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.
My 2024 Halloween Playlist
These days I spend Halloween enjoying a horror movie marathon…three or four shockers, at least. I may scare the crap out of myself well into the night, assuming I can stay awake. Here is the likely playlist.
Myths And Legends: The Emily Morgan Hotel
“Across the alley from the Alamo.” That’s the first line of an old Mills Brothers song. Actually, across the STREET from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio stands the Emily Morgan Hotel, renowned in paranormal circles as one of the most haunted places in America.
Thank You, Padres
To be clear, 2024 has been the worst year of my (long) life. It had to be after losing Jacqueline, my wonderful bride, life partner, and passionate San Diego Padres fan, to insidious cancer in April.
RIP Pete Rose
An exercise in hypocrisy. Last week, baseball legend Pete Rose passed away at the age of 83. The all-time MLB hits leader (4,256), Rose—a polarizing figure throughout his career—was given a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on baseball, apparently wagering on his own team.
“Cancel Christmas””—More Gems From The Language Of Baseball
The wonderful language of baseball must be quite extensive for author Paul Dickson to create a dictionary of nearly a thousand pages! Here are more of my favorites.
Really? CHILD’S PLAY Is NOT A Guilty Pleasure?!
The 1988 “supernatural slasher” film, CHILD’S PLAY, introduced the world to Chucky, the Good Guy doll possessed by the spirit of a deranged serial killer. I’ve watched it a number of times over the past 36 years and had always thought of it as one of my (many) guilty pleasures. But it’s not.
Myths And Legends: The Screaming Tunnel
Dark, dank, creepy… Abandoned tunnels seem likely places for all manner of paranormal activity. And among the league leaders is a short but spooky one on the Ontario, Canada side of Niagara Falls. It is known as the Screaming Tunnel.
Hanging With The Baseball Gods
“Hello, Jack,” a pair of voices called. And that’s when I DID flip upside-down as I spotted the welcoming guys as they emerged from the blackness: Tony Gwynn and Mickey Mantle! OH MYYY…
A Lot More TWISTERS…But One TWISTER Is Still The Best
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the 2024 disaster movie, TWISTERS, with its numerous tornadoes dealing death and destruction all over Oklahoma. But its 1996 predecessor, TWISTER, holds a lofty place on my list of all-time favorite movies. Much of that has to do with its amazing cast…
Myths And Legends: “This Island Is Cursed!”
Gaiola Island sits off the coast of Naples, Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, part of a volcanic archipelago. It is actually two rocky islets, connected by a stone bridge. Once occupied, it now sits abandoned as a result of its checkered history of drownings, murders, disappearances, even suicides. Locals won’t go near it. Ask any one of them and they will tell you, “This island is cursed!”
Latest Release
