Everyone has that friend who always wanted to be an author. Sometimes he has a dust-covered manuscript on a shelf or he talks incessantly about the bestseller he will write one day. It is a dream many never realize, but two Bartlett men have made their dream a reality and want to help others do the same.
In early 2009, Michael E. LaRiviere and his son, Darrell (D.E.) LaRiviere launched out on a journey to follow their dreams of putting their own works into the hands of a hungry audience. A year later, the Bartlett Express ran a feature story on the two authors as they donated some of their books to the Bartlett Library. Their dreams had become reality.
Michael, a retired Senior Chief in the U.S. Navy, has since moved on and retired from FedEx and from the field of Health Care. Now fully retired, his focus is on full time writing and marketing of his books. He is a Sunday School teacher at Bartlett Hills Baptist Church where Darrell and his wife Donna manage the library.
In the 1980’s, Michael poured his heart and soul into a manuscript that, for years, looked like it would never be seen by the eyes of readers. The story, a Christian adventure called Eden’s Door, was a two-part novel that took place in the days of Jesus’ time on earth and was followed up by the Indiana Jones style adventure of a young theology student. Years later, at the encouragement of his son, Darrell, he would finally find a way to get the book out. Splitting the manuscript into two separate books, Eden’s Door and Hell’s Gate, the adventures of Nate and Dixie were born and to this day are Michael’s most popular books. The recent addition of a third book, Demon Rising, rounds out the series.
Michael followed up the success of his first two books with a family focused book called The Christmas Box, which he co-wrote with his wife, Judy. The book shows parents and grandparents how to pass along family values and memories to their descendents with a gift that lasts all year long.
A two-part series, Indian Summer and The Last Pow Wow are written with a Cherokee flavor and historical approach and centers around a modern family and their heritage while taking trips back through time.
The most recent of Michael’s works is Black Clouds, Little Angels, and Big Dogs. This is an inspirational true story of a man with a challenging life who overcomes unbelievable hardships to be who he is today. This is an excellent look into what God and the Bible can do for anyone who relies on them. The main subject happens to be Michael’s eldest son.
Darrell, a police detective by trade, was actually the first of the two to be published. His first book, a young readers mystery called Legend of the Skinwalker, was the first of his Wolfhollow Kennel Club Mystery series. The series centers around a group of youngsters that operate a search and rescue team with the help of a retired police K-9. Other books in the series include Carnival at Shadows Peak, Curse of the Eleventh Mummy, and the most recent, Night of the Vanishing. He has also written a comedy sci-fi book for kids called My sister the Alien and is currently preparing to release a zombie adventure series for tweens called Degeneration Z.
He has also written two intense and riveting secular mystery novels under the pseudonym Milo Saint. The Hand of Cain and Six of One were Darrell’s venture into the challenging market of adult fiction. Both novels have received rave reviews for their realism, skillful writing, and downright good stories.
As a team, the LaRivieres produced their most successful and well-received book to date, a novel called Snake Oil. The book tells the story of a small town sheriff, a devoted Christian, who finds himself investigating the death of a young boy from a failed faith healing. Believing strongly in the freedom of religion, the protagonist, Enoch Hardy, finds himself torn between the law and his beliefs in this adventure filled plot. Michael then followed Snake Oil with two sequels of his own, Dark Rider, and Rampage.
The two writers maintain a website at www.shadowwolfpublishing.com, that that markets all their books and offers assistance to other writers who want to pursue independent publishing. They do book signings whenever possible, often at their favorite spot, Wisteria Tea Room on Highway 70 in Arlington, where they say, “folks can buy our books, meet and greet the authors, and have a great meal.” They are available to speak at churches, conduct book signings, host writing seminars, and coach budding authors in independent publishing –a growing field that allows anyone to fulfill the dream of having a published book to their credit. So far, the pair has launched the works of two additional writers, artist Jane Croy and photographer MaryBeth Hewes.
Their inventory now includes 12 books for Michael and eight for Darrell, who also owns and operates Toy Robot Photography. In addition to their website, all of their books may be purchased at Amazon.com as well as many other online book sources.
