The Near Return of the Prodigal . . .

It's been a while, hasn't it?

There's so much to tell, but those tales will have to wait. So much to explain, but explanations aren't on the menu this evening. Endings and beginnings. Trials and tribulations. Tragedy and triumph . . . well, maybe not so much on the triumph front.

But maybe that's getting ready to change.

In the coming days, we'll talk about Kindles and Nooks. Borders and Barnes & Noble. But Then Again, You'll Have This . . ., and Business Up Front, Party in the Back. Oogie Boogie Central and Oogie Boogie Bounce.

Oh yes, we'll talk about all of this and more.

For now, we'll confine ourselves to two, brief topics.

First, when our family switched from cable to satellite, we received 3 months of free Showtime, and the biggest benefit of this has been our discovery of Dexter. Through the wonder of Video-on-Demand, we've devoured the Fifth Season in just a few days and have already started shopping for the earlier DVDs.

I read the original novel, and liked -but didn't love- it. I watched a few episodes back when CBS experimented with airing some heavily edited episodes several summers ago. At the time, my feeling was meh.

A perfect illustration of the dangers of adaptation.

It's been a long time since I fell in love with a series so quickly and so completely. I can't believe I almost let this one pass me by.

Problem solved.

And, as I've written before, sampling the muse of another can awaken your own, and, once again, I've found this to be true. Last week, I sent the first half of Oogie Boogie Breakdown to several kind Beta Readers and this morning, I received the first response.

I've had my doubts about this manuscript, so many that I have nearly as many words in a Breakdown abandoned folder as I do in the draft itself. If nothing else, it'll make for some interesting bonus material when -not if- Breakdown sees the light of day.

My first early reader was more honest than I expected, more perceptive than I hoped, and kinder than I deserved.

Probably.

The juices are flowing again, and I predict they'll be spilling from my fingertips soon. In the meantime, I hope you'll check back often to see what trouble I can get myself into now.

I promise it won't take another two years to return.

But Then Again, You'll Have This . . .