This month I’m highlighting Vienna, USA, a collection of five short stories set in the fictional Midwest town of Vienna. The first story of the collection is “Transitions,” and like most of the stories in this collection, it’s based on real life. My dad was presented with the opportunity to…
Okay, this requires a bit of explanation. I’ve been looking through lots of old files and stories. It’s been encouraging to see what I’ve written in the past, especially since I’ve been in bit of a dry spell. (Or, at least, I feel like I haven’t gotten done what I…
In the near future, I hope to start releasing more of my short stories and novellas, but I thought it would be worth highlighting some of my work that’s already available. Vienna, USA is a collection of 5 short stories set in the fictional Midwest town of Vienna. Vienna was “invented”…
According to a press release from the Facebook Team, the social-networking site will publicly unroll even more ways to “like” starting this holiday season. “Obviously, we first let users ‘like’ each other’s posts, then we added the ability to ‘like’ people’s comments,” explains Facebook PR Director Melvin Yutzy. “We decided…
Seuss-enthusiasts have heard whispers for many years of the fabled sequel to Green Eggs and Ham, one of the Doctor’s most well-known books. I have recently obtained, through my many contacts in the publishing underworld, a electronic copy of this mystical book. After much examination, I have determined that if…
I just uploaded a PDF version of my flash fiction collection, Another World, and I thought I’d like to have a contest to celebrate. Here’s the lowdown: Anyone who purchases a PDF or print copy of Another World during the month of November will be entered to win a personalized flash…
In a modern story, if things seem perfect, you know trouble’s bubbling beneath the surface. Partly, this is the drive of conflict in story, but I think there’s something more. As a culture, we have a sense of impending doom. My wife reads a LOT of young adult novels. Many of…
There’s not a word yet For old friends who’ve just met. -“I’m Going to Go Back There Someday,” The Muppets I don’t cry often. The number of people who’ve seen me in tears is a single digit. But I have a distinct memory of trying to hold back tears as…
“What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” -Cobb, from Inception So, a few weeks ago I listened to a piece of music, trying my normal “get…
Many eons ago (meaning late August), I started a little post about why I write. And then I got busy. This particular type of busy-ness makes it difficult to write, not because I don’t have some time to write but because I don’t have the space I need to write. My…
Meredith checked her watch. The end-of-year program was proceeding at a brisk pace. At her son’s old elementary school, they had given out awards for every subject, awards for reading a certain number of books, certificates for science fair and spelling bee and geography night, ribbons for good citizenship and…
I recently watched Studio Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arrietty. If you want a review, visit my wife’s blog. I want to highlight two aspects of the film that impressed me–its simplicity and its sense of wonder. The story follows little people, Borrowers, who live in human houses and “borrow” what they…