grafted in and on the journey

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is April 21, 2026 in my corner of blog land. Early Happy Earth Day to you! Would that the cease fire continue in the current war involving Israel, Iran, United States, and anyone else who's up for fighting. I chose the song title for this post because it's spring in my hemisphere, and Fall or autumn in another. However, here in my part of the USA, we have had spring temps interspersed with continued winter temps too. Bring on the warm temps Mom Nature. How was National Reading Month for you? I had a book promo for my titles at Draft2Digital a couple weeks ago, and three titles were selected. Thank you, if you are one such purchaser! I am currently reading, Murder On Trinity Place, by the late Victoria Thompson. I have two more titles by her waiting in the wings; she is a very good story teller and entertainer! Have you visited with me at My Substack? It's still free to do so. https://davidcrussell.substack.com Until next time, may the Lord con...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is March 30-, 2026 in my corner of blog lanbd. It has been a full month in my opinion. - I had an active crowd on St. Patrick's day afternoon at a local restaurant where I play piano most weekends. - The NCAA basketball tournament began on March 19, and ends next Monday evening, April 6. I have viewed several games and my wife too has joined me in this annual tradition. - Holy Week is in progress for Christians, and Passover for Jews and Hebraic Believers begins on Wednesday at sunset. Each share in common, celebration of freedom from slavery. Slavery to secret 'sins' and slavery from oppressive influences. Resurrection Sunday is starting to replace the pagan-based term, Easter Sunday. That occurs on April 5, which incidentally is the birthday of someone I knew earlier in life! For the past few weeks, I read a Christian Classic titled, The Knowledge Of The Holy, by the late A.W. Tozer. He, like most Christians, views faith from a Greek stance...

Hello Grafted In And On The Journey, Reader, Wow, eighteen days since our last visit. Where does time go or how does it seem to go so quick? Belated Happy Spring. Here, we are having snow flurries and mid thirty-degree temps today. I think we did reach sixty-three a few days ago, Fahrenheit. Reading, writing, and viewing the Men's Basketball Tournament here in the USA are what have occupied much of my time. I also sold a couple copies of my latest book title at my piano gig to a Mike and Michelle 1-1/2 weeks ago. The sense of elation was grand! I am starting a promotion on three of my four titles at Draft2Digital on Tues March 24, 2026; ending April 12, 2026. Its name, Passover Special. Link:    https://books2read.com/ap/RJDKJW At the site you may look under the link, my books, for all titles there. To you who observe the occasions of Passover or Easter, may they be enriching experiences for you and self-renewing. Have you come to visit me at My Substack? Please do. There's ro...

Hello Grafted In Readers, I am taking a few figurative deep breaths after having spent a few days this week endeavoring to promote my current title: From My Red Chair: A Short Story Collection. Book promotion search may in part open the inbox door to marketers; these folks may or may not have good intentions. The rule as understood is, If someone comes to you offering services ... close the door, delete their post, move on. This morning, I did succumb to Google A.I. when asking about sales for books in general, short story collections to be specific, the answer provided is from an online organization I respect, Electric Literature. They say, Short story collections generally have low sales, with independent small press collections often selling between 300 and 2,000 copies in their lifetime. For many, especially debuts, lifetime sales may fall under 500 copies, even with traditional publication, as they are harder to sell than novels.Electric Literature (+2) - View related links • Smal...

Hello Grafted In Reader, Today is Tuesday, February 24, 2026 in my corner of somewhat wintry blog land. I am going to mainly share reading and writing efforts with you and also invite you to participate with me in reading a book title during National Reading Month. This begins on Sunday March 1, 2026 across N America. I just finished reading a nonfiction title, The Gales Of November, by John UBacon. I am guessing at his name spelling. The title is all about the Great Lakes and in particular the life of the Edmond FitzGerald and its crew members over its eighteen-year existence. I found this to be well-written, personable, and informative in describing possible reasons the ship met its demise on a stormy November 10, 1975. My Book Titles I would like to invite you to consider reading one of two book titles written by myself. Human Being Human Doing, published in 2023, is a six-story, creative nonfiction title, describing persons mostly real, some imagined, who lived out their conviction...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2026 in my corner of blog land. My front lawn is a massive puddle of melting snow that has been in this form for three+ days now. The walk itself and the rest of the lawn is practically snow-free! Someone claimed they saw a robin last week. The geese are dating and prepping to mate, or so it seems. March may be more spring-like than previous here. May it be so! To Sacramental Christians, tomorrow begins your observance of the church period known as Lent. It has an interesting history, especially with the 'kick-off day' for Lent known as Ash Wednesday. I found this brief snippet on a website called Anglican Compass. Lent is a season of repentance, fasting, and self-reflection. For those of us more slanted toward a Jewish spirituality, Lent seems to be much like the month leading to the Fall holidays known as Elul, late summer. If you observe a period of reflection, repentance, and prayer, may your season be refreshing, renewin...