MY HANDPRINT

By Dennis Lantz That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet... Perhaps, Mr. Shakespeare. But I happen to believe character names are important. They can lend strength or weakness. They can indicate depth or shallowness. Names can also give glimpses into personality or make us feel certain ways about them. Can you imagine calling an innocent young boy, Dahmer? Or a wise elderly woman, Delilah? These names have connotations or expectations. It doesn’t mean they couldn’t work, it would just add an aura of skepticism.  Anyway, some of the characters or creatures in my three novels have unusual names. Others do not. I like to mix traditional with exotic, unique ones. In Zander's Tale , the main character’s given name is Alexander and he is, of course, named after the youthful emperor Alexander the Great. Not as obvious are Bleda, the vicious general or his minions Sary and Caruso. Google Bleda and you will discover he was the elder brother of Attilla the H...

By Dennis Lantz When I discovered my grandmother’s diary in the attic of my old home, I had no idea what I would find within its pages. Vivian Mae Humphrey West died in 1941 at the age of twenty-four. My mother, Marlene JoAnne West Lantz was less than two years old when her mother passed. I did not know that the diary existed, and am perplexed that my mother never told me it was in her possession. Many times we discussed genealogy, but the diary was not mentioned. Although she was too young to remember her mother, she certainly knew many of the family members mentioned. In fact she was quite close to them. Maybe it was too painful to discuss. Or perhaps she may have misplaced the diary or thought she lost it. I suppose I will never know the answer. Diaries are personal. They can contain information that is hurtful, emotional or even incorrect. I intend to reveal some of the more interesting parts of my grandmother’s diary and I don’t want anyone to be upset. I really don’t think ...