Happy New Year to you all! My website keeps getting hits from all over the globe, which makes us both happy. Welcome to all you foreign readers. I hope you’ll pick up a copy of my book soon.

The proof issue of my second book, (The Nearly Perfect Plan), will be here this Tuesday. I’m very excited about getting this one out, and then the other two that make up the trilogy. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them and want to follow the further adventures of Roger and Carl.

We had a nice Christmas in Albuquerque, actually high in the mountains outside of town. It was COLD - 13 degrees one night, and in the 20s most of the time. Carol and I froze, and both came down with sinus trouble. Carol also fell and hit her hip on a stone hearth, leaving a heck of a bruise on her backside, but thank goodness nothing was broken or fractured.

We plan to run up to Austin next weekend, (if the new Starbucks store is finally open) and do a book signing there. It’s near the intersection of 290 and 71 in South Austin. We hope our readers from the University of Texas will stop by to visit with us and buy a copy of “Signs of Our Times”.

It’s much warmer here at home - was almost 80 today - a vast change from the mountains out west. We are glad to be home, and didn’t celebrate the New Year much - in fact, we were in bed by 10 pm. Guess we’re getting a little older, but we don’t like being on the road with drunks. I sometimes wonder where the notion arose that you had to greet the New Year with a load of liquor in you. I’d rather greet it sober and happy with the idea that the New Year will bring us prosperity and peace.

And, that’s what I wish for all of my readers, good luck and health throughout the coming year. God bless and keep you safe.

For all our troops overseas, God Bless you as well and bring you home safely. We’ll be praying for you every day.

So, from Carol and me; a very Happy New Year to you all.

Drop by again and see my new home page, which should be installed shortly. It will tell you more about my new novel and our plans.

Until then,

Via con Dias, my friends,

Karl

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We drove over to Lufkin, TX to spend the holiday with our son, Kris, and his family. Had a great time and enjoyed the cooler weather they had - NOT!
We held a book signing at Starbucks there, and sold another 26 books. Thanks, Starbucks.
We are back home now, waiting for Christmas to arrive. Can’t believe another year has come and almost gone.
We see many foreign visitors to my website and hopefully my blog. Thanks for dropping by. If you’d like a copy of my book, order it through my KarlBoyd.com address. It’s much cheaper than ordering it through the publisher. They recently raised the price to $27.95 - I sell mine for $19.75 plus shipping of $3.00.
We are heading up to Austin, TX on the 19th of December to a newly opened Starbucks to hold a two-day book signing. The manager from our closed store and two of his employees moved there, so it will be like old-home week.
We hope you readers in Austin will come out and visit with us, and hopefully take home a copy of my book.
The date of publication of my second book remains as much a mystery to me as it is to you - I have no idea. I’m slowly moving up their chart of “coming attractions”, so imagine we will all find out shortly after the new year.
Keep those fingers crossed.
In the meantime, I’m looking into lulu.com - a website where I can publish my books myself and get them on the market without all this waiting in-between. If I am successful in this, I’ll let you all know how to order the new ones and their price.
We’ll be out of town for a week, visiting our daughter and family in Albuquerque, NM for Christmas.
To all of our friends, old and new, thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I hope you find it interesting. I’ll try very hard to keep it updated more often. Writing takes up a lot of my spare time.
So for now, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Let’s hope it brings many more books by Karl Boyd your way.
Until then,
Via con Dias, my friends,
Karl

Yes, we went and voted early - the lines were long, but every American should make it a point to vote. If I was in charge, we’d all be required to vote or pay a fine. There’s no excuse to not vote - and if you don’t, you don’t have any reason to complain who the other folks elect for you.
But, enough about politics - I am fed up with the mudslinging and name calling - it’s enough to make you sick - on both sides of the fence.
Yes, I ordered another 140 copies of my first book, “Signs of Our Times”, just in time for Christmas. They just arrived at our doorstep a few minutes ago - still first editions. So, we’ll soon be back out on the book signing circuit. We hope to start off at Starbucks in Portland, TX in a few days, and move on up to Austin and beyond. Maybe Fort Worth again - who knows?
If you’d like a copy to send to a friend or family member for Christmas, send a check for $21.75 to Karl Boyd Productions at PO Box 2096, Rockport, TX, and we’ll get it on the way to you, or to whomever you want us to send it to. ($19.75 including tax, and $2.00 for postage and handling). I’ll be glad to sign it to whomever you wish, just let me know.
We’re still waiting for the publisher to ask for the final draft of my new book, “From China with Love”. You can check out the website and see my book listed on the “forthcoming publications list” at www.bluewaterpress.com
I hope you’ll come see me at one of my next booksignings. I’ll let you know the dates and times when we complete our schedule.
Thanks again for dropping by - don’t be a stranger. Tell your friends.
Again, get out there and vote for the candidate of your choice. God bless America!

