I used to buy rechargable batteries, back when that was a thing. Two of the major battery brands in the United States—Ray-o-Vac, and Energizer—both manufactured rechargeable batteries, and there may be others who do so. The schtick was, you had to buy the charger and plug it into a convenient wall socket, then you could, […]
Read MoreI enjoy stories of the supernatural: ghost stories, haunted houses, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster – they all appeal to me to some degree. I’ve acquired a number of them recently, and wanted to recommend a few for your consideration. First up is Welcome to Meskousing, by friend and colleague Sean Patrick Little. Set in […]
Read MoreMany of my readers are already aware that I help administer a monthly book chat. For those that don’t, the Steampunk Virtual Book Chat (More formally known as Temporal Textual Talks) exists to help promote steampunk and steampunk-adjacent books and their authors. It started as a response to the global pandemic; so many steampunk authors […]
Read MoreOne might surmise that, when a book is published, it stays around more or less forever. This is only rarely true. In fact, the vast majority of my published work is out of print currently, and generally no longer available in any format. There are many reasons for this. In several instances in my work, […]
Read MoreHappy New Year! It may be obvious, but I’m a fan of books and reading. I arrived at first grade able to read on day one – largely because my parents read to me regularly, and because I lived in a house with a lot of books. I was encouraged to read, and even 12 […]
Read MoreI was first approached by friend and colleague Professor Christopher McGlothlin about contributing to a series of books discussing one of his favorite topics, sci-fi/horror films. This is a fellow who regularly is on the thank-you list of Kickstarter donors for RiffTrax, and frequently posts on social media about what films/TV series hold his attention […]
Read MoreRyan Coogler impressed me mightily with his direction of Black Panther, and since I’m already a horror fan—and writing about vampires has been part of my writing career for a while now—this seemed like a no-brainer. I met my friend Karen and we went to the local Flix Brewhouse (https://flixbrewhouse.com/) for a Tuesday night showing. […]
Read MoreI’ve been a fan of the flavor of cherries since I was a wee lad. It’s one of my favorites, and I pride myself—in the way that human beings pride themselves on miniscule, ridiculous achievements— that I could tell Cherry Coke and Wild Cherry Pepsi apart purely on taste alone. I’m also a big fan […]
Read MoreThis week, besides being my birthday week, is also National Banned Books week. It’s a week when we “celebrate” banned books, as a reminder that the rights we hold dear in the United States are easily abridged or outright removed by determined people with agendas. Looking over any of the lists of banned books, you’ll […]
Read MoreHello – it’s been a while. I’ve got two books that came out recently with contributions of mine in them. First is Fantastic Flops: Reflections on Misjudged Films The Broke the Rules from Ghost Show Press. My essay covers the film Big Trouble in Little China, one of my all-time favorite action films. It stars […]
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