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: Roger Dorn Had It Right
This is one of my, ahem, R-rated posts, which first ran in 2021—during the baseball season, of course.
My Favorite Donald Sutherland Film
There are lots to choose from, as this fine actor, who passed away last month at the age of 88, performed in over 140 films. But for me, the benchmark of Donald Sutherland’s screen roles was that of health inspector Matthew Bennell in the excellent 1978 remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS.
Throwback Thursday: THE CHANGELING—Horror At Its Best
You want SCARY? That’s exactly what you’ll get with THE CHANGELING, an absolute gem of a film. This post first ran in 2021.
Guilty Pleasures: THE WARD
The 2010 “supernatural psychological horror” film, THE WARD, is significant for being John Carpenter’s directorial finale. Did his decision have anything to do with the film, or was he just burned out of directing?
Throwback Thursday: This Overlooked Baseball Movie Is A Gem
As I’ve written before, my two favorite movies ever are FIELD OF DREAMS and FREQUENCY. Both are fantasies, and both are baseball-themed. This post is about THE SCOUT, a lesser-known but equally entertaining baseball fantasy film.
Films About Writers: SINISTER
If I can use one word to describe the 2012 horror flick, SINISTER, it is this: disturbing. But it did receive some decent reviews (a few “jump scares” and horror tropes notwithstanding), and it made a ton of money over its production budget. And, most important for this series, its main character was a writer.
Throwback Thursday: Report From The Quarantine Cave 11.0
A bit of “retro” that I hope will never make a comeback. This post first ran in 2021, with the pandemic at its height.
To Hell In A Handbasket
In advance of the release of PERILS OF THE BIKE PATH (the fifth opus in my comedy/sci-fi series), I’m presenting an occasional scene from one of the earlier books. This one comes from the third book, THE 22ND GEAR. My cosmic bike rider, Jack Miller, has bicycled into Hell, where he meets his tour guide…
Throwback Thursday: “My, What A Big Bat!” Lines From Vintage Horror Movies
No CGI in the classic horror movies of yore, but they could still scare the crap out of you. Here are some memorable lines from a few of them. This post first ran in 2021.
Myths And Legends: The World War I Ghost Ship
The ZEBRINA was a schooner-rigged, three-masted sailing barge of 189 tons, built in 1873 in Whitstable, England. Four decades later, following an unremarkable career, the ZEBRINA joined a fraternity that no ship desired to be a part of: it became a GHOST SHIP.
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