William R. Ablan, Police Mysteries and Adventures

Daily writing promptDo you think everything happens for a reason?View all responses I studied a lot of philosphy. I studied a lot of theology. And the best answer I can give is, “Hell if I know.” But this much I do know. If you’re alive, we’re all attending the School of Life. some of us have advanced degrees handed to us from it. Others have simply dropped out. But the School of Life has…

Daily writing promptWhat’s the funniest misunderstanding you’ve ever been part of?View all responses I was teaching a class in IT, and somehow the question came up if I’d ever played Pro-Football. I’m certainly big enough to have done so. My answer was, “No. I was too clumsy to have played for the Dallas Cowboys. But I did marry a cheerleader.” Well, they heard the words “Cowboys” and…

Daily writing promptWhat is the best purchase you have ever made?View all responses If you asked me that question this time last year, I’d have said the answer would be nothing. Funny how a few months changes thin gs. My answer now would be my Colt 1911. A pistol that has seen service in our nations armed forces for almost a hundred years. it’s been in almost every major war and theater of…

Daily writing promptWhat’s a promise you made to yourself that you’ve actually kept?View all responses Picture it. I’m thirteen years old. I’m standing in front of Mr. Morgan’s English class and I’m reading a story I wrote. When you’re me at thirteen, you’re about two steps away from being freak of the year anyway. yep, ju8st call my name and give me the award. And it started. The story was…

Daily writing promptWhat is the best excuse you have heard lately?View all responses “I’m afraid.” Granted, the person who said it was in a situation where it was less a relationship and more a hostage situation. But she wasn’t that afraid. She finally walked into a police station and said what was going on. Don’t ever let fear be a reason to stay in something bad. Get help.

Daily writing promptIf you could erase one trend from history, what would it be?View all responses Disco. It still sucks. I know. A better writer would have come up with a point-to-point critique with bullet points, research and so on to prove the point. But who cares. It stank then. It stinks now. And as Bob Segar said, “ten minutes and I’ll head for the door.” And so I head for the…

Daily writing promptWhich outdated technology do you miss the most, and why?View all responses Picture it. It’s eleven on a winter night. The sun set hours ago, and outside the temperatures are well on their way to zero. It snowed and a blanket of white meets a blackness filled with stars. But inside, there’s a fire in the fireplace. The flames dance hungrily across a combination of chopped…

Daily writing promptWhat’s one habit that has improved your life the most?View all responses I don’t know if this is a habit or not. I’d call it more a symptom. If I actually look at it in the definition, it’s hypervigilance, and that’s a direct result of a little something called PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). How do you get that? Try living and working in a combat sone and as a…

William Blake wrote, “There’s a smile of love. And there’s a smile of deceit. And there’s the smile of smiles, where these two smiles meet.” I think we’ve all seen that smile. I’ve seen it on the faces of dope pushers who are more than willing to sell you what is really poison in the name of a good time. I’ve seen it on the faces of girls who, in exchange for cash, offer you a little intimacy…

Daily writing promptWhat’s a book you think deserves a sequel?View all responses It’s a little more a trilogy and I’d sure like to find out what happened afterwards. years ago, D.F. Jones wrote The Colossus Trilogy. It’s science fiction at it’s very best. In the first book titled Colossus: The Forbin Project, the United States builds a supercomputer and gives over defense of the nation to it.…

Daily writing promptIf you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?View all responses Part the answer to that would involve a little time travel to answer. I’d want to step through the Time Tunnel with my beautiful bride and go back to where we lived years ago. To live again in the old house on the corner of 5th and Cherry in Del Norte. It was built in the 1870s and Julie and I fell…

Daily writing promptIs a little chaos actually good for us?View all responses Truth? Choas sucks. Sorry, but it does. It means things are not in order. Things are not going as planned. Things just aren’t working like they should. In some cases, it means our whole future and possibly even our lives are at risk. Something came in and did a bombing run on our comfort zone. Chaos moves us out…

Daily writing promptWhat’s a chapter of your life you’d title "The Hard Years" — and what got you through it?View all responses Let’s see. That would be 1 thru, ah, what am I now. I keep telling people I’m one day younger than God. Maybe I really am. About the time you think life is on an even track, you discover one of those rails is loose and if it doesn’t derail your little Choo-Choo of…

Sometimes, choices are good things. Like what clothes you’re going to wear. Or what you’re having for lunch. But then there’s writing. To write or not to write? That is the question. So, what am I talking about? Since re-entering the real world of getting up, getting ready, driving to a job, doing the job, and driving home, time becomes a luxury I just don’t have much of anymore. I’ve a…

Daily writing promptWhat’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?View all responses Now, this is one I’m an expert on. I tend to max mountains out of molehills and look at the worst case scenario as a possibility. How do I fight it? I’ve two weapons. Weapon 1 – Be thankful. Look at what you do have. Here’s a few for me: I’ve got food in my stomach. Maybe it isn’t steak, but it’s more…

Daily writing promptWhat do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?View all responses This is going to sound silly. As a kid, I couldn’t stand them. Mom would serve them up in a salad and I’d pick them out and leave them on the side of the plate. I’d pull them out of a hamburger and not eat them. I’m talking about the tomato. I just couldn’t eat them. I think it all started when I…