Greetings loyal airmen and a day belated HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and yours.  I hope it was a wonderful day filled with family and friends, as our was.  All that good food, fun with our daughter Michelle and her family, rich deserts and lots of football on TV.   I personally began the day in prayer, thanking God for all our brave men and women in uniform defending our freedoms far from home.  It's a daily prayer, that one day the conflict will be won and they will come home permanently.  But until every single human being is free, let us not delude ourselves that there will ever be world peace.  As long as people are oppressed and denied their basic rights, that we so cherish in this land, then there will always be wars.  I pray America will never her lose her will to fight those battles. 

Now let's talk movies.  Specifically Bond, James Bond and his newest incarnation now seen in CASINO ROYALE.   Every time there has been a new actor filling 007's shoes, the publicity blitz has been like a three ring circus and this time was no different.  But to my total surprise, they pulled it off and actually gave us a tough, deadly killer in actor Daniel Craig.  Gone are the annoying pretty-boy looks and those stupid tinker-toy gadgets that made most of the Roger Moore entries nothing but live-action cartoons.   In CASINO ROYALE, based loosely on Ian Fleming's very first Bond book, we are given an imperfect, completely fallible human being who is doing his own on-the-job training as the story moves along.  That he can be beaten and does make mistakes only allows us as viewers to empathize much more with him as a hero.   This movie has quickly jumped the ranks on my own list of favorite Bonds to join the Top Three, coming in a close third after GOLDFINGER.  What's the first?  That's easy, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE.  It's the one where Bond actually cries at the end.  As you can tell, I like my super-spies a little less super.  Thumbs way up on CASINO ROYALE.  Am keeping my fingers crossed they can maintain this grittiness in subsequent offerings.

Last week another film favorite arrived on DVD and that was Ron Howard's version of Dan Brown's best selling novel, THE DAVINCI CODE.   Valerie had never seen it at the theater and was very anxious to watch it with me on our big-screen TV.  After the viewing, like me, she found herself discussing the points in the plot that mirror a lot of what we, as a Catholic couple, don't like about our church.   It has been a sexist, good-old-boys club far too long and ultimately the Holy Spirit will open the eyes of the higherarchy to their blatant hypocrisy of treating half the human race (women) as inferior beings.  That was not God's plan, nor Jeus's preaching.  One day there will be women priest.   As the father two wonderful daughters, and five absolutely beautiful granddaughters, I say, the sooner, the better.

I'm very thrilled to announce my latest pulp production, THE MOON MAN is now on sale at Lulu.Com.  Five short stories and one novella, guest starring Secret Agent X, all by the talented Lance Curry.  Interior art by Rob Davis, cover by Rob and painted by Rich Woodall.   The Moon Man was by far the most original, unique and bizarre pulp hero of them all.  If you really want to experience the fun of the pulps, pick up a copy of this marvelous book.  Simply go to the top of the column, where you'll find a highlighted link to Wild Cat Books.  Click on it and away you go.   Now the Moon Man becomes the seventh title I have produced  for Wild Cat  Books in the last two years.

BROTHER GRIM – THE HOUNDS OF HELL – CAPTAIN HAZZARD : PYTHON MEN OF THE LOST CITY – LANCE STAR SKY RANGER – CAPTAIN HAZZARD : THE CITADEL OF FEAR – SECRET AGENT X.   All of are available at Lulu.com and, as of this week, five of these six are now on sale at both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble on-line.   We are extremely proud of these books and want to thank all of you who have purchased any of them.  Your continued support has made this a joy to be a part of.  Thanks.  And trust me, there is lots more pulp goodness on the way!

And there you go, for this, Black Friday of 2006.  We are now officially in the Christmas season.   The stores are going to be mobbed and everyone and his uncle will be out there looking to pick up that perfect gift.  In all your coming weeks of frantic activity, try to remember the greatest gift you can ever give your friends and loves one is your time.   Remember to take time with people you care for, to share a smile, a hug and a kiss.  These things aren't on sale in any department store and they make the best gifts of all.

Have a great week, airmen. Ron, over and out.