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 ...

 By Dennis Lantz Even when I started writing Zander’s Tale, I wanted there to be illustrations. But I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. My artistic talents were never sufficient for such an endeavor and have only declined in recent years. Publishers of some classic tales used ink drawings to give the stories a little more depth. I remember reading Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson and many others and staring at the illustrations with just as much interest as the words of the story. Because I couldn’t do the drawings, the only option was to find someone who could. I knew the right person, but I was hesitant to ask. Amy Evans has been a friend since high school. She is a gifted artist and portrait painter and I did not doubt that she could give my story that same visual energy I remembered from the classics.   But I was reluctant to ask her for three reasons. First, I wanted a lot of images. Then, by the time I figured out what scenes...

By Dennis Lantz No matter how long I live, I intend to devote the rest of my life to the Healing Project. It’ll be both a physical and a spiritual journey. You are welcome to come along. In fact, you are specifically invited. What, you ask, is the Healing Project? The simple answer is that it is getting one’s body, mind and spirit to function at a better level and to bring to life all the dreams and goals that one has contemplated throughout the years. More importantly, as if that wasn’t enough, it is to help others do the same. People should dream big. It’s one of the best parts of being human. What we can imagine, we can achieve. My dreams have always been lofty, but I let my fear and excuses stifle the progress. The Healing Project is going to change that. When you are done reading this article, I hope you will have a better understanding of my intentions and that you are inspired to bring more happiness into your life… and the lives of those around you. My Healing Project may...

By Dennis Lantz When it is warm in the woods, it is sweltering out in the open. July was oppressively hot and dry in 1995. People in the cities were dying from the heat. At the hogan we didn’t do much. We read, wrote journal entries, essays or poetry… and did some watercolor painting. As far as I remember, I only wrote one poem that summer. In this post, I will share that with you. I remember folding paper fans to cool ourselves. A couple of days we went to the air conditioned trailer and watched movies 7/13 – This morning Mark said, “so much for the heatwave…” as it was not so hot outside. Later we would laugh at his thought because it was a scorcher. 7/14 – Dear Lord it is hot! I am not feeling well. We woke to an already warm day. After dunking in the creek we sat around wondering what we should do. It was so hot we didn’t want to do much. Finally decided to watch The Fire Next Time, a television miniseries I taped dealing with global warming and heat. We watched ...

By Dennis Lantz I’m a complex person and occasionally a little selfish. I’d like to be simpler, sometimes… and certainly more caring. More compassionate. I’m also opinionated and usually willing to share my thoughts. Except now, on social media, I am reluctant. I got on Face Book to spread the word about my upcoming novels. I want people to read them. Obviously I wish to sell as many copies as possible. I wouldn’t have written them if I didn’t want to share them with the world. Face Book is not my only marketing strategy, but it is the first. And as a social media neophyte, there are some rules or protocols that I do not yet understand. Face Book can be very political. My novels aren’t, at least in the sense of modern politics. I suppose you could delve into why a fictional society becomes dystopian or analyze Zander’s rise from student to emperor. But they are just stories and are not intended to sway someone to any opinion. For years I stayed away from social media,...