After a long and successful career as a novelist, Don turned to nonfiction and wrote To Dance With Angels with his wife, Linda Pendleton.

What had begun for Don and Linda as a casual curiosity about mediumship developed into a fascinating and exciting study of spirit communication from the other side. As Don once stated, "We soon had to accept the inescapable conclusion that Dr. Peebles was no mere dissociated personality but is, in fact, a spirit communicating with us through Thomas [Jacobson]. This is not the kind of book we would have chosen to write a year ago, but it became a book that had to be written. We could not have kept this information to ourselves."

Don was a metaphysical scholar throughout his life and his interest in metaphysics flavored all his writing, even his Executioner: Mack Bolan series of action/adventure novels. He considered The Executioner to be a study of the metaphysics of violence. In other words, the reason for violence.

In was not until 1985 when Don created his character, Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective, that he was able to fully incorporate his metaphysical interests into a series of mystery novels. Don delighted in the exploration of the paranormal that he was able to do within the six books of the Ashton Ford series.

For those of you who may have missed the series the first time around, the Ashton Ford books are now back in print and available through iuniverse.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and borders.com.

Don said this about his character, Ashton Ford: "Through this character I attempt to understand more fully and to give better meaning to my perceptions of what is gong on here on Planet Earth, and the greatest mystery of all the mysteries: the why of existence itself. Through Ford I use everything I can reach in the total knowledge of mankind to elaborate this mystery and to arm my characters for the quest. I try to entertain myself with their adventures, hoping that what entertains me may also entertain others--so these books, like life itself, are not all grim purpose and trembling truths. They are fun to write; for some they will be fun to read."

The Ashton Ford novel series titles are Ashes to Ashes; Eye to Eye; Mind to Mind; Life to Life; Heart to Heart; Time to Time.

It was during the writing of the Ashton Ford series that Don and Linda's research into the paranormal, led them to the discovery of the grand spirit, Dr. Peebles--and in turn to the writing of To Dance With Angels.

However, the interest into the mysteries of life did not end with those books. Whispers From the Soul: The Divine Dance of Consciousness by Don and Linda Pendleton soon followed and has recently been published.. In this book, a definitive examination of mankind's search for the wellsprings and moving forces of the human experience, Don and Linda explore spiritual understanding and awareness: the wisdom of the sages, miracles and angelic influences, aliens and UFO's, the Mars and Moon phenomena, Crop Circles, death and near-death experiences, reincarnation and past life therapy, the religious instinct, spirituality and the history of Spiritualism, spirit communication and spiritual encounters--a wide range of what is considered by some to be the paranormal, while many others consider these experiences to be extraordinary and awe inspiring but within the norm of the human experience.

Don had two near-death experiences, one in 1979 and another in 1991, and those experiences are shared with readers in detail in Whispers From the Soul.

The Metaphysics of the Novel, The Inner Workings of a Novel and a Novelist by Don Pendleton with Linda Pendleton, is another book that carries within it Don's metaphysical philosophy. Not only is it a book for aspiring writers, but for those who love books and desire to know more about the creative processes that move the modern novel--and the novelist, himself.

Recently published , is A Search for Meaning From the Surface of a Small Planet. Within this book, Don employs both prose and poetry, logic and fancy, in exploring and reviewing the knowledge of mankind. His approach is both sober and lighthearted and moves toward a wedding of scientific understanding and mystical thought.

In addition to Don's life long interest in metaphysics, he also had a background in science and aerospace engineering. He served in management positions during the Titan ICBM era and with NASA on the early Moonshot program--and kept abreast of science's evolving frontiers.

He published more than one hundred twenty-five books in his long career. Although most were fiction novels: mysteries, science fiction, and, of course, action/adventure, his nonfiction work, including his poetry, had a special meaning to him.

A few months before his death in October, 1995, during the writing of Whispers From the Soul, he wrote, "There is another reality enfolding ours--as close as our breath!" That statement encompasses what he believed about life--and death. He believed that consciousness lives on. His own two near-death experiences re-enforced that understanding for him, as did his days spent on bloody battlefields of World War II, as a young Navy man.

The theme of his character, Mack Bolan, was "Live Large." The Random House Dictionary of American Slang, Vol. II, recently attributed the derivation of "living large" to Don Pendleton. Not only did his character, Mack Bolan live large, so did Don Pendleton. He enjoyed life to the fullest. He also loved writing. He was a modest man, a gifted writer, whose art came easily to him. He was an inspiration to many, as a person, and as a writer. His legacy will live on, through the many books he wrote.

Linda has recently put back in print Don's Joe Copp, Private Eye series of six mysteries. Those are also available through iuniverse.com; barnesandnoble.com; borders.com; as ebooks through peanutpress.com; on audiotape through booksinmotion.com.

His last mystery suspense novel One Dark and Stormy Night, by Linda and Don Pendleton, was nominated as an EPPIE Award 2001 Finalist in the Thriller Category. The EPPIE is given for the finest in Electronic books. The book has been retitled and is now in print as Roulette.

To read some of Don's poetry, visit my Poetry Page, and for additional biographical information on Don Pendleton and his many works, visit the official Don Pendleton site, www.donpendleton.com.

--Linda Pendleton