by mike | Oct 14, 2019 | Books, California, Horror, Native Americans, Uncategorized, Writing |
By way of self-evaluation, The Modoc Well (originally published as The Well by Bantam Books) is the goriest of my four horror novels. This particular shocker of a scene will illustrate that. The setup: The Lowell family has relocated to the small Northern California...
by mike | Mar 11, 2019 | Baseball, California, Fantasy, Research, Uncategorized |
I’m old enough to have watched the original Twilight Zone series when it was new. It ran for five seasons, from 1959 to 1964, and was one of my favorite shows. Thanks to Netflix I’ve been watching it once again, and having just started the second season, I’ve got a...
by mike | Jan 21, 2019 | Books, California, Editing, Historical Novels, Native Americans, Nightmares, Non-Fiction, Research, Uncategorized, Writing |
When writing historical novels based on true events, the challenge is to not make the scenes read like dry, academic research for a thesis. My award-winning historical novel, Stone Woman: Winema and the Modocs, offers many examples of how (hopefully) not to bore...
by mike | Aug 27, 2018 | Books, Bookstores, California, Editing, Historical Novels, Publishing, Thrillers, Uncategorized, Writing |
The second annual San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books took place this past Saturday at Liberty Station. Last year’s inaugural event drew upwards of 10,000 people, and I’m pretty sure the 2018 version outdid that number. I got to sign my two award-winning novels,...
by mike | Jun 25, 2018 | Books, California, Guilty Pleasures, Humor, Movies, Sword & Sorcery, Uncategorized, Writing |
Okay, first of all I’m writing this on a sunny Southern California afternoon, and the next storm is not expected here till at least November. But hey, I am a purveyor of fiction, and as my dear bride can confirm, I tend to exaggerate upon occasion. Just a little bit...
by mike | Jun 4, 2018 | California, Ghosts, Myths & Legends, Native Americans, Paranormal, Uncategorized |
If you’ve been to San Francisco (who hasn’t), you probably rode the ferry across the bay to Alcatraz Island. You took the tour of the old federal prison, stood inside one of the 4’ x 8’ claustrophobic cells (I lasted ten seconds), gawked at the Who’s Who of former...