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.
Even The Most Successful Authors Dealt With The Evil Rejection Slips
Many bestselling authors, from Stephen King To J.K. Rowling, garnered their share of rejections before making it big. Many of them blew me away. Here are just a few. The first, to a much beloved author, is one of my favorites.
Updating THE CONJURING Universe
Back in 2019 I wrote about the seven films (at the time) that comprised what is called THE CONJURING Universe. This is a multi-billion (with a “b”) franchise of horror movies “based on the true stories” of hauntings and demonic possession cases involving Lorraine and Ed Warren. Since then an eighth film, THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT (2021) has been released, and there is more to come.
WEST SIDE STORY: “el Remake de 2021 es Magnífico”
As an old(er) guy I’m kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to change. I like the old Broadway musicals just the way they are, not remade, reimagined, rebooted, or whatever. A few years back, when I first heard that Steven Spielberg planned on producing and directing a reboot of the fabulous 1961 film version of WEST SIDE STORY, I had a WTF moment, despite my admiration for him and his works. Why remake such a gem?
Bernie Smith Is Back!
Indeed he is, still the reluctant hero in my recently published novel, THE HORRORS OF HARRMEL. Bernie first appeared in my 2016 Sword & Planet spoof, THE WIZARD FROM HARRMEL, where he was zapped up from an Iowa cornfield and deposited on the deadly planet of Persus. There, amid numerous weird and wild adventures, he and the woman of his dreams, the beautiful and brilliant Thanna Dora, must face off against the nastiest of the nasty, the evil wizard from the dark land of Harrmel—the notorious Heevit Upp!
A QUIET PLACE: Part II—Not As Quiet, But Still Awesome
The story contained within the remarkable 2018 horror film, A QUIET PLACE, began on “Day 89” and went forward from there. So when A QUIET PLACE: Part II (2020) opens on “Day 1” we are assured of finding out how it all started. But it is not entirely a prequel to the original film.
“The Play’s The Thing”—SHAKESPEARE AND HATHAWAY
No, we’re not talking about William Shakespeare, or his wife, Anne Hathaway—not exactly, anyway. This is about Luella “Lu” Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) and Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton), stars of the delightful BBC British detective/comedy series, “Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators.”
Myths And Legends: The Ohio State Reformatory
If you saw the excellent film, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, or the political thriller, AIR FORCE ONE, then you’ve had a glimpse inside the Ohio State Reformatory, located in Mansfield, OH. But you likely didn’t know that this former prison is considered to be one of the most haunted places in America.
Spirit Of 76: The Good And The Bad (Not Ugly) Of Aging
Yeah, I turned 76 last week, and to tell the truth, approaching that number kind of weirded me out. Not sure why; maybe inching closer to 80 (eee-yoo!) had something to do with it. Whatever. I’ve never been one to subscribe to the “76 is the new 56” mode of thinking, so for a while there it was kind of a bummer.
Ghostly Rankings: The GHOSTBUSTERS Films
A while back, when I ranked the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World films, I mentioned that it was not a matter of Worst to First, given that I did not think any of them sucked. Good to Great was more like it. The same thing holds true for the four Ghostbusters movies.
“I Ain’t ’Fraid-A No Ghosts”—Lines From A Great Film Series, Part Two
The 2016 version of GHOSTBUSTERS (“Answer the Call”), a remake of the original, featured an all-female starring cast. Many folks had an issue with that. I didn’t…I just enjoyed it for what it was. Get a life!
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