November has arrived. Summer is a distant memory and Halloween is blessedly in the rear view mirror. So what comes next? If your house is anything like mine when I was a child, the arrival of November meant the start of the Christmas baking season for our mother. I fondly recall the heavenly aroma of fresh baked bread, the wonderful smell of cinnamon as the rolls turned golden brown in the oven, and the sight of pies cooling on the…
Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy ghouls and goblins day tomorrow! In honor of the day, I give you the greatest Halloween song ever written: The Monster Mash! I found this little gem of a video on YouTube where it’s performed live. I must say, Bobby Pickett’s facial contortions are as entertaining as the song. “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?”
I considered making this post about computer trivia, but decided to start instead with printing. After all, I am in the business of publishing novels and the printed word arrived long before Kindle. I found many of the facts listed below on a website called Printing Impressions. https://www.piworld.com/article/unusual-historical-facts-printing-industry/ Although Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, he did not invent printing itself. That distinction goes to Chinese monks, who used pieces of wood dipped in ink to print scrolls, five hundred…
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is one of Mozart’s most beloved and enduring pieces of music. Though the origins are not known, it was likely a commissioned work, completed in about August of 1787. It is a serenade, and was written for a small ensemble, though today we usually hear it performed by a full orchestra. The name comes from Mozart’s own notation in the music, in which he almost certainly was not giving it a special name, but had only noted…
With everything happening in the world right now, I decided we all need something to brighten our day. To that end, I went online in search of innocuous jokes (or Dad jokes, if you will). I was looking for humor innocent enough that nobody would take offense to, but corny enough to tickle your funny bone. My journeys took me to The Country Living site and a page titled “80 Hilariously Funny Jokes to Make Your Friends and Family Laugh”….
I’ve seen lots of movies about AI run amuck. The Terminator was an early one, and those movies were good for about the first three, then there was The Matrix, where the first was good while the rest (haven’t seen the fourth) were pretty much abominations. I tend to like dystopian, disaster, thriller movies, as they tell stories about the human spirit and people rising to the challenge, even if the scripts are not often the best and some of…
My latest novel, If Not For the Entail, is now available on Amazon. I released the eBook late Saturday evening and am now working on the paperback version. The process, from idea to completion, was not easy, so I’m pleased as punch to get to this point. I pray that my next composition goes a little easier but I suppose that is, for the most part, entirely up to me. I’m pleased with this story. It’s a bit more in-depth…
Today is Thanksgiving in Canada. As with so many times of the year, it arrives ahead of our American friends’ observation of the occasion. (Please don’t take offense, my tongue was firmly in my cheek as I wrote that last sentence.) My eldest sister lives in Utah, so I have a habit of pointing that out to her every year. What is a younger brother for, if not to bother older siblings, of which I have two? In Canada, the…
In this episode of Funny Friday, I thought I’d talk about funny as in “weird” rather than funny as in haha. I’ve often spoken about the different parts of the writing process and how I do in the various parts. I do pretty well in outlining, but it’s fairly hot and cold. If I get an idea, I can run with it, but it will sometimes take me a while to get into outlining a story. Editing, proofing, grammar checking…
I have been working on a novel since April, and I can finally see the light at the end of this particular tunnel. “If Not For the Entail” is my best composition yet, if you believe those who have read it through to the end. The plot revolves around Elizabeth Bennet’s efforts to save the family estate from a fraudulent ownership claim. I sent the manuscript to the editor today, and I plan on publishing somewhere around the third week…