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Lenny - Book Tour and Giveaway

5/26/2020

78 Comments

 
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Lenny
by B.R. Stateham
Genre: Mystery 

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Lenny has stared death in the face many times, from the jungles of Thailand & Vietnam to the mountain passes of Afghanistan. Now after a career of service he’s back in his hometown of Ballard, Texas looking for what comes next. Sheriff Greene knows an asset when he sees one and it’s not long before he signs Lenny up as his new deputy in the fight against the narcotics cartel that has over-run their quiet border town.20 years in the army have taught Lenny never to underestimate the things people are capable of but as the bullets begin to fly and the casualties begin to mount it’s just possible that his investigation may bring him closer to home than he ever expected.


Praise for B.R. Stateham
“Cooler than a fridge full of beer…”“
This is modern noir at its very best…”
“B.R. Stateham is at the top of his game right now…”
“Lenny may be the best thing B.R. Stateham has ever written, and as readers of his work will know, that’s quite a high bar to hit.”
“B.R. Stateham has created an action packed tale - another winner from Fahrenheit Thirteen…”


Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Fahrenheit Press ​


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​Gazing down the almost empty highway toward town he swept a hand over his lips and jawline a second time and squinted his eyes. Coming down the road in the growing twilight was a pickup truck. A Dodge pickup truck. As it approached he thought about throwing up a thumb and hitching a ride. Maybe it was headed for Amarillo. Maybe it was time to take the sheriff’s advice. Maybe it was time to leave Ballard for good.

Funny how shit happens. How half-baked plans get tossed out the window.

The brown Dodge slowed and swerved toward him. For a moment he was bathed in low beams before the pickup slid to a stop a couple of feet in front of him. Standing there, Lenny watched the passenger side front door window slide down. In the semi-light he had to step closer to see who was sitting behind the wheel.

“Hello, cuz.”

A voice he recognized. Even after all these long years away.

“Hello, Miguel. Good to see you.”

Miguel Luiz Sanchez. His mother’s sister’s oldest son. Same age as he was. The oldest of four boys and three sisters. But that was twenty years  ago. He had no idea who was alive today. Who was dead.

“Come on,” Miguel grunted, waving a hand for Lenny to open the door and get in.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Been in town for two weeks, cuz. Getting drunk and getting into fights. The whole family knows you’re back in town. Time to clean up. Dry out. Time to go home.”

Time to go home. Like a hammer blow right between his eyes. Time to go home. Home? Here in Ballard? After all these years? After what happened in the past?


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B.R. Stateham is a fourteen-year-old boy trapped in a seventy-year-old body.  But his enthusiasm and boyish delight in anything mysterious and/or unknown continue.
 Writing novels, especially detectives, is just the avenue of escape which keeps the author’s mind sharp and inquisitive.  He’s published a ton of short stories in online magazines like Crooked, Darkest Before the Dawn, Abandoned Towers, Pulp Metal Magazine, Suspense Magazine, Spinetingler Magazine, Near to The Knuckle, A Twist of Noir, Angie’s Diary, Power Burn Flash, and Eastern Standard Crime.  He writes both detective/mysteries, as well as science-fiction and fantasy.


Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

​

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A short conversation with B.R. Stateham

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is B.R. Stateham. I am a seventy-one year old curmudgeon/hermit. I am lucky enough to be married to the same woman for the last 36 years. I am a father of three, and a grandfather of seven wonderful grandkids. My wife, bless her, has been crazy enough lo’ these many years in putting up with my eccentricities and picadilloes. Frankly, she’s nuts for doing so. But I’m very grateful for her infinite patience and quiet tolerance for my mood swings (as, you know, the vast majority of writers do have huge mood swings while gripped in the creative process)

How long have you been a writer?
Round it off to about an even 50 years. I wrote my first novel, a sci/fi tome, when I was 12 years old. I’m seventy-one now. Now, I know . . . you’re asking yourself this; “If he’s been writing this long, why haven’t I heard of him?”
Good question. I’m still trying to figure that out myself.

When did the bug about becoming a writer first bite you?
Like I said, about fifty years ago. I was reading a sci/fi novel and I thought to myself, “I can write something better than this.” And to be honest, I still think that way. The novels I read currently are far, far from the books I want to read, in the descriptive sense. I can’t help but think today’s mode of writing is, basically, hardly more than a cookie-cutter attempt to write the same novel that has been written a hundred times over. All that’s changed is authors have changed the names of the characters, and possibly moved the settings of their novel to a different city or country. Other than that, that’s it.
Some pundit a long time ago said, “If the story you want to read hasn’t been written yet, you should write it.”
That’s exactly what I am doing.

