The Man in the Tree was inspired by a painting I bought several years ago in the Philippines. In the paint strokes, my family could see a man sitting in the tree. From that story I started writing other stories, some of which are included in this book. Please enjoy yourself as you read about a young orderly, a donut maker desiring his own shop, a talking tree, a man caught up in espionage, two high school rivals, a troubled marriage, restoring baseball, the impact of Iraq on a young chaplain, a joke teller, and a terrified salesman.

One of love’s definitions is “to be passionately devoted”. Such passion may be positive or negative, helpful or harmful. These stories are about desires and emotions, but most of them are not about sexual excitement. Devotion (faithfulness) can be blind and lead one to disaster. It can also lead one to happiness and fulfillment. These eighteen stories take you to the heights and depths of love. They bring love and hate to life. Here you will see love improve life and bring about death. These stories are packed with powerful emotions. You will cry and even rant and rage because of what the characters do and say. These are definitely “Love Stories?”.