WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VA . . . STAYCATION
It’s been a rough year for me—in truth, for everyone—and I decided I really needed to get away from it all. I needed a vacation. Unfortunately, that little virus thingy dictated that the v-a part of the “cation” word be substituted with s-t-a-y. Stay? Nope, not me. Why let a trivial matter like a pandemic…
Read MoreYOU GOTTA HAVE A THICK SKIN
As a novelist, you gotta have a thick skin. It takes a thick skin to get there—being a published author—because along the way you’re going to get hammered with a lot of criticism and rejection. Much of the criticism, if it’s done correctly, will be constructive guidance from fellow writers. It’s part of how you…
Read MoreTHE SHANGRI-LA RAIDERS
Apparently I’m a historical fiction novelist now. My initial foray into the field, When Heroes Flew, has proven surprisingly successful. On Amazon, the novel racked up over 100 reviews in less than a month, eclipsing tallies for my previous books—even those of my flagship Eyewall—by a number of weeks! Not only that, but the reviews…
Read MoreWHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM
As I trudge down the road of life, passing through the Geezerhood Gates onto a shorter, steeper trail, I find myself more often glancing behind me as opposed to looking ahead. I say this not to be maudlin—for I’m sure it is a view all of us of a certain age hold—but as a mere…
Read MoreWAFS and WASPs
I have to admit, while I was writing When Heroes Flew (nee Oregon Grinder) I was apprehensive over whether a female character flying a combat mission with U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII would be well received. In reality, that kind of thing just didn’t happen. At least in our army. Purists, I feared, might…
Read MoreHOW BEING A WRITER IS LIKE BEING A QUARTERBACK ON A BAD TEAM
Those of you who’ve been in the writing business for awhile and have attempted to get traditionally published know what a discouraging, demeaning, difficult challenge that is. It’s like being a quarterback on a football team with a porous offensive line. You know you’re going to get sacked frequently. Only in the book business, you…
Read MoreGRINDING OUT OREGON GRINDER
Last October, I wrote a blog about why, as an author, I was switching genres, summing up the reason with the statement “because I want to.” That’s true. But there’s also a hidden story behind the reason. It deals with weather, the framework for three of my five previous novels. (As many of you may recall,…
Read MoreSWITCHING GENRES—AN AUTHOR’S NO-NO . . . SO WHY AM I DOING IT?
The conventional wisdom in the world of writing is that it may be unwise for an author, once he’s established himself (or herself) as a writer in a particular genre, to switch genres. So why, then, am I switching genres? I’ve carved out a bit of a name for myself as a guy who turns…
Read MoreBLUNT TALK ABOUT SUPERCELL
I wasn’t aware of it until my publisher, BelleBooks, pointed it out, but May 4th is National Weather Observers Day. And maybe BelleBooks wasn’t aware of it until I mentioned it, but the month of May marks the climatological peak of tornado season (see graphic below). On average, more twisters rip across the U. S.…
Read MoreB-24s AND LUFTWAFFE PILOTS
It’s been awhile since I’ve written a blog, mainly because I feel the the media universe has become super-saturated with them. Same thing with author newsletters and books in general. So I’ll understand if only a few people ever read this. But I thought I’d blather briefly about what I’ve begun working on while novel…
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