![]() Season 2 I was thrilled to learn that the second installment of The Carriage Driver stories by Mike Friedman has just been released for purchase. If you have already read the first volume, no doubt you have been chomping at the bit as I have. And if this is your first introduction, well, you don't know what you're missing! Mike was good enough to share some of his thoughts about this series. Join me as we learn some of the back story. ![]() A writer enjoys a certain luxury, with that comes a bit of responsibility. There must be some rules to follow, that outline how to guide your reader along from point A to point B. The skill of the author to cast a spell upon the imagination of the reader is paramount to opening up unseen worlds. There are twenty-seven stories in The Carriage Driver². The title could have been ‘More Carriage Driver Stories’ or ‘The Carriage Driver Rides Again’ or some other silliness. But Carriage Driver 2 or Carriage Driver Squared seemed to fit. The Carriage Driver³ does not have the same ring to it. The second set of stories seemed more personal to me. The stories in The Carriage Driver (one) are more flights of fantasy. They are an exploration of questions. Primarily, ‘Who goes to heaven?’ and ‘What is heaven?’ Of course, there are no adequate answers, and certainly, no one has given me any insight. Because of the nature of the stories, people are still the focus. These stories, in many instances, hit close to home. The Weathervane, Fly Me to the Moon, and Forever ’51 are about those that linger from ‘The Greatest Generation,’ and how their children try and manage emotions and resources. Some may say that extra decades of life are their reward, but there is also anguish. Great injustices are addressed in the State, Gutter Boy, Inherit the Earth and Man Unseen.Surely, those that have suffered great injustices have earned a carriage ride to the destinations of their choice in the next leg of their journey. Christopher Conant, Doc Angel, The Twelfth Man and 8mm Life are about those that were lucky enough to find their places here on this earth and were granted entrance to their choice of stations in the next. Anyone who reads through these stories will feel the contrast in the earthly experience, and see the justice in the granting of the carriage ride. The stories are set in Boston. A 2002 article, published in Boston Magazine, titled 40 Bostonians We Love provided many outline sketches for characters. When imagination was in short supply, the information found here, aided in priming the writing pumps. A Mr. Shakespeare Christmas (a real Bostonian) story was not told. His story is incredible; it is too big for fiction. There were colorful favorites in The Carriage Driver (one) – here at number two, a few colorful characters were introduced. The Man With the Flowers and The Book Thief bring us to a cemetery of lost souls. And then in Sister Sarah’s Secrets and again in Sister Sarah’s Miracle, we watch as she smuggles herself into heaven to harvest miracles from the hem of her Lords robe, then catches a ride back to Boston General to disperse the miracles to future angels. Yumi’s Flight and The Whales Tale have some of the glittering language found in the first series. These stories first appeared on a website named Hubpages, which is a community of writers. The stories of the lives of real people are found here. People close, and people close to them are found here, with that comes a bit of responsibility. Thanks, Mike. I, for one, feel you take your author's responsibility most seriously, and no surprise, I can't wait for a third volume. ☺ ShoutOutsUntil next week, wishing you peace and joy,
mar
30 Comments
Mike
10/5/2016 10:22:56 am
Thank you mar. I appreciate you allowing me to write a little something about The Carriage Driver 2. I have been thinking about The Carriage Driver 3. I wonder what your readers think about that idea?
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Congratulations, Mike! I enjoyed all the very profound, thought-provoking and faith-encouraging chapters you have published on Hubpages and now present as The Carriage Driver 2. Like The Carriage Driver (1) I will regard this as a book to be kept at hand on my bedside chest.
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Congratulations on publishing this second of the series of your popular stories, Mike. You have a gift for storytelling with tales that capture the imagination and emotion of the reader. Your books and stories capture the essence of life's questions and concerns. I'm eager to read this latest release. Thanks, Maria, for highlighting this exceptional author and friend.
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Mike
10/5/2016 01:42:22 pm
Hello Martie and thank you. You have followed my writing for a long while now. I want you to know I appreciate that very much.
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Mike
10/5/2016 01:44:26 pm
Hi Peg - Thank you. I expect my order to arrive within about one week. I will then get your copy on its way to you. As always, your support is noticed and welcomed. Still wishing you much success with 'The Pub'
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I loved every adventure in your ' The Carriage Driver ' series. Each episode left a hopeful feeling that eternity is waiting, and what a way to go! Riding in a fine carriage with Nuelle swishing his tail and clapping his hoofs on the cobblestone street. I know mine will be in the mail. Thank you Mike and thank you Mar for a great book review......
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Mike
10/5/2016 04:13:23 pm
Hi Ruby - Your envelope is addressed and ready. Now, I just need the books to arrive. Have a great week.
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Happyboomernurse
10/6/2016 07:04:32 am
Dear Maria and Mike,
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Congratulations, Mike! I loved The Carriage Driver 1, so I know I will love The Carriage Driver 2. . .3 . . .4 Keep them coming, Mike! ;)
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Mike
10/6/2016 11:12:01 am
Hello Gail - First let me say, I hope you are safely tucked away from hurricane Matthew. Thanks for the very complimentary comment. A great deal of emotion goes into these stories, and that seems to have made it onto the pages. Thanks for such great support.
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Mike
10/6/2016 11:15:36 am
Hello Sannel. NY Times bestseller list, ha, you have a great sense of humor. As I write this another Carriage Driver story is churning in my mind. (I hope that is what is churning. Not a fly.) So, there may be a C.S.3. I don't know if my readership can stand another set of stories. I don't know if I can stand it. Yet, they churn...
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10/6/2016 01:57:22 pm
Congratulations to Mike on the new Carriage Driver edition. I've not spent much time in Boston but have seen enough of it to know it's a superb setting for stories, both real and fiction. :)
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Femme, Indeed Boston is the perfect setting for these stories.
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Mike
10/6/2016 07:57:23 pm
Thanks Femm. I appreciate the shout out, and Boston appreciates the shout out. Enjoy Fall. California does not get a Fall.
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Suzette
10/6/2016 11:28:26 pm
Maria, Well done! I enjoyed reading this article and background/review of this book 2. And Mike, Congrats on you second book and publication. Your Cartiage Driver stories are inspiring, sensitive and magical.
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Mike
10/7/2016 01:44:13 pm
Thank you Vicki. I do seem to write a lot. For a man with nothing to say, I have been down right gabby. I appreciate your thoughts.
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Mike
10/7/2016 01:46:22 pm
Hello Suzette, what a generous comment. Thank you. The Carriage Driver stories at the moment number 57 episodes. Where they all came from, I have no idea.
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Theresa
10/9/2016 01:18:57 pm
Maria, I'm thrilled to know Mike has published his second book of his wonderful series! I cherish the first one, and I will the second as well. Mike is such an amazing storyteller and his stories pull us into his characters' world, where they become like family or friends to the readers.
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Shauna
10/17/2016 02:34:39 pm
Congratulations on the second volume, Mike! I enjoyed the stories immensely. I strongly urge readers who enjoy a bit of the mystical and miraculous to purchase both volumes.
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