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.
Throwback Thursday: Report From The Quarantine Cave 6.0
Day 18,764 of the coronavirus pandemic: enough already! I mean, freaking enough! Are we back in the Dark Ages with the Black Plague? And it only seems to be getting worse.
The Not-So-Itsy-Bitsy Spider…
Of the all the numerous 1950s sci-fi/horror/“big bug” movies, TARANTULA (1955) stands out as one of the best. Its director, Jack Arnold, was among the leading filmmakers of the era, with hits such as IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954), and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957).
Throwback Thursday: Attack Of The Giant…Penguin?
Would a horror movie with a title like that make you want to sign up with another streaming service so you can watch it? No, I didn’t think so. But just such a creature emerged from the ocean off Clearwater, Florida over seventy years ago—or did it?
My Second-Oldest Book
I don’t recall exactly when THE YEAR THE YANKEEES LOST THE PENNANT, published in 1954, came into the Sirota household. Maybe I picked it up at a library sale…a possibility, as back then I haunted the West Farms Branch (in The Bronx) of the New York Public Library. Still, the Yankees were MY team, so why would I want to read a book about them losing?
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—The Cannibals Of Ancient Scotland
When Wes Craven, the late film director, needed source material for his 1977 horror classic, The Hills Have Eyes, he turned to a story that combined truth and possibly fiction. An easy choice: he referenced the legend of SAWNEY BEAN.
This “Song” Says It All
I’ve been through starts and stops with my writing career. At present I’m in a “hold” pattern, for unavoidable reasons. I addressed one of the “stops” at a long-ago book launch for my novel, THE BURNING GROUND, one that I repeated shortly afterward as keynote speaker at the Southern California Writers’ Conference.
Throwback Thursday—Writers: Take A Hike!
To me, walking is more than just exercise. I first presented this post in 2020.
Remembering Apollo Creed
I was saddened to learn about the passing of Carl Weathers last week. The ex-football player-turned actor died “peacefully,” according to his family, in his sleep at the age of 76.
Throwback Thursday: Report From The Quarantine Cave 5.0
So glad NOT to be in the cave anymore, although we remain cautious. This post first ran in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic.
Words Of The Wizard: Part Two
A wizard of the Istari order, Gandalf the Grey—later, after his death during a battle with a Balrog, Gandalf the White—is a dominant figure in the two remarkable screen trilogies, THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Admirably portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen, he also provides some memorable lines. Here are a few from the second trilogy.
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