When it comes to this blog, it's hard to believe we've eclipsed 88,000 hits. When it started years ago, it was designed to be place where I was showcasing writing I was doing for various websites...and it went by a different title. Then, one day, I decided to shift the focus to fellow writers on a similar journey. So, we renamed it and launched it. Now, here we are, multiple authors into the process, with a database readers can visit for the purpose of finding new authors to read. With over 88,000 hits, I'd say it's working.
Now, it is March of 2024. I'm waiting for the shoe to drop. It's an election year. The exact same scenario is setting itself up for a repeat performance. Big wigs are building bunkers and selling off stock. It's hard to ascertain why, but in the words of the Navy captain in The Hunt for Red October, played by Fred Thompson (no relation, by the way), these people "don't take a dump without a plan."
We all know what happened in March four years ago. Three months prior, CEOs like Bill Gates were stepping down from their positions. I counted fifteen at one point. Couldn't put my finger on why then. Now, hindsight is 20/20. They were all buying stock in Pfizer apparently.
I bring all this up just to say that things are brewing. We'll see it soon enough. I'd say someone has been reading my Blake Meyer Thriller series and is using it as a playbook, but let's hope not. The contagion Blake is fighting makes COVID-19 look like the swine flu. Remember that? Neither do a lot of people.
Our next author to be featured on the Florida Front Porch walks in these halls of which we speak. He writes about the news. He tells the stories that sometimes keep us up at night. But he also writes stories of hope too. If you live in central Florida, there is a good chance you have heard of him. He wrote for the Orlando Sentinel for years. Now, he is a regular contributor for the Daily Commercial. His coverage of the vampire cult in Florida that made national headlines has taken him to the set of The Discovery Channel, the Oxygen Channel, CourtTV, and multiple other documentaries over the years.
Please welcome my fellow author, brother in Christ, and longtime friend and former neighbor, Frank Stanfield!
It's a tradition to give us a quick bio here in the Florida Front Porch. In fifty words or less, who is Frank Stanfield?
Before you ever got a notion of becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that time of your life?
I liked writing and loved reading newspapers, comics, and books, even as a young child. When I learned that Clark Kent/Superman worked for the Daily Planet, I was in.
That explains your frequent trips to the phone booths in those early days...
What educational background do you have?
High school teachers in Jacksonville, Florida, took pity on me or wanted me to go away. The Air Force was a real-life education, then a B.A. in political science, University of North Florida, and a master’s in journalism, University of Georgia. I had to get away from a terrible job at a Georgia newspaper, and I parachuted into Bulldog paradise.
No such thing. Red and black are incidentally the colors of Hades. Orange, blue and green, on the other hand, are the colors God gave our beautiful planet when He created it. Just sayin'... (Can you tell there is a rivalry here? - Even though Frank is a Georgia fan, my Christian faith says to forgive him and love him anyway.)
Okay, enough with the nonsense.
Are you married? Single? Have kids?
I’m married with three daughters and six grandchildren. Talk about real life! A joyous real life. Surrounded by females, I know more about women than any other man – and I still don’t know anything.
I’m going to give you a shotgun list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one sentence why it is your favorite.
Favorite
Song of All-Time: My Girl by The Temptations, a sweet love song by
one of most exciting groups ever.
Favorite
Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): The
Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe recounts the early heroes of the space program.
Favorite
Bible Verse:
Rev. 21:4. God keeps his promises.
Favorite
Movie: Casablanca. Ingrid Bergman’s character is so beautiful, infuriating, and loving.
Favorite
Actor or Actress: Humphrey Bogart played tough guys with depth (I love
old movies).
Favorite
TV Show:
Keith Morrison must write his own well-crafted scripts on “Dateline.”
Favorite
Novel (other than your own): The Prince of Tides storyline ventures
off, comes back, yet still stays on a soulful track like an elaborate jazz
tune.
Favorite Author
(other than you): Pat Conroy (see above) didn’t run from family
trauma, he weaved it into his stories so he could keep his sanity.
Favorite
Sport:
Football is a game of brute force, acrobatics, strategy and controlled
chin-strap busting violence. Little brother of war is about your tribe vs.
another.
Favorite
Team (Can be any sport, any level): Is there anything better than 92,000
fans losing their minds at a University of Georgia football game? (Yes, about 200 miles south...in Gainesville.)
Favorite
Subject in School Growing Up: English literature is like popping the
hood and looking into the soul of humanity.
Favorite
Subject Now:
Recess.
Favorite
Teacher in School: I had a mad crush on first-year high school English
teacher Joyce Wilkins, who was also the student newspaper faculty advisor.
Favorite
Time of the Year: What’s more invigorating than autumn with a nip in
the air, leaves showing their dazzling colors, and college football?
Favorite
Place to Vacation: Savannah keeps its Old World charm and its tables
groaning with fantastic Low Country food.
Favorite
Drink:
Tea should be ice cold and so sweet your tongue almost knocks your brains out.
Favorite
Food:
Cheeseburgers are meant to be thick and juicy and topped with Vidalia onions.
When the words aren’t flowing, what is your favorite comfort food and why?
Whatever I can get my hands on.
