Another Bow To The Pandemic
We’ve all made concessions in our lives to adapt to this awful, strange pandemic that we now just call COVID. As I’ve said before, I recognize how lucky I am to have a job that hasn’t been taken away or restricted, and that provides me an opportunity to do meaningful work. Now, though, my publisher…
Read MoreBecoming A Member: What I’ve Learned
Last fall, I did something I never expected to do. At the kind invitation of a former colleague and valued friend (who is one of our band’s biggest fans), I joined a book club. It is a diverse collection of experienced men who gather at one member’s house monthly for a lunch, a drink, and…
Read MoreNew Acquaintances from 2019
Another year, come and gone. They do go faster these days, but every year I look back and marvel at the new literary acquaintances I’ve made. This year, there were several, the best of which is Amor Towles. The author of one of the best novels I’ve read in years, A Gentleman in Moscow, his…
Read MoreFocus On The Story
In a couple of weeks, I’ll once again be in Charlottesville, Virginia, at the University of Virginia speaking to a group of highly-motivated students who want to be doctors. What I’ll tell them will have very little to do with biology and science, although we will talk a bit about that. Mostly, I’ll be telling…
Read MoreRevisiting Old Friends and Finding Something New
I have a few (okay, maybe 10) books that I re-read on a regular basis. No matter how many times I’ve read them, I always find something new, whether it’s a description I overlooked, or a bit of dialogue that has finally grabbed me. I don’t set out to find something new, merely to immerse…
Read MoreBoyhood Memories
Our lives are full of stories; indeed, you could say that our lives are made up of the stories we accept and the stories we reject, all of which make us the person we are. Some stories stick around, consciously or not, and resurface from time-to-time. In the past year, I’ve been living a retelling…
Read MoreNew Day, New Story
It has been a long break. I haven’t paid sufficient attention to my website in some time. As always, there’s a story. Just after my last book, Back Side Of A Hurricane, came out, I was diagnosed with a serious health problem that made marketing a book seem not so important. Not surprisingly, the book…
Read MoreWith Liberty and Justice for Some
It has been a long time since I posted. I’m editing my newest novel, and don’t spend much time noodling around the computer, and as you know by now, I’m not very attuned to marketing, so I’ve neglected my site. But I’ve been reading a lot, and three recent books have gotten me thinking. I’ve…
Read MoreListen to Sleary
Today I read a post on social media that referenced a printed quote from a male physician that sounded misogynistic about the work ethic of female physicians. There were an avalanche of comments from readers who called for the physician’s ruin. I was reminded immediately of the Chicago Cubs’ fan who was captured apparently taking…
Read MoreAnother View Of The Magic Of Music
Not too long ago, I wrote a blog about how music can grab the members of the band when things are going well. This week, I was reminded of what music often does to those who are listening. First, some context, and maybe even a bit of marketing. On July 4th, the band I play…
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