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 Mighty Casey Struck Out…Twice
One of my favorite episodes in Twilight Zone’s first season was titled, “The Mighty Casey.” I totally enjoyed seeing it again, but afterward, in researching its history—as I had done with all of the previous episodes—I discovered something about one of the actors that shocked me.
Jurassic Rankings: Part Two
I can’t even guess at how many times I’ve seen the three original Jurassic Park films. It will take a long time for me to catch up with the Jurassic World trilogy. Heck, the third one isn’t even due till 2021. Here are the “better” and “best” films—IMHO, of course.
Jurassic Rankings: Part One
Yes, I’m going to rate the five films in the Jurassic Park franchise (IMHO, of course), but it is not going to be in a worst-to-first way. I love dinosaur movies in general, and these were all entertaining, so I think good-to-better-to best would be more accurate.
Films About Books: The Bookshop
Book lovers are special people. (Yes, I’m biased, but what the heck.) The theme is especially prevalent in the 2017 drama, THE BOOKSHOP. The film, a period piece set in England, has an impressive cast that includes Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, and Patricia Clarkson.
Guilty Pleasures: Sea Beast
The 2008 monster flick, SEA BEAST, originally titled TROGLODYTE, is one of many films in the SyFy Channel’s “Maneater” series. With titles such as GRIZZLY RAGE, RISE OF THE GARGOYLES, SAND SERPENTS, ROADKILL, and BLOOD MONKEY, the series covers just about every myth, legend, no-legged to multi-legged creature, flying/swimming/crawling creature, and anything else determined to chow down on humankind.
Using Fiction To Introduce Fact
When writing historical novels based on true events, the challenge is to not make the scenes read like dry, academic research for a thesis. My award-winning historical novel, STONE WOMAN: WINEMA AND THE MODOCS, offers many examples of how (hopefully) not to bore readers. I will present some scenes to illustrate what I mean.
Myths And Legends: The Girl On Fire
The accident that killed young Condie Cunningham over a century ago was no myth. But what followed would move the needle to the top of the “WEIRD” meter, where it remains to this day.
Films About Writers: Half Light
The 2006 mystery/ghost story, HALF LIGHT, starring Demi Moore, somehow got past me all these years. Well, better late than never. Here is a brief introduction, with absolutely no spoiler alert. I do not want to ruin this compelling film for anyone.
Guilty Pleasures: 10,000 BC
The 2008 “epic adventure” film, 10,000 BC, would not be a guilty pleasure if judged only by its box office. It made a fair amount of money. But the reviews for its story, which is set in prehistoric times, were uniformly harsh, many citing it as “archaeologically inaccurate.” Give me a break! This is a watchable film, and I intend to view it a few more times before the Mother Ship comes for me.
Hill House: A Scary Place, In The Night…In The Dark…
So what did horror-meister Stephen King think about the Netflix series, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, a revisionist version of the 1959 classic ghost story by Shirley Jackson? He tweeted that it was great, practically a work of genius.
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