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.
Throwback Thursday: A Quixotic Stuggle
A whole bunch of quirky characters appear in this magical film, which I wrote about in 2012.
The Ongoing History Of THE SHINING: Part One
A couple of months ago I wrote a post titled, “A Jack Nicholson Snow Globe?” Inside the globe Jack’s dead eyes stare out through the snow in a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic, The Shining, based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen the film in a long time, so I easily rectified that. But in doing so I vaguely recalled that King did not care for Kubrick’s opus, which many consider one of the best horror films of all time. I decided to find out why.
Throwback Thursday: Tilting At Windmills
It may surprise you to know that my favorite literary character is not John Carter of Mars, or Conan the Barbarian, or even Frodo Baggins. That distinction goes to a rather odd, middle-aged, seventeenth century Spaniard named Alonso Quijano. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ll surely know the name of his alter ego: Don Quixote de la Mancha.
The Village (2004): A Polarizing Film?
This psychological thriller had movie critics at one another’s throats and close to figurative blows. But why? The Village was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, fresh off a run of critical and box office successes that included Signs, Unbreakable, and his mega-hit, The Sixth Sense.
Throwback Thursday: Guilty Pleasures—Anaconda
For whatever reason, lots of people have viewed this 2012 post about a film depicting a deadly giant snake. Not sure why, but what the hey…
Writing Serves To Soothe The Savage Beast: Part Two
At the beginning of last week’s post I mentioned that I was a real weenie. People who know me often ask, “How can you write that stuff!” Like I said, the best (worst?) of it often comes out when I’m angry or frustrated about something. The cathartic effect of writing can be significant.
Throwback Thursday: A Frazetta Cover? For Me?
In this 2012 post I talk about an amazing discovery that I made about one of my old book covers.
Writing Serves To Soothe The Savage Beast: Part One
My self-assessment is that I’m one of the most passive guys on the planet. That’s why, when I go back and read one of the (many) violent, bloody scenes that I’ve written in my novels over the decades, I wonder, “Where the hell did that come from?”
Throwback Thursday: Revisiting John Carter
I’ve watched John Carter a number of times since writing this post in 2012, and I enjoy it even more each time. Maybe now that the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate has reacquired the rights, we may yet see a sequel.
Films About Writers: The Raven
Okay, I’ll stay on my Edgar Allan Poe kick for one more week. The 2012 film, The Raven, is not about Poe’s classic poem, but about Poe himself—more specifically, about Poe’s last days of life in 1849 Baltimore. Despite much speculation the actual cause of Poe’s death is unknown to this day. This film, starring John Cusack as Poe, offers a compelling “what if?”
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