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William Kauffman is 70 years old and lives in upper east Tennessee in the Appalachian foothills. He has a wife, a daughter, one dog and one cat.
Holston
Released 2024
"Doesn't Beth know that a married man like Wayne is double trouble," Elena thought as she took up her crochet hook and began to work the yarn. She had been making a yellow sweater for herself to wear later when the weather was cool. It was August at this time. The doorknob to her apartment began to turn with a creaking sound and Gwyneth appeared looking around the room anxiously.
"I don't know why the girl wears such an ugly hair style," Elena thought as she looked Gwyneth over.
For the first time since she had moved in, her room-mate was not wearing a pair of faded, baggy jeans. She had on a short, black nylon skirt. Gwyneth walked accross the room and put a bag of sundries on her folded up sleeper couch.
"The sweater looks nice Elena," she said as she spied the piece of clothing in progress. Elena looked at her with fixed attention.
"Gwyneth has killer legs," she thought as her mind raced onward.
UNAKA
Released 2022
After talking to Billie in Augusta, Sammy fell asleep. Sometime during the night he began to dream. In his dream Sylvie was still alive and husband and wife were still together. Sylvie had never looked more beautiful to him than she was in that dream. She appeared to him as a woman in her 40's, about ten years after they had been married. Her figure was womanly and her face was kind. Her lovely blonde hair fell softly on her shoulders as she looked at him. But then after he saw her and saw that she was healthy, he looked down at his arms. The skin of his arms was spotted with the stigmata of old age. Although Sylvie was young and healthy he was old and sick.
"Sylvie, where have we been?" he said, "my mind is drawing a blank."
"Oh, honey, I just took you to the doctor and now we are back home," she said as her lip trembled with emotion.
"What did he say? I cain't remember anything Sylvie," he pleaded.
"Baby, my baby," she said "It's stage four lung cancer. I am so sorry," and she hung her head and began to weep.
Sitting there with his young wife, Sammy felt a shudder go through his entire body.
He stood up and asked her, "how long do I have?"
"Looking up into his face through her tears, she said, "you're as dead as I am lookin at you right now," and the dream faded away.
Watauga
Work in Progress
First published in 2022, UNAKA received an excellent review in the October 2022 edition of Publisher's Weekly. In 2024 the book was awarded first place for fiction in the Great Southeast Book Festival.