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.
Manhunter: The Screen’s First Hannibal The Cannibal
Most people think of Anthony Hopkins when they hear the name Hannibal Lecter, and rightfully so. Hopkins won an Academy Award for portraying the incarcerated psychiatrist/serial killer in the Best Picture of 1991, Silence of the Lambs, and two subsequent films. But he wasn’t the first.
Throwback Thursday: Romantic Horror—An Oxymoron?
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today’s blast from the past is about “Romantic Horror.” I published this post just before another significant holiday in 2012. Enjoy!
Myths And Legends: The Chindi
In the Navajo culture, the Chindi is a prominent—and feared—figure. “Chindi” is the Navajo word for “ghost,” and this one is no Casper, not by a longshot.
Throwback Thursday: Angry Spirits From The Gold Rush Era Return With A Vengeance
My ghost story, The Burning Ground, was first published in 2012. Here is an interview I did back then about the book.
December Thoughts
“Merry Christmas,” if that’s the holiday you’ll be celebrating later this week. “Happy Holidays,” if you don’t celebrate it but instead enjoy one of the many other various holidays that occur around this time of year. “Have A Nice Day” if you choose not to celebrate any of them.
Throwback Thursday: Downieville—A Ghost Town With Live People
Many writers dislike research. I’m just the opposite. For me, research is one of the most important and fun things that I do. This post from four years ago tells about one of my best research trips ever.
Guilty Pleasures: Nightwing
I should feel quite guilty about enjoying Nightwing, the 1979 horror film based on the Martin Cruz Smith novel of the same name—a movie reviled by both critics and viewers alike. But, as usual, I don’t give a rat’s (bat’s?) butthole about what anyone thinks. For sure, Nightwing is not Citizen Kane, but it does have its moments—most of those moments having to do with the story taking place on a fictional Native American reservation in the desert Southwest.
Throwback Thursday: It’s All About Second Chances
With over two hundred posts in the nearly four-year existence of my blog, I thought it might be fun to revisit some of the older stories. Beginning today, in addition to the new posts on Monday I will use the Wayback Machine every Thursday to summon up the past. Revisions will be made where logical. Enjoy!
Blowing Shit Up: Twister And Into The Storm
Yes, in case you didn’t know, tornadoes are responsible for blowing lots of shit up. Mother Nature does get pissed upon occasion. And nowhere is this better illustrated than in the two disaster movies, Twister (1996) and Into the Storm (2014).
Verevolf? Vot’s A Verevolf?
Last week’s post about memorable movie lines included one from the 1941 horror classic, The Wolf Man, specifically from the old gypsy woman named Maleva. The renowned Russian actress, Madame Maria Ouspenskaya, played the oft-imitated role with dead seriousness. It reminded me of an outrageous scene I’d written years ago in the second book of my satirical Bicycling trilogy, The Ultimate Bike Path, so I thought that I’d share it with you.
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