Book excerpt: David Hinshaw was born many decades ago in the small town of Puyallup, Washington. For the first 23 years of his life he was a semi-professional student, attending Tyee High School, Highline Community College, the University of Washington (go Huskies!) and Northwest College, amongst others. Most of his adult life, he was a transportation engineer and cargo technician, driving truck for Willows Lumber then Corliss Resources. When forced to retire in 2003 by a disability, he began to pursue other interests which included poetry and writing. In late 2005, he was introduced to Angelia Mullins and began a correspondence with her because they lived some distance apart. In the beginning, he wrote largely for her entertainment but eventually it was suggested that a compilation of his stories might be considered. By early 2006, his combined production of poems and mini-stories numbered somewhere between 15 and 20. Over the next 12 months he added another 150 to the portfolio, part of which are presented in this book. His use of manifold pen names is simply a device that helps him "get into character" should one be called for. This book was written largely for his own amusement, but several people found his work compelling enough to encourage him to seek publication. Regardless of the level of success achieved by this venture, Mr. Hinshaw will soon be moving on to a new career in nano-technology, because his motto has always been, "No job is too small"!