Peter Young

Sometimes, great places are more than a great setting for a novel. They become characters in the story. My next novel, which is the third and final installment in the Thomas Conner Series, takes place almost entirely in Southeast Idaho, and in particular, the area east of Ashton. It's a beautiful place with amazing scenery. The land abounds with amber waves of grain, and the horizon is framed by purple mountains majesty. In this case, the Teton range. View of the Tetons from Idaho Much of the...

Christmas is celebrated right in the middle of basketball season. On numerous occasions, I have played, coached, or broadcast basketball games a few days before or after Christmas. Christmas 1985: My senior year in high school. We played Bloomfield High School. Their star was 6’10” Alaa Abdelnaby. He went on to play in college at Duke and then for several years in the NBA. I held him to 32 points. Alaa Abdelnaby playing for Duke Christmas 1988: I was in college, playing for George Washington...

Recently, I was in New Jersey for the memorial service for my uncle, Al Swanson. He was quite the athlete. He was so gifted that he lettered in 4 different sports at the U.S. Naval Academy. At the memorial, his playing days at Navy and West Orange High were brought up. The luncheon that followed was at the country club where he played endless rounds of golf. He was really good at that sport too. My uncle, Al Swanson, playing football at the US Naval Academy Al's younger brother, my other...