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Month: November 2023

Computer History, From the Abacus to Today

Computer History, From the Abacus to Today

Image by Joshua Woroniecki from Pixabay In a previous post, I discussed the history of the printed word and the boon Mr. Gutenberg’s invention was to mankind. Today’s article is about computers and how they’ve changed the world. Did you know that the abacus is considered the first example of a computer? There is evidence of its existence and use in Mesopotamia as early as 2700 BC., where they used it to assist in calculations for their sexagesimal numbering system, which was based…

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Trivia Thursday, the Thanksgiving Edition

Trivia Thursday, the Thanksgiving Edition

Featured Photo by SJ 📸 on Unsplash Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends. As it’s Trivia Thursday, I thought you might enjoy some trivia about the holiday. Pretty much everything we know about the first Thanksgiving was written in a letter by a colonist named Edward Winslow. Written to someone he refers to as a “Loving, and old Friend,” the letter is quite lengthy and he touches on Thanksgiving only briefly. Thanksgiving has been around for a long time. In fact, George…

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Enemies and Friends

Enemies and Friends

No, this post is not what you might think it is! As a writer of historical fiction, I often have occasion to look up various sayings, idioms, and proverbs, which has led me to learn some interesting things about our language. I thought it would be interesting to dissect some of these saying occasionally to learn where they come from. The first I thought I would tackle is “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” As a definition, this…

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Funny Friday-Red Skelton

Funny Friday-Red Skelton

Clem Kadiddlehopper, Sheriff Deadeye, Gertrude and Heathcliff, Freddie the Freeloader. These were characters created by Red Skelton, one of the finest comedians who ever lived. The Red Skelton Comedy Hour, which aired every Tuesday night at 8 pm, brought me home from whatever I was involved in. My family, all seven of us until 1969, when my brother Jann was born, all gathered around the television set to see which characters would appear on the show each week. I always…

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It’s time for a rewrite

It’s time for a rewrite

“Hidden Desires” was one of my first published novels. I had written a short eBook before this, called “The Parson’s Rescue”, but this was my attempt at creating a full length story. I slaved over it for a few months, worrying over the plot, the phrasing, the correct vernacular, etc. Upon finishing the first draft, I ferociously edited, replacing words that weren’t in use in the time period of my story, correcting spelling and punctuation, and everything else I thought necessary….

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With Gratitude and in Remembrance

With Gratitude and in Remembrance

Today, in honor of Remembrance Day here in Canada and Veteran’s Day in the US, I wanted to express my appreciation for all who have served their country in past conflicts and those who do so now. I thank you for your sacrifice and acknowledge the debt I, and millions of people living in freedom all over the world, owe you. My thoughts go to my father, who served in the South Pacific as a US Marine in the Second…

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Only Exceedingly Shy – New Release Announcement

Only Exceedingly Shy – New Release Announcement

As you read in the title, I have a new book that will be available for sale on Thursday, November 16. The book is entitled Only Exceedingly Shy, and will be available on Amazon Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover, with an audiobook to follow in about March of next year. I would also like to announce a change, as Only Exceedingly Shy will be narrated by the talented Harry Frost! I wish I had a cover to show you, but as usual, I…

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Tuesday Tunes – Opera anyone?

Tuesday Tunes – Opera anyone?

I stumbled across this a few days ago and had to share it. Delibes: Lakmé – Duo des fleurs (Flower Duet) is a duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano in the first act of Léo Delibes’ opera Lakmé, premiered in Paris in 1883. It is sung by the characters Lakmé, daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river. While you may not recognize the name of this piece, you should be familiar…

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My Ten Years in Publishing

My Ten Years in Publishing

Isn’t it funny how time flies? It doesn’t seem like ten years since I published my first book, but I recently passed that milestone. September 1, 2013, was when I published Acting on Faith, my first novel. I’ve come a long way since then, now with more than 50 books published. That journey, and the one in which I am still engaged, has taken my life in a different direction from anything I might have expected. This past summer, I knew…

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