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.
Throwback Thursday: Another Cheer-Worthy Sports Movie That You Probably Missed
The 2009 film, THE PERFECT GAME, was one of those “came-and went” movies that most folks weren’t even aware of when it breezed through their local multi-plexes. That’s too bad, because this heartwarming baseball story, based on true events, is a gem, easily one of the fifty or sixty movies in my Top Ten.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—Resurrection Mary, The Hitchhiking Ghost
Chicago and its environs are home to quite a few ghosts and spirits. I’ve already written about one of America’s most haunted places, the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, located in the Windy City’s suburbs. But the story of Resurrection Mary might be even creepier.
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?
Throwback Thursday: The Worms Keep Turning…But For How Long?
Well, apparently quite long, as there has already been a seventh entry in the series, TREMORS: SHRIEKER ISLAND, to hit the small screen. This post first ran in 2018.
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!
Throwback Thursday: Who Won The Bone Wars?
Also called the Great Dinosaur Rush, the Bone Wars comprises an interesting chapter in American history. The phrase refers to a period of fiercely competitive fossil hunting that took place during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Although many others got caught up in the obsessive hunt for dinosaur remains, its two primary antagonists were paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. And wow, did these guys hate each other’s guts!
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.
Throwback Thursday: Shh—Don’t Make A Sound…
Just how scary is the 2018 thriller, A QUIET PLACE? Okay, perhaps you’ve seen a Cox commercial where a woman is watching STRANGER THINGS and sitting on the edge of her couch looking seriously freaked out. That’s about what this jaded horror aficionado looked like all through this film.
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