When a great author comes to our bookshelf to stay

As everybody knows, I love reading. Having a stack of books by my bedside table is reassuring and makes me feel safe somehow. I'm always with a book in my bag when I go running errands downtown (one never knows when the bank or shop's lines will be too long), and my favorite thing to do before sleeping is to lean against soft pillows and to read a good story while sipping hot tea.

When a kid, I would climb our neighbor's abandoned house's jaboticaba tree in the orchard and read Agatha Christie sitting on its branches, for my mother's despair, lol

It's always a delight to discover a new author and add him to my list of favorite ones. It's like bringing richness and more beauty into my life.

And it happened again! Some time ago I discovered Tim Byrd, a witty, versatile and incredibly gifted-talented writer I now have the sweet honor to call a friend - today is his birthday, Happy B-Day, Tim! :o)). I became a huge fan of his work:

First, I had a great surprise when I read Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom. This exciting adventure, in the pulp style I love, caught me right in the first lines. The saga involving the brilliant Dr. Spartacus Wilde and his no less brilliant children to rescue his missing father, and all the crazy things that encompass it, including the scary mutant frogs, brings back the thrill real good adventure stories like Indiana Jones left us orphans many years ago. You have all the ingredients: charming characters, gadgets that could be in James Bond's collection, breath-taking chases, you name it. I just can't tell you more about it or I'll spoil the story!

It's a book that will captivate 'young readers' of all ages, and now that the author is going into the most-welcome self-publishing path, a new edition will be launched with Gary Chaloner's beautiful art illustrating the saga. I just can't wait for the upcoming adventures of my new favorite hero: Doc Wilde and The Mad Skull, and Doc Wilde and the Dance of the Werewolves.

Then I read Dead Folks, a short-story about historical corpses mysteriously coming to surface in an American town, that took my breath away and brought a lump to my throat in the end, so moving and unexpected.

He also wrote a pagan-related essay called Wild Soul, where he discusses the ability we all need to have to keep the balance with Nature and our inner wild self while living in a modern, full of technology world.

Another piece of Tim Byrd's awesomeness, a darker tale called Skullduggery, A Tale of Thieves, is posted at his blog, and it's making me have an exciting time walking along the ancient streets of Drogarth.

What I learned about really good writers is that you don't ever have to worry about what's coming next, if you'll like it or not - much the opposite, you know you will always be looking forward to it! Tim is no exception to my personal rule. So take a comfortable seat, have a cup of tea at hand, and choose any of his books to be rewarded for hours.