STEPPING ON MY AUTHOR’S PONCHO

Oh, good grief. You’d think I’d know how to write a novel by now. But, noooo. I recently showed my alpha beta-reader, better known as my wife Barbara, the first two chapters of my work in progress (WIP). Allow me to inject here that Barbara is more than a beta reader. A beta reader usually…

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PLEASE, SOMEBODY, MAKE ME AN OFFER . . .

Being a published author opens me up to input and comments from the public. Most are uplifting and positive. A few are caustic, but that’s just part of doing business. Then there are the occasional email solicitations I receive that seem downright insulting . . . to my intelligence. Here’s an example: “I hope this…

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I WISH I WERE A BETTER WRITER

For reasons I can’t explain, or even understand, my recent visit to southeastern Alaska’s Misty Fjords triggered a deep emotional response within me. My wife Barbara urged me to write about it before my feelings became lost in my own mists of memory. So I did. I wish I were a better writer. I wish…

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THE FAIRY TALE CONTINUES–BARBARA AND BUZZ

The fairy tale continues. The rise of what I like to think of as Schloss Bernard, my new writer’s studio—my castle—signals the beginning of a new phase of my life. I have a few weeks remaining in Georgia before I, and my Shih-Tzu buddy, Stormy, wing our way west to where the freshly-minted Mrs. Bernard,…

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IT’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.”…

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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…

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YOU 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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THE 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…

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HOW 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…

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GRINDING 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,…

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