except for Maggie and Pete; they both hiss and growl at Dante. They’ll get over it.

There are four other ferals we feed when they appear, Sebastion, a black and white, very pretty Maine Coon mix; Bianco who is all white, demanding and a little crazy; Way-Way (because he is way, way skittish!) who is a handsome Maine Coon pictured below (taken with a telephoto, I cannot get that close to him yet); and another Maine Coon/Manx mix who just vanishes whenever we step out onto the deck. We haven’t named him/her yet.

Way-Way is a tough cat and none of the others even approach him. Neither Colette nor I have yet been able to touch him.

Pullo’s dilemma. Alexis Jane in the living room door and Penelope Jo in the hallway door, what’s a pup to do? They’re both bigger than she and they have claws, and hisssss!

Pullo and her toys. 1/16/08. She is obsessed with chewing!

This dog is growing like a weed!

Pullo (yes, she’s a female) now (2-5-08) weighs 25 lbs, is very smart, and extremely sneaky, but as you can see, also very pretty.

Here she is at 6 months plus, over 35 lbs and she loves to ride in the car!