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: Homicidal Maniacs In…Iowa?
The Hawkeye state, birthplace of my bride, isn’t usually in the forefront when it comes to horror movies. But in THE CRAZIES (2010), a remake of George Romero’s 1973 film, Iowa is where we find ourselves, and yeah, the maniacs are all over the cornfields.
A Perfect Ending To A Beloved Film Series…Or Not
The renowned director, James Cameron, was hardly a blip on the Hollywood radar screen in 1984 when he pitched his screenplay for a science fiction/action movie called THE TERMINATOR. Fortunately the film got done, he got to direct it, Arnold Schwarzenegger landed the perfect role for him at the time (lots of muscle, little dialogue), and the rest is history.
Throwback Thursday: Mr. Mankind Still Creeps Me Out
Growing up in the 1950s I got to experience first-hand the new wave of science fiction movies that defined the era. One of my absolute favorites, INVADERS FROM MARS (1953), had the distinction of being the first film to present aliens and their spacecraft in color…
Will The TITANIC Really Sail Again?
Last month I watched the much-honored 1997 film, TITANIC, for the first time in many years. It reminded me that I had heard a replica of the doomed ship was under construction and would sail the same route, from Southampton in England to New York City, possibly in 2022. Was this true?
Throwback Thursday: All That Glitters…
I’d like to share a creepy scene from THE BURNING GROUND, one of my four horror novels. This is the final scene in chapter one, which takes place in 1849. (The balance of the story is contemporary.) I first presented this post in 2017.
“I’m The King Of The World!”—Well-Known Movie Lines That Were Ad-Libbed
Film actors and actresses—especially the most creative ones—will deviate from a script more often than you’d think. Some of the most iconic movie lines were improvised. Here are a few of them.
Throwback Thursday: FREEDOM’S HAND—Let’s Hope It Never Comes To This
Sadly, this award-winning novel—about a brutal white supremacist group in the 1990s—continues to be relevant today, as it was in 2017, when I last presented this post.
What Are The Lincoln Canes?
Abe Lincoln, our 16th president, is remembered for a great many achievements. The commissioning of the Lincoln Canes is probably not one of them…but it should be.
Throwback Thursday: “They’re Coming To Get You…”—Lines From Classic Horror Movies
The dialogue in horror movies can range from outrageously humorous to super creepy. Here are just a few, all of the films prior to 1990. This post first ran in 2017.
Myths And Legends: The St. Augustine Lighthouse
The Florida city of St. Augustine, located on the Atlantic coast and founded in 1565 by explorers from Spain, is the oldest European-established and occupied settlement in the U.S. It is also home to one creepy old haunted lighthouse—if you can believe the legends.
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