Struck by Lightning
I often get asked if my characters are based on real people. Sometimes they are, at least in part;I’ve only rarely written a character with a single real person in…
Posted inWriting
The Process
One of the things that writers always want to talk about with other writers is their process—how we do what it is we do. Partly, we wonder if we can…
Posted inWriting
When My Mojo is Workin’
There’s an old blues song which to me sums up that feeling when everything in the universe (especially my writing!) is going my way. ‘Got My Mojo Working’ is a…
The Dialogue
Besides being a writer, I’m also an artist and a musician. I make wheel-thrown pottery and claysculptures, and I’ve played the flute for over forty years, belonging to three different…
Posted inWriting
When Darkness Beckons
This post was originally a guest appearance on Patricia Stover's website April 5 2023. If you enjoy Things That Go Bump in the Night (and don't we all?) check her…
Posted inWriting
It’s all about the writers
I find myself getting upset oftentimes, due to the lack of respect given to creative writers. When I'm told of the greatness of entertainment vehicles, my response is typically the…
Posted inWriting
The Idea Factory
Probably the most common question authors get is Where do you get your ideas? The short answer is: everywhere. But what does that mean? It’s kind of a Zen-sounding thing,…
Posted inWriting
When Bad Things Happen to Nice Characters
My short story “The Last Bus Stop” is about a conversation on a bus between two people who had been strangers. One of them is a young commuter; the other,…
