December 14, 2021 To the unvaccinated: If the surge in COVID cases and hospitalizations has made you question your decision, c’mon and join us! Everybody makes mistakes. Are you man or woman enough to admit a mistake and correct it instead of just digging in your heels to avoid losing face? To the vaccinated (like …
December 12, 2021 – I had a nice time at the virtual Pittsburgh Writing Workshop yesterday (can someone be “at” a virtual workshop?). Being online was good because a lot more agents than usual were able to attend. Being online was bad because I couldn’t meet the other attendees, nor even know whether other attendees …
November 25, 2021 – Happy Scott Joplin’s birthday (a day late)! I just recently got his “Solace” up to speed on the piano. I’d always admired this odd, non-ragtime piece since I heard it in the movie “The Sting” (even though I was a Joplin fan even before “The Sting” came out), but never spent …
My father passed away last Wednesday, Sept. 8. WWII vet, engineer, singer, spiritual seeker, and generally great guy. I can’t complain too much; he was 97, in decent health until the last week, and being well looked after by the Redstone assisted living home, but still … We all miss him.
April 30, 2021 – Last day of “real” work as I retire early (from my engineering job, not from writing!). Less engineering output, more literary output, I hope!
November 24, 2020 – Happy Scott Joplin’s birthday, for any other ragtime fans! True, not directly related to writing, but a big deal to me (kind of like Schroeder from Peanuts and Beethoven’s birthday). His Maple Leaf Rag is what drew me back to the piano at the age of 13, adding that hobby to …
June 28, 2019 – I had a good day at Seton Hill University’s In Your Write Mind workshop. I met agents Chris Kepner and Natalie Kimber, attended interesting sessions, and chatted with other friendly authors. I recommend this annual event for any author! http://inyourwritemind.setonhill.edu/
March 9, 2019 – I had a fun and productive day at the Pittsburgh Writing Workshop. Met a couple of agents and some other nice people, attended interesting lectures, and watched the first page of The Captain and the Seer survive a review by five agents and an author without too much damage! (I made …
April 29, 2017 – I posted an author interview video on YouTube, featuring me discussing Softlife with Jason1 and Iooi.
August 13, 2016 – I finished a new cover for Softlife. Those of you with the old purple-cover versions, don’t worry; the story inside is exactly the same.