May 08
The name, Leo Tolstoy, carries a bit of an intimidation factor. Tolstoy lived in the 1800s, and the world has changed since then. Many writers have come and gone, yet Tolstoy continues to be relevant. At the library, I find several nondescript volumes lacking flashy colors, fonts and modern graphics. Recognizable titles include War and …
May 06
“The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike say a brain surgeon.” – Robert Cormier Grab your thesaurus! You need a stronger word to convey the anger your protagonist feels. When reading your completed manuscript, look for apathetic words that don’t show the desire, despair, …
May 05
Note: There are spoilers in this article. Though Dead Rising 4 was released in December 2016, I was unable to play it until mid-March. I had to wait until it was made available for my favorite gaming hub, the Steam Network, before I could download it. Unlike Resident Evil 7, my resolve to stay …
Apr 16
I’ve fallen in love with cowboys. Not Louis L’Amore’s country-drawling, quick-on-the-draw, old-time Wild West fictional characters. Not the iconic John Wayne hero-types who were popular with past generations. I’m enamored with real-live, adrenaline junkie, God-fearing, patriotic, chaps-wearing, bucking-bull-riding men. In ten-gallon hats or protective helmets, these guys—who individually race the clock astride a two-thousand-pound-angry bull …
Mar 18
The Fine Grind, a coffee bar Little Falls, NJ March 2017 It’s my second week in New Jersey, and I see a woman in a yellow University of Michigan sweatshirt. Really? I live in some vortex that I can’t escape my former home state. Are there more of them? I scan the room. The big …