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.
Sally Forth With Don Quixote In THE 22ND GEAR
Once again the trilogy is complete. My revised comedy/sci-fi story, THE 22ND GEAR (A Retro Ride: Book Three) joins BICYCLING THROUGH SPACE AND TIME and THE ULTIMATE BIKE PATH to chronicle bicyclist Jack Miller’s weird and wonderful adventures in some pretty strange places.
Throwback Thursday: A Head Case?
“Hi, I’m Mike, and I’m a head case.”Okay, I hope that didn’t prompt you to counter with the typical twelve-step response, because if it did, I gotta worry about you. 😊
A Ginormous Hoax: The Cardiff Giant
“There’s a sucker born every minute,” someone once declared. No, it wasn’t P.T. Barnum, the great showman, as many believe. But Barnum did have a role to play in the story of the CARDIFF GIANT—the greatest hoax of the nineteenth century.
Throwback Thursday: Common Writing Mistakes
In my centuries of evaluating and editing manuscripts I’ve probably been through five million of ’em. (Wait, I’m not supposed to exaggerate; it’s only one million.) With that large a sample size it’s clear that many of the same mistakes plague writers, whether they’re newbies or successful, multi-published authors. Here are just a few of them.
Inconceivable: A Star Wars Film That Flopped?
I don’t get it; I just don’t. SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, the second spinoff after ROGUE ONE, has been around over a month—long enough for it to be considered a box office bomb. Jacqueline and I totally enjoyed the film, and from what I learned, so did critics and audiences alike.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—Conan The Destroyer
Last week I mentioned that a new Conan movie with the Governator was doubtless NOT going to happen. Such is life. Here is a 2014 post about the last time he appeared as the indomitable barbarian.
A Few Thoughts On A Dark And Stormy Night
Okay, first of all I’m writing this on a sunny Southern California afternoon, and the next storm is not expected here till at least November. But hey, I am a purveyor of fiction, and as my dear bride can confirm, I tend to exaggerate upon occasion. Just a little bit though. So here are some thoughts and updates about this and that.
Throwback Thursday: “Chilled Monkey Brains”
Memorable lines from our favorite movies are always a hoot. Here are a few more of mine, from a 2014 post.
Guilty Pleasures: Next
Through the years, it seems as if many of my Guilty Pleasures—films that bombed at the box office and/or with the reviewers—involve Nicolas Cage. The same is true of the 2007 sci-fi thriller, NEXT, based on a story by legendary author Philip K. Dick.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—Haunted Anza Borrego
It is no wonder that so many ghosts haunt the lonely trails, mountains, and landmarks of the forbidding desert. The desert can be so unforgiving and, at the same time, unbelievably generous. Many travelers, prospectors and adventures have gone into the desert, never to return or be seen again.
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