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A Retirement Plan for Your Mind
I had the honor of speaking to a community group this week, in a program offered by one of our local community colleges called Seniors Active in Learning. I spoke and sang about health care in America, and we had a lively discussion about some of the issues in our system, including the reimbursement system,…
Read MoreWhat If…
I watched Sunday Morning on CBS yesterday, as I do most Sundays, and I was delighted to see a segment with Ian McEwan, author of 18 novels, most famously of Atonement, but also author of my favorite of his, On Chesil Beach. He was discussing where his ideas come from, since some of his work…
Read MoreHelp Wanted
On Tuesday, the second edition of Holy Water (the prequel to Eddie’s Boy), will be launched by Warren Publishing. Success can be difficult to define for any endeavor, and for fiction publishing, a case can be made that completing a novel and securing a publishing contract meets the definition of success. I agree. BUT… still,…
Read MoreVisit Your Local Bookstore During The Dog Days
An August garden in Texas can be a discouraging place. My cucumbers played out about a week ago, so I removed the vines and dismantled the trellis. The tomatoes are on their last gasp, since container-tomatoes (in my experience) don’t last as long, and now mine have 6-10 hangers-on surrounded by vines that look tired.…
Read MoreBloomsday
Today is June 16, a day when literary geeks all over the world celebrate the life and work of James Joyce, focusing particularly on his masterpiece, Ulysses, which takes place in a single day, June 16, 1904, and whose hero is Leopold Bloom. On this day, I tip my cap to Joyce, who was a…
Read MoreThere’s Always A Story
This is a photo of one of my garden boxes. It’s Spring here in Texas, and despite our once-in-a generation freeze in February, Spring generally comes early and allows for early planting of vegetables. This box contains radishes and turnips, and there’s an identical second box that is currently holding lettuce and arugula. Later, these…
Read MoreWhose Story is it Now?
“A person who publishes a book appears willfully in public eye with his pants down.” ― Edna St. Vincent Millay Launch week for a new novel is an exciting time. Friends and followers send good wishes, the marketing campaign heats up, and now that I’ve finally landed a publisher, I’ve learned how they really kick into…
Read MoreA Big Story Completed
In my youth, nearly every boy I knew had his sports heroes. Happily, now nearly every girls does too, but not so much back then. I sure had mine, and the image on the left now completes my gallery of my personal heroes in the three major sports of my childhood era: football, baseball, and…
Read MoreAnother 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…
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