If your life was a story, and you were the lead character, what kind of role would you play? (Would you be the romantic lead? The comedic sidekick? The stern office manager? The warrior? Or what?...based on your personal life story.)
I would be a cynical, sometimes comic homicide detective. I always want to know WHY.
For all the pet lovers out there, answer this question: Do you have any?
I’m married to the crazy cat lady.
What makes you cringe?
Ssssssssnakes make me set the world’s high-jump record.
Everybody seems to have a bucket list. Do you? If so, what’s on it? If not, why not?
I want to dance at my grandkids’ weddings.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
If you had your life to live over again, besides being an author (which we guess would be your obvious answer), what profession would you choose?
I don’t look back. Being a newspaperman has been an adventure, but I had a chance to teach at the college level, and I sometimes wonder what that would have been like.
If you could go back and have a “do over” concerning something in your life (we’re thinking about something non-writing related here), what would you have done differently?
Hopefully, there’s not that many, but I would like to go back and not hurt the people I have burned with an extinguished hot match head or a flaming blow torch.
You're speaking metaphorically, right?
Besides storytelling, what talents do you have?
When I’m not writing about people being eviscerated, flayed, or wrecked emotionally, I can make people laugh. I actually enjoy public speaking.
If your life was a movie, what movie would you choose?
How great would it be to be in one of those old MGM musicals, singing and dancing, getting, losing, and regaining the pretty girl at the end? Happily ever after. The end.
If your life was a TV show, what TV show would you choose?
“Quantum Leap.” The main character time travels to fix things so history comes out right. How great would it be to avoid mistakes, to be a better person, not waste time on trivial things, to meet THE ONE earlier, and be a Christian sooner.
Besides the usual things authors face, has there been an unusual event that changed your perspective about being an author?
There is not one thing that changed me. Life-changing events are links in a chain, the most interesting links are those that threaten to break you, including losing those you love.
Of all the stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled you to write this story?
If you’re lucky, you get to cover one huge, unforgettable story that grabs everyone’s attention. The teen vampire cult murder story gave me a chance to peer into the bottom of the barrel of human depravity. It’s pretty scary to think about the thin veneer of civilization.
Do you ever receive negative reviews from readers? If so, how do you respond when you see them?
One person complained that the stories read like newspaper accounts, and another said it was too much behind-the-scenes. If you pay too much attention to critics you get outside of your self.
As a writer, if you had one thing you would do over again, what would it be?
my desk drawer, to at least try to get it published, and it’s a pretty good yarn.
Tell us about what project you are currently working on.
My novel is about a veteran who suffers from PTSD who meets
a woman who has her own issues. When I mentioned this recently to another
writer he said, “It’s much needed. It could help someone.”
What surprised you the most during the research for the book you are currently working on?
I have been surprised by the vast number of people who suffer from PTSD: combat veterans, first-responders, social workers, crime victims, and others. I joke that I was in the military and covered horrendous crimes, but the only flashbacks I have are from the year I taught in middle school.
Those of us who have taught middle school know EXACTLY what you are talking about. We should have received combat pay.
Knowing what you know now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book in them that would be helpful to others?
Write about what you know, even if you’re young and don’t know much. Every life story is unique. Keep telling yourself that there are readers who will buy your book, despite what gloomy agents, editors, and publishers say.
Has your writing crossed over into other areas? If so, how? If not, will it?
I tell myself that I am too busy doing freelance journalism to write anything else. The truth is, I have a file cabinet stuffed with clippings that could be the basis for crime fiction, but the Lazy Boy recliner calls my name every night.
As a writer, what is “success” to you? And has that “definition” changed over time as you have traveled down the writer’s path?
Success is having people read your work.
If you had one person you could meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be and why?
Winston Churchill saved Western civilization while the rest of the world dithered and floundered against Nazi Germany. After the war he peeled back layers of history with bulldog tenacity and keen insight. He was also one of the most eloquent speakers in history. How did he do it all?
If you had one person you could meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus, and why?
Without
Paul, the New Testament would be skinnier than a flatbread sandwich. What a
life! He went from persecutor to fearless ambassador for Christ.
What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?
I
was an airplane mechanic in the Air Force, but I hopped in the back seat of a fighter
trainer every chance I got, and the pilots let me fly it.
When you look for a new home, what are the things that are important to you?
I have a home office and room for a few hundred of my favorite books.
When you look for a new car, what are the things that are important to you?
I have a new Chevy Equinox painted Georgia Bulldog red with a Dawg license plate frame and an alumni plate on the front.
When you are looking for a book to read, what are the things that are important to you?
I like to think of myself as a “keen observer of the human condition” journalist. What can I learn from the most stressful times in people’s lives, about good vs. evil, suffering, courage, and cowardice?
What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most, and why?
The
world is a mess, but Rev. 21:4 is a about hope, the hope that only God can
promise.
Frank, it's been fun. And I predicted it. Your answers would be short. It's the newspaper guy in you. Cut, cut, cut that word count, and "just the facts, Ma'am."
Dear readers, if you're interested in learning more about Frank's writing, check out his digital footprint below!
http://www.frankestanfield.com,
https//www.facebook.com/frank.stanfield
Frank Stanfield •WildBlue Press True Crime Website
Thanks for stopping by!
