This week I finished reading Louis L'Amour's The Haunted Mesa for the first time. It's a tale set in the Navajo Mountain area--San Juan County, Utah. I have some passing familiarity with the region and a bit of the history, particularly regarding Moa...
  Who knew Mad Max made an appearance in Hamlet?It's Franco Zeffirelli's 1991 adaptation of Shakespeare's moody prince, starring Mad Mel as the perturbed prince, crazy Glenn as Queen Gertrude, Helen Bonham Carter as the tormented Op...
 Fun Fact:Frederick Lord North was 38 when he became prime minister in 1770. Corpulent with large features and a bulbous head, he was famous for his wit, literary anecdotes, and historical references. Prior to becoming PM, he had supported t...
 The characters and items pictured above have been my writing companions for a few years now. On the left is what may be an Aztec death whistle. It makes a sound like rumbling wind or growling jaguar. There are two stone dice from Texas, som...
 Interview with Jeff ChapmanAuthor ofThe Great Contagion, The Sniggard's Revenge, Last Request: Victorian Gothic, and more Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. I’m working on a novel in my Merliss Tales fantasy seri...
 Let's return to the Omnibus bill of 1850. Stephen Douglas succeeded where Daniel Webster had failed and brought the provisions through the Senate in small bites instead of at a single gulp. Getting the provisions through the House would be...
 See How They Run, 2022, directed by Tom George and written by Mark Chappell, stars Sam Rockwell as Detective Stoppard and Saoirse Ronan as Constable Stalker. This parody of the murder mystery genre is actually funny. We've recently watched...
 "There she is!" Christmas and New Years are visible through the Mutara Nebula. I'm doing my part to help you navigate the holidays without functioning sensors. Don't get caught in two-dimensional thinking.The first three books in...
