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: Where No One Has Gone Before
What sci-fi show am I thinking about? It involves a starship traveling the galaxy on a deep-space exploratory mission. The captain is usually found in the company of his first officer and the ship’s doctor. Its plot is as much a morality play as it is a space adventure.
Who Ya Gonna Call? The Guys? The Women? Or…?
A couple of weeks ago the word out of Hollywood was that a new Ghostbusters movie would be hitting the silver screen in 2020. It would be directed by Jason Reitman, whose dad, Ivan, directed the original GHOSTBUSTERS in 1984.
Throwback Thursday: Ugly Precursor To Auschwitz—Hitler Said To Have Been Inspired By U.S. Indian Reservation System
It was over seventy years ago that the imprisoned and starved and viciously battered victims of Hitler and his Nazi thugs were liberated by Soviet troops. Hitler—the coward, who’d later commit suicide rather than face the music—was incontrovertibly one of the world’s most brutal and bloodthirsty bastards to ever walk the globe.
Guilty Pleasures: Sea Beast
The 2008 monster flick, SEA BEAST, originally titled TROGLODYTE, is one of many films in the SyFy Channel’s “Maneater” series. With titles such as GRIZZLY RAGE, RISE OF THE GARGOYLES, SAND SERPENTS, ROADKILL, and BLOOD MONKEY, the series covers just about every myth, legend, no-legged to multi-legged creature, flying/swimming/crawling creature, and anything else determined to chow down on humankind.
Throwback Thursday: The Island—When Science Goes Too Far
As far back as Dr. Frankenstein creating his monster, there are many stories about the gross misuse of science and technology leading to disastrous results.
Using Fiction To Introduce Fact
When writing historical novels based on true events, the challenge is to not make the scenes read like dry, academic research for a thesis. My award-winning historical novel, STONE WOMAN: WINEMA AND THE MODOCS, offers many examples of how (hopefully) not to bore readers. I will present some scenes to illustrate what I mean.
Throwback Thursday: Writing Novels Will Make You Rich—And Other Bald-Faced Lies
Advice about the business and the craft of writing seldom gets dated. Let me share some thoughts from what I’ve experienced over the past gazillion years and about thirty novels written, in a post that last ran in 2015.
Myths And Legends: The Girl On Fire
The accident that killed young Condie Cunningham over a century ago was no myth. But what followed would move the needle to the top of the “WEIRD” meter, where it remains to this day.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—Coyote, The Trickster
The Coyote myth is well known in many Native American cultures, especially out here in the western U.S. In the Creation stories of some tribes he represents the Creator himself, but for the most part Coyote is known as a messenger, a trickster, or a clown. In the latter guise, he may begin by entertaining folks but ultimately tricking them and stealing their stuff.
Films About Writers: Half Light
The 2006 mystery/ghost story, HALF LIGHT, starring Demi Moore, somehow got past me all these years. Well, better late than never. Here is a brief introduction, with absolutely no spoiler alert. I do not want to ruin this compelling film for anyone.
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