Danny January: Blog

Something Fishy seems to be well-received. This is a bit surprising to me since it's a fairly simple, straight-forward chronicle; almost a diary.

I enjoy reading comments and feedback so don't hesitate to email me directly or comment on the story. I plan to re-write some of my earlier works as they seem pretty crude to me now.

Plot changes - I've had a few recommendations on plot for the story. Some of them are pretty entertaining, however, I don't plan on making any.

I am considering a very short chronicle of a weekend trip, meeting 'Michael' from the Beach House series for the first time. We'll see.

I posted the preface for Something Fishy Going On, then the 1st chapter of the next story by accident. I sent in the re-post request and SOL should have it posted soon.

My mistake. Sorry guys.

Something Fishy Going on is in the publication queue.

It's been a few months since Summertime and the Living is Easy finished up so here are a few refreshers.

Jack Pierce - 16. Attends Porter-Gaud, a private college prep school. Typical SAT scores are more than 300 points higher than national average. Tuition last year was $30K.

Christie Pierce - Jack's mom. Married twice. She divorced Victor Strzok when Jack was little. Married Ronnie Pierce, who provided for the family financially, but spent little time with them. He died young. Christie is engaged to Dane Edris

Dane - Yankee. Cardio pulmonary surgeon at MUSC. Moved south to Charleston a couple of years ago.

Franklin Pierce - Jack's brother - older by 10 years and recently married to Karen.

Sally Hinkleman - Jack's first love. Her father moved the family to Nashville. This didn't go over well with Sally or Jack.

Kim McTighe - Jack's second girlfriend. 16, and a junior at Porter-Gaud. She's perfect. You can ask anyone.

Pat and Mary McTighe - Kim's grandparents. Kim's biological parents and older sister died in a car crash. Her grandparents have been raising her.

Veronica - Christie Pierce's best friend. Recently went through a divorce. She is perhaps the most complex personality in all of this.

Melanie Middleton - Kim's best friend and fellow cheerleader.

Bobby Claire - Jack's friend and fellow swimmer.

Lori Newsome, Lisa, Allie, and Annie are fellow cheerleaders.

Vince Delinger - Porter-Gaud graduate and former QB.

Doctor Hank Legare - Dane's good friend, orthopedic surgeon and a bit of a health guru.

Coach Miller - Swim coach
Coach Hamilton – Baseball Coach

This is not a typical cast of characters. The friends and neighbors are affluent and Porter-Gaud is very definitely an elite school with highly motivated students. The standards are very high. Within that environment, someone rises to the top. I understand that this environment is very unusual for some readers to get their arms around. It is, however, very real. To put things in perspective, tuition at Porter-Gaud is currently right at $30,000. GPAs and SAT scores are high, as is the motivation and expectations.
Over the summer, Jack worked with Hector’s crews to earn the money for an engagement ring for Kim. Kim, Jack, Christie, and Veronic spent an interesting vacation in Puerto Rico followed by Jack popping the big question.

I hope this helps those who've read the first story get back on track. For those that haven't, this will not be enough to bring you up to speed.

I just watched the first of 6 episodes of Rucker's Reno. Reno as in renovation. Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish fame, is a native Charlestonian. He bought an old mansion on Broad St. on the peninsula, and renovated it. The whole thing was filmed and you can watch it on Freeze - Amazon Prime. There's a lot of Charleston history and scenery so for those of you that like the locale in Feasting and Summertime, here's a chance to get an inside look at the town by one of its most famous. What could be more Charleston than Darius Rucker eating Shrimp and Grits in his newly remodeled kitchen? Nothing.

I just returned from my first horseback safari since I started writing Feasting With a Silver Spoon.
First of all, September is a great time for good riding and great animal viewing. I highly recommend it and if you're interested, I'll pass on tips.
Guides and interns on this trip were from Capetown, Johannesburg, and the UK. Guests were from the UK, Belgium, France, the US, and Germany. What a variety of dialects.
We had a discussion about it one afternoon after our second ride of the day. Tennis shoes in the US, Trainers in the UK, Tackies in South Africa, and Runners in Canada. Same shoes - just different names. Anyone have any other fun examples of this?