I forget why I was in trouble. I was about 10 or 11 and had been arguing with my mom. I just remember running to my room to get away. My bedroom was small. I shared it with my brother. There wasn't a lot of extra space. I had a desk and a chair and... Continue Reading →
Signed, sealed, and delivered
I look over the contract for the hundredth time. I've signed a few contracts in my day. There were the loans for college. I signed contracts to pay for various cars and for the mortgage on my house. Even with that experience, though, I can't help but feel like I'm signing my life away. This... Continue Reading →
Where am I with my novel?
I shut my laptop. It's been a few weeks now, so I can admit that I had a smug little smile spread across my face. I had signed up to write a novel in 30 days as part of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge and, through the first week or so of the... Continue Reading →
A lesson from the heart
I knew at an early age that I didn't want to work in the local steel mill, become a farm worker, or enlist in the military — the careers that many of my classmates in my small rural high school chose. They were all fine pursuits, but I figured out that my interests lie elsewhere.... Continue Reading →
Mad Scientist at work, excuse the mess!
I stalk around my room, like a mad scientist, talking and grunting to myself in a gibberish that's hard for anyone else to understand. I'm surrounded by a lab full of beakers and various half-started projects. When I sit down at my laptop, I type out two or three sentences, read what I've written and... Continue Reading →
The joys of living with a creative
My wife knows me inside and out, we’ve both been together with each other longer than we’ve been apart. She’s gotten used to my tricks, but it did take some time for her to get used to my creative craziness. Yes, us creative types are different. Photo by Pixabay We have habits and traditions caused... Continue Reading →
The agony of defeat
As a kid, I looked forward to hearing the loud, brassy opening music to the ABC Television's Wide World of Sports and Jim McKay's opening narration. You knew you were going to see and hear something special. Shots of faraway places and events would flash across the screen and McKay in his recognizable voice would... Continue Reading →
On a hot streak
During New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941, the longest in Major League Baseball history, he struck out only five times and had 91 base hits in 223 at-bats for a .408 batting average. Even if you know little about baseball, safe to say, he was on fire. The man was on a hot streak. Likewise,... Continue Reading →
My life as a world famous author!
(I ran a version of this story in January 2016. It's been updated and revised with current publishing data.) Patricia Cornwell’s books take-up two rows in my local library. Danielle Steele, now 76, has slowed in recent years, but she’s holding strong with two shelves of her own. James Patterson — the master — leads... Continue Reading →

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