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 Worst Manuscript
Many folks are focused on rankings, so given that there has to be the best of everything, it stands to reason that there also has to be the worst. The worst plumber, the worst bus driver, the worst brain surgeon (oh please!), the worst airline pilot (oh double...
Opening Lines: When Bad Is Good
It was a dark and stormy night… Just about everyone, writer and non-writer alike, is familiar with that famous—or infamous—opening of a novel, arguably one of the most overused lines ever (even by Snoopy). The guy responsible for it? A nineteenth century British...
Evil: Truth Is Often Worse Than Fiction
This morning my wife picked up the main section of our local newspaper and started reading, as she does every morning. But this time she did not get past page one. “I can’t believe this!” Jacqueline exclaimed as she tossed the section on the floor. “Is this what our...
Big Trouble…Bigger Laughs
“When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you...
Why I Write
Through the centuries decades I’ve been asked a thousand times, “Mike, why do you write?” Being of eastern European descent I always answer that question with other questions. “Why do I write?” you ask. “Why do I breathe? Why do I eat and drink?” That’s about how...
Myths And Legends: The Ghost Of Kate Morgan
The Hotel del Coronado, which opened in 1888, is one of San Diego’s most famous and iconic structures. It has hosted all manner of royalty, both foreign and domestic. Marilyn Monroe lived on site during the filming of the 1959 comedy classic, Some Like It Hot. The...
This Film Left A Strong “Imprint”
A supernatural Native American-themed thriller? I liked Imprint even before I first watched it. But this 2007 indie film, which garnered a ton of awards, transcends any categorizing by genre with its gripping story and powerful performances by an outstanding, mostly...
One Hundred Posts!
Yep, no kidding—this is post number one hundred since I began “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” in late January of 2012. I hadn’t even thought of reaching that number till about a month ago, when my dashboard indicated that I had just posted number ninety-five. Close...
Kill The Indian…Save The Man
Does that title offend the living crap out of you? It did me, believe it. I didn’t make it up; it is attributed to a United States Army officer in the late nineteenth century. More on that shortly. The line would become the buzz phrase for many non-reservation Native...
Freedom’s Hand: Behind The Story
I wrote an early draft of my recently published thriller, Freedom’s Hand, many years ago—out of anger. So why an emotion like that as a catalyst for writing a novel? Let me explain. My parents were Eastern European Jews who immigrated here in the early twentieth...
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