The Rita Incident
In my previous interview with the outspoken and sometimes controversial hurricane forecaster Dr. Nicholas Obermeyer (a character in EYEWALL), I asked if I could return, after Christmas, to speak with him about the infamous “Rita Incident.” He agreed to sit down with me today in the studios of the Natural Environment TV Network in Atlanta.…
Read MoreThe 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season outlook
Since Colorado State University recently released its 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season outlook, I thought I’d go back to the Natural Environment TV Network and speak with Dr. Nicholas Obermeyer, its controversial hurricane expert. When I talked with Dr. Obermeyer a couple of weeks ago, he termed seasonal hurricane outlooks “pretty damn useless to the general…
Read MoreHere’s a real thrill: a free ebook
It’s not a free lunch, but close. Through the International Thriller Writers (ITW) organization, fans of the genre are being offered a free ebook, Watchlist It’s an “ensemble” effort written by 22 top-of-the-line authors including Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child and Lisa Scottoline. Until December 21st you can download your free copy of Watchlist here: www.peroozal.com…
Read MoreThe 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, a conversation with Dr. Nicholas Obermeyer
The paradoxical 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially ended yesterday–paradoxical because it gave birth to 19 named storms, tying it for the third busiest season on record, while at the same time, hurling not a single hurricane across the shores of the U.S. In fact, only one tropical storm bothered to make a run at us.…
Read MoreThanksgiving 1965
As some of you read in my Wednesday Facebook entry, my Thanksgiving holiday did not begin well: Not a good start to the holiday: spent 8 hrs in the ER with my wife who had a touch of pneumonia, then a bad reaction to an antibiotic; the doctors had to scramble to find a replacement…
Read MoreFacebook encourages fooling around?
A New Jersey pastor a few days ago asked his married church members to delete their Facebook accounts because, he said, using that social medium encourages adultery. Facebook, in his opinion, makes it too easy for spouses to reunite with old flames or, presumably, find new ones, thus beginning a slippery slide into fooling around.…
Read MoreHow a novel is born
As near as I can figure out, the gestation period for a novel–at least one of mine–is roughly the same as for a human baby. At times, it seems just as uncomfortable, too. (I’m not speaking from personal experience, just observation.) And by gestation period, I don’t mean writing the book, I mean just coming…
Read MoreBeware of friends in need
Beware of friends in need. Or at least emails purported to be from friends in need. I got the following email this morning (the subject line was “Horrible Situation” followed by about 27 exclamation points): I’m writing this with tears in my eyes, I and my family came down here to Wales,United Kingdom for a…
Read MoreKick me again, Mom
On my trip to Phoenix last week to visit my 94-year-old mom, I had dinner one night with her and a couple of her friends, one of them a 93-year-old former schoolteacher. “I love my new iPod,” the ex-teacher told me. “Oh,” I said, thinking what a hip lady I’m dining with, “what kind of…
Read MoreAn early winter?
Emboldened by my success last year in predicting, very unscientifically, a tough winter in the Southeast, I shall sally forth once again. This time, however, I will cast aside acorns, squirrels and electric blankets–my previous predictors–in favor of (drum roll here)… chipmunks. I spotted one in an oak tree the other day. Now I’ve lived…
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