Archive for the ‘TOXIC RELATIONSHIP’ Category

A great joy in my life, other than writing, has been flying. Not the big commercial jets, but small, single engine airplanes. One of the basic things every pilot learns sooner or later is that the more you try to control the airplane, the less control you have. When I first started flying, I recall […]

I’ve been featured on the Writers League of Texas blog to promote their literary contest. A sci-fi manuscript of mine, SHAPER, won in the sci-fi/fantasy category and the first Nick Sibelius novel, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP, was a finalist in the 2011 contest. Check it out.  

Given it’s December, this must be my annual holiday blog post!!! I cannot offer unending pop star carols in the background, no flashing lights, fake snow on plastic trees or even a mocha pumpkin cinnamon double whip with red and green sprinkles. Sorry. I can point out how this holiday month for various religious traditions […]

Continuity, especially in a longer novel with a complex plot, can be a real challenge. As the story evolves from the first draft, every aspect of the novel deepens with detail. The setting, from the time of day, time of year, climate, architecture, flora and fauna–the list is almost endless–becomes more defined on the second, […]

You may have read about the study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology recently which noted the beneficial effect of a mild chocolate aroma in the air on book buyers.  I am quite confident in the results of the study, given the researchers were Belgian.  A grad student at Ole Miss or a professor from […]

You may have noticed a new logo on the home page under the countdown for the book tour.  A couple of weeks ago I participated in Coffee Time Romance and More’s day long blog event — Book Brew. As a participating writer I won a prize!  I am now listed on their site, monthly newseltter and […]

Religion in Texas can be divided into three main categories: those who worship God, those who worship Football, and those who worship BBQ.  Texans may not agree on God, depending on faith tradition and denomination. Or Football, depending on University affiliation (UT v A&M comes immediately to mind). However, a Texan loves BBQ. Someone NOT […]

The world of Nick Sibelius, the protagonist in TOXIC RELATIONSHIP and the upcoming DIRTY WATER (look for it June 2013) is Central Texas. He lives in an Airstream trailer on a piece of land east of Pflugerville, a bedroom community northeast of Austin. I first moved to Austin in 1968. Back then, Pflugerville was a […]

I went to Austin last week to visit family and friends. It’s been almost four years since my wife and I moved up to Seattle. Time does slip away! But I have to say it’s always good to walk into Austin’s warm embrace. The place keeps changing, as all places do. Restaurants and clubs open […]

(Cue Willie Nelson) Funny how time just slips away… I took a blogging break in December and here it is February. I’m back! We’re in the “prep the literary contest submissions” season for writer conferences in the summer. I think I’m going to submit a short story to Pacific Northwest Writers Association called SWING THING. […]