Category: Paul E. Linzey

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Busy Month Ahead

It’s starting to look like the next month will be a busy one.

At 5 p.m. on Saturday January 31 I’m speaking at Pressed Books & Coffee in Lakeland. Our theme will be flash fiction. Then I’ll be at the store at 4 p.m. each Monday afternoon in February to talk about writing and publishing with whoever wants to come.

The Writer’s Digest February Flash Fiction Challenge begins on Sunday the first and I’ll join several hundred thousand people committed to writing a flash fiction short story every day of the month. More importantly, all three of our sons are writing with me and we plan to combine our stories for an anthology at the end of the month.

On Tuesday February 3 at 7 p.m. is the launch of our brand new Word Weavers writers group at First Presbyterian church on Lake Hollingsworth Drive.

My new novel titled Bekker’s Burial goes live on February 21. Plus I’m getting started on a new nonfiction book.

Meanwhile, Linda is spending a week with a friend while I go to Colorado to see my son and grandson. So yeah, lot’s going on . . . but I love it!

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Bekker’s Burial Launch

I am excited to announce that the launch date of my debut novel will be February 21, 2026.

Ten years ago, I completed the MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Tampa with a dual emphasis in fiction and nonfiction. At the time, there were a few nonfiction books I was ready to write. But in the back of my mind, several fiction stories started to form and I began outlining them. Bekker’s Burial was the first one.

I wanted the background of the story to focus on early American Dutch history and started doing some research. That’s when I discovered the village of Hockessin, about eight miles west of Wilmington, Delaware. In October 2024, my wife and I spent three days in Hockessin in order to get a feel for the place: restaurants, churches, libraries, schools, parks, roads, and people. Together, we studied the history and took a lot of photos, and the story started coming to life.

Then in November 2024, I used the occasion of NaNoWriMo to write the first draft. For several years I had wanted participate in NaNoWriMo but life circumstances kept preventing me from doing so. This time, however, I succeeded in writing 71,000 words during the month. Here’s the plaque I got for completing the first draft in the month of November with NaNoWriMo 2024.

Many edits later, with the input of several beta readers and my editor, the finished novel has 84,000 words and the plot has more depth and texture. I am thankful for their input and pleased with the outcome.

The novel is Book One in the Hockessin series and here’s why. I originally intended the story to be about a young couple (John & Madison) with the primary focus on John. But as the story took shape, the light shined more on Madison and she took the leading role. So now I need to write Book Two to finish the story about John. My editor told me a week or so ago that there very well could be stories focusing on other characters in Hockessin, too. This is getting fun!

Here’s the cover of the book. The picture is one that I took when we were in Delaware. We saw the actual places I had studied online and in some books. Coffee Run Cemetery is the first Catholic cemetery in Delaware, and today is adjacent to an Assemblies of God church called Trinity Community Church. We met the pastor, and he’s allowing me to put him and the church in the novel.

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Happy New Year & God Bless

Dear Friends,

When Linda retired in 2024, we moved to North Carolina to be near our kids and grandchildren while pondering what might come next for us. We knew we’d be there just for a year. But what a wonderful year!

It was fun spending time with family on birthdays and holidays, playing miniature golf, dropping in for dinner, going to cross country meets, band concerts, dance recitals, and graduations. We went to church with them from time to time and visited our sons’ job sites: one in the Army at Fort Bragg, the other in the Navy at Camp LeJeune.

And of course, we took time to visit our son and grandsons in Colorado, followed by a family reunion at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Our son began his military career there twenty some years ago and retired there this year, the day before his son started his military career as a West Point cadet.

We were able to explore North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. We visited the Biltmore Estate and toured Asheville and the surrounding area that was devastated by Hurricane Helene. We explored the Outer Banks, home of the Wright Brothers flights at Kitty Hawk and the Cape Hatteras Light House. We experienced museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, and state parks.

We spent time in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Wilmington and visited friends in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. Linda and her sisters met in Iowa, then went to The House on the Rock in Wisconsin for their annual sister trip. We went to Texas to visit with Paul’s cousins. It really was our first rodeo!

In July we decided to return to our home in Florida. The house needed some major cleaning, painting, repairs, and remodeling, so we’ve been pretty busy the past few months. But it feels good to be back. We’ve already started reconnecting with friends, colleagues, and students. Last weekend, Linda hosted a group of former students for an afternoon tea, much like they experienced during their annual study abroad trips to England.

Paul is re-engaging in the Florida writing community, which was a big part of his life a few years ago, and starting a new book. Thanksgiving was at Camp LeJeune, and we stayed a few days longer for our son’s promotion.

Then just last week, we realized this was our 50th Christmas together.

We want to keep in touch because friends & family are important to us, but we don’t have complete contact info for everyone. Would you send us your address and contact information. You may use the contact page in this website or you may use Messenger. We love you and hope the new year brings good and amazing experiences your way.

Happy New Year & God Bless