Fearless Peerless
I sat with George Scott in his brand new facility on a rainy Tuesday this week and wondered aloud what possessed a man to open a book store while so many others are going the way of eight-track stereo players. Independents are shuttering their doors left and right, Borders is in Chapter 11, and Barnes…
Read MoreSay goodbye to Happy Dreamland
My wife, sleepy-eyed, poked her head around the corner and peeked into the TV room. “What are you doing up so early?” she asked me. Without waiting for an answer she continued. “I didn’t even hear the TV. What’s new?” “Terrorists have taken over an Air Traffic Control facility near Boston. There’re part of a…
Read MoreA mock-up for the cover of EYEWALL
What you see on the right is a mock-up for the cover of EYEWALL. The final cover, which won’t be ready until the end of the month, may be, according to my editor, “very different from this one.” But, she said, “the general look and themes will be similar.” There are some things I think should be changed, and BelleBooks,…
Read MoreSome thoughts on the future of the eBook
The Middle East and north Africa aren’t the only places in the world where there are revolutions taking place. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a take-no-prisoners insurgency underway in the publishing industry. It’s called the eBook. A few months ago I certainly had my doubts about the future of these little electronic slates that…
Read MoreA one-sitting, white-knuckle read
A few people got an early peek at my forthcoming novel, EYEWALL. Below, in condensed form, is what they thought of it. “Great characters combine with razor-sharp suspense and leave you breathless. A one-sitting, white-knuckle read.”–Vicki Hinze, award-winning author of DEADLY TIES “…an edge-of-the-seat action read of the finest quality. Bernard’s realism will have you…
Read MoreThe groundhog blew it
Look, if somebody yanked me out of my warm bed in the dead of winter, thrust me into the glare of spotlights, cameras and a mob of babbling, gawking people, I don’t think I’d bother looking for my shadow. A bathroom maybe, but not my shadow. Groundhog Day. What a farce. Like some semi-comatose woodchuck…
Read MoreAn interview with a Hurricane Hunter pilot
In several previous blogs, I’ve posted interviews with Dr. Nicholas Obermeyer, a key character in my novel EYEWALL Dr. Obermeyer, or Obie, as he’s called, is the best hurricane forecaster I’ve ever met. He’s also known to be outspoken and controversial. Today I’d like to introduce you to another prominent player in EYEWALL, Major Arlen…
Read MoreSo where does EYEWALL stand?
Now that Old Man Winter (OMW) has retreated from north Georgia and returned to his more usual haunts–permanently I hope–it’s back to the business of writing for me. For much of the previous two weeks I was wrapped around the axle, first watching apprehensively as OMW marshaled his forces for an assault on a region…
Read MoreBehind the scenes–forecasting snowstorms
It’s been quite a winter so far. This morning, winter storm warnings blanket New England as the second major tempest–a true blizzard near Boston–in a little over two weeks mounts a furious assault. It’s already dropped 6 to 12 inches on NYC. Winter storm warnings are also in effect for much of Washington state, northern…
Read MoreEight plows?
To say this has been an interesting winter so far would be a healthy understatement. As I write this, the largest city in the South remains wrapped in a blanket of white and virtually shut down for the second day in a row. What little traffic there is creeps like a garden slug on a…
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