Other Books
The Archangel's Gift
First published by Authorhouse in 2012.
Re-published in the summer of 2026.
The Archangel's Gift is a middle-grade children's Christmas fable in which the Archangel Gabriel first appears. The Legend of Balthazar is an independent sequel to this story.
ForeWord Reviews
The Archangel's Gift
Dick Morgan
AuthorHouse
978-1-4772-0515-0
★★★★★
ForeWord Clarion Review
For those who don't mind a bit of irreverence in their Christmas stories, Dick Morgan's The Archangel's Gift offers one of the most endearing holiday tales to come along in quite a while. Morgan's story is not just for kids. Adults and families who enjoy revisiting their holiday book collections every December are going to add this one to their must-read lists for years to come.
Featuring a modern-day, realistically self-centered, nearly nine-year-old girl named Jamie, and more than a bit of magic, The Archangel's Gift offers a most unusual but positively delightful peek into the events of the very first Christmas night in Bethlehem. Precociously teetering between "I believe in Santa" and "I know it all," Jamie is a charmer. Despite her fledgling sense of entitlement and her "need" for a new laptop from Santa, she is still young and innocent enough to be open to the true wonders of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, Jamie's dad, a man who truly loves the holiday and everything associated with it, gives her a small wooden angel statue, "old and pot-bellied, bald and wrinkled." The angel, who "need(s) a shave," has a halo that has "slipped down over one ear" and a "battered trumpet tied to a sash around his waist." Jamie is neither amused nor grateful. As far as she is concerned, her father's present suggests that this is "going to be a socks and underwear kind of Christmas." Enter the holiday magic.
As Jamie fights sleep, trying to listen for Santa, the angel statue comes to life and introduces himself as Gabe, short for Gabriel. "You're the Gabriel, as in, the Archangel Gabriel blew his horn, and the heavens opened up?" asks Jamie.
"Retired," he tells her. "Michael's got the job now."
Gabe has come to teach Jamie a very important life lesson. He asks, "What if socks and underwear were what you needed most in the whole universe? What if you were so cold and hungry you'd be thankful for a few rags and bread crumbs?" It's something she cannot imagine. "I'm here to give you what you most need," he tells her. "Perspective."
Morgan's Gabe is the cheekiest of angels. Funny, flawed, and good-hearted, he takes Jamie on a trip through time to witness the wonders of that first Christmas night in Bethlehem. Along the way, they encounter angels of all sorts. Cigar-smoking, feather-molting Gabe is a reliably entertaining character as he pushes his way through the multitude of angels, spouting statements like, "God will meet you halfway down any path as long as you seek him," and "God's will isn't something you can put on like a shirt."
From start to finish, The Archangel's Gift is pure delight. Beautifully developed characters, clever tongue-in-cheek humor, a captivating story line, and just enough magic come together in a book that deserves to become a holiday classic.
-Cheryl M. Hubbard
MySailing Away: Short Stories
Published by Lost Horse Press in 2000
My first collection of short stories, most of which were previously published in literary journals and reviews around the nation. “Song Stealers” won a National Endowment for the Arts in 1982. All the stories were published with my Nom De Plume “Dick Morgan”, but the publisher apparently didn’t like the name “Dick.” Nonetheless, I am very fond of this collection of my early work, some of my best.
Warrior Mind: Strategy and Philosophy from the Martial Arts
Published by Authorhouse in 2009
I have spent 50 years of continuous class practice in the martial arts. I have black belt rank in Kenpo, Taekwondo, Jujitsu, Aikido, and Hapkido. My highest rank (7th dan) is in Korean Hapkido, which I studied for 40 years. This book is about my journey, and the wisdom I discovered.
Studying a martial art is not really about learning deadly technique; you can never learn them all. It’s about developing a thorough knowledge of the principles behind technique, and the mind-set which prepares one to use them (or not use them). Warrior mind is a positive way of thinking, a kind of “relentless optimism.” The principles that make martial arts work also make life work; thus, the quest for Warrior Mind becomes a spiritual journey.
Fire in the Night & Other Stories
Published by Authorhouse in 2021
This is my second collection of short stories, and contains my novella, “Fire in the Night,” which took me nearly 40 years to write. Also included is my short children’s fable, Vido’s Stone,” which won first place in the Kay Snow (Willamette Writers) writing competition in 1983. Also included is my lead story, “May Eleventh,” about returning from service in Vietnam to a deeply divided America which was almost as dangerous.
Kirkus Reviews called this “A captivating collection of tales which delight and enlighten.”