Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
The Wreck Of The LADY ELGIN
Five freshwater lakes in North America are known collectively as the Great Lakes. Over the centuries, numerous shipwrecks have accounted for a great number of fatalities. There are no exact figures on the number of wrecks, though estimates have ranged from 6,000 to over 20,000. One number, however, is well-known: the largest death toll on a single vessel plying open water belongs to the ill-fated PS LADY ELGIN.
Dinosaurs In The Neighborhood?
Sure, I may be older than dirt, but the “kid” in me will always partake of the Snoopy Dance when the prospect of a new dinosaur movie arises. That brings me to the oddly titled THE END OF OAK STREET, the J.J. Abrams-produced science fiction/survival film, which will debut later this year in August.
The Balm Of Baseball
In a couple of weeks it will be two years since I lost Jacqueline, my beloved bride, to demon cancer. Devastated? I’m sure you can imagine. For a time, I thought I’d follow close behind. So how did I survive the aftermath?
Captain Kirk Versus The…Spiders?
In-between his well-known roles as the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise in the ’60s, and L.A. police lieutenant T.J. Hooker in the ’80s, William Shatner had a starring role in the 1977 creature feature, KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS. If you think this film was more horror schlock, typical of its era…think again.
Oh No! Eight-Oh!!!
Yes indeed, hard to believe, but today (March 6th) marks eighty years that I have walked the Earth. That’s a few decades short of Bilbo Baggins when he left for Rivendell on his birthday, but close enough. Good grief, how did this happen?
From The Ridiculous To The Sublime
One old horror flick still retains its 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A second old horror flick is saddled with a 5% rating. The two of them made for an interesting double feature on a recent dark and stormy night outside my abode.
You Don’t Know Jack
Some fun today. In my latest novel, THE MAGIC OF THE BIKE PATH (A Jack Miller Senior Moment: Book Six), Jack winds up in a museum located in the middle of nowhere…literally. Its current exhibit is “The Wonderful, Jackalicious World of Jack,” featuring famous figures, both real and fictional, named Jack. How can he pass that up? Accompanied by the museum docent—Jack the Ripper—our intrepid rider visits the interactive displays. Here is a small sample.
High-Tech Gone Awry…In The 1950s?
As an impressionable kid growing up in the ’50s, I watched just about every horror and science fiction film they made—and they made a lot. The horror movies scared the crap out of me, and so did most of the sci/fi flicks, especially ones involving weird-looking invaders from space, or killer robots. Which brings me to GOG.
The A-Holes Are Everywhere
This is not my usual fare, but when a writer learns about something that pisses him/her off, the writer writes about it.
Have A Few Laughs On Me
The way things are going in this world, and in particular this country, we could all use a diversion. As it used to say in READER’S DIGEST, “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” So here is a short scene from BACK ON THE BIKE PATH (A Jack Miller Senior Moment: Book Four), which I wrote during the pandemic (see?).
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