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 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.
Magic In The Stone
Magic is a key component in just about every sword & sorcery novel, be it benevolent or for the darkest of evil. In one of my early stories, THE SWORD OF TYRON (original title: BERBORA), magic is used to transcend time itself. I’ll show you one of those scenes—but first, some backstory.
Cult Classics: One Person’s Opinion
A great philosopher (either Plato or Frank Zappa; I’m not sure) once said, “Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one, and they all stink.” With that in mind, I’ll reference an article that I read last week about twenty-five movies that, while considered “cult classics,” are not worthy of such adulation.
The Saga Of Greasy Neale
Elly de la Cruz, the exciting rookie, had just stolen three bases in the same inning, a rare feat that had occurred only 47 times in the history of Major League Baseball. As for the Cincinnati Reds, the last player to accomplish it did so in 1919, over a century ago. That player’s name: GREASY NEALE.
A Story’s “Setting” Can Also Be A “Character”
Indeed, I strongly believe that statement. Think about it: what would Tarzan’s life be like without the challenges of the beautiful but deadly jungle? Or the scientists and staff in John Carpenter’s THE THING without the starkness of Antarctica’s ice and snow? Or LAWRENCE OF ARABIA without the vastness of the blistering desert? Settings such as these play key roles in so many stories.
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