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: Blowing Shit Up—Dante’s Peak And Volcano
Being a guy, it’s in my DNA—like most guys everywhere—to love movies in which they’re blowing shit up. Lots of shit; the more the better.
The Mighty Casey Struck Out…Twice
One of my favorite episodes in Twilight Zone’s first season was titled, “The Mighty Casey.” I totally enjoyed seeing it again, but afterward, in researching its history—as I had done with all of the previous episodes—I discovered something about one of the actors that shocked me.
Throwback Thursday: Writing Tips—To Outline Your Story…Or Not?
To some writers, “outline” is a dirty word (much like “synopsis”). To others, it is an indispensable tool in helping to craft their stories. As for me—well, during my multiple writing careers I have traveled down both roads. Let me explain.
Jurassic Rankings: Part Two
I can’t even guess at how many times I’ve seen the three original Jurassic Park films. It will take a long time for me to catch up with the Jurassic World trilogy. Heck, the third one isn’t even due till 2021. Here are the “better” and “best” films—IMHO, of course.
Throwback Thursday: Films About Books—The Ninth Gate
Roman Polanski’s eerie 1999 thriller, THE NINTH GATE, opens with an old guy named Andrew Telfer hanging himself in his library amid shelves crammed with old books. From there we meet sleazy rare book dealer Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), and even sleazier rare book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella), a gazillionaire who is obsessed with books about Satan.
Jurassic Rankings: Part One
Yes, I’m going to rate the five films in the Jurassic Park franchise (IMHO, of course), but it is not going to be in a worst-to-first way. I love dinosaur movies in general, and these were all entertaining, so I think good-to-better-to best would be more accurate.
Throwback Thursday: Steel Versus Magic…Who Wins?
After writing a number of Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired sword & planet/lost world novels, I decided it was time to try my hand at sword & sorcery. By this time I was dreaming some of my storylines, and one in particular came at me like a runaway bantha.
Films About Books: The Bookshop
Book lovers are special people. (Yes, I’m biased, but what the heck.) The theme is especially prevalent in the 2017 drama, THE BOOKSHOP. The film, a period piece set in England, has an impressive cast that includes Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, and Patricia Clarkson.
Throwback Thursday: Films About Writers—The Whole Wide World
Who knew? While writing a post about Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan and the acknowledged “father” of Sword & Sorcery, I did research to make sure some of my facts were correct. I discovered that a movie had been made about a portion of his short life—the last year or two, to be precise…
Ghostbusters…Whaddya Want?
Last week I mentioned that a GHOSTBUSTERS sequel was on the way in 2020. So I had to ask myself, is that what I really want? Assuming this actually gets off the ground—Hollywood’s development hell can be exactly that—I’m just not sure.
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