Finishing A Task
Professional life as an attorney makes me anal about completing a task. And when you get to that certain age where most calls back east start with “guess who died[,]” you never want to leave anything important for another day. Probably explains why I completed the five novel – The Claire Saga – in four […]
Literarily Woodstocking Berthoud
There’s always a first. Back in 1969, our country was in upheaval. Foreign wars, protests, economic crises, college takeovers, generational and societal antagonism, and political schisms consumed our lives. The United States was ready to burn to the ground. Mordor. The perfect setting for a redemptive fairy tale. Let’s see . . . Once upon […]
A Sore Narrowback
I may be a Narrowback (an American born Celt who never worked as hard as his immigrant ancestors) but I’ve always tried to work like my pureblood Donkey (fresh off the boat immigrant Celt used to working hard) grandfather, Spaghetti, especially when it came to humping heavy shit that I probably should not be humping. […]
Marketing 101 – The Claire Saga
Never leave your success solely in the hands of another. When I first sat down to write what turned out to be The Wise Ass, I hadn’t a clue about how to write a novel. I did know how to tell a story. I’ve been doing that most of my life. But I didn’t know […]
Outdoor Chores
Yesterday was all Claire (and Honey) related outdoor work. Of course it began with a fruit and veggie run to Walmart, where I was met by some crows acting as Gargoyles above the cameras and I spotted the above “Claire’s” sign. Then Claire and Honey had their regular mani-pedis by their amazing farrier, Jason Bastemeyer, […]
Someone To Watch Over Me (When No One Else Dares To)
My first Trigger Warning to my fine, five readers. Proceed at your own risk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons Yesterday was a day for the books. I have an extremely regular constitution. You can set your clock by it. Lots of coffee throughout the day keeps the clockwork running smoothly. On rare occasion, because of dehydration where I don’t […]
The Why
My years as a litigator have taught me how to fake expertise in many subjects. I can readily engage, breakdown, absorb and palatably regurgitate the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and often the “how,” of many different things, with savant-like skills, but I rarely understand the “why.” Understanding the “why” is where real genius comes in. […]
The Sun Also Sets
Yesterday evening, when I was heading down towards the new barn to give Claire and Honey, who were waiting patiently for me, their last meal of the day my peripheral vision caught a sparkling sunset just meeting the foothills to my west. Another second and it was gone. Just a moment of reflection. And I […]
Mundanity Amongst The Mystical
Back when I first decided to give screenwriting a shot as a side gig in the early nineties I attended a weekend seminar with the brilliant Robert McKee. Mr. Mckee, I salute you. https://mckeestory.com/ One of the things that stuck with me was his explanation of storytelling talent. He posited the question as to why […]
Pliny The Younger – Super Blue Full Moon
I had just read an article that included the above painting. It was about Pliny the Younger’s observations of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. I just happened to gaze West on Beverly when pulling into my driveway and I spotted an comparable cloud formation above The Three Witches. So, I snapped this photo. Luckily TTW […]