Dan Walsh's Blog, page 10

Growing Old With Indy

Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I watched the new Indiana Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. 

I really liked it. To me, the first one (Raiders of the Lost Ark) was the best of all. Didn’t like the 2nd, at all (Temple of  Doom), then liked the 3rd one almost as much as the 1st (The Last Crusade). It’s the one with Sean Connery. The 4th came out almost 20 years later (Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls). I enjoyed it, but it had some quirky parts. I’d put it in 3rd place.

But yesterday we watched the end of an era. The 5th and Last Indiana Jones film. The star is 81 years old. And, well, he looks it. They did some amazing special effects to show him at younger ages during film flashbacks, but when they showed him in the present (the film is set in 1969), Indy looks every bit of 81. 

As the last scene ended, we get to see Indy and Marion (his love interest in Raiders), together again, as a very old couple facing an uncertain future. It was pretty touching, especially knowing…this is it. The end. The very end. No more Indiana Jones after this moment.

But sitting there in the theater, watching it with my wife, Cindi, was kinda freaky in a way. Because I realized, she and I had sat there together in a theater back in 1981–youthful, married just 5 years, in our early 20s–and here we were watching the last one together–in our mid-60s. And there on screen were a very old and gray Indy and Marion, together on screen for the very last time.

I realized…we had grown old with Indy. But it wasn’t a movie. It was real life. Our life. That first Indy movie was 42 years ago. That’s a long time, going by one day a time. But I was also happy to be there at that moment, sitting with the same lady I had watched the first Indy film. Unlike the rocky, on-again-off-again relationship Indy and Marion shared, we’ve had a pretty great time of it. Plenty of. challenges, for sure. But we’re still in love, never fell out of love, and still each other’s best friend. 

For me, that’s been a definite upside to growing old. 

Rescuing Finley Breaks 5,000 Reviews

RESCUING FINLEY BREAKS 5,000 ! –  MY first Forever Home Series novel, Rescuing Finley, just broke the 5,000 Reviews Mark this week, becoming my all-time biggest seller (out of all 27 novels). It’s on Kindle, in Print , and AVAILABLE on #KINDLEUNLIMITED. Click on the Link and Check Out some of the GREAT REVIEWS for yourself. FANS LOVE ALL 4 BOOKS (12,000 Reviews Total – 4.7 Star Avg)

Rescuing Finley – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

#CleanReads #ChristianFiction #Rescue Dogs #TheDogLives

Keeping Bailey FREE TODAY on Kindle – 1st Time

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE GREAT DOG STORIES? – HOW ABOUT ONE THAT’S TOTALLY FREE? (usually $4.99) – Keeping Bailey, Book 4 in Dan’s bestselling Forever Home Series (easily read as a stand-alone) is NOW FREE on Kindle for THE VERY 1ST TIME. Since it came out, it’s received OVER 1,700 AMAZON REVIEWS (4.7 Star Avg). 

Help Dan Spread the Word? CLICK HERE to Read Some of the Great Reviews, or Get Your Copy TODAY: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091QFB886

#DogLovers #RescueDogs #CleanRead #TheDogLives

HAPPY 4th of July – My Most Patriotic Novel

Happy Independence Day!   – Readers say this is My Most Patriotic Novel. Tens of Thousands have read and loved it. Here’s a 5-Star Amazon Review from an Australian Reader: “This is the tenth Dan Walsh book I have read. Each book is different and I’ve loved them all, but this one really stands out for me. It’s so well written I could not put it down. I don’t ever remember being so moved and crying as much as I did in the closing chapters. As soon as I am nearing the end of one of his books, I download another, so there is always one waiting for me.” I especially love reading Reviews Written by Veterans or their family members. CHECK IT OUT TODAY!

  The Reunion – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4BJTTN

#CleanReads #KindleUnlimited #CleanSuspense #Inspirational

Great Summertime Deal – Hand Picked by Amazon

KINDLE SUMMERTIME DEALS – (Hand Picked by Amazon) Get Books 1 and 2 of my Joe Boyd Suspense series for ONLY 1.99 AND 2.49 on Kindle (Both FREE on #KINDLEUNLIMITED) Get BOTH FOR LESS THAN 5 BUCKS! #1 REVIEWER’S COMMENT? “Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.” Start Reading IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK today.

If These Walls Could Talk – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PB31VKP

An Inconvenient Death – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084TTG6ZC

#GreatSuspense #CleanReads #ChristFic

2 Days Left to Get Dan’s Novel for Free

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO GET AN INCONVENIENT DEATH FOR FREE – It Reached #1 this Week in the Christian Suspense Category. Ii goes back to $4.99 on Friday. There are 4 books in the Joe Boyd Suspense series, but each can be read as a Stand-alone.

It’s received over 750 Amazon reviews (4.7 Star Avg).

HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084TTG6ZC

An Inconvenient Death FREE for the 1st Time

ONE OF MY JOE BOYD SUSPENSE NOVELS ABSOLUTELY FREE TODAY – Wanted to let you know, my novel AN INCONVENIENT DEATH is FREE TODAY for the FIRST TIME. It released in 2020, but this is the first time I’ve offered it for free on Kindle (if you have #KindleUnlimited, it’s available there, too). There are 4 books in the Joe Boyd Suspense series, but each can be read as a Stand-alone. Over 750 Amazon reviews (4.7 Star Avg).

HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084TTG6ZC

THANKS (AND I MEAN IT) THANKS – Every now and then I chec...

THANKS (AND I MEAN IT) THANKS – Every now and then I check on how my Amazon Reviews are doing (because every Author knows how important they are to your writing future). Haven’t done it in a while, and I was SHOCKED this morning at how MANY MORE have been added. Combined my 27 novels have received OVER 47,000 AMAZON REVIEWS (4.7 Star Avg). Nine of them have received over 2,500 each. RESCUING FINLEY is the “Top Dog” with over 4,800.

I’m SO grateful to those of you who take that EXTRA 2 MINUTES to leave a review, or even a rating, after you read my books. Amazon really pays attention to these, but even more important, READERS DO.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

 

Meet Our New Finley

MEET OUR NEW FINLEY –  Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our beloved 10 year old dog 4 weeks ago. A week later, we went online looking for a new puppy and saw this wonderful little guy (already named Finley by the Breeder). He’s helped distract us from our grief, for sure. Not sure I believe in signs, but we both thought it was something that he had the same name as my first Forever Home Series novel, Rescuing Finley. It’s become my all-time biggest seller (out of all 27 novels). It’s on Kindle, in Print, and AVAILABLE NOW on #KINDLEUNLIMITED. Click on the Link and Check Out some of the 2,400-plus reviews for yourself:

Rescuing Finley – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017C6IAVA

#CleanReads #ChristianFiction

Sad Tribute to an Amazing Dog – Our Charlie

My heart is very heavy as I write this. Waking up after a pretty terrible day yesterday. Most of you who follow my “book life” know we are serious dog lovers. Cindi and I’ve been married 46 years and have only been without a dog for the first 6 weeks (sometimes we’ve had 3).

Back in March, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Bailey, who was 14. Charlie just turned 10 last month, so we kinda figured we had at least another 3 or 4 years.

About 4 weeks ago, he fell out of a dining room chair and hurt one of his back legs. It wasn’t broken, but it’s taken a long time to heal. He’s been on a bunch of meds, and we were back and forth at the vets. This week we were weaning him off all but one and went to see the vet to see if he might need to stay on this one for the rest of his life (because we learned some of his problems were arthritis).

That’s all we were thinking. In and out of the vets in 30 minutes. But while we were there, the vet did a thorough exam of his hips and spine, and got this terrible look on his face. Even said, “Uh-oh.” He was probing his abdomen and belly area. “This isn’t good.” We’re getting pretty anxious, as we watch. “I’m feeling a growth here, and I’m pretty concerned.”

He explained what he suspected, decided to do an X-ray and have the other vet examine Charlie. Comes back 10 minutes later with Charlie, and a laptop. His bedside manner was great, but we could tell this was very serious. He said he was so sorry, but the x-ray confirmed his fears. Charlie had a massive tumor in his abdomen, and said by its size it had been there for months, and sadly, he could see on the x-ray it had started to spread. He showed us the x-ray on his laptop. I could see this huge mass, and he confirmed that was the tumor.

He told us it was so bad and had grown so large, it could burst at anytime. If so, he’d experience a horribly painful death, would bleed out within 20 minutes. It could happen at any time. Obviously, we were devastated. We decided right then we had to do the unthinkable. 

I stayed with him till the end, and it was a very humane, calm scene. I was holding him, kissing him, and saying what he good boy he was, as he laid down and went to sleep. I walked outside with his collar and leash in my hand, but no Charlie. I was overwhelmed with grief but felt mostly numb. Cindi and I wept in the car till we felt safe enough to drive home. 

See, here’s part of our great sorrow. Charlie was such an amazing dog. He was literally a 10. There’s nothing about him I’m not going to miss. He had no downsides. He could not have been more loving, kind, and friendly, and he was totally devoted to us. He’d given us a thousand great memories. I can’t think of anything about him I didn’t like, and dozens of things about him I loved. 

And that’s the problem with dogs, isn’t it? Their lifespan. It’s way too short. Still, even writing with such great heartache inside, I know I would do it all over again even if I knew we would only have him for 10 years. The grief I feel now compared to all the love and joy we received from him for those years, to me, is a small price to pay. 

Goodbye Charlie, my wonderful loving friend. We’ll miss you so much (already do). Bestselling author Randy Alcorn (known for his books about Heaven), is convinced we will see out beloved dogs again in heaven.

Sure hope you’re right about that, Randy.

Dan Walsh – Feb 22, 2023

PS – THE COMMENTS SECTION IS BROKEN. If you’d like to leave a comment, you can go to my FB page, scroll to where I write about this and comment there. Right now, it’s at the top. https://www.facebook.com/dan.walsh.92372/