There is no feeling in the world like holding your own book in your hands.  Pictured here (not my best photographic work, I know) is a copy of the trade paperback of TORQ, along with both sides of the bookmarks I've had made to help promote it!

To say I'm excited does begin to capture it!

This book represents a new and unique publishing experiment for me.  Rather than going the traditional route, TORQ has been published directly by my agency, Scovil Galen Ghosh of New York, though their new publishing arm, Swallow's End Publishing. The actual printing and distribution is entirely through Amazon's White Glove Program. This allows us to keep much more creative control over the book's production. The cover art, for instance, is my own design and I have to admit I'm happier with it than I've been with a cover in a while!

But enough about the boring publishing details. What's TORQ even ABOUT? I think I'll let Amazon answer that:

Welcome to the Machine, an enormous, ancient, broken device that has become home to a million souls. After a hundred generations spent without doors or windows, all knowledge of the outside world, if any, is lost. Today, society is split between the all-powerful Upperfolk, who rule, and the helpless Lowerfolk, who work, suffer, and die.

Helpless, that is, except for Torq, the Lowers Champion.

Concealed behind his golden mask and armor, Torq alone fights for justice and freedom. Until the day when sixteen-year-old Rand Roberts, the poorest of the poor, witnesses his hero's demise and subsequently discovers Torq's disillusioning and heartbreaking secret.

Now, Rand decides, it's time for the Machine to have a new Torq. A better Torq. A real Torq.

So, donning the armor himself, he and his best friend Lucy form an unlikely alliance with a courageous uppergirl and a mysterious little boy called No Name. Together, the four of them set out against overwhelming odds to do the impossible - free the people of the Machine. To accomplish this, they must face dangers, monsters, and madmen, and ultimately reveal ancient truths that will shake the very foundation of their world.

Let the revolution begin...

If you're intrigued, there's only one way to find out more!  

Paperback Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Torq-Ty-Drago/dp/0985020547
Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Torq-Ty-Drago-ebook/dp/B07J5WPDBP

​Listen, I may be retired but that doesn't mean I sit around watching I Love Lucy reruns and missing the days when I was relevant. When people ask me what I do for a living, I usually reply, "I'm a writer."  That works most of the time. But, if I'm filling out an "official" form, more often than not I have to check the "Retired" box under "Occupation."  Then the person reviewing the form looks at it, looks up at me, and says one of two things.  Either it's "You look young to be retired" or "Good for you. I wish I could stop working."

So, let's get this straight right now.  I'm retired from a 30+ year career in Corporate America.  I did not "stop working!"

I write at least 1,500 words a day, primarily on my new novel.  I recently topped 80,000 words and I'm still going strong. I'm also working with my wife Helene on our amazing podcast, "Legacy - A Novel Writing Experience," putting out a new episode every two weeks.  I also work twice at week for The Knight School, a company that partners with schools to teach chess to kids in a new and exciting way.  I also teach a writing class at a local adult school.  I also visit middle schools throughout the area, conducting writing workshops and giving presentations on an author's life. I also manage a thriving writing career, with a new book called "TORQ" coming out in just a few weeks. I also manage, edit, and publish Allegory (www.allegoryezine.com), a well-respected online magazine that, for the past twenty years, has published quality short fiction by new and established authors from around the world.

Oh, and I occasionally play Candy Crush.  Shut up.

The point is that, and Helene (who is also retired) will back up on this, I'm busier now than I was when I worked a "day job."  The difference is that, for the first time in my life, I'm working exclusively at what I love.

And that, my friends, is the real blessing of retirement. You don't stop working, at least not if you're smart about it. I'd shrivel up and die if I simply sat on the couch and watched television all day.  No, for me at least, retirement means redirecting your energies toward the projects you really care about.  My life has never been busier, more exciting, or more relevant than it is right now.

That said ... yes, I do look too young to be retired!