In less than a week my new novella “My Friend Louie” will be available. In short, it is the story of a Bi-polar fifteen year old boy and his baseball bat. For some it may be violent. For others it may be sad and wrapped in a sea of guilt. Regardless, I hope it finds a way to speak to you.

I never intended to write this story. It sort of simply happened by mistake. No outline. No plan. Just a notebook, a pen, and a curious idea. I found myself consumed with the concept and wrote the first draft in one week. In some ways I think it is the most honest story I have ever told. And for that reason it has a special place in my heart.

As I sit here one week away I have to ask myself the question- Who is Louie? Where does he come from? And for most, you don’t even know for you haven’t read it. Regardless, let me assure you that the answer is not quite that simple. For Louie is a part of both you and me. He represents that dark nature I have so longed to try and escape. He is my nemesis as well as my friend. He is both evil and good. But in the end, I know that in order for me to become better, I must rid myself of him.

You see that is the essence of this little story. Turning away from who we are, and searching for the one we can be.

All of us have encountered that terrible thought. What would we do to the one that wronged us? And when we call up those ideas of what we would do, well those thoughts are private, violent, and often frightening to even ourselves. It matters not who it is. The jerk that cut us off in traffic. The one that gave us a bad review. The father that said you weren’t good enough for his daughter. The list is endless. And we all have one.

Revenge is a human instinct. It’s natural to want to see justice done to those who have wronged us. And when I sit, and think of the terrible things I want to do to someone who has hurt me, my wife, my family, Well- I must admit. In that moment, it is not me. It is My Friend Louie.