I thought I would try something different this week—a quarterly update for all things related to the writing life. I’ve never done this before, and I hope it provides more insight into how things are progressing. I’m not going to delay further with chit-chat. Let’s get started.
Read MoreI recently saw a question posed to authors: “Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?” This immediately reminded me of a YouTube video.
Read MoreAlways be where flip-flops can be worn.
If you could live your life by a single rule, what would it be?
That’s a question I asked myself one summer afternoon while running around my neighborhood in flip-flops.
Read MoreI love crime fiction movies above every other genre. Okay, Rocky is my favorite movie, and that’s a sports drama, but the genre falls short compared to crime fiction. The same goes for crime fiction. I love the original Star Wars, but I’d rather watch any movie on the below list than A New Hope.
Read MoreMy writing career began in 1996. Sometime during that year, I sat at my computer and wrote a single-page story. It featured a cop drinking in a bar. Anger and bluster filled every word. It was an unreadable tale written by an unhappy man.
Read MoreThere’s a well-established financial concept known as “pay yourself first. It can be applied to creative types as well.
Read MoreHere’s something from the way-back machine. While digging through some old digital files, I found these pictures and thought I would share them.
In 2006, I noodled around with the idea of drawing a comic book. I wasn’t writing much at this point and was looking for a creative outlet. Unfortunately, I’m not that great of an artist, and that was made clear by my inability to draw faces.
Read MoreHere’s another art project from many years ago. I made this with a digital camera and Adobe Photoshop. It’s here for a bit of silliness and to share the creative things a writer finds himself experimenting with.
Read MoreHere’s a fun art project I did many years ago. It was made with a digital camera, a quick script, and Adobe Photoshop.
Read MoreDo you have a favorite book? A favorite movie? Or a favorite song? For them to be your favorite, you’ve had to enjoy them more than once.
Have those favorites remained that way through the years? That’s the tricky question because time plays no favorites.
Read MoreWhen was the last time you watched the same movie twice—on back-to-back nights?
Read MoreAs a writer, I love platforms where readers and authors can congregate together.
Beyond reviewing/rating books, these are cool places where all of us can share our favorite books. If something gets sold, it happens elsewhere. What occurs at these free sites is the sharing of ideas. I wanted to tell you about a couple that I use (maybe you already do, too).
Read MoreTrue story.
Recently at a coffee shop with three early twenty baristas behind the counter, each wearing a vintage rock & roll t-shirt—the Rolling Stones, Nirvana, and Led Zeppelin.
Read MoreAlong with books, I like movies, television, and music. Let me correct that. I LOVE those things—big heart emoji type of love. As such, I’ve wanted to make some ‘Best/Top’ lists for quite some time. This will be my first, and I thought I should start with a film genre that I love maybe more than any other—the ‘buddy cop’ film.
Read MoreSince 2017, I’ve made it a goal to read one book a week. For those challenged by a calendar, that would be 52 books a year. I’ve yet to hit that number, but I will always strive for that number. I read traditionally printed books, ebooks, and I listen to audiobooks.
Read MoreHere is a short article that I wrote for GameRoom magazine’s Confession of a Coin-Op Addict feature. It originally appeared in the December 2003 issue. The magazine has stopped publishing, and I long ago sold the machines. However, I thought you might find it interesting.
Read MoreEarlier this year, my father (David Conway) went into a memory care facility. He is suffering from both Parkinson’s Disease and vascular dementia. These diseases robbed him of a great many things—his independence, his confidence, and his humor. It’s very hard to communicate with my dad now as he frequently mumbles and often doesn’t maintain eye contact.
Read MoreIn 2019, I attended Left Coast Crime (LCC), a writers’ conference held that year in Vancouver B.C—only six hours from my hometown. It was my first conference of the sort, and I quickly learned it offered many great experiences.
Read MoreA reader of my books once stated that she didn’t like “heroes with muddy feet.”
This comment was directed toward Detective James Morgan, the protagonist in The Value in Our Lies, the fifth novel in the 509 Crime Stories. The reader had consumed the first four novels in the series and enjoyed them. She set down the fifth book after the opening chapter.
Read MoreHave you ever rewatched a movie you loved on a streaming service then noticed the one-star reviews? I saw Narc last night with Jason Patric and Ray Liotta. It’s a favorite of mine from the early aughts. If you disagree and hate it, that’s cool. There are plenty of movies that others like that I don’t.
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