Last night I had yet another confirmation as to why I am an indie book author. For those of you who don’t know, I started out as a book and magazine editor and published with two traditional publishing houses, starting in the 1980s and continuing until about 2000. Two of my six books in those … More Twenty Seven Dollars
The following is the result of an exercise on intimacy that my Narrative Writing class did this morning. I felt it was only fair that I participate in it as well. We sit on the back porch, he and I, facing the setting sun. And the irony of it does not escape me. His face … More “Sunset”
It is my privilege to teach writing in a university, something I thoroughly enjoy. This semester I am teaching a class called Narrative Writing, which is a lot of fun. We have 10 students who take turns submitting their short stories (at this point; novel pages later) for critique by the class. It’s tough to … More In Search of Intimacy
A hot cup of coffee cures a lot of ills, but not everything. It can start your day, it can calm your nerves, it can wake you up. But it can’t make you any more attractive than God created you. I thought about that as I stared at the ugly, old man sitting handcuffed in … More “Rules of Engagement”
A few years ago, I can’t remember how many, I wrote a blog about visiting my daughter’s high school in east Texas, where I was the guest of their creative writing club. Seven girls and one boy grilled me about the harsh reality of being a freelance author. Finally, one of them asked me, “How … More Getting Paid
Stephen Baxter is one of those science fiction writers with the background (mathematics) to back it up. He writes what some might call “hard” science fiction, putting a lot more emphasis on the science than on the fiction. And that’s OK. I only state that to give you a heads up for what to expect. … More Review: “The Time Ships” by Stephen Baxter
It’s getting close to Valentine’s Day, and Shelly and I decided to celebrate early by going to a concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas last night. The performers were Sting of “Roxanne” fame, and Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel fame. It was a great concert–for the most part–even though we had to pay … More In the Moment
I teach a class called Editorial Techniques to my journalism majors, and one of the first things I try to teach them is that the responsibilities of an editor go far beyond just making sure that grammar, spelling and punctuation are correct (although those are extremely important, more important than some indie writers seem to … More The Complete Package–Revisited
My father was a man of few words. Me, not so much. But this week I have been taught a lesson in choosing my words wisely. My wife graciously gave me her cold last weekend. Friday night we had students over, and I was fine. Sunday morning I was coughing up a storm. Monday my … More Speechless
Here’s another take on my Vampires vs. Amish story that I hope to write someday soon. Vampires are not sexy. Yes, I know. The movie that came out a few years ago had the actor with the doe eyes going all sparkly when sunlight hit his vampire skin. All of the actors in that … More “A Baptism In Blood”
