Older Posts

  • Robert Holdstock

    My article on fantasy writer Robert Holdstock was just published in the journal Coreopsis. I love Holdstock’s work– he is one of my favorite novelists, and it was fun going through these books and writing on why they hold a special place in fantasy. If you haven’t read him, I highly recommend his work. This…

  • Another Writing Scam–Authors Beware

    I found a variation of the Nigerian Prince scam again. This time, the unsolicited email promises wide exposure through an interview/reader discussion group. The message seems very likely to be AI generated, with the typical kinds of generic writing and telltale signs. The name of a real podcasting group was used–The Moth, in this case,…

  • Return of the Prince

    In the late 1990s, I got my first email account. Every so often, I’d receive an email, as everyone did, from a Nigerian prince who wanted to make me rich beyond my wildest dreams. All I needed to do was send him some money and bank routing numbers, and it would all fall into place.…

  • Hoppers

    I can honestly say that this is an animated film at which you can take a nice relaxing nap. I see a lot of animated films with my children and I cannot always do that. Five stars for restfulness.

  • Never Buy a Dell

    I purchased a Dell laptop in December. Three months later, it won’t boot up. I called Dell support and they tell me the fact that it won’t boot up is my problem, not theirs, not covered by warranty. Incredible. Dell used to make serviceable machines, but no longer. Avoid them and get a Lenovo or…

  • Fail Better

    Many years ago, when I was taking a graduate creative writing workshop, a well-known novelist instructor of mine commented that my story, set on a college campus, did not compare well with similar books by Philip Roth, Jane Smiley, Richard Russo, and other exemplars of the genre. She was correct. My story was in no…

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