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—Manhunter: The Screen’s First Hannibal The Cannibal
Most people think of Anthony Hopkins when they hear the name Hannibal Lecter, and rightfully so. Hopkins won an Academy Award for portraying the incarcerated psychiatrist/serial killer in the Best Picture of 1991, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and two subsequent films. But he wasn’t the first.
Conjuring Up A Scary Universe: Part Three
There is a legend, true or otherwise, of a woman who lived in seventeenth century Mexico with her husband and two children. When she caught hubby cheating on her, she went mad and drowned the kids. Ultimately, realizing what she had done, she killed herself.
My 2019 Halloween Playlist
I thought it would be fun to revisit my first Halloween playlist from a number of years past. And yes, I am going to watch these films once again. What’s not to like!
Conjuring Up A Scary Universe: Part Two
With the financial success of the first two films in the Conjuring Universe, sequels were inevitable. This time around the filmmakers doubled down on the links that they inserted in THE CONJURING 2, a clear indication that this franchise had a lot more to offer in the future.
Throwback Thursday: Write Well, Not Fast
November is nearly upon us, and for writers that means NaNoWriMo—or, how many words can you write TODAY, or THIS WEEK, or THIS MONTH? The point I attempt to hammer home to all writers, novice and otherwise, remains valid in any month or year, and is contained in the title of this post.
Conjuring Up A Scary Universe: Part One
Having viewed over 17 million horror movies since the invention of celluloid, I’m pretty jaded when it comes to being scared by any of them. But I just about had to change my shorts after watching the 2013 thriller, THE CONJURING. If it isn’t the scariest movie I ever saw, then it’s at least in the top three or four.
Throwback Thursday: Is “Romantic Horror” An Oxymoron?
Today’s blast from the past is about “Romantic Horror.” I initially published this post just before another significant holiday in 2012. Enjoy!
Preventing A Touchdown—The Supernatural Way
By way of self-evaluation, THE MODOC WELL (originally published as THE WELL by Bantam Books) is the goriest of my four horror novels. This particular shocker of a scene will illustrate that.
Throwback Thursday: Myth And Legends—The Chindi
In the Navajo culture, the Chindi is a prominent—and feared—figure. “Chindi” is the Navajo word for “ghost,” and this one is no Casper, not by a longshot. This post first ran in 2015.
“I Love My Rejection Slips…”—Writing Quotes From Writers
Thoughts about writing from successful writers can inspire—or perhaps deflate, depending how they are taken. Here are a few gems.
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