Well, Pilgrim, if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, I'll explain it to you. For your reading pleasure, I've attached two excerpts from The Shrinking Zone, which is still available for only 99 cents in ebook, and $9.99 in paperback. Links...

 Author Interview with Christopher KeeneAuthor ofCycle of Blades and morePlease tell me a little about your current work in progress. I’m editing a romance fantasy book that’s passion project for me. Here’s the blurb: When Princess Emily is poisone...

 Short story completed!I say completed, but I've already got some tweaks in mind--move part of a paragraph, smooth a description, add a couple words of meaningful detail. The usual stuff.Every story is a portal to another world. They don't all lead t...

I ask you, Is it wrong to mock the mockers? Is there no balm in satire?If past experience is any guide, some of you may be troubled by what I'm about to do. Look away, O ye of faint heart with trembling limbs. Ye brave may gird up your loins and come...

 I spent part of yesterday extinguishing holiday cheer. The prevailing mood was frigid. With the landscape cloaked in icy white, and the temperature restrained to the single digits, I soon discovered that my worn, leather work gloves were woefully in...

 I begin with the traditional symbol of the season. Daughter did most of the decorations. I contributed by staying out of the way.We had a very merry Christmas, and I hope you did too. If you're wondering what to get with that Amazon gift certificate...

 Author Interview with Ron Lahr Author ofThe Kathaldi ChroniclesPlease tell me a little about your current work in progress. Right now I’m extremely close to finishing the first draft of the third book in my Kathaldi Chronicles epic fantasy trilogy,...

Something is rotten, but I'll get to that.First, if you could be the sidekick to a fictional hero, who would you choose?Would you choose a modern or historic setting?Would you choose a real world hero or someone from a sci-fi or fantasy world?Would y...

 It's alive.Or, it's live.I did it. The Shrinking Zone is live on Amazon. This is my 9th novel. 9 is the number of novels I have written. The novels I have written are 9 in number. It all began with Justice in Season, which I wrote back in 2000-2002,...

 It's Dystopia Monday. (That's not really a thing. It's only for today).  I've finished reading:Here's the review I posted at goodreads:Marina Fontaine's Chasing Freedom takes the reader into the belly of the rebellion and doesn't stop there. The reb...

 The Corsican Brothers were here at the Chateau du Chat Gris for Thanksgiving. The K-man got to help light (reluctantly) the final batch of coals I used to finish off the turkey. The bird turned out great, by the way, with a light smoke and orange fl...

What is your favorite genre for reading? Do you have more than one? Let me know.The trip to Moab was a blast.In Blanding, we stopped at the visitor's center and were directed to some books in which we read about my great, great grandfather and Posey'...

 I was going to give the main character a flip phone in a holster. It would have been perfect for him. Except the dystopian society in which he lives in the high desert of the Western U.S. won't let him have one. He doesn't meet the necessary criteri...

I wondered if Conan had read Leviticus. Do you remember when Conan was asked what was best in life?His response is pretty well known - "To crush your enemies. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of their women."It doesn't possess...

Last month I asked, "Which is more important to you: story, character, or world building?"I came down on the side of the story. Let's look a little deeper.Many stories purport to be "character-driven." What does that mean? But FirstBefore I answer th...