Savages

The Oxford American College Dictionary that sits on my shelf defines savage thus: Noun: something or someone uncivilized or uncultivated, characterized by wild, uncultivated, boorish, or rude behavior, a barbarian. Recently, my youngest daughter remarked that I had eaten something “like a savage.” Neither of us remember the item, but both remember that it was more…Read More

Proton-Exchange Membranes and The Destiny of Times

I didn’t expect to blog about proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) but they came up during my interview with Jan Jordynn on her Destiny of Times podcast. Jan’s got a wide-ranging curiosity and we ended up talking about much more than books and writing. Give it a listen here. I’ve been working on a hydrogen-powered aircraft program…Read More

Book Review: Prophecy Trilogy: Portal by Liz Bullard

I read Bullard’s Prophecy Trilogy: Portal recently and am better off for having done so. It was the first novel I’ve read on Kindle Vella – more about that later. Let’s talk Tabatha. Almost as soon as you read her name, you learn that she’s the Chosen One. Eli was sent to find her and…Read More

ComicPalooza – Done!

ComicPalooza 2023 is over and I’ve recovered enough to post again. Highlights: Two cosplaying princesses came and hung out at the booth. Thank you @shannonflaherty and @christyfitzgerald. You made a lot of fans very happy! Book sales were okay and CP had everything set up and move in/out was seamless. The celebrities mostly showed up….Read More

There in Spirit?

Recently I had a bad cough. I suffered long enough to be told that I needed to find somewhere else to sleep. The neighbors declined, so I moved upstairs and called the doc. I got scheduled for an appointment the next day. A teledoc visit. Really? How do they know if I have bronchitis? Pneumonia?…Read More

Stop and Watch the Sun Rise

We rescued a dog on Mother’s Day. It was raining and he was being an idiot: racing around in four lanes of traffic, chasing cars, not using the crosswalk. Ardith and I looked at each other and sighed. I pulled over and we slogged through the rain and got him into the car. He had…Read More

Juliana Harkavy at My Booth

Juliana Harkavy will be at ComicPalooza this weekend. I don’t have quite the same history with Juliana as I do with Bill Shatner. In fact, our history is limited to me seeing her as Alicia in The Walking Dead and Dinah Drake/Black Canary in Arrow. Still, just in case getting to hang out with me…Read More

William Shatner and I will be at ComicPalooza this weekend

I’ve been a fan of the original Captain Kirk for a long time. A few years back, I got to have dinner with him at a Bombardier Safety Standdown. I gave a presentation that day, and he had the dinner speech. Dinner was fun. Ardith got to sit next to him and charm him. I…Read More

Book Review: Pulse by J.Z. York

I love it when authors explain how the worlds they create are different from ours, and why, particularly when the explanation is organic to the story. The reader has an “aha” moment, followed by a “that’s cool” moment. Both are fun and J.Z. York delivers a few of them in Pulse. The basic premise is…Read More

The Elephant in the Book

Thank you, J.Z. York! I just finished York’s debut novel, Pulse. I’ll do a full review later. Bottom line: good book, worth reading. But that’s not the topic of this post. I’m thanking York for addressing the elephant in the book.  An Elephant in a Book is a situation (tech, weapon, disease, technological advance, social…Read More