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.
Once Again I Say—Write Well, Not Fast
Ah, November! I’m not even sure NaNoWriMo or whatever is around anymore, but the point I attempt to hammer home to all writers, novice and otherwise, remains valid in any month or year. So as in Novembers of yore, here is this oft-run post.
Throwback Thursday: Writing A Novel Requires Commitment
Back in my salad days, when I took on just about any writer who had a pulse, I worked with a woman from the Midwest—let’s call her Helen—who had written, according to her, about three-quarters of a thriller. I first evaluated what she’d completed, and quite frankly, found it lacking in just about every area necessary to make for a readable, compelling novel.
My 2018 Halloween Playlist
It’s that time again. Living in a gated 55+ community, I no longer have to hand out Halloween candy at the front door, since no one does trick-or-treating. These days I spend the holiday enjoying a horror movie marathon…three or four shockers, and sometimes more.
Throwback Thursday: The Man-Eaters Of Tsavo
Over a century ago a British engineer, Col. John Patterson, wrote a book titled, THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO AND OTHER EAST AFRICAN ADVENTURES. A considerable portion of the book details his experiences in dealing with attacks by two enormous, man-eating lions that terrorized the builders of the Uganda Railway in and around the Kenya village of Tsavo.
Guilty Pleasures: End Of Days
Arnold Schwarzenegger in a horror movie? Yes, he starred in the 1999 clunker, END OF DAYS. Wait, did I say clunker? Well, the reviews were uniformly bad, but since I’m easily entertained, that never bothered me. I get a kick out of this film, and in truth it is an action/horror story. And as we all know, the Governator does “action” well…or at least he did.
Throwback Thursday: Myths And Legends—The Modoc Tale Of Bat
The Modoc People, like all Native American tribes, have their own folklore—myths and legends handed down through time. In my award-winning historical novel, STONE WOMAN: WINEMA AND THE MODOCS, I insert one of these legends at an emotionally charged moment in the (true) story.
“You’re Killin’ Me, Smalls!”—Great Lines From Baseball Flicks
With the MLB playoffs in full swing and the World Series looming (please, Great Spirit, not with the Dodgers!), I thought it might be fun to visit a few quotes from some of the most popular baseball movies. Having seen just about every one ever made, I’m sure it would require a whole lot of posts to list all great lines.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—The Core
It is not for lack of box office that the 2003 sci-fi/disaster flick, THE CORE, is a guilty pleasure, because it supposedly made back its production budget, and then some. It was, however, a critical disaster, with crummy reviews panning everything from its plot “silliness” to its bad science.
Myths And Legends: Seven Sisters Road
Why does a rural road in Nebraska appear on current lists of the scariest places in America? How come there is so much documented paranormal activity along this creepy byway? The following scenario offers some clues as to how the legend of Seven Sisters Road began.
Throwback Thursday—Films About Writers: Time After Time
H.G. Wells told some pretty amazing stories, considering how long ago he wrote them. This post first ran in 2014.
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