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.
I Repeat Myself: WRITE WELL, NOT FAST
November is now upon us, and for many writers that means NaNoWriMo—or how many words can you write TODAY, or THIS WEEK, or THIS MONTH? The point I attempt to hammer home to ALL writers, novice and otherwise, remains valid in any month or year, and is contained in the above title. So once again here are my thoughts, as expressed in this annual post.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—THE MUMMY (2017)
I still don’t know why everyone hates this film. Maybe it’s a Tom Cruise thing. 😊 I first presented this post in 2020.
My 2023 Halloween Playlist
It’s that time again. Living in a gated 55+ community, I no longer have to hand out Halloween candy at the front door, since no one does trick-or-treating. These days I spend the holiday enjoying a horror movie marathon…three or four shockers.
Throwback Thursday: The Lord Of The…Dust Bunnies?
Since I first wrote this post during the pandemic quarantine in 2020, our poor Frodo has sailed off to the Undying Lands. 😊
Horror Done Right: THE ORPHANAGE
Even though I had bought a Blu-Ray copy of the 2007 “gothic supernatural horror” film, THE ORPHANAGE, I almost didn’t watch it. A co-production between Spain and Mexico, EL ORFANATO is presented entirely in Spanish, with English sub-titles. Snob that I am, I’ve always found sub-titles distracting. Still, I gave it a chance, and five minutes in, I was hooked.
Throwback Thursday: The Dragon That Ate Alaska
Okay, I’m embellishing here. But in the 2009 creature feature, WYVERN, a mythical dragon chows down on the quirky residents of a small town in northern Alaska in order to feed itself, as well as to bring some tasty morsels to its soon-to-be-hatched young.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Is Anyone Watching Pandemic Movies?
Covid variants are still around, but it seems that many have gotten complacent about it. I first presented this post in April of 2020, shortly after most of the world was shut down.
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.
Throwback Thursday: A March Miracle—The Texas Western Basketball Team
The world of sports could not present a story more uplifting than this one. The post first ran in 2020.
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