This past Monday, May 28, was Memorial Day here in the US. It’s a Federal holiday, so a great many people enjoy the day off. It’s a day when we honor our war dead, and the patriotic displays can often be overwhelming. It also happens to be the weekend of WisCon, what used to be […]
Read MoreWriting villains is easy. Writing GOOD villains is substantially more difficult. As with any character, they need to have a reason to exist, and often a reason for their evil. They have to have motivations that are grounded in reality, motivations that make sense. Even if that sense is twisted, we still have to be […]
Read MoreAs if the title weren’t obvious enough, this post contains harsh language and depressing themes. Be warned. ***** It occurs to me that, more and more, Americans (and possibly the world) revel in being complete jerks to other people. Cries of “He speaks his mind.” or “She tells it like it is!” seem to be […]
Read MoreI was having a discussion recently with an acquaintance. She had asked about my published fiction, and I was explaining that, so far, I’ve had two short stories published, and was working on a couple more, plus a novel. She replied that she never reads short stories — didn’t like them, in fact. I was […]
Read MoreI first saw Star Wars when it came out in 1977. It was the early days of the Disco era, and I was… young. Anyway, I was given this shirt as a gift, and have worn it extensively over the years. It’s a subtle joke from one of the Robot Chicken Star Wars sketches. It […]
Read More