Baseball All-Star game

With Mike Trout winning the MVP award at this year's MLB All-Star game, it reminded me of an experience I had with my cousin Darin ("Devin") in 1989. My dad scored tickets to the All-Star Workout Day at Anaheim Stadium on 7/10/89. We got to watch all the stars do batting practice and participate in the skills competition from awesome seats right behind home plate. Back then, it wasn't just the HR derby. There was a competition between catchers on the accuracy of throwing out runners at second base. Benito Santiago of the National League won. The next competition was a relay from the outfield to home. The NL team of Andre Dawson, Barry Larkin/Ryne Sandberg, and Mike Scioscia were the winners. Unfortunately Larkin was injured during the competition, which might explain why it was dropped. The NL also won the Home Run Derby, with Ruben Sierra of the Rangers and Eric Davis of the Reds leading the field with 3 HRs each. The format was different from today, with the focus being on the league total rather than the individual winner. Like a true Allred, my dad took lots of pictures which we divided up afterwards. The most prized picture was a sweet shot of Bo Jackson, who ended up winning the MVP award the next day. It was a fun day!

Happy Fathers' Day

I know it was last week, but I was out of town on a road trip, and haven't had a chance to post an entry. I've struggled recently with what to post, since I've already shared all my pictures, and I don't have anything new to report. So, I've decided to do a shout out to all the wonderful fathers I know - particularly the three that inspired the DTB cousins' fathers: Uncle Darrell, Uncle Marvin, and Uncle Arthur. Their real names are Darvel, Merlin, and Rex, and they've taught me so much about the importance of fathers in the lives of boys. Although The Narrows Escape is fictional, it is loosely based on a true adventure, and the characters have taken on many of the characteristics of real people. Darrell, Marvin, and Arthur try to teach their children lessons that will serve them throughout their lives. They spend time with their children, and although they aren't perfect, they try to live what they preach. The relationships between these fathers and their children continue to develop in the further adventures of the DTB cousins - of which I've written two complete sequels. I hope to publish them someday - as soon as I determine the best method to do so. In the meantime, I am trying to follow the example set for me by my own father, as well as my uncles and grandfathers. So happy Fathers' Day!

Second anniversary

This month marks the second anniversary of the publication of The Narrows Escape. In one sense, it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. In another sense, it seems to have ushered in the death of another. I am a published author, something I dreamed about since I was about 8 years old. On the other hand, I am realistic enough to recognize that it will never be more than a hobby. My family and close friends were very supportive, purchasing more copies than I had anticipated - particularly my parents who bought more than ten copies themselves to give out to friends. Yet sales in other areas are way below my minimum expectations. And sales from year two are down to a trickle. In other words, The Narrows Escape is on life support.
How do I change this trend? Obviously I have to do something drastically different. One option is to go digital. I plan on looking into that this summer. Another is to publish the first sequel. However, unless I change my marketing strategy, this is unlikely to have any effect. Since The Narrows Escape is self-published, I have to do all my own marketing. I have failed miserably in this area. As a school teacher, it would seem that I would have a natural platform in which to advertise to my target audience. However, although many of my students are aware that I have published a book, I have been very careful not to openly market my book in my classroom. I do not feel that it would be appropriate to pressure my students into buying it. Unfortunately, I have been too successful in that regard, since I am only aware of three that have done so. My best option might be to have an established publisher pick up the book. However, after years of pursuing that option, I'm not sure who else to approach.
So, that's where things stand. I have written two additional DTB books, but I don't plan on publishing them unless something happens to change my current status. I'm open to suggestions.
Thank you for your support,
Brad

Granite Flats

     Have you ever seen the show Granite Flats? It takes place during the 60's at the height of the Cold War. These three teenage kids who are very different in most ways come together to solve a mystery in town. In the course of their sleuthing, they discover a that the "meteorite" that one of them saw crash nearby was in fact a Soviet satellite. In any case, they continue to solve mysteries around town relying on their various skills. As my wife, daughter, and I were watching the first episode of season 2 the other night, my wife started laughing and said, "Timmy Sanders is so YOU."
     And its true. As he typed up their exploits, in their secret hideout, and tried to come up with the most thrilling title for each case file, I was reminded of my youth, searching for mysteries to solve with my cousins and/or friends. Since there really weren't any real mysteries to solve, we made them up, taking turns writing chapters in which our character would be the star, then passing it on to the next cousin so that his character would have a chance to shine. We completed at least full stories this way, and started a few others. I wish I could find the list of titles we brainstormed together. They would rival Timmy's titles any day of the week. Thank you Granite Flats for rekindling fond memories from the good old days.

March Madness

Which of the DTB Cousins would have been most interested in March Madness? If you said Brady, you're wrong. The correct answer it Devin. He would have filled out a couple of brackets - one with his favorite choices, and another with his "expert" opinion. He would have tried to convince his cousins to fill out brackets too. Brady would have done it, but wouldn't have paid much attention after his favorite team was out - unless it looked as if he might actually beat Devin in the bracket challenge (a dubious possibility at best). Trey would have agreed to fill one out, but would have been too busy to get around to it. Devin would have been highly invested in the whole tournament, trying to pick up helpful hints on how to improve his game. How do I know this? I'm one of the few people who have read the sequel to The Narrows Escape.

The second book of the DTB series, Drake's Treasure, takes place during the boys' first year of junior high. Devin and Brady both attend Prospector Jr. High, while Trey attends rival Foothills Jr. High. Devin tries out for, and makes the basketball team - his favorite sport despite being vertically challenged. Although not the major plot line in the book, his involvement on the team is one of the subplots in the story.

2013 excursion

Although I have hiked the entire trail twice, I have only hiked sections of the trail (the bottom portion) since writing my first draft of The Narrows Escape. Although I tried to hike the entire trail again for research purposes, on each occasion the flash flood warning was "moderate" (the same classification as that of our ill-fated trip), so I limited my explorations to short excursions while keeping a sharp eye on the weather and key signs of flash floods. Here is a picture of a sign on the Riverwalk Trail that describes what to look for:

My latest venture into the Narrows was last summer (2013). I went with my brother-in-law Darin, my nephew Spencer, and my daughter Erika. It was the first time into the Narrows for each of them. We hiked up to Orderville Canyon, then we went up that branch for a little bit before hiking out. It was late in the season, so the water wasn't as high, but it did get up to our waists at one point. Here are some pictures from that trip:

Super Bowl XLVIII

The DTB cousins would have been excited that the Denver Broncos were in the Super Bowl. It was the favorite NFL team of all three cousins - particularly because Trey's uncle used to play for them. In addition, the Broncos were the "home" team for Devin before his family's move to California. Unfortunately, the blowout loss to the Seahawks would have been an all too familiar theme. The first Super Bowl the cousins would have paid any attention to was Super Bowl XII, when Trey's Uncle Jon and company lost to Dallas Cowboys, led by Roger Staubach. Although that was the only Super Bowl appearance for the Broncos at the time of the first DTB book, The Narrows Escape, the Broncos went on to appear in three more Super Bowls to close out the 1980s. Unfortunately, those were all blowout losses too. It wouldn't be until January 1998 that their beloved Broncos, led by their aging star John Elway, won their first championship. Elway retired the following year after leading the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Unfortunately, that was to be the Broncos' last appearance in the big game until yesterday's debacle. Ah well, there is always next year.