Austin Gisriel

No matter what topic I may tackle, I often come back to the theme of connection, whether it’s on a personal or on a Universal level. It is fascinating to me that these connections can develop—or dissolve—in a moment.

This fascination partly explains my interest in World War II, especially my interest in the home front, when every day could be a “momentous” one for the entire nation, while at the same time, the next telegram could bring momentous news to a single loved one back home. My interest in the war grew further when I reached that age when I could picture my parents when they were young. It is one thing to read history, and another to feel what those kids—my parents—must have felt as they were asked to put their lives on hold in order to save the world. The Secret of Their Midnight Tears series was born from those two thoughts.

Time Is A Pool, a 10-story collection of flash fiction focuses on moments that can change a life, even if it’s in a humorous vein such as “How No Pants Johnson Gets His Nickname.” Other characters who appear include a charlatan minister who is presented with the opportunity to perform a miracle, and “Benny,” whom we know better as Death.

My passion has always been baseball, perhaps because it is truly a game of inches, which is another way of saying, if the batter had swung 1/100th of a second earlier or later, then perhaps the game and the season and maybe an entire career might have turned out differently. I’ve written about a team, the New Market Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and a person, Boots Poffenberger, who for a time was baseball’s most colorful character. I’ve written a few baseball short stories, and I’ve also written about why baseball is such a powerful passion for so many people. As the title perhaps implies, Fathers, Sons, & Holy Ghosts: Baseball as a Spiritual Experience, examines the connections to which baseball leads.

Regardless of the subject, I truly enjoy “talking” to readers, although I suppose it’s more accurate in this day and age to say “messaging” with readers. After all, books are really a conversation, just one in which the author goes first and does a great deal of talking initially, but only initially. I hope that anyone who reads my books or simply comes across this author page will feel free to join the conversation.

If you’re a baseball fan, please visit my Baseball Books page where you will find instructions on downloading Their Glorious Summer, the story of two collegiate summer league teams battling for the Valley Baseball League championship even as the Major League ballplayers were on strike in 1981. The download is free because I would like you to give my writing a try. Their Glorious Summer is regularly ranked in the top 10 in Amazon's Free Kindle Store "Baseball" category.

If you are interested in fiction, please visit my Fiction page to find instructions for downloading “The Bedford Girl.” This is also a free download. Someone had to be the first ashore on D-Day and the famous “Bedford Boys” from Bedford, Virginia happened was that company. Very few survived. Typically, this got me to thinking about what would it have been like for a Bedford girl back home once she received the terrible news?

Please visit my blog where you can read more about me if you like. Let the conversation begin!