marcoujor: The Carriage Driver 2

Season 2
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I was thrilled to learn that the second installment of The Carriage Driver stories by Mike Friedman has just been released for purchase.  
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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.

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Click the image to get it from amazon.com

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.

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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. ☺

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ShoutOuts

☙Hello October, Goodbye September via On Story Street

☙Your platform. Your brand. Why rent when you can own? Via WarnerWords

☙Wave riding via British Columbia's Ferries via flashPress

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Until next week, wishing you peace and joy,

mar