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.
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.
Throwback Thursday: Ghostly Happenings In The Desert
I first ran this post in 2014, around the time I reissued my two ghost stories. This one tells the tale of many benign ghosts—and one murderous spirit—in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
Films About Writers: The Magic Of Belle Isle
It is hard to imagine any film starring Morgan Freeman, one of my favorite performers, bombing big-time. But if you go by the box office receipts of the 2012 comedy-drama, THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLE, you’d have to wonder if anyone saw it. Add to that the film reviewers that wrote negatively about it (how jaded they must be), and you’d pretty much have a Guilty Pleasure.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—Ghost Ship
Be forewarned: the 2002 horror flick, GHOST SHIP, has one of the most memorable—and gross—opening hooks in all of filmdom.
Earth-Shaking News: Graboids And Ass-Blasters Are Still Around
I recently re-ran my posts on the sequels to TREMORS, the classic comedy-horror flick from 1990, starring Kevin Bacon. Aside from a short-lived TV series in 2003, it appeared that the days of the Graboids, Ass Blasters, and Shriekers were over. But Hollywood sometimes surprises us, and in 2015, much to the delight of TREMORS fans everywhere, TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES hit the small screen.
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