How much does environment impact your mood?
Know Thyself
Short Story: Wiggins’ Christmas
Mom kept pestering me to write a Sherlock Holmes short story about the Baker Street Irregulars. I gifted this to her for Christmas this year. Snow pummels the high street, dampening the back of my tattered trousers, the hole in my left boot sticking to wet cobblestones. I slip on uneven ground, catch myself, and …
The Monster of Ego
It takes a degree of open-mindedness to even be willing to change your mind.
221 B Baker Street Correspondence
Dear Readers, It is with utmost regret that I inform you that Charity is currently buried under a mountain of volumes, which she insisted upon piling in an enormous stack to “prove” how much research she is doing on her novels. I warned her of the high probability the pile would collapse on top of …
The Depth in The Shallows
Have you ever seen a movie you can’t stop thinking about? It doesn’t even have to be a deep, insightful experience, but sticks with you for days. I’m like that about The Shallows, a survival film where a girl is stranded two hundred yards from shore circled by a shark. She must rely on her …
Things That Give Us Joy
Recently, I read Marie Kondo’s book on de-cluttering. She said keep only things that give you “joy.” I started to think beyond desk drawers. Much in life is optional. Some things don’t give me joy (like cleaning the cat box) but I must do them. Those are non-optional. So, why do I clutter my life …
The Historical Writer’s Oath
One of my major pet peeves is literary licenses taken with historical figures in serious historical literature. (I do not consider “speculative fiction” serious historical literature or any story where a historical figure is dealing with zombies, vampires, or magic; these stories are obvious fiction and never confused by a casual reader for the truth.) …
What’s Happening?
I have neglected this blog of late. I'm sorry, but I'm also not. I'm busy. The last eight months have been spent reworking one of my earlier manuscripts, which required more historical research on the side. I can never stop at knowing "a little" and so I have been knee-deep in books on the Tudor …
Does Star Wars Reflect the Modern Age?
The new Star Wars (don’t worry, no spoilers!) is an interesting reflection on the modern era, about a villain becoming a villain through his choices, and heroes becoming heroes by facing similar choices and selecting the moral path. The Jedi are a myth; the next generation grew up without them. Kylo Ren believes returning to …
Christmas Updates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfghOzRToB0 The older I get the faster time goes. It's an old cliche but in my case it's true. I have no idea where 2015 went other than that I kept busy. I finished my first draft of my latest work in progress a week ago, and have started the editing process. That is always …