Via con Dias, my friends,
Karl

We had beautiful weather, although our friends advised us to tell everyone it rained every day and all night, as they don’t want more people moving to “Paradise” as they call it.

Well, election time is almost here, and the two contenders are still slinging mud instead of addressing the specifics about how they intend to correct the mess we are in now. I have been a supporter of Mc Cain, as I see Obama as a very inexperienced politician, who can give a good speech but lacks much else to make him worthy of being our leader for the next four years. You may see it differently, but that’s what makes the USA such a winner - we can agree to disagree and move on.

Now, I’m not sure either of them will do a good job and am looking at Ron Paul, who no one invited to the debates. At least he addresses the problem and has some solutions.

I wonder where we’re going to get the three trillion in spending that Obama says he needs to put our lives and health in the hands of the government - yeah, like we need more government in our lives. They can’t stop the corruption in Medicare now, what will socialized medicine do to help? Will more taxes on us help? I think Obama believes it would.

I also wonder why neither of them has addressed the possibility of establishing a mass transportation system in the good old US of A like that of Europe. Talk about relieving us of our dependence of foreign oil - the Europeans have been paying $10 for a gallon gas for years - they ride the trains, trams, subways and buses - on time and cheap transportation to anywhere in Europe.

But, that makes too much sense to our would-be leaders. I’ve written to John four times, asking him to address the specifics instead of throwing mud at Obama. I guess his advisors don’t want advice from just a common “Joe” like me - or you! I may just send him a “Dear John” letter, literally.

But, enough. Pick your man and at least get out and vote. We’re in trouble, here in the good old USA, and someone has to bail the average citizen out - not just the greedy Wall Street barons.

Let’s hope the New Year brings some relief and we get back on our feet and on the way to recovery. I see a long, hard road ahead. What few stocks I own have gone way south, and there goes the World Cruise we’d planned on for years.

Once again, my new book is due out sometime in “early 2009″, and I look forward to seeing a lot of you at book signings. I’m hard at work on my seventh - “Palmyra - Isle of Death”- I think you’ll like it too.

Lots to do, so off I go. Take care and drop by again soon.
Until then,
Via con Dias, my friends,
Karl

Karl

Yes, we’re two states over, trying to avoid good old Ike. He is not liked back in Rockport, or any part of Texas he may choose to visit. We got up early Tuesday morning, put up our shutters in about two hours, packed a lot of clothes, my book discs and computers, some personal items we’d like to keep from Ike, and then put up our large collection of Southwestern Art - statues and paintings, and many other items we hated to leave behind, but couldn’t take with us. We took our art collection off the walls and put them on top of our bed, covered them all with a large tarp and tied it down, hoping against hope that Ike would not take off our roof. Then we put the statues and other collectables in top drawers of chests. It was a long, long day and we went to bed late, to get up early and pack the car and head out after the bank opened for our safe deposit items. (We have one just off the floor and figured if water came in the bank, the items in the box would be ruined. Better safe than sorry). We left at 9 a.m., expecting lots of traffic, but guess everyone else stuck around to see what was going to happen, as the road was practically empty and we maintained 70 mph all the way - either luck or good planning - (I like to think it was the latter).
We had a good trip to Fort Stockton, TX, and stayed overnight in a motel that was gouging people ($159), but took it in stride.
Today we made good time until El Paso, where they had a terrible accident on I-10 that had one vehicle crossing the divider near downtown and hitting an 18 wheeler or two and causing them to take out the center divider. It was a mess, both sides closed down for over an hour. The result was 14 miles of trucks and cars backed up in the Eastbound lanes. We were lucky, as we were only a mile from the accident scene and when one lane of traffic finally started moving, it only took about 30 more minutes to get back on the Interstate after crawling along and then being detoured onto a side road for several blocks. I hate to think about how many vehicles were behind us… All in all, another adventure and an hour and a half lost, but we weren’t involved, so counted out lucky stars. The rest of the trip was uneventful, with lots of rain, heavy at times, but we got in here at my sister’s at 3 p.m. their time. We have no idea when we’ll be able to return, and what we’ll find with we get back, but we hope you’ll join us in a prayer to ask that the residents of Houston and the surrounding towns be spared the horrific damage usually associated with a hurricane of this magnitude.
I think I messed up my sister’s computer by trying to get online to post this message, but hope we can restore the memory to get on AOL when I am done here… I should know by now not to mess with someone else’s computer.
Thanks for stopping by again, come back and visit often. I’ll let you know when we get home, and if we have a home to go back to. Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts. We appreciate them.
Until next time,
Via con Dias, my friends,

