“Summer of ’63 – Vision Quest” was a fictional novel published in 2020. The story takes place in California during the turmoil of the 1960s. A war in Southeast Asia was on the minds of every high school boy, especially those boys turning eighteen and considering signing up for the Draft. For David Taylor, a seventeen-year-old with the prospect of leaving for a war in the jungles of Vietnam, he would be jolted out of his picture-perfect life in Thousand Oaks, California, by life-changing family secrets. “Back from Enlightenment” was published in October 2022. The novel’s idea came to me shortly after visiting my father in 1985. My father was concerned that my brother’s family was living in a commune in Oregon called Rancho Rajneesh, which my father considered a religious cult. In 1981, the Osho Foundation purchased the massive 100 square miles “Big Muddy Ranch” in Oregon’s Jefferson and Wasco counties. Osho’s controversial new religious movement and followers, known as “neo-sannyasins the newly established commune in the United States, was situated in the small town of Antelope, Oregon. The spiritual leader of this massive commune was Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, whom his followers call Osho. The Rajneesh commune’s origins date back to Osho’s life in Poona, India, in the late 1960s, where he became known as “the sex guru.” Sometimes, while working on the book, I could still hear my father’s angry catchphrase, “Don’t talk to me about that damn Bag-man!”“A Man Called Canada” is set in the early 1900s, and the narrative follows Canada Sparks’ journey over the next ten years, during which he confronts two significant conflicts that profoundly shape his character. The first challenge arose from the Black Patch Tobacco War, a violent and tumultuous period that engulfed his Kentucky hometown. As Canada grapples with the trials of rural life and family responsibilities, he becomes entangled in this fierce tobacco war, struggling to navigate the turmoil it brings to his community and family. In the chaos of the times, destiny brings Canada face to face with a second conflict—the War with Mexico and the infamous Pancho Villa. This unforeseen turn of events catapults him into the throes of a different battle, testing his resilience, courage, and determination. The novel weaves the historical events and personal struggles, vividly depicting rural America during a transformative era. The novel explores family, love, resilience, and the indomitable human spirit as Canada seeks to forge his path and find his place in a world beset by conflict and change. The book delves into the complexities of one man’s quest for family, belonging, and a life of purpose in the face of adversity.Michael lives with his beautiful wife, Christine, in Williamsburg, Virginia. They have a daughter, Amy, and three beautiful grandchildren, Braeden, Ian, and Graham.Read more about this authorRead less about this author