Hawaii, the Dream Vacation for Someone Else

I dug my toes in the soft white sand. To my left, the ocean with clear blue water. To my right, mountains fuzzy with vegetation. It was beautiful, and I couldn't help but feel guilty because I knew that it wasn't my dream vacation. But let me rewind.

To start off, I want to say that this was a fantastic vacation. My sister-in-law is an incredible host. She planned nearly every single thing that we did during our time in Hawaii based off of a wishlist that we provided.

Fictional Reviews from Fictional Characters

In 2015, Adam J Williams spent a month in Eden interviewing people as research for his upcoming book. His intent was to interview enough people to establish a six degrees of separation within the group. Mr. Williams interviewed hundreds of individuals and collected their stories. As it turned out, everybody had a story, and in some way, they were each connected.

The book released to critical praise from reviewers, yet mixed reviews from citizens of Eden.

The following are reviews from the subjects of Tangents in Eden Volume 1.

"This book kept me on edge. It was high-flying and emotional. I jumped for joy when I got to see my name in print. A great read that I would recommend to anybody."

-Candice Kauffman

"Tangents in Eden is a knockout! People don't really think about the number of lives that they touch on a daily basis. After reading the book, it makes me wonder what other people's stories. A quick read and highly entertaining."

-Leo DiNardo

"Mother says that there's too much cursing and violence for me to read this book. But my best friend, Fred has been reading it to me when she's not around. I think the book is neat."

-Virgil Devereux

Adam J. Williams should start Tangents in Eden with a disclaimer that each of these stories is based on a true story but are still works of fiction. I feel like he took one of the most embarrassing moments in my life, surrounded it with fiction and embellishments, and made up other parts entirely. My chapter aside, I found the rest of the book entertaining, yet skeptical to the amount of truth.

-Anders Kauffman

While the writing in this book is technically sound and somewhat entertaining, I could have offered Adam J. Williams a few tips on how to make Tangents in Eden more engaging and substantial. If one is merely looking to be entertained by the misfortunes of others, then this is the perfect book for you.

-Tyson Corbin

Tangents in Eden is genius because Adam J. Williams has somehow turned one of the country's largest cities into a small town where everyone's life bumps against each other. I was skeptical that Mr. Williams would be able to connect the stories and it took a second reading before I made some of the connections. I would love to hear the audiobook version.

-Nick Gregory

My only complaint with Tangents in Eden is how mopey he portrayed my character. When you spend as much time being friends with a-holes as me, eventually somebody's going to get punched in the face. When that happens, you have to man up and get over it. I think that Adam J. Williams did a good job capturing some of the weird, unexplainable things that happen in Eden.

-Bug Fett

Tangents in Eden Volume 1 was released nearly one year ago. To celebrate the first anniversary of my first book, I decided to have a bit of fun with the book. Below are reviews that each of the title characters would leave for the book. If You haven't gotten Tangents in Eden yet, it is free on Kindle Unlimited or available for $3.99 here. Or, if you are looking for a great deal, the book will be on sale for $.99 from March 27-31st.

My 20-Year High School Reunion

A week ago, I got a notification that I am a year away from my 20-year high school reunion. I noticed that many of the people wrote how they were getting old. And to be honest, there were some that did look like they got old. Mostly, the reunion got me thinking about the kid I was twenty years ago versus the man that I am today. The following is what I posted to the Facebook group.

I quietly made my way through high school. I didn't make the most of my time at Roosevelt. I wasn't overly social and didn't date until after I graduated. My sophomore year, I began playing sports, but I rarely played. The few clubs that I joined, I wasn't overly active in. I never went to a party and the few friends that I've kept in contact with, I rarely speak with once I moved away from Iowa. I wasn't anti-social, I've always like people. The problem was that I wasn't an overly active participant in my own life. I didn't really do much, good or bad. While I grew up in the Roosevelt neighborhood, I moved before I started attending the school, so I didn't live near any of my classmates. 

It wasn't until college that I blossomed, socially. At the University of Iowa, I tried to talk to everybody. I organized a birthday bar crawl with 75 people wearing a tee shirt with my face on it. 

Four years ago, I moved to Texas because I didn't want to spend my life wondering 'what if'? I've been happily married for nearly 12 years and have a 10-year old son and a 9-year old daughter. I quit my job to stay home and write books and encourage my kids to join every club and to play any sport. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't do anything when I was younger. As George Bernard Shaw once said, “Youth is the most beautiful thing in this world—and what a pity that it has to be wasted on children!”

