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.
Throwback Thursday: Films About Writers—1408
Writers love to write about other writers, and Stephen King arguably leads the league in that category. Just to name a few: THE DARK HALF MISERY, ‘SALEM’S LOT, BAG OF BONES, and SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN. And his short story, 1408…
Report From The Quarantine Cave 10.0
Year Two-plus of the coronavirus pandemic. Well, it might be “plus” for most everyone, but for me it started for real on a day in early March almost exactly one year ago. Hard to forget…
Throwback Thursday: From Bedtime Story To Book—THE DARK CORNER
No grandchildren that I can read to during the blasted pandemic! I first presented this post about my YA novel, THE DARK CORNER, in 2017.
Curious Possessions IV
With seven-plus decades in the rearview mirror I’ve had plenty of time to collect a whole lot of “stuff.” Here is a look at some more “Curious Possessions” floating around my domicile.
Throwback Thursday: Native American Film Gems—EDGE OF AMERICA
Outstanding director Chris Eyre (SMOKE SIGNALS, SKINS) took a true story and turned it into EDGE OF AMERICA, a 2003 made-for-cable film. On the surface it appears to be an inspirational sports movie, but that is only a small part of the big picture.
Dashing Through The Snow…
Last week I wrote about “bad science” movies and mentioned THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, a 2004 “climate science fiction/disaster” film. In this expanded post I first thought about adding it to my Guilty Pleasures, but given that it grossed over $550 million, I quickly discarded that idea.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—Virus
Jamie Lee Curtis once called VIRUS, a 1999 sci-fi/horror flick, a “piece of shit.” Why is that significant? Because the renowned scream queen was one of its stars—along with Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin.
Bad Science? Gimme A Break!
I strongly believe in science, especially when it comes to dealing with major issues such as global pandemics and climate change. But when I watch a movie, primarily in two of my favorite genres—disaster films and sci-fi—I’m doing it to escape from reality for a couple of hours, and I’m not particularly concerned with whether the scientific aspects of the story are entirely accurate.
Throwback Thursday: A Grand (Canyon) Mystery
This post, about a bizarre incident that occurred nearly a century ago in the Grand Canyon, has been viewed countless times since it first ran in 2017.
Report From The Quarantine Cave 9.0
Year Two of the coronavirus pandemic: yeah, this time I’m not exaggerating. The first case of Covid-19 showed up in the U.S. a year ago, and here we are, still dealing with it.
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