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: “A Midnight Dreary” In The Raven Room
This was a memorable visit to Edgar Allan Poe’s old haunts, to be sure. The post first ran in 2016.
“Start Writing, No Matter What” – More Quotes From Successful Authors
Wisdom from well-known authors can be inspirational for wannabe writers. Or in some cases they can have the opposite effect. Here are some more gems to ponder.
Throwback Thursday: Films About Books—The Princess Bride
Okay, who hasn’t seen the 1987 fairytale gem, THE PRINCESS BRIDE? Not ever seeing it would be inconceivable! This film, an instant cult classic, is on countless Top Whatever lists in comedy and other genres.
Myths And Legends: The St. Louis Ghost Train
To be clear, we’re not talking about the city in Missouri, but rather a small town in Canada, located in the province of Saskatchewan. This rural burg put itself on the paranormal map a long time ago by virtue of an eerie phenomenon: the lights of a ghostly train that roll down invisible tracks nearly every night.
Throwback Thursday: A Jack Nicholson Snow Globe?
I have a snow globe containing a dead guy who had froze to death in the snow. What does that say about me? This post first ran in 2016.
What Is Capgras Delusion?
In these two films about “pod people,” alien spores are duplicating humans and destroying their bodies as they take their places—fiction, of course. But you might be surprised to know that this is a real psychiatric disorder, first identified nearly a century ago, called Capgras Delusion.
Throwback Thursday—Native American Film Gems: Skins
Chris Eyre, director of the wonderful SMOKE SIGNALS, came up with another winner in his 2002 film, SKINS, based on a novel by Adrian C. Louis. While this story contains its share of humor, it has a far more serious undertone than its predecessor.
Curious Possessions II
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: So Glad Shoeless Joe Jackson Came To Iowa
It began as a short story by Canadian author W.P. Kinsella in an anthology of baseball stories titled, “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa.” Later on, Kinsella expanded the story into a novel called, simply, “Shoeless Joe.” Most all of us know it as FIELD OF DREAMS…
“The Supreme Excitement Of Our Time!”
The above gaudy title was the tagline for THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955), a science fiction thriller from the “golden decade” of that genre. For generations raised on CGI, motion capture, and other high-tech wizardry, this film’s special effects might come off as laughable…
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