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.
Come Visit The Garden Of A Thousand Bad Jokes
In my four-book (soon to be five!) comedy/sci-fi series, cosmic bicyclist Jack Miller visits some weird, wild—and dangerous—worlds through gates along the Ultimate Bike Path. Tempering the craziness in all of the books are occasional serious chapters, though I’ll always finish up with an outrageous one.
Spielberg Messed Up—An Opinion
Steven Spielberg’s 1977 science fiction classic, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, is definitely in my Top 5 favorite movies. It led me on a decades-long pilgrimage to the Devils Tower in Wyoming, which culminated with me reaching the magical place in 2017. It is an almost perfect movie, with only two things about it that bother me.
Myths And Legends: The Mystery Of Flight 19
If you’ve watched the 1977 Steven Spielberg classic, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, you might recall the opening sequence. Researchers are summoned to the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, where a group of old planes has suddenly appeared. They determine that the planes, in perfect condition, belong to Flight 19, a group of five planes that disappeared 32 years earlier, in 1945. Did I say disappeared? Has to be science fiction, right? Wrong. It really happened.
It’s A Mystery To Me
My bride and I love murder mysteries and detective dramas, cozy and otherwise. We’ve watched just about every series and movie from a number of different countries, especially the UK. I know why this particular genre appeals to me. To be blunt: I SUCK AT DEDUCTION.
The Babadook: An LGBTQ Icon?
THE BABADOOK is a 2014 Australian horror film that is considered a classic of its genre. It tells the story of Amelia, a grieving young widow, and seven-year-old Sam, her out-of-control son. Somehow the film’s “monster,” inexplicably, has become what many call a “queer” icon. How did that happen?
Remembering Jimmy
“Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same.” Jimmy Buffett’s words. Good words…and true. Add to it: just about everything comes to an end. We lost this great entertainer a little over a week ago. I am crushed.
A Good Murder/Mystery Series Made Even Better
My bride and I love detective shows from the UK, and FATHER BROWN is one of our favorites. Starting in 2013, the series has run for ten seasons and over one hundred episodes. Series 10 premiered earlier this year, and we were pleased—maybe even ecstatic—to learn that two of the longest running, most annoying characters had left for…I don’t know, greener pastures?
Baseball’s Most Shocking Tragedy
Raymond Johnson Chapman played shortstop in the major leagues for nine seasons. His legacy, sadly, is not one that Ray himself would have wished on anyone.
Myths And Legends: The Sumatran Death Ship
The Dutch vessel was called the SS OURANG MEDAN, which translated from Malay to “Man of Medan,” the latter being a Sumatran island. So much has been written and discussed about the unimaginable incident that brought this ship’s name into the public spectrum. But what might be even more incredible is that this much heralded event…might not have ever happened.
Guilty Pleasures: SKYSCRAPER
Our hero “is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound,” right? Uh, no, that’s another guy. In the 2018 action/disaster film, SKYSCRAPER, our hero, Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson), can leap his way into the world’s tallest building, which happens to be on fire, while outrunning both the bad guys and the police—and he can do all this on only one leg.
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