For those of you considering participating in theater, let me give you a little advice--a tip from an old hand and veteran of the wars upon the boards waged in spirit gum and grease paint: When you're on stage and all the other actors fall silent wit...
I went fishing one day this week on the reservoir. It's an annual ritual we do with some of our Fish and Game officers. I'll spare you the photo of me with the only fish I caught. The weather was great, but the fishing was not. Four guys caught 6 fis...
Exhaustion laden with disappointment -- that was my week. It was trial by day and play practice by night. 4 days of trial: A young victim's word against that of the defendant. Although her testimony rang true and the experts supported her, the defend...
To be, or not to be an extremist. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous categorization and take up books against a sea of troubles, and, by reading, defy them?To read: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub.Ap...
What makes a noir mystery? Must there be a mystery for it to be noir? If so, noir mystery would seem redundant. The online Merriam-Websters says that noir is "crime fiction featuring cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings." Collins Dictionary s...
Tom Sawyer Abroad, by Mark Twain, is told from Huckleberry Finn's point of view. In chapter 12, Tom has explained how a bronze horse that flies in the Arabian Nights is like the flying balloon on which Tom and his friends have sailed across the sea a...
“Unfortunately, I could tell that she was not the kind of girl to introduce herself with a kiss.” ― Stanley Wheeler, SmokeThat seemed like an appropriate quote for the day after Valentines Day--and I love quoting myself. As for the question of what...
"He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command." -- MachiavelliI suppose that's one key to obedience. If I remember right from my reading of The Prince, many years ago when I was in college, Machiavelli favored being feared over being loved in...
"It is not the author who decides on the subject, but the subject which takes possession of the author..." --Alexandre Dumas-- Wolf LeaderWhat has possessed you?As for me, I'm still obsessing with putting together book 6. I have written the first cha...
It's a new year, but it's also unlikely that any of us are going to make changes for the better -- at least not great changes. The key to meaningful and lasting change is to advance by small, attainable increments. Find one little thing and work on d...