OK, I’ll keep this short and sweet. Three things to tell you: I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Alaska that included a scenic train ride between Fairbanks and Anchorage, a lake cruise right up to a calving glacier in Portage and some flying over the marshland ending with stellar air pic of Anchorage and backdrop mountains. That got the writing juices flowing again as I put fingers to keyboard and continued the…
Category: Vanity Cards
My New Office
So, here’s my recommendation for the perfect office. It’s not just a physical space. What’s more important is the state of mind that influences character development.
Are We For Real?
Our reality. Is it real or is it Memorex? Here are my comments on an article about a new experiment that demonstrates reality might actually be real.
GOD GAMES… WHY I WROTE IT.
A question I get a lot is what drove me to write GOD Games and, well, ahhh, put religion in a dim light. Religion is not bad. Faith/belief drives human determination, endurance and greatness. But…
HEAVEN’S ANT FARM. WHY I WROTE IT.
It has been a while since my last post and some of you have inquired about my silence. Well, I’m sweating my way though one of those writer’s block. It started last spring right in the middle of my writing MILK RUN. The problem is the story line doesn’t have the desired punch. The concept is still great–a space battle SciFi centered around the generation gap, mutiny, obsession and rescuing a fiancée from an alien…
Death, Time Machines and Science Fiction
Last week, I lost a good friend. It brought to mind the warmth and great conversations we and our families had together: traveling, partying and over eating (remind me to tell you about the $99 steak!). On my way back from the funeral in Virgina, I thought about all those good times like when wine shot out of my nose because I laughed so hard at the jokes he told, or when we watched the…
Book Review- GEMMA GAMMA
This week, I decided to do a quick book of Harold Johnson’s new novel GEMMA GAMMA. In short, this is a great young adult science fiction story about a teenage girl who must quickly discover who she is and prevent her mother and new friend from becoming collateral damage as the world also tries to figure out who she has become. There are least three characters who grabbed my attention. But this story is all…
Ruffled Agent Feathers
Recently, a follow blogger talked about the challenges and stillness associated with querying literary agents in January. But I find that no matter when you do it, this is a cold and lonely process that mainly results in either no response or a very late and canned note saying something like “unfortunately, this piece is not for us . . . have a nice day 🙂 ” This agent query business is a corrosive experience…
Diversity In Writing
I recently saw a blog from a fellow writer about the tricky issue of diversity. Funny that he should explore this thorny bush because the topic has been on my mind for some time. I recently tweeted my disappointment when someone posted somewhere the following statement–“I just don’t see how non-white characters fit into my book.” To be fair, I recognize that every book is different and reflects the deep thoughts of the writer. But it…
Requiem For The Query Letter
So, I’m doing some volunteer work for a wonderful non-profit organization called Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP). Some of you will know the obvious reason, but that’s another story. (Click here if you want to see what HIP is all about). I agreed to help HIP select an IT vendor to run their systems. So I put together the usual Request for Proposal that gets sent out—no sweat. But it turns out there are a…