Starting a New Business
Remember when I used to post Friday Snippets here? I used to enjoy reading what other writers were writing. Unfortunately, the meme faded out of use. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still post a snippet here. This is the opening scene in From the Ashes of Courage (my newly released novel, which you can […]
All My NetFlix DVD’s Are Accounted For
Last week, I got the strangest email, and I still can’t quite figure out what to make of it. N, from the Natural Sciences department at Bentley University, found a sealed NetFlix DVD on a cart in one of the buildings there. She also noticed the corresponding torn-off part of the envelope, the part with […]
Two Women Search for the Meaning of Life
I finally got to see Julie and Julia over the weekend. Unlike many stories, it doesn’t serve as a means of escape. Rather, there is substance and inspiration woven through it. The film compares the stories of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Both faced an impasse in their lives; both set out on a search […]
“From the Ashes of Courage” First Book Reading
I’ll post tomorrow the short post about Julie and Julia that I was planning to finish today, because this was way more exciting. The first box of copies of From the Ashes of Courage came today! With this book, I did not order a proof copy, so I spent the last week nervous that it […]
Quip Hits
A number of short statements, commentaries, and useless insights collected over the last mumble-mumble months. On Technology Top Facebook group: “I’m not yelling…I’m Italian…thats how we talk.” Top Facebook group that someone ought to start: “Walking around naked makes me feel sexy.” Some weeks ago, I posted “Coconut” to my Facebook status, and no one […]
An Ice-encrusted Car Means that Flowers Are Near
Last night, in between my own personal renditions of the Mission Impossible theme on guitar, I walked out to the car, to drive to practice. And much to my surprise, clad in a tee-shirt, jeans, and denim jacket, I had completely forgotten about the snow storm we got here a couple days ago. Frozen snow […]
Thoughts on Life and Loss
I’m preempting my usual “Friday Fun” column, because this past week was a crappy week, crappy enough to justify a little mourning. Tuesday afternoon, as you know, a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti, killing tens of thousands—maybe even 100,000. That number represents one out of every 95-or-so people in that small country. Shortly thereafter, we received […]
Writing the Opposite Sex
One of the axioms of writing is that you should write only what you know from experience. Writers extend that to say that you really only know how to write your own sex: men write only male characters well, and women write only female characters well. That’s why, they say, practically all romance novelists are […]
Ever had a computer that wanted to make your life difficult?
Right now, I can’t use my MacBook Pro. I’m using C’s computer to write this blog post. The photo shows what the display corruption looks like while booting. After that, I get the white screen of death. Now, my laptop may come back, because it eventually came back the two times it did this last […]