"Morphing into a Better World" - by Mark VL

Twists, Turns, and a Bonus

The year 2025 has certainly been one for the books, but never would I have ever imagined that today I would be releasing mine.

Available on Amazon and Kindle

The idea started germinating less than two months ago when an airport hangar-neighbor of mine seemingly made a random phone call. He asked if I wanted to join him for lunch or a beer. Though I had enjoyed talking with Dan* dozens of times over the last five years, I wasn’t sure we’d know how to converse without the backdrop of either his or my homebuilt airplane. And, we had established early on that politics was a no-fly zone. That said, he is a retired podiatrist and I’m a retired physician assistant, so we had a little to work with - but still, I was in for a surprise.

We met at a microbrewery near the airport for lunch, but that meal got moved to the backburner as I took in the story of one very interesting and multi-dimensional character. He, with my prodding, drifted from his service in the Army to being a cop, to learning how to fly - mainly via reading during lunch breaks between patients. Then he explained that once he got his pilot’s license, he started using that break time to write and eventually self-publish eight mystery/crime novels! And here I was thinking that all he did was repair feet and fly airplanes.

It’s not a stretch to imagine, that the conversation then meandered toward my writing. Dan not only planted the seeds that day, but over the subsequent weeks generously added the Miracle Grow as we navigated our way through the logistical challenges of getting my first book published so quickly. Many of those within my innermost circle questioned - why the hurry? And my simplest answer would be - I’m on a mission!

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“Morphing into a Better World - Musings on Encounters, Connections, and Hope”

I’ve written hundreds of newsletters or blog posts since 2017, and this book is a collection of the “top” sixty-five of those. Though many have been highly edited, all of the chapters are relevant to either my growth as a person or my quest to lessen the false perception that we are a completely divided nation and world.

In hindsight, I would never have been able to do this work if I had not previously weaned myself from the angertainment, which had all but consumed me. Only in doing so could I give Emily, my dying wife, the undivided attention and TLC that she warranted. Having been “on the wagon” for a year now, I have zero desire to go beyond my five-minute daily “news” update. I’m definitely less angst-filled and more productive.

And there was a bonus. A month ago, it became clear that the first week of January would be the earliest realistic date for the publication of my paperback. In the process of transcribing the footnotes for my book a couple weeks ago, I pulled out Emily’s first book - to copy down her publisher’s information. It turns out that “Dream Weaving” was actually published in January of 2001 - a happy coincidence, or could somebody still be nudging my strings?

*Daniel Syverson, DPM author of The Ethan Knight series and other mystery/suspense novels including Poker Night - available on Amazon.