Mike Sirota's Blog – 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 so much more than that, hence the all-inclusive “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.

Throwback Thursday: Old Sci-Fi Film Still Shines

by mike | Sep 20, 2018

In a recent post about movie quotes I used the most familiar one from the 1951 gem, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Though I hadn’t seen the movie in a long time, I still remembered the alien catch-phrase from it: “Klaatu barada nikto.” So I decided the time had come to revisit an old friend, and after watching it I realized that its message still resonated today, over six decades later.

Another Cheer-Worthy Sports Movie That You Probably Missed

by mike | Sep 17, 2018

The 2009 film, THE PERFECT GAME, was one of those “came-and went” movies that most folks weren’t even aware of when it breezed through their local multi-plexes. That’s too bad, because this heartwarming baseball story, based on true events, is a gem, easily one of the fifty or sixty movies in my Top Ten.

Throwback Thursday—Let It Go: Part Two

by mike | Sep 13, 2018

It took a long time for my award-winning historical novel, STONE WOMAN, to see the light of day. In Part Two I will explain why.

Myths And Legends: Resurrection Mary, The Hitchhiking Ghost

by mike | Sep 10, 2018

Chicago and its environs are home to quite a few ghosts and spirits. I’ve already written about one of America’s most haunted places, the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, located in the Windy City’s suburbs. But the story of Resurrection Mary might be even creepier.

Throwback Thursday—Let It Go: Part One

by mike | Sep 6, 2018

This post first ran in 2014, and that same year STONE WOMAN was honored by the San Diego Book Awards Association as Best Historical Novel.

The Worms Keep Turning…But For How Long?

by mike | Sep 3, 2018

The 2018 monster movie, TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL, is the sixth in a film series that began with the 1990 release, Tremors, which starred Kevin Bacon as Valentine McKee. Indeed, this series has run for nearly three decades—with an eleven-year hiatus between the 2004 prequel, TREMORS: THE LEGEND BEGINS, and TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES in 2015. The question is, how much longer can we expect to see the giant, worm-like Graboids or the smelly Ass-Blasters decrease the surface population?