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.
Dreadlocked Rodents And Elephant-Flies
I have just reissued the second book in my comedy/sci-fi trilogy, THE ULTIMATE BIKE PATH. (A Retro Ride: Book Two.) Along with all his strange adventures on the other side of the numerous gates along the Path, cosmic bike rider Jack Miller encounters some weird riders on the mhuva lun gallee itself. Here are two of them.
Throwback Thursday: The Burning Ground Interview
My Native American-themed ghost story, THE BURNING GROUND, was first published a couple of years ago, weeks after I started this blog. I gave an interview about the story back then, and now that I’m re-releasing the book under my Atoris Press imprint, I thought that revisiting the interview was in order.
Films About Writers: Year By The Sea
In this, the era of #MeToo, when women are making it clear that they’re fed up with the bullshit to which they’ve been subjected from men since the days of the “goodwife,” the 2016 comedy-drama, YEAR BY THE SEA, is most timely.
Throwback Thursday: Hard Rain Coming Down
Until today, I hadn’t even begun talking about disaster movies—so many of which I enjoy. High on the list is the 1998 mini-gem, HARD RAIN. Now I could’ve included this as a Guilty Pleasure…
Guilty Pleasures: Season Of The Witch
The first time I watched the 2011 historical fantasy/adventure film, SEASON OF THE WITCH—starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman—I did so with no preconceived notions. The verdict: okay, I’d seen better movies, and for sure a whole lot worse, but I found it watchable. Subsequent research revealed that the film, while doing fairly well at the box office, was reviled by critics and moviegoers alike. Yes, that definitely made it a Guilty Pleasure.
Throwback Thursday—Myths And Legends: The Dybbuk
A Jewish demon? Who knew! Yes, according to Jewish mythology a dybbuk is a ghostly, troubled spirit—most often the wandering soul of a deceased person—that possesses the body of a living person.
Yosemite: What Took Us So Long?
I arrived in California to stay about forty-five years ago. Jacqueline, my bride, did the same over three decades past. Yet neither of us, during all that time, set foot in Yosemite National Park, one of this country’s most memorable landmarks, and for sure the gem of the Golden State. Fortunately, that all changed earlier this month.
Throwback Thursday: How To POV A Ghost
During my 200+ years as a writing coach, I’ve seen it all when it comes to manuscripts by wanna-be authors. Issues with plotting, characterization, dialogue, pacing, and all other elements of a novel come to mind—oftentimes in glaringly high definition and even IMAX. Which leads me to one of the most über-glaringly problematic elements: Point Of View.
The Pretty Flowers Can Float
Of all Jack’s crazy adventures, one of my favorites (naturally) fills up the seven chapters in THE ULTIMATE BIKE PATH where he rides into a “world” of old horror and science fiction movies. Yes, I had a ball writing this. A sample is forthcoming.
I’ll Be Back: Movie Quotes From The Governator
I’ve hardly let a single post about movie lines go by without at least one from Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose many action movies are among my favorites. (Yeah, I’m easily entertained.) This time around, the Governator gets the entire post.
Latest Release
