September 30, 2025
#521
Gentle reader,
Most of you know me for writing about our many collections over the years. There are still some I haven't covered, such as Nancy's vintage clocks collection. This article is going to be different.
One never knows what the future holds for you. I certainly had NO idea how our lives and mine in particular would change so massively and positively as it had since 2021 when a little voice said to me, "It's time to go to church."
I honestly state: These three books are some of the FINEST that I have ever read.
Now, please stick with me. This article is not about that "little voice", it is about my friend, Mike Slayter, who is also our church's Parish Assistant. He grew up in Louisiana and decided that he wanted to be a Veterinarian. He joined the United States Air Force as a Veterinarian. Yes, the US Military employs just about every type of job one could get in the "real world"* and they do have animals. Dogs in almost every land-based branch and horses in the Army.
*The term "real world" came about during the Vietnam war, particularly with draftees. Since that country was so very foreign to them in so many ways, they felt like they were in another world.
Our parents read to all five of us from a very early age. In my case, I read to all four of my kids. All of them are also avid readers. The two which have kids also read to their kids. As a result all of us (siblings) are still avid readers. Mom loved Kindles and gave each of us one. I gave mine to my daughter. I am a physical media person. I like real books and other real things I can hold in my hands. We still have and can watch or listen to: VHS video tapes, cassette audio tapes as well as records, CDs and DVDs. Fortunately, player makers made sure that Blu-ray players can also play other formats which use the same size and types of discs.
As an avid reader, I read whenever and wherever possible. My last career had much down time, especially in the Winter. That being said, if there was nothing for us to do, I'd go somewhere and read. As a result, in my 69 years on this planet, I have read thousands of books and countless magazines. I have owned many hundreds of books and in fact, have built shelves to hold them. The image below is from 2008. Almost all of those books have gone to live with other folks. It is only one of the many bookshelves in our humble home.
Getting back to Michael Slayter, he was just another man in the congregation of First United Presbyterian Church of our town when I met him. Over time, we got to know each other. He is not one to blow his own horn. His capabilities have be sprung on us from time to time. The first we knew about his being a "Commissioned Pastor" was when he was preaching one Sunday instead of Pastor Adam. The first we knew about him being a published author was when he posted a photo of his book A Journey to Understanding, on Facebook, which his about his unlikely journey from being a retired US military Veterinarian (a Veteran Veterinarian!) to becoming a commissioned pastor. I had never heard of "commissioned" pastors before. Always one to support my friend's interests, I bought the book from Amazon, read it, learned a lot more about Mike and thoroughly enjoyed it. In the case of this book, every dollar earned by it's sales is donated to our church. Amazing and humbling.
The first I heard about him writing FICTION was, again, when he posted a photo of his latest book on Facebook. I said out loud, "He writes fiction?!" and jumped onto Amazon to see his books. He is self published, which means he paid to have his books published. That costs a lot of money. It is one way to get your books out there rather that trying to get publishers to buy your story and publish it.
A smart first time author will write under a pseudonym or "pen name". That way, if the book fails, their reputation is still good. Thus, Kisatchie Voices was "written" by J.C. Oliver. Each books is totally unique. Each is in a different location with unique characters. The tie that binds them is that Mike lived in all of the locations in which they take place. Thus, his descriptions are based upon actual knowledge and experience.
Mike has the ability to write from a child's perspective, a female perspective and about things he never experienced, but that are so REAL, that I swear he MUST have experienced it! His literary style is just wonderful. Many times I would stop reading and say, "Nancy, listen to this line Mike wrote." and read it to her.
Rather than tell you about each story, let's treat this as if you found each book in a store.And the latest, which I just finished reading last night:I absolutely love Mike's writing style. Remember I have read thousands of books, including entire collections from authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, W.E.B Griffin (and earlier books under his own name William E. Butterworth), Tom Clancy, Michael Connelly, J.A. Jance, Ken Follet, David Baldacci and so many more. I've spent a lot of money buying books. Most of them, I donated afterwards. I think I have made my bona fides clear: I have read many excellent authors and do know what great writing is. Here is a photo of him from our church directory. Out of wanting to protect his privacy, I am not going to give you any more information than the book's back covers do.
I WILL tell you this: If you buy and read any of his four books, you WILL be moved emotionally. You will be glad that you did read that book. And, if you are like me, you will want to buy read more of his books. I can't wait for the next one to come out, especially the fiction books. I was so immersed in the stories, I was that little girl, I was those two brothers and I was Cash, the main character of his latest. There were times that I cried, especially near the end of The Heard Doesn't Ask. That particular scene hit me so hard, it helped me to deal with buried emotions about my own mother.
His writing covers so many events which happen to the characters. Some which seem to come completely out of nowhere, but which help to explain why that particular character is acting the way they are. I repeat: These three books are some of the FINEST that I have ever read. Help me get the word out about Mike's books. They are available only via Amazon's web site. Search: Michael Slayter Books. Kisatchie Voices is currently out of print. But, if enough people look for it, they way print more.
Remember: I do not get paid in ANY way for writing this blog. It is a labor of love and I enjoy writing it. Mike does not know that I wrote this. He will find out the same way you did.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article. I pray that you will consider buying at least one of his books. Again, he does not know that I am writing this. I do so out of love and respect for Mike. I greatly admire him. Oh, one cool thing about Mike: He drives a little sports car with a manual transmission. A man after my own heart. These are what I drive. Both were bought used. The one on the left is a 2013 Cadillac ATS Performance 2.0T. The wagon is a 2005 Volvo V50 T5. Both are performance models, both have turbocharged engines and six-speed manual transmissions. And, though one would not guess by looking at them, they both have official top speeds of 149 MPH.
Feel free to leave a comment below or via Facebook.
Scott Robb
September 30, 2025
#521
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