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.
Myths And Legends: The Ghost Of Kate Morgan
The Hotel del Coronado, which opened in 1888, is one of San Diego’s most famous and iconic structures. It has hosted all manner of royalty, both foreign and domestic. Marilyn Monroe lived on site during the filming of the 1959 comedy classic, Some Like It Hot. The...
This Film Left A Strong “Imprint”
A supernatural Native American-themed thriller? I liked Imprint even before I first watched it. But this 2007 indie film, which garnered a ton of awards, transcends any categorizing by genre with its gripping story and powerful performances by an outstanding, mostly...
Kill The Indian…Save The Man
Does that title offend the living crap out of you? It did me, believe it. I didn’t make it up; it is attributed to a United States Army officer in the late nineteenth century. More on that shortly. The line would become the buzz phrase for many non-reservation Native...
Freedom’s Hand: Behind The Story
I wrote an early draft of my recently published thriller, Freedom’s Hand, many years ago—out of anger. So why an emotion like that as a catalyst for writing a novel? Let me explain. My parents were Eastern European Jews who immigrated here in the early twentieth...
Freedom’s Hand: Hell Revisited
Just like the name of my blog—and one of my websites—professes, most people know me as a writer in genres such as sword & sorcery, sword & planet, horror, paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction. That is why my newly released novel, Freedom’s Hand, may come...
Spiders, Bats, And Sharks: Critter Nirvana
My dear bride is not into my kind of bad movies, so I usually watch them when she’s out. When she’s home, we watch mutually agreeable flicks. But this week she had work to do on her trusty laptop that required concentration, and she thus spake the words that I love to...
Writerly Energy
Writing is, for the most part, a solitary avocation. I know that when I write my books I’m confined to my guy cave for endless hours at a time each day. So on those rare occasions when writers let themselves out into the real world and fill up a room or two at some...
Do Writers Connect With Their Characters?
The answer to that is a great big YES. At least I do. I’ve been thinking about that a lot in recent months for a specific reason. Let me explain. I just reissued one of my long-ago adventure fantasy novels, The Beasts of Zammar, the fourth book in the Ro-lan series....
The Title Of My New Book Is…“Untitled”
What? No, not me. Before I ever write word one of a new novel I must have a title. More on that in a moment. During my quarter-century or so as a writing coach and editor I’ve had many fiction—and even non-fiction—manuscripts come to me without titles…books that the...
Guilty Pleasures: An American Werewolf In London
Pardon the adverbs, but this 1981 film could be considered “humorously gross” or “grossly humorous.” Either way, An American Werewolf In London has more than enough gore and laughs to entertain during its 90+ minutes of run time. And now I find out, via research, that...
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