Karl

Yes, after a month of waiting, due to Florida storms, the contract for my second book, “From China with Love” arrived, I signed it and sent it on its way to Florida, with a publication date of “early 2009″, which I hope is VERY early in 2009; but we’ll see.
The final draft of the manuscript has been edited and is ready to go. I hope you’ll “hang in there” with me. The story is worth the wait and will keep you in suspense throughout until you reach another unexpected ending.

We spent part of today with the Bahia Bay Residents Group, packing another 100 boxes to send to our brave troops in Iraq. We had at least 15 people helping, and got the boxes done in just over two hours. We’ve had fantastic support through donations of goods and money from our neighbors and friends throughout the coastal bend area, and want to thank them all.

One of our troops was back on R & R, and stopped by to tell us how much he and his men and women appreciated our support. He told tales of different items we sent and how they were received. A box of five soccer balls was a big hit among the Iraqi children.

We try to include a toy or box of crayons in each box for the troops to share with the local children. I think I told you before how a gift of a toy could save the lives of our troops. The recipient may see the giver another day and warn him of a roadside bomb or ambush.

I hope to hear from my new publisher with a more definite publication date, but regardless, another book is on its way.
Thanks for caring enough to visit often. Keep in touch. I’ll miss you if I don’t see you visit at least once a week.

Until then, Via con Dias, my friends,

Karl

We just returned from another Corpus Christi “Hooks” baseball game, which the Hooks lost (AGAIN)!! 9-7 with a home run by the opponents in the ninth inning…arrgh!!

I’ve noticed a great amount of interest lately by friends in various foreign countries, and I want to thank you all for dropping by to read what I’ve written here. We hope you’ve ordered my first book, “Signs of Our Times”, and are looking forward to my next, “From China with Love”.
(If you go back a few entries, you’ll find the first chapter of this book in my blog - it’s been changed a little since then, but will still give you an idea of the story line - it’s filled with suspense.)

Let your friends in other countries know about me an my novels. They make great Christmas presents. Hint!

I also see I have a very recurring visitor from East Peoria, Illinois, my old stomping ground when I was a teenager. Whoever you are, thanks for dropping by so regularly. If you have time, drop me a line at carhop2007@sbcglobal.net and let me know what you think of my writing. I enjoy all the feedback I can get. It lets me know if I’m doing a good job or not.

It’s also great to know someone from near my home town thinks enough to visit so often. Thank you.

On other subjects, many of “our” troops are coming home!! We took the binder out of Starbucks, as the addressees are returning within the next few months. We thank all of you who “adopted” one of our troops. We got a lot of feedback from several who received letters or packages from you, and they really appreciated your thoughts and efforts. So did we! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Nothing is too good for OUR troops.

We go out to the airport on the 13th to welcome back Wallace Tinnin - our “adopted” soldier who is returning from fifteen months in Afghanistan. Welcome home, Wallace. His brother just returned to Iraq. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for Wallace’s return and another to safeguard his bother.

I’m still awaiting the contract from Bluewater Press, so we can get on with publishing “From China with Love”. I have no idea of the time frame for publishing the novel, but hope to have it out to you in time for Christmas, if not earlier.

So, hang in there and have faith. Believe me; this novel is worth the wait. Four more are done and awaiting their turn, so keep coming back to see when they will be published.

But, it’s late, and Carol is calling me to come to bed. By now you know who the boss is around here. Goodnight, my friends,

Via con Dias,

Karl