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.
Mugs, Pugs, Thugs, And Nitwits: More Great Movie Lines
I’ve seen some of my favorite movies so many times that I can recite much of the dialogue in a lot of them. Here are some more of my favorites.
Throwback Thursday: What If?
This post from back in time talks about a two-word phrase that, without question, is an integral tool in every novelist’s toolbox.
Time To Read—Finally!
Like most Americans these days, I worked full-time into my late sixties. During all my adult years I probably could have made some time to partake in one of my favorite endeavors: reading books. One problem: for most of that time I worked as a writing coach and editor, which necessitated reading many hundreds of book manuscripts.
Throwback Thursday: Cross Plains Revisited
We’re back to a tiny Texas town today to find out more about a giant of a storyteller: Robert E. Howard.
An Inspirational Sports Movie That You Probably Missed
When it comes to the 2007 film, The Final Season, I can’t deny that I’m somewhat biased. I love baseball; my bride is from Iowa, where this true story took place; and I’m quite fond of the state, which I’ve visited numerous times in recent decades. The latter includes trips to two of its baseball shrines: the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, and the town of Norway, population about 500, where baseball truly is LIFE.
Throwback Thursday: Swords, Sorcery, And Cross Plains, Texas
With a new Conan movie supposedly on the horizon—although I think it’s been stuck in “development hell” for a while—I’d like to revisit this post about the barbarian’s creator, Robert E. Howard.
Rancid Reviews: We Writers Just Have To Live With Them
A rather recent rancid review prompted me to write this post. Sure, most writers are sensitive to criticism; I was like that too, back in the day. But I’ve been writing since the dawn of time and have learned to accept bad reviews as part of “the cost of doing business.” Still, rotten repulsive rancid reviews really rankle, right?
Throwback Thursday: Weird Happenings
Are the happenings weird—or is it me? You be the judge after you read this post from 2012.
Films About Writers: The Ghost Writer
This 2010 political drama, directed by Roman Polanski, stars a young Obi-Wan Kenobi (wait, I mean Ewan McGregor) as “The Ghost.” He is never referred to by name, an indication that there will be something “different” about this meticulously paced and intriguing film.
Throwback Thursday: California Genocide
Since this post first appeared in 2012, there have been positive and negative things happening for this country’s indigenous People. On the one hand, fewer cities are acknowledging Columbus Day and have even renamed the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day. On the other, the Pope canonized Father Junípero Serra of California, a travesty, in my opinion.
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