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.
How A Serious Sword & Planet Novel Turned Funny
Back in the day—the “day” being the 1970s and ’80s—I emulated my two muses, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard, with a spate of novels in genres such as Lost Worlds, Sword & Sorcery, and—of course—Sword & Planet. My five-book Reglathium series—which has long since evolved into my four-book Maldrinium series—was typical of the latter. But surprise, I wrote another Sword & Planet novel back then that went unpublished—at least, not in its original form.
Throwback Thursday: Murder In Kiwi Land—THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES
THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES has just about everything you could want in a detective series. I first presented this post in 2020.
Bob’s Your Uncle
Actually, Bob isn’t MY uncle. My three uncles’ names were Ben, Lou, and Hymie. But this isn’t about family. It is about a delightful, often-used expression across the pond in Great Britain.
Throwback Thursday: THE FLY—An Exercise In Barf-Baggery
Until recently I had not watched the excellent 1986 remake of THE FLY in many years. This is my excuse for forgetting that I should not have viewed the film so close to dinnertime. Appetite gone!
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.
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