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BARBARA AND BUZZ—A REAL-LIFE FAIRY TALE
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, where gray mists hid the tops of green forests, and deep snows crowned the sawtoothed peaks of rugged mountains, a young girl spotted a young boy. “He’s different,” she said. “I want to get to know him.” She did, and for a brief time they…
Read MoreI’M 80, I GUESS I’M NOT SO OLD—PART II
In the email Barbara sent me that altered the course of my life (see I’M 80, I GUESS I’M NOT SO OLD–PART I), she said, in part: “I know there is always a risk in writing one’s thoughts to another because they may be perceived differently than intended. I hope you know me well enough…
Read MoreI’M 80, I GUESS I’M NOT SO OLD—PART I
The airliner sinks slowly over the quilt-work brown and green landscape of southeastern Washington state as it approaches the Tri-Cities Airport. The Tri-Cities are Pasco (where the airport is), Richland, and Kennewick—where a woman who was my girlfriend when we were in the eighth grade, sixty-seven years ago, lives. Her name is Barbara. Yes, eighth…
Read MoreTHE SHANGRI-LA RAIDERS, APRIL 2, 1942
Today, April 2, 2021, marks the 79th anniversary of the beginning of one of the most remarkable adventures in U.S. military history: the bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle. The attack, battling horrendous odds against its success, became legendary in the annals of WWII history. Bombs were not actually dropped…
Read MoreI’M 80, I’M OLD—SOME ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS
First of all, please allow me to slip in an update about my newest novel. When Heroes Flew: The Shangri-La Raiders is on track to be released July 13. It’s a captivating tale of bravery, determination, and an unlikely love set against the legendary Jimmy Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942. Next, since I published…
Read MoreI’M 80, I’M OLD—SOME OBSERVATIONS
Allow me, please, to depart from my usual blog topics about writing or weather. Today is different. I’m 80. I’m old. “Senior middle-ager” doesn’t cut it any longer. And for the record, that old saw about age being just a state of mind is BS. As much as I try to convince myself I’m merely…
Read MoreIT’S A PIECE OF CRAP
My adult grandson (who is special needs but high functioning) and I were cleaning out my garage recently. He found something bulky wrapped in a trash bag and opened it. “Hey, Gramps,” he says, “what’s this?” I look over his shoulder. It was something I’d forgotten about. “It’s a typewriter,” I say. “A what?” “Typewriter.”…
Read More“THE END” IS JUST THE BEGINNING
In a previous blog, I mentioned that I had a new work-in-progress (WIP) with a tentative title of The Shangri-La Raiders. I thought the title might not stick. But it has. My publisher, Severn River, decided the new book would be a nice follow-on to When Heroes Flew. Thus, the “official” title of the WIP…
Read MoreWHAT 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…
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