by mike | Jul 31, 2023 | Books, Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Uncategorized |
Magic is a key component in just about every sword & sorcery novel, be it benevolent or for the darkest of evil. In one of my early stories, The Sword of Tyron (original title: Berbora), magic is used to transcend time itself. I’ll show you one of those scenes—but...
by mike | Jul 10, 2023 | Books, California, Death, Ghosts, Horror, Romance, Uncategorized |
Indeed, I strongly believe that statement. Think about it: what would Tarzan’s life be like without the challenges of the beautiful but deadly jungle? Or the scientists and staff in John Carpenter’s The Thing without the starkness of Antarctica’s ice and snow? Or...
by mike | Jun 26, 2023 | Aging, Books, California, Humor, Native Americans, Science Fiction, Uncategorized, Writing |
My four-book comedy/science fiction series, which began with Bicycling Through Space and Time, depicts the mostly outrageous adventures of mountain bike rider Jack Miller along the cosmic tunnel called the Ultimate Bike Path. But “outrageous” occasionally turns to...
by mike | Apr 27, 2023 | Books, California, Horror, Native Americans, Uncategorized, Writing |
Sometimes I cringe when I read some of the bloody scenes that I wrote in The Modoc Well, my second horror novel. I first presented this post in 2019. By way of self-evaluation, The Modoc Well (originally published as The Well by Bantam Books) is the goriest of my four...
by mike | Apr 20, 2023 | Books, Editing, Publishing, Quotes, Uncategorized, Writing, Writing Quotes |
Thoughts about writing from successful writers can inspire—or perhaps deflate, depending how they are taken. Here are a few gems from a 2019 post. “I love my rejection slips. They show me I try.” – Sylvia Plath “If I had to give young writers advice, I would say don’t...
by mike | Mar 30, 2023 | Aging, Baseball, Books, Fantasy, Ghosts, Magical realism, Movie Lines, Movies, Sports, Sports Movies, Uncategorized |
Today—thank the Great Spirit—is Opening Day for my San Diego Padres, and pretty much every other team! A baseball-themed post seems appropriate, so here is one from a couple of years back. “Three years ago at dusk on a spring evening, when the sky was a robin’s-egg...
