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.
Sedona, The…Movie?
Sedona is a funky town in central Arizona, one of our favorite places to visit. SEDONA is also a 2011 indie film, a comedy-drama that, unfortunately, not a whole lot of people got to see. That’s a shame, because the movie more than capably reflects both the stunning beauty of the area and the quirkiness of its inhabitants through the telling of a couple of parallel stories. And it all begins with a kid’s balloon…
Throwback Thursday: A Tonto And Lone Ranger Story
Yeah, I know: most people say “The Lone Ranger and Tonto” rather than the other way around, but to me the Native American always comes first. I got to thinking about them recently for an obvious reason: the recently released Disney film, THE LONE RANGER.
Guilty Pleasures: Ghosts Of Mars
Renowned director John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) has had his share of hits and misses during a long career. Among the latter is GHOSTS OF MARS, a 2001 sci-fi/horror flick that bombed big-time, both critically and at the box office. A true Guilty Pleasure, don’cha know, one that I will watch every year or two until the Mother Ship arrives.
Throwback Thursday: Do Writers Connect With Their Characters?
The answer to that is a great big YES. At least I do. I’ve been thinking about that a lot in recent months for a specific reason. Let me explain.
Touching The Magical Tower
“Dammit, I know this. I know what this is! This means something. This is important.”
When Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) uttered those words forty years ago in the classic Spielberg film, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, he was attempting to shape the Devils Tower out of mashed potatoes.
Throwback Thursday: The Title Of My New Book Is…“Untitled”
During my quarter-century or so as a writing coach and editor I’ve had many fiction—and even non-fiction—manuscripts come to me without titles…books that the writers have worked on for a year, two years, even longer. You mean they’ve written 70,000, 80,000, even 100,000 words and up—and have been unable to come up with a two, three-, or four-word title?
Myths And Legends: The Bear Lodge Of The Lakota
I am still processing last week’s awesome trip to the Devils Tower. That story will come in next Monday’s post. For now, here is the Lakota legend about the tower, also known as Matȟó Thípila—the Bear Lodge.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—An American Werewolf In London
Pardon the adverbs, but this 1981 film could be considered “humorously gross” or “grossly humorous.” Either way, An American Werewolf In London has more than enough gore and laughs to entertain during its 90+ minutes of run time. And now I find out, via research, that it is considered a cult classic?!
Films About Writers: 1408
Writers love to write about other writers, and Stephen King arguably leads the league in that category. Just to name a few: THE DARK HALF, MISERY, ’SALEM’S LOT, BAG OF BONES, and SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN. And his short story, 1408, from his collection, EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL.
Throwback Thursday: The Haunted Mesa
Earlier this year I received a gift from my cover artist and good friend in Shingle Springs, California, Karen Phillips—a used copy of a Louis L’Amour novel titled, THE HAUNTED MESA. Seems Karen had picked it up at a thrift shop and, as she wrote, “…everything about it reminded me of you and your stories.”
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