Elvis turned 90 today. It’s a big deal. Ninety years ago today, early Lord one frosty morn, on January 8, 1935, little Elvis Aaron Presley came into the world in Tupelo, Mississippi. Check out all the attention this world-famous nonagenarian is getting, starting with a big birthday commemoration this morning in Memphis. Has any one…… Continue reading 35/25: Elvis at 90
Posts
Last bridge to publication
Have you ever noticed that when you visit a bookstore, or peruse the shelves in those airport gift shops or anywhere else they sell books, it’s always the same novels by the same handful of authors? When I see these same names and same titles being sold front and center again and again and again…… Continue reading Last bridge to publication
Hurt
The other day I had freedom on my mind.Today, I’m thinking about disappointment. About frustration. About heartbreak. I chose Hurt for the title of this post because events have called to mind the Elvis song by the same name. This is a song about a lover’s betrayal. But the sentiment, the emotion, the way he…… Continue reading Hurt
Now or never
I’m thinking about freedom and opportunity today.Thinking about my Italian immigrant grandfather, who fought in World War I with the U.S. Army. Thinking of his sons, my uncles, who served in the Pacific theater in World War II and had very long and productive lives. About my dad, who served in Germany during the Cold…… Continue reading Now or never
You Gave Me A Mountain
There’s a moment in my novel, Last Bridge to Memphis, where the character of “Danny” (who is Elvis, still alive and kickin’ in the late 1980s), is having severe second thoughts about getting back on the horse, so to speak. The chapter in which this takes place is titled, “You Gave Me A Mountain,” and…… Continue reading You Gave Me A Mountain
We’re doin’ this
There’s so much opportunity today for a writer to get their work published. They call it “self-publishing.” It’s now possible for virtually anyone with a decent story to tell to be an author. Still, I tried and I tried to go the traditional route (visions of my book stacked high on a front table at…… Continue reading We’re doin’ this
Shake. It. Off.
It was ten years ago this summer. A song came on the radio that saved my life. Seriously. If ever I was in a position where I needed to shake off the B.S. before it destroyed me, that was the time. By 2014, after a decade of hard work, sacrifice, and loyal service to my…… Continue reading Shake. It. Off.
Hi Dad!
With Father’s Day upon us, allow me to pontificate on a sore subject for parents of the male persuasion everywhere: Where’s the love?Mothers, on their special day, are treated to breakfast in bed, hugs and kisses, adoring smiles, flower bouquets, and saccharine greetings cards. Whereas Dads on Father’s Day are lucky to get a random,…… Continue reading Hi Dad!
British inversion
The U.S. and the UK are two countries separated by a common language. Some British bloke said that. I think it was either George Bernard Shaw or Rowan Atkinson. Whoever it was, he wasn’t wrong. I’m reading this thriller by a British author. At least it’s supposed to be a thriller, but 60 pages in,…… Continue reading British inversion
Netflix and not chill
I see dead people. They’re everywhere on Netflix. I don’t mean dead people as integral to the story — a la Ghost, or The Sixth Sense. And I don’t mean the victims of the many gruesome slasher flicks in the vast category of horror movies and shows. I mean the talking dead people. The ones…… Continue reading Netflix and not chill