I watched the first couple of episodes of The Rings of Power with an open mind. I wanted to like this, even if it was just going to be some fan fiction fun. The cast is wonderful, the settings and music are great, there are some really cool things to look at, but I just don’t enjoy the story, at all. I don’t find it engaging or interesting in the least. Some of the dialogue seems just painfully bad to me, like a CW teen drama dressed up with British accents and portentous music. I know many fans are enjoying it, and if it makes them happy, then that’s great, may they continue to enjoy it for as long as it airs. But it’s definitely not for me. One thing I will say is that it had me howling with laughter when Durin shouted at Elrond “YAH MISSED MUH WEDDING!!” I think that was the moment at which I knew I couldn’t take it anymore.

Peter Jackson’s trilogy had its flaws, but I enjoyed it much more than this. Maybe it will get better. I think it is very hard to compete with Game of Thrones, a series of novels that seem like they were written with television in mind, and which is also a much more modern kind of story, making it far easier to adapt. I felt amazon’s Wheel of Time also had some serious flaws and I was disappointed with it. I don’t see how an adaptation can ever recapture the magic of reading a book you really love. So, I’ll go back and read the Silmarillion again.

For me, music is one of the great joys of life, and certain songs and bands are inextricably linked to different books and films I’ve enjoyed over the years. There is a lot of music in THE OSPREY MAN, from the school talent contest, to a Led Zeppelin cover band, to various songs the main characters sing or talk about through the course of the novel.

To that end, I have created an Osprey Man playlist! If you enjoyed the book, I think you might have a good time listening to this. If you haven’t yet read the book, you can get an idea of the music that was the soundtrack for my characters in 1980s Riverhead. I think it’s a pretty great listen!

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/0fe7c115b751421d982c45ee70c48445sune?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_AO4FpOoyL7Kv1N4kpOg2A9iFB

Hi Friends!

I just saw the copy of my book–I was away when it was released so just had a chance to look at it now. It seems this version has a few edits included, which ended up in there by accident (crossed out words, and words that were to be in the final proof). I’ve talked with the publisher, who is going to fix it. But to anyone who bought the book and noticed that, this is why it looks that way. You should be getting an email offering a clean version of the book. If you don’t get the publisher’s message, and would like a new copy, please let me know and I’ll make sure one gets to you. Thanks again for your support!

THE OSPREY MAN is cleared for takeoff. D.Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review says: “Osprey Man reveals its surprises, unwrapping them through the course of the story like birthday gifts.” You can order it through the dxvaros website: https://www.dxvaros.com/books/THE-OSPREY-MAN

To celebrate the release, I’ve uploaded a reading below. Happy summer to all!

Jacob is at that most magical time between childhood and adolescence. As the end of the school year approaches, he is dreaming of baseball and the beach, but most of all, about working on the comic book he and his best friend Jonathan have created, The Osprey Man. Then tragedy strikes and Jacob has to find an inner strength he is not sure he has.

This beautifully written tale of youth, coping, and working through grief is ideal for readers of all ages.

“Osprey Man reveals its surprises, unwrapping them through the course of the story like birthday gifts.” – D.Donovan, Midwest Book Review

Order your copy today!

Coming 7/26/22 to a bookseller near you!

I have some good news–THE OSPREY MAN now has a publisher. The plan right now is for a late July release in paperback and as an ebook across different platforms. I’m working out the details now with the publisher, but am excited to be able to offer the book this way. I’m planning to have some in person events, as well as more content on my blog to support the book. I’ll share more details as they become available. Thanks to the readers who have supported the novel. I will have more soon.

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
―Jorge Luis Borges

I’ve been listening a lot to the new Jethro Tull album, and have been so impressed by this one. Ian Anderson has taken inspiration from different books of the bible, as well as some current events, to craft a really wonderful collection of songs. Musically adventurous, with heavy riffs (Mrs. Tibbets) as well as some melancholy acoustic songs (In Brief Visitation), and lyrically dense, this is an album that needs multiple listenings to fully appreciate. I’m so happy it has finally come out, as it was delayed by the pandemic, but it’s certainly been worth the wait.

So why the bible, after all this time? It’s not new ground for Anderson, as fans of Aqualung know. Here we have songs about nuclear war, demagogues, the betrayal of Jesus (‘the fall guy,’ as Anderson calls him). There are references to the Song of Solomon, Eros and Agape, the visitation of Elizabeth, an angry God demanding his people use no graven images, and we wind up, finally, at the Fisherman of Ephesus. Somehow all of this works together over a dizzying forty seven minutes, and leaves you wanting more. Well done, Mr. Anderson, and thank you for keeping us entertained, and keeping us thinking all these years. Gerald Bostock would approve.

It’s hard for me to rank these things, as this has been my favorite band for over thirty years, since I was in high school, but it’s really one of the best albums he has released in all the time I’ve been a fan. Few bands could ever reach the heights that the 70s incarnation of Tull did, but I would rate this in the top half Tull albums, for me certainly at least the equal of albums like Roots to Branches. And here I am on a Saturday night, combing through the King James bible to look up each verse he’s referenced over the album’s twelve songs. Not many other bands require you to do this kind of work, but Ian Anderson always has, it seems.

“Here on my heart, engraved dedication

The fall guy was here, in brief visitation”