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.
Along The River Of Lost Souls
The Animas River, part of the Colorado River System, begins high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and winds all the way down to its confluence with the San Juan River in New Mexico. On our recent trip to the Four Corners region, Jacqueline and I seldom lost sight of the oftentimes breathtaking tributary, once known by the lengthier name of Rio de las Animas Perdidas—the River of Lost Souls.
Throwback Thursday: What’s In A Name?
“Hey Mike, where do you come up with those weird character names and place names in your fantasy and sci-fi novels?”
Short And Sweet III
I just got back from a cool trip to the Four Corners area, mostly in Colorado. I’ll have plenty to say about it in next week’s post. For now, I want to sadly acknowledge the passing of actor Harry Dean Stanton last week at the age of ninety-one.
Throwback Thursday: Tall Tim’s Tales—Memories Of Arizona
So what DON’T I like about Arizona? Traffic roundabouts. Can’t stand the damn things, which are ubiquitous—at least where Jacqueline and I traveled during our recent trip. In a small town called Cottonwood there were like four or five of them in a row—in the middle of freaking nowhere!
Guilty Pleasures: The Relic
This 1997 horror film is based on the best-selling book, RELIC, by popular authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Fans of these two know that this novel marks the initial appearance of the enigmatic FBI Agent Pendergast, who is totally absent from the movie. A box office disappointment with mixed reviews (although Siskel & Ebert loved it), THE RELIC definitely qualifies as a Guilty Pleasure, one that I always enjoy watching.
Throwback Thursday: Opening Lines—Part Two
Here are some more outrageously bad opening lines from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. Enjoy!
I Walk The Line
Actually, I walk lots of lines: straight, crooked, whatever. It doesn’t matter, as long as I’m walking. As my Facebook friends know, The Walking Dude—that’s me—set a goal of 600 miles for 2017, and that goal was reached around the middle of last month. Not too shabby.
Throwback Thursday: The Worst Manuscript
Many folks are focused on rankings, so given that there has to be the best of everything, it stands to reason that there also has to be the worst. The worst plumber, the worst bus driver, the worst brain surgeon (oh please!), the worst airline pilot (oh double please!), and so on.
Films About Writers: The Last Word
It is always a pleasure to see eighty-something Shirley MacLaine on the silver screen. Sadly, not a whole lot of people saw her perform in the 2017 comedy-drama, THE LAST WORD.
Throwback Thursday: Opening Lines—When Bad Is Good
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT… Just about everyone, writer and non-writer alike, is familiar with that famous—or infamous—opening of a novel, arguably one of the most overused lines ever (even by Snoopy). The guy responsible for it? A nineteenth century British novelist named Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
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