Tag Archives: Writing

Reviews and Reflections on Books, Literature, and Writing: Volume Three Is Now Available!

My latest collection of book reviews, Reviews and Reflections on Books, Literature, and Writing: Volume Three, is now available in paperback and as an ebook at various online outlets. Links to these are below. From the author’s introduction: A popular … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Rough Draft: A Memoir by Katy Tur

I picked this book up under the assumption that it was written by a magazine or newspaper reporter; I had never heard of Katy Tur because I don’t usually watch broadcast news. She is, in fact, a television journalist who … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Adaptability in Creative Pursuits

Recently I experienced mounting frustration not because I was blocked and accomplishing nothing, but rather that I was focusing on one aspect of my work and neglecting others. I had determined that I would write at least five hundred original … Continue reading

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel H. Pink

This book starts out strong. The author points out the fallacy of the expression “no regrets” because, well, everyone has regrets. To find out what these regrets are, Pink undertook a massive international survey and also delved deeply into past … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review:  This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

I read and enjoyed Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao when I was still living in Greece shortly before I moved back to the United States in 2012. It has taken me this long to … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

An Appreciation of Bruce Taylor, aka Mr. Magic Realism

It may seem odd to interrupt the posting of a lengthy three-part book review for an essay on another subject, but I have just received the disheartening news that my friend Bruce Taylor died a few days ago, and this … Continue reading

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review:  Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

When Suleika Jaouad was only twenty-two years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she was told that she had only a thirty-five percent chance of survival. It began with a maddening itch on her legs shortly after she moved … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“The Dead Shall Rise” in Spirit Machine

My short story “The Dead Shall Rise” has just been published in Spirit Machine: Tales of Séance Fiction. It is a limited edition anthology with a gorgeous cover. According to the publisher, the anthology “merges science fiction with spiritualism and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Staying Alive; or, The Martian as an Allegory of the Human Condition

“Never despair, but if you do, work on in spite of despair.”- paraphrase of Edmund Burke Recently I checked out my various accounts so I could assess my financial situation, and I received a devastating shock. It was much worse … Continue reading

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Keep Doing What You’re Doing

Often we create resolutions for the New Year because we are convinced that changes need to be made in our lives. Perhaps something is not right; something is out of kilter. We resolve to do whatever needs to be done … Continue reading

Posted in On Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment