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Book details
  • Genre:BODY, MIND & SPIRIT
  • SubGenre:Spiritualism
  • Language:English
  • Pages:136
  • eBook ISBN:9781098325961
  • Paperback ISBN:9781098325954

Minstrel of the Mist

by Stephen R. Pell

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Overview

Minstrel of the Mist. Many people believe in an afterlife of some kind. Some other dimension or plane of existence where our souls go once certain spiritual lessons are learned here in this life. Some don't, of course, believe any of that and who could blame them? It is hard to prove something exists that cannot be measured in the material dimension. You can't weigh a soul. And except for cases of Near-Death Experiences, it's a one-way trip. But what if there were a way, very limited, under very specific guidelines, for a soul who has moved on from this world to return? What would be the criteria, what would be the motivation for a soul to undertake such a difficult, almost regurgitave, task? For starters, how about a ticket to heaven? Being stuck between heaven and earth is the last place any soul would want to be, but there are a lot of souls there just the same. For one famous composer and long-time resident, this moment in time presents a rare chance to punch that ticket. Travis Hazzard is a singer/songwriter who has been playing the "Holiday Inn" circuit for about twenty years. He is talented, gifted, but he lacks ambition and has never really thought ahead all that much. He is not big on religion or politics and tries to ignore current events. He saves most of his money these days. He used to party most of it away. But he outgrew (lived through) that phase of the music world and now simply enjoys creating and playing music. He has a serious health problem, of which he is unaware, and is currently content coasting along the path of least resistance. Or, at least, until now. His life is about to get eventful. Events have a way of changing a person's perspective and even direction. Life's ups and downs can also throw in a few curves here and there. It's gonna be a while before Travis can figure out if he is the luckiest or unluckiest guy alive. If he lives, that is.

Description
Minstrel of the Mist is the story of achieving one's potential, of learning about love and acceptance. Travis Hazzard is a forty-year-old singer/songwriter who has unused talents and no ambition to change. That is until he gets an offer that is literally out of this world. The question is, does he have a ghost of a chance at success?
About the author
Note-the author information has been added to the end of the manuscript. About the Author As a child of the rural South in the 50's and raised by a single mom, Stephen Pell had ample opportunity for a free range childhood. They had a few neighbors and there were a few kids roughly his age on their gravel country road. They were okay to play with but he was more at home in the woods next to their property. Some of his earliest friends were rabbits and squirrels. At least in his mind. As an only child for twenty years, he had the unfortunate opportunity to grow up thinking anything he thought of was automatically correct. It took several lessons both in and out of the classroom in elementary school to see the error of his ways. In junior high Pell discovered the power of words when he talked a large classmate out of beating him up at their eighth grade picnic. Pell literally calmed him enough that he sat back down at their table and they all finished their meal and he did not wind up in the hospital. Ever since then he has considered words his friends. They are powerful and can induce feelings of joy or bring on despair. Pell respects words but believes bigger is not always better. He prefers the minimalist approach so readers won't spend an inordinate amount of time reaching or clicking for the thesaurus. Writing is not a full time job. He waits on inspiration, a spark, and when a story idea comes, he listens. If he is really lucky, the story will agree to tell itself through him. There are a million new writers out there doing some great work. Once you have read one of Pell's stories, he hopes you enjoy it enough to include him in that group. His resume includes radio announcer, public relations director, professional photographer, serving in the USMC during Vietnam, graduating UT Knoxville with honors, small business owner, Chairman of the Board of his local Chamber of Commerce, and quality engineer at a Textron subsidiary in his town. He has been married fifty-one years at this writing. He and his wife had two sons, but lost the youngest in a car accident in 2012. He is currently in remission from lymphoma. Writing, both stories and song lyrics, is his refuge and a major source of strength. He is a member of the Chattanooga Writers Guild where, in 2016 he won both first and second place in their spring writing competition in fiction.