What fiction or non-fiction do you write these days?
Currently, I write fiction. Genre fiction, to be precise. I write mysteries, historical mysteries, and sci/fi and fantasy. I’m old school enough to separate sci/fi from fantasy.
I’ve been tinkering around with the idea of writing a non-fiction book. Something involving History (I used to be a History teacher at the high school/grade school level). But I’ve so many novels lined up, one after the other, I don’t think the itch for a nonfiction effort will never see the light of day.

Who were the authors who influenced you the most in becoming a writer?
An old gizzard like myself will come up with names hardly anyone remembers these days.
Names like Raymond Chandler, Ed McBain, Dashiell Hammit in the realm of mysteries. Or writers like Robert Heinlein or Isaac Asimov in science fiction. Of course there are many, many others more contemporary I could name. But these five names infused into me both the imagination a writer must develop, along with the commitment to write regardless of what other people may say.

How do you write? Do you outline your work? Know all the details?
To be honest, I write a scene-at-a-time. The novels I write are movie-scripts written in long hand for the reader to enjoy. I come up with a clear and distinct image/plot for the first chapter of the novel. And then I improvise . . . visually . . . from there on.
The only plotting and planning I do; I do while in the midst of writing. Nothing is set down on paper or computer memory in regard to plotting out a novel beforehand. I like the free-wheeling, seat of your pants method of writing while I am writing. To plan ahead of time and know how the plot and story line is going to come out, seems to me, to be very stifling and very limiting of one’s imagination and storytelling.
But each to their own method.

Which do you prefer? The writing itself? Or the creation process leading up to the writing?
Good question. Lots of times I like sitting in my chair and stare out the window as I chart out in my head the scenes which need to come, one after the other. At other times, the task of just writing itself takes over and words just flow out of me.
But then, there are times when the act of sitting down in front of the keyboard and doing the mechanic of writing is such an anathema to me, I want to get up and pound my head on the wall.
That’s, frankly, the lot of most writers.

What is your latest work of fiction or non-fiction?
My latest novel is one called, ‘Lenny.’ It’s a mystery. Published by a small indie publisher by the name of Fahrenheit Press.

Tell us about your latest work. What’s it about? What compelled you to write it?
The story is about an Army veteran, just retired, coming back to the small Texas Panhandle rural home he grew up in. He left . . . actually forced to leave . . . by his stern father who seems to have had a real dislike for his son. The town is full of memories. Mostly bad memories. But a few he still cherishes.
While there he is forced to step in and use his Army Ranger skills to save a county deputy sheriff from a serious calamity. The next thing Lenny knows he’s becoming a new deputy sheriff himself.
A town filled with old memories and old feuds. And just under a thin layer of tranquility, the bubbling cauldron of murderous intent simmers with malevolence, ready to explode.

Is this a stand-alone novel? Or is it part of a series?
Lenny is the first novel of a series. This one came out this year (2019). The next novel in the series, titled ‘A Quiet Place to Rest,’ is being worked on as we speak. I hope to have it done by 2021.

Are there any other stand alone or serial novels out there for the public to read?
Oh, too many to list. I have a second series going with Fahrenheit Press. A series featuring an art thief set in World War One. The art thief is named Jake Reynolds. The first book of the series is called ‘Death of a Young Lieutenant.’
The second novel is in the editor’s hand. Called ‘Death of a Cuckold Knight,’ it too is set in World War One. I’m hoping this one comes out sometime this year (2020).
And then, with a second small indie publisher, I have the ‘Smitty’ series. Smitty is a hit man who is slowly turning himself into a private detective. Smitty is the definition of a modern-day anti-hero. Is a good man gone bad? Or a bad man trying to do good? Who knows.
This series is called ‘Dark Retribution.’ The first book is a full-length novel entitled, ‘Dark Retribution, Volume One I; Smitty’s Calling Card.’
The second one is a series of short stories and a novella, all featuring the hit man, titled ‘Dark Retribution, Volume II; Sometimes Nightmares Come True.’

