A Tale of Two Drafters
A Tale of Two Drafters With two books published since October 2021 and a third in final revisions and due out imminently, I decided to …
A Focus on Focus…and Festivals
A Focus on Focus…and Festivals I’m sure I’m not the only one who goes through periods of being utterly unable to focus on anything other …
Trusting the Process
Trusting the Process – Shaun McNiff’s Trust the Process When we get stuck in our own heads, trusting the process is useful advice. Here I …
Roots and Other Problems
Roots and Other Problems We just finished up the latest selection at Doorstoppers, Roots, by Alex Haley. It had been on my TBR for literally …
Death of The Author, by Nnedi Okorafor
Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor A novel-within-a-novel featuring robots who crave stories springboards Zelu, the protagonist of Nnedi Okorafor’s latest book, Death of …
The Other Side of IT
The Other Side of IT I’ve been watching coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires, which has no doubt transfixed so many people in the last …
Five Books for Beginners in the New Year
Five Books for Beginners in the New Year We’re coming up on a new year and, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, …
Torino Film Festival 2024
Torino Film Festival 2024 I missed the opening weekend of the Torino Film Festival this year, but I can’t complain too much since I was …
The Canvas of Your Life
The Canvas of Your Life In a recent interview I ran across, Jewel stated that she wants her life to be her best work of …
The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery and Story Structure I love a good heist film — who doesn’t? — and decided to rewatch 1978’s The Great Train …
Summer of the Lost Summer – How to Rerail the Derail
Summer of the Lost Summer Summer is winding down here and I’ve been trying to deal with a mélange of feelings. Having to cancel all …
You Don’t Have to Be a Star, Baby
You Don’t Have to Be a Star, Baby As hard as it is to believe, it’s already been ten weeks since I was in the …
A Magic Carpet Ride to Anyplace Other than the Couch
A Magic Carpet Ride to Anyplace Other than the Couch It’s been almost six weeks since I was in the hospital, which I talked about …
Sometimes You’re the Hammer
Sometimes You’re the Hammer Have you heard that expression? You know, the one that starts “Sometimes you’re the hammer….” Ah, well, if you haven’t, think …
2024 Turin International Book Fair
2024 Turin International Book Fair It’s that time of year again. We’re gearing up for the 2024 Turin International Book Fair (aka the Salone del …
The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
The Bee Sting – A Flaming Arrow to the Heart Paul Murray’s fourth novel, The Bee Sting, follows the Barnes family as they struggle with …
Ordinary People and Story Structure
Ordinary People and Story Structure – Through the Lens of the Hero’s Journey For where I’m at in my creative journey, I feel like trying …
Resolutions and Resistance
Resolutions and Resistance in the New Year New year, new chance to talk about resolutions. And something else: resistance. It’s January, so if you’re into …
Torino Film Festival 2023
Torino Film Festival 2023 – Failed State, Soleils Atikamekw, and Oltre La Valle It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I wrote about …
Jeff VanderMeer’s Wonderbook
Jeff Vandermeer’s Wonderbook and His Style Scale A recent discussion in one of my book clubs (it’s a closed one, but you can always join …