After living for three and a half years in Coimbra, Portugal, home of the oldest University in Western Europe, I recently repatriated back to Colorado, USA. Portugal inspired me to start writing again after a long hiatus from magazines and newspapers. Previously, I had written for the Smoky Mountain Times, the Asheville Citizen-Times, and special-interest magazines. Exploring local mountain villages and backroads on my motorcycle gave me the material for two fictional books: A Lie Never Dies and Russian Ashes: Money to Burn. The novels capture the mood and romance of Europe and Portuguese expat life in an imaginary tale to entertain and entice potential immigrants.