Adam Thomas, RPH

 

Life is full of chances taken, roads not followed and detours that can derail what we thought our lives would be. Follow the residents of 265 LINN as their temporary home becomes a springboard to self-discovery, life’s adventures and learning to go with the flow, or if the path less taken is what one desires, to have the courage to forge forward with renewed strength.

Robert Bradshaw may not be a household name in the world of independent authors, but he deserves to be as he can tell a story that is as entertaining as it is relatable in the scheme of life or the life we live sometimes in our minds, thoughts, dreams.

A group of friends are all invited to share a life changing experience with a wealthy friend who is generous to a fault. To call them a band of misfits is the perfect description as they take their scrambled lives to a new state, new experiences and an opportunity for a direction do-over.

Pleasantly surprising at how highly entertaining and quirky this one can be, there is a love story, a new understanding between family members, the courage to boldly go into unchartered territories and secrets revealed.

I loved each character, they were flawed, human, far from what their stations in life would label them to be and the vulnerability was off the charts! In a perfect world we would all have secret pillars of strength to lean on, someone to give us the tools to “fix” what needs to be fixed and a seemingly endless pot of gold to do it with, if necessary.

A fun read that kept me reading, often smiling and feeling like I was part of this story or least wanting to be! We all need an escape from life, to come back to reality feeling good is the icing on the cake! Robert Bradshaw has given a place to go to and the address is 265 LINN!

               John David Smith is the self-proclaimed king of the Chicago business world. He has good reason to assume these accolades—he manages the most successful boutique investment firm in the world. Consequently, attaining such lofty status reaps its share of unforeseen calamities. Margaret Connors, J.D. Smith’s admin assistant, helps the best she can to control such damage. Unfortunately, she causes more than her fair share.

               Steven Porter, Pharm-D has just received a horrific blow to his already bent ego—the last in a long line of rejections: He was callously downsized from his corporate pharmaceutical position. So, Steve decides to follow his best friend John David back to Iowa to finish his MBA internship. When his wife accepts an overseas work assignment, his attempt to reclaim his life fails. Miserably. Change is always difficult—at age fifty-two, it definitely requires intervention.

               Captain Dependable Dan Brady has had his share of tragedy over his thirty-five years. His older brother James, John David’s college friend, died when Dan was young. Then, his wife, Abbie, succumbed to her long battle with cancer. Heeding advice from his mother, Dan decides to take advantage of being an Army veteran and attend college.

               When circumstances offer the opportunity for each college-bound enrollee to navigate their own crossroad, their paths collide head on. Worst of all, John David’s son, Max, is coerced to live his senior year of college with his father and this newly formed band of misfits.

               As with any new school year, an orientation introduces each main character, allowing insight into how they arrived at The Little House. Then, the real story begins. Over the course of two semesters, the events unfold like a playlist; highlighted song lyrics shape each chapter. Graduation forces them to go their separate ways. Fortunately, the now and forever bonds forged during their time together will never be broken.

Follow the characters as they deal with the past, present, and future of this once in a lifetime chance to regain control of their flawed realities.

               Welcome to 265 Linn—the walls don’t talk, but there is a story to be told!

Well, it’s official – I AM done!

With my latest project, that is. Now, the real work begins — getting the damn thing out there so it can be the New York Times Number One Best-Seller it is destined to become. So how do I do that?

Before I mosey on down that ‘broken’ road, I deserve to wallow in my accomplishment. Hell, I have completed a 417 page manuscript that is 150,800 words — I have reason to be proud. More importantly, it’s pretty darn good. It’s a character driven story so it is a bit slower-paced. From what I’ve been told, it is well-written and compelling enough to finish. Oh, that and I pen a pretty good sex scene.

Also, I feel the need to divulge some quirky, yet unexpected writing habits I never knew I had until now. Thanks to my proof-reader for pointing out such flaws. But that is his job. If he told me my draft was perfect, I would know he was lying.

• I like and grossly overused the word countless. Who knew, right?
• I don’t like, but definitely overused introductory adverbs like unfortunately, however, and, wait for it, moreover. Hmmm … .
• Most writers have problems with “,” usage. I don’t, of course. However (pun totally intended), I had a huge problem with “;” . Go figure! I blame Google. During the initial writing, I would use a “, “when I thought it was necessary. Google auto corrected immediately by highlighting the text with a blue-squiggly line. When I hovered over it to see what I did wrong, I was informed that a “;” should be used instead. Rather that be reminded of my inadequacies, I just corrected my writing pattern and used the “;” going forward. I was wrong. Correction: Google was wrong, I was just gullible. In my defense, Google never made me think otherwise.
• the proofreader did NOT understand what I was trying to do regarding a constant theme that drove the storyline. I had to keep reminding myself that he is a teacher.  I was not paying him for creative input. Maybe I should have? Yikes!
• That said, I did get three – count them THREE – red-pen smiley faces. It still doesn’t average out. To anything. BUT, I did get three unsolicited, positive comments. YAY!

That’s about it. I know there is MORE. There was a-l-o-t of red pen. However, my novel reads so much better with the corrections. Now, I am concentrating on getting an agent or brainstorming some other non-Amazon alternatives. I so want this book in hard cover. Oh, it will make an awesome movie, too.

Until that time, I want to celebrate this victory and offer another ALL for FREE – THREE for ALL. Today, August 03 all three titles are FREE! Just click on the desired book jacket icon(s) and download.

My break is over — back to the real work. Thankfully I have super easy read as a finished project to pitch. My initial question of ‘now what’ will soon be answered.