While I don't think that this quote applies universally, it certainly did for me. I never got senior pictures taken because I didn't see the point. (Plus my parents would have made me pay for them.) So, 19 years later I've decided to rectify that by reenacting other people's senior pictures and posting them on here. Because, why not? As there are roughly 300 senior photos listed in the 1998 yearbook, and a year before the reunion, I have a lot to choose from with a lot of time to take them.

I hope that, whether you enjoyed your time in high school more or less than me, you are enjoying your current life even more and doing the things that you've always aspired to do.

Adam J. Williams

Also, if you want me to reenact your picture, let me know.

I will post my reenactment pictures here, so stay tuned.

Do you have a reunion coming up? Have you been to one already? Please share memorable events from yours.

The Literary e-clectic is a quarterly magazine that every issue is the same, only different. Each quarter has a different theme that the stories adhere to. 

In Adam J. Williams’ The Field, a former professional athlete gets lost in a corn maze that he designed. 

Patricia Correll’s The Woodcutter tells a familiar tale from an unfamiliar perspective. 

Evelyn Deshane’s Magda Mayfly follows X as he strives for gender neutrality for himself while drawing from an unsolved transgender murder case. 

Brittany Rohm’s Hitchhiking in Middle Earth, a woman, traveling New Zealand solo, trying to disconnect from the world, finds herself alone in a car with a convict. 

In Daniel Miller’s Hindsight, a couple finds themselves at an exclusive and mysterious club with a life-changing opportunity. 

At the Literary e-clectic, we don’t care if the stories are fiction or non-fiction or what type of genre that they may fall into. What we care about is having good stories.

Free with Kindle Unlimited.

Revenants Season I, Episode II

The followup to the top free dystopian/post-apocalyptic book.

When the zombies arrived twenty-five years ago, the world did not end. People adapted and learned to live with them. There are two varieties of zombies. Gerries wander around slowly and aimlessly. Renals are always at an eleven. The only thing that they want is to eat, and they always sprint towards that goal.

However, now a new variety has surfaced: Revenants. These are zombies that retain their memories and personalities from when they were living. 

Elliot is a Revenant ---a zombie that kept his humanity--- and a vegetarian that's not interested in eating people. On the same day that he made his first public appearance, a switch was flipped, and the world changed.

Bonnie and Tyler are teenagers in love. They have lost everything and are running for safety when they encounter a stranger.

Ray is now the protector of a boy, Little Mike. As they make their way to Ray's house, neither are sure if they are ready for what's inside.

Patrick awoke with no signs of the Survivors of Rathe. He leaves the safety of his home to search for them only to end up someplace unexpected.

Julie was at work in the tv studio when she realizes that it has been overrun by zombies.

Combining the episodic nature of TV with the in-depth character found in novels, If you like The Walking Dead and LOST, you will love this series that combines suspense, action, and fear of the unknown.

$2.99  on Kobo, Barnes & Noble &  Smashwords

Revenants

Zombies are coming!

When the zombies arrived twenty five years ago, the world didn't end. People adapted and learned to live with them. There are two varieties of zombies. Gerries wander around slowly and aimlessly. Renals are always at an eleven. The only thing that they want is to eat and they always sprint towards that goal.

But now a new variety has surfaced: Revenants. These are zombies that retain their memories and personalities from when they were living. 

Elliot is a Revenant and isn't interested in killing. But he has to fight for everything. His job, his house, his life. He has publicly come out in hopes of having others do the same.

Bonnie is a teenager with a lost past that wants nothing more than the complete eradication of every zombie.

Ray was a teacher than ended up in jail working as a zombie killer for a work release program.

Patrick is a self-made man that's been searching for his missing sister for twenty-five years.

None of them are prepared for what is about to happen.

Combining the episodic nature of TV with the in-depth character found in novels, If you like The Walking Dead and LOST, you’ll love this book series that combines suspense, action, and fear of the unknown.

Revenants is being released on December 16. Get your copy 
FREE  on  Kobo, Barnes & Noble &  Smashwords

The Santa Family Funeral

Like any function with my family, there was an excess of food and plenty of laughter. Tabletops were scattered with dirty plates and board games. A table was set up for the kids, a pile of cards placed in the center. Adults reminisced while children played tag indoors. People posed for pictures, hugging one another. It was more like a family reunion and less like a funeral.

When I was fifteen, my grandmother fell and broke her leg. Because her bones were too brittle to