Talking and Writing
If I tell someone my story, I find that I’m committing myself to a certain line, idea, direction. I’m putting my ideas in a box.
If I tell someone my story, I find that I’m committing myself to a certain line, idea, direction. I’m putting my ideas in a box.
This recent night, as I watched the game there was a brief flash of a stadium sign that read, “Remember 1951!” … that’s why I watched the game, a reunion, if you will, of memories.
My current project is at an impasse. I’m standing still. I’m not sure where to go. The truth is, I’m rather lost.
I’ve come to believe that professional writing is not just an occupation, it is a way of life. It may not fill your pockets, but it will fill your mind. Your time. And your worries.
One of the curious things about professional writing is that you work on a book for a year or more, but since it’s meant for readers, you need to wait longer to see what folks think of it. That wait can be a fretful time.
To create a society in which people are paid to spy upon one another, be it for politics or the books they read is abhorrent to me. As a citizen, as a writer, I feel obliged to speak up.
Indeed, when I meet with readers it is not unusual for someone to ask me a fairly detailed question about a book I wrote—like The Man Who Was Poe—and are astonished that I don’t recall that moment in the book.
Book #2 in the Poppy series, Ragweed & Poppy, was the last story written, first published in 2020. You’ve written to say how delighted you are with this new story. Here’s a song, a sample chapter, a teaching guide, and several videos to add to your enjoyment of this book.
A look into 18th Century England, the criminal world young Oliver Cromwell Pitts becomes embroiled in, and one of Britain’s most notorious “thief-catchers,” who was a master thief. It’s a story written in the style of eighteenth century stories by Fielding, Sterne, and others—great fun.
A book about a magician who doesn’t believe in magic? A ghost story about characters who don’t believe in ghosts? A mystery in which the servant may know more than the master? All of these are true about Midnight Magic! Behind the story, resources, and more.