What’s next in the writing-block for you to begin on? Anything already started?
At last count, something like five novels have been started. A third Jake Reynolds novel. A third (second full-length novel) of the Smitty series. And others.
Lots of writing ahead of me. Let’s hope it all gets done.


​

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78 Comments
Stephanie Jones
5/26/2020 04:57:58 am

looks like a good book

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B.R. Stateham link
5/26/2020 09:13:31 am

I truly hope you enjoy the book. And I hope you'll give a review for it. Love it, or hate it, a review always helps out. (but I'm betting you're going to love it)

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James Robert
5/26/2020 05:16:34 am

I appreciate hearing about your book, thanks and for the giveaway also. Thanks so much!

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B.R. Stateham link
5/26/2020 09:14:57 am

Hope you like it!

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Beyond Comps
5/26/2020 06:22:18 am

Great cover!

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Wendy Jensen
5/26/2020 08:10:17 am

The book cover makes the book look like an interesting read.

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Kelly D
5/26/2020 08:28:45 am

I like the cover, it looks like an exciting book.

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Bernie Wallace
5/26/2020 08:33:14 am

I like the car on the cover. Congrats on the release. How long did it take you to write your book?

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B.R. Stateham link
5/26/2020 09:17:46 am

Hope everyone likes the novel. Reading a novel is like eating exotic cuisine. You either love it. Or you don't. I'm hoping everyone loves Lenny.

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Rita Wray
5/26/2020 09:46:07 am

Sounds like a good read.

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Victoria Alexander
5/26/2020 09:53:33 am

Thanks for sharing!

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B.R. Stateham link
5/26/2020 10:28:27 am

You're welcome, Victoria. Enjoy the read.

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Beppe DM
5/26/2020 10:03:32 am

Amazing cover

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Sherry
5/26/2020 12:38:25 pm

The book sounds really good.

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Debbie P
5/26/2020 12:43:20 pm

I really like your excerpt. This sounds like a really good read!

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Calvin
5/26/2020 01:08:44 pm

Curious theme, I like the mystery element!

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Stephanie
5/26/2020 03:11:16 pm

It seems like there is a lot of drama in this book.

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Susan Smith
5/26/2020 03:18:01 pm

Sounds like a great book. I like the cover.

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Amy F
5/26/2020 03:34:04 pm

Great cover! Sounds interesting.

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Marcy Meyer
5/26/2020 04:52:33 pm

The cover looks good and the story sounds interesting.

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wendy hutton
5/26/2020 05:08:02 pm

sounds like an interesting book, thanks

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Dave Gibb
5/26/2020 07:31:33 pm

Wow great job on the cover. It looks great and thanks for the giveaway.

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Mary Cloud
5/26/2020 08:16:06 pm

No questions - the cover is interesting

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Terri Quick
5/26/2020 08:43:20 pm

Like the cover

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lynn clayton
5/26/2020 08:47:03 pm

nice cover looks like a great read

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Stephanie Liske
5/26/2020 09:36:54 pm

I like the cover.

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Ann Fantom
5/27/2020 07:52:49 am

I like the cover. It has very nice artwork and colors

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Cathy French
5/27/2020 08:19:18 am

I know a lot of vets go into law enforcement when they return home. Being on a border town tho with a cartel is next level. Excited to read this one.

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Sandy Klocinski
5/27/2020 11:50:27 am

Looks like an awesome book! Thanks so much for the opportunity to win. I am looking forward to reading this

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brittany doerfler
5/27/2020 12:40:01 pm

I absolutely love the cover , it grabs your attention and makes you want to know more!

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shannon zeidan
5/27/2020 01:12:47 pm

This sounds like an amazing read.

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B.R. Stateham link
5/27/2020 01:45:57 pm

For all of you who (I hope) enjoy discovering Lenny, I want you to know book two in the series is being written as we speak. Book two featuring deputy sheriff Lenny Leonidas is going to be called, A Quiet Place to Rest. I'm hoping to have they ready to send to the publisher by the end of August next year.

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Julie Murphy
5/27/2020 02:02:59 pm

I like a good mystery.

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Jaclyn Mercer
5/27/2020 04:29:21 pm

Seems like a pretty cool dude!

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Iliana Blair
5/27/2020 04:52:07 pm

Interesting cover, looks like a good book.

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Nina Lewis
5/27/2020 11:06:55 pm

Looks good!

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Cindy Merrill
5/28/2020 08:31:14 am

The story doesn't make any sense- why go back home with so many bad memories?

