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Writing is my passion. It keeps me up at night. I get incredibly cranky if I haven’t created something in a while, and not the kind of cranky that can be stimulated with a snickers bar.
While life always seem to distract and sidetrack us, dragging us away from the passions we so long to make our life’s work, the callings that never dim or fade away, we keep plugging away in solitude thinking maybe one day lightning will strike and everything will just fall into place. Nah, doesn’t work like that.
So I wrote and wrote and wrote, screenplays, prose, comics, song lyrics, whatever came to mind. Even copy for real estate listings; really, really terrific copy…really it was great. Maybe not so much. Every few years I’d have a push and try to do something with something I had written, but something would get in the way, usually me.
The rest of stuff you need to know about me: Born in Germany. Mostly raised in Florida, I’m still there now. I’ve had 8 cats in my life, but never more than 2 at a time, the current one’s have stripes and are terrorists. Sold real estate for more than a decade. Worked in validation for pharmaceutical companies (bonus points if you know what validation is). Spent way too much time on comic books, collectibles, and fantasy sports. I make movies with my guys at 386films. And love my family and friends.
Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite
In Shady Place by David A. Byrne, we first meet Jim Phillips, a retired police detective, as he is preparing to leave the Philadelphia home he shared for many years with his now deceased wife; being urged on by his two adult daughters to move to Shady Place in Florida. He hates the idea of leaving his home and his memories, but it is what he promised his wife he would do and he couldn’t break that promise to her memory. Jim immediately hates life in Shady Place, the house, the people, and the rules of the fifty-five plus community. He cannot believe his eyes when he discovers his next door neighbor is the mobster he tried so very hard to put in jail for a very long time.
Mike was placed in a protective plan and is happily living his life as a reformed citizen. Beverly is the woman both men really have an eye on and it becomes a contest as to which one she will pick for her steady boyfriend. Jim tries to remain a loner, but it is hard when everyone is always trying to include him and become his friend. Mike is aware of terrible serial murders happening in Shady Place and shares this information with Jim. The two very slowly become friends as they work together to find the murderer. There are many clues and both men are surprised when they finally solve the case of who has been killing off the homeowners.
As a senior citizen, Shady Place by David A. Byrne pulled me right in. Shady Place has mystery, friendship, and lots of humor. David A. Byrne understands what makes seniors tick and has developed characters that are impossible not to like. As I read further and further into the story, I so wanted to pack up and move to a fifty-five plus community and share in the activities and friendships. I highly recommend Shady Place and look forward to more stories about my new friends that live there.
