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.
Better Late Than Never
With regard to novelists, I’ve written a great deal about listening to the voices of experience when it comes to a writing coach/editor. I shared the following story some years ago in my newsletter and figured it would be just as relevant today. VINCENT WHO? I...
Guilty Pleasures: Arachnophobia
If you’ve read this blog for any period of time you probably know that I’m a sucker for movies like the 1990 bug-fest, Arachnophobia. Creepy-crawlies? Yep, I’m there. And this one is a gem. Is Arachnophobia a horror movie? Well, yeah. Is it a comedy? For sure. Back...
Priscilla Rolls On
I had the great pleasure of seeing the musical stage production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert here in San Diego last month. Most of the twenty or so familiar songs are still rolling around in my head, and they are more than welcome there. But above all the laughs,...
Still Scary After All These Years
The late, great Richard Matheson, one of my favorite authors, wrote many novels that I still cherish. At the top are two in particular: Bid Time Return (Somewhere in Time), a time travel/romance that takes place in and around San Diego’s Hotel Del Coronado, and Hell...
What’s In A Name?
“Hey Mike, where do you come up with those weird character names and place names in your fantasy and sci-fi novels?” Yeah, I used to get that question, or variations thereof, a lot when I did tons of appearances, signings, conferences, and so on. But it had been a...
Tall Tim’s Tales: Memories Of Arizona
So what DON’T I like about Arizona? Traffic roundabouts. Can’t stand the darn things, which are ubiquitous—at least where Jacqueline and I traveled during our recent trip. In a small town called Cottonwood there were like four or five of them in a row—in the middle of...
Opening Lines: Part Deux
I just returned from an excellent trip to northern Arizona. Lots to write about—next time. For now, here are some more outrageously bad opening lines from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Enjoy! Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping...
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...
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