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B.R. Stateham link
5/28/2020 09:33:27 am

If you've been alone, hopping around all over the world in the Army, and never built any connections with anyone, where else could you go?

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Cynthia C
5/28/2020 08:40:29 am

Mystery is my favorite genre. I think I would enjoy this one.

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Julie Lundstrom
5/28/2020 10:37:47 am

I think the cover is cool.

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Emily B.
5/28/2020 10:52:16 am

I like the desolate look of the cover.

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Debbi Wellenstein
5/28/2020 12:47:55 pm

The book sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway!

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Molli Taylor
5/28/2020 04:11:37 pm

looks like a great read!

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Victoria Scott
5/28/2020 08:34:18 pm

Sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!

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Minta Boggs
5/29/2020 07:30:30 am

Looks like an interesting read!

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beth shepherd
5/29/2020 10:58:41 am

I really like the cover - it def draws me in

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Piroska
5/29/2020 04:43:45 pm

It looks like a fascinating read. Thanks!

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Leah Cavendish
5/30/2020 05:59:54 am

This sounds really interesting and the cover looks great.

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Serge B
5/30/2020 09:07:55 am

Cool cover--took me a sec to get the background image

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Barbara Montag
5/30/2020 12:11:51 pm

A mystery always grabs my attention!
The cover is great.
Thank you for sharing this review.

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Kayla Harmon
5/30/2020 08:47:45 pm

love the story

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B.R. Stateham link
5/31/2020 10:51:21 am

I appreciate everyone's comments about both excerpt of the book, and the artwork for the cover. I've got my fingers crossed you all will find the book worthy of your attention (and maybe a few good reviews? One can only hope)

Book two of the series is being written now. It'll be called 'A Quiet Place to Rest.' And I had to say, I think I've written an opening chapter that will definitely pull the potential reader into the story.

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Clem
5/31/2020 09:41:03 pm

The cover art is nice.

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Donna C.
6/3/2020 09:38:11 am

Interesting cover for sure. I like mysteries and this one sounds intriguing

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Heather Mahley
6/5/2020 10:39:17 pm

The cover looks cool

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Jennylyn Gross
6/6/2020 01:30:31 pm

I really like the cover

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Renata
6/7/2020 04:49:52 am

Cool cover

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Veronica Lee link
6/10/2020 09:39:35 am

Sound like a suspenseful read! Adding this to my TBR list.

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Francine Anchondo
6/10/2020 02:43:43 pm

Sounds like a good book

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Lisa Romine
6/10/2020 10:59:34 pm

This book sounds like it's going to be good.

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can
6/13/2020 01:54:03 pm

Interesting book, def read it!

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Maria
6/13/2020 09:44:27 pm

WOW this looks amazing, love the cover and the title

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Melanie borhi
6/14/2020 08:59:16 am

Cover look's amazing

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Karin
6/16/2020 06:48:40 am

An interesting cover, particularly how it is faded.

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Jamie Bertrand
6/18/2020 09:51:06 am

sounds like a good read!

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angie lilly link
6/19/2020 10:00:32 am

I really like this cover. It is simple and high quality in imagery, graphics, and font. No changes needed IMO.

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Paula
6/20/2020 02:14:45 pm

The cover art seems appropriate for the book. Good job

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joy f
6/20/2020 04:18:10 pm

Sounds good.

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Diana Hardt
6/20/2020 09:54:19 pm

I liked the excerpt. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.

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jeanette h sheets
6/21/2020 12:23:26 am

cover looks great

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avm
6/21/2020 10:17:40 pm

🐾🐾🐾 Wowee! I would adore this prize! 🐾🐾🐾

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Thomas Gibson
6/21/2020 11:19:28 pm

The cover for "Lenny" looks excellent.

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Bella Martinez
6/24/2020 03:20:15 pm

I love the cover! Looks like a great read.

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latisha depoortere
6/24/2020 03:33:01 pm

Sounds good Thanks for sharing!

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Daniel M
6/25/2020 07:06:52 pm

like the cover

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B.J. Bernal
6/26/2020 05:15:01 am

Sounds interesting!

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Jerry Marquardt
6/26/2020 11:58:39 pm

I would like to give thanks for all your really good writings.

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B.R. Stateham
6/27/2020 09:54:52 am

Jerry, thank you for your kind words. I look forward in reading your review.

Reply



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