This was an ordinary day, at an ordinary time, in an ordinary place. There once was a man, who needed to reach the sea. For years, he’d been tormented by the People. They bullied him in school; they never understood when he spoke, for he wasn’t from wherever it was he’d drifted to when he…
I stumbled across a few strange parallels between this book I’m reading and my own works. There are the normal things you find, like character names that are the same, but the one that struck me was the entrance of a fashion designer. The author clearly found inspiration from the same source I used for…
I’m currently reading REDACTED by REDACTED (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Okay, it’s REDACTED‘s 9th book, written under a pen name as a new novelist. However, she has convinced me it’s a debut novel, given I’m on page 74 and still don’t care for any of her characters except the lead’s sidekick. Someone or something…
For those of you who love great music (irrespective of your religious beliefs) here’s a little old-time gospel that I thought you’d find uplifting for a Friday. The song’s entitled “Roll, Jordan, Roll” (read, Jerden). The first part is sung by the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and then they are joined in by the Fairfield Four,…
The first draft of Jeanne Dark is in the books. Now to take a month off to experience life again. After that, I’m on holiday for 2 weeks. Hopefully, my life will clear up by then and I can focus on joy and publication. Woo Hoo. This isn’t my best book, but it was the…
By my estimation, I’m 98,000 words into a 108,000 word book. My detectives have solved the case, and now all that’s left is to try to apprehend the culprit. Oh, that it were so easy. I knocked out about 3,000 words tonight that I think will end up being increased instead of tightened. I’ll be…
Rest in Peace, Ruby Dee (1922 – 2014), a talented, classy lady.
Garry Winogrand (14 January 1928, New York City – 19 March 1984, Tijuana, Mexico) was considered by many to be the central photographer of his generation. A street photographer by nature, Winogrand rose to fame, eventually shooting some of the most famous people of his day. Winogrand’s upbringing wasn’t much different than a lot of…
So, in between Work, finishing Jeanne Dark (80% done!), and starting the Query cycle for Eddie Daley, I’m editing The Stream for updated release, probably under new names. (Not sure about the names.) Book 1 is completed and is a lot tighter. I’ve been hitting Book 2 as the mood warrants, and I think it’s…
One of the best–and the most frustrating–things about writing is that inspiration changes from moment to moment, and characters and plot lines refuse to be contained. In a moment of such inspiration, I’d come up with an archetype for a character in my book. Rather than my normal process of determining a personality type, I…
The Artists' Sanctum 