Month: April 2026

Meeting Mister Fox

So I’m walking down the street in the early dawn

And who should I meet but a cocky fox sitting on a lawn.

I ask him what he’s doing there, carefree as can be

And he replies, “I belong. This is my territory.”

I smile and shrug and wave goodbye and carry on my way.

Maybe I’ll see him again sometime, if meet him again I may.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life. Sometimes, I dabble in poetry.

Beta Readers

The finish line for my newest book is finally in sight. It is a satisfying and terrifying feeling as my book approaches readiness to be loosed onto the public. And who knows what people will think?

Well, it’s no good for a writer to throw his work out into the world unchecked, and so it is time for me to turn to beta readers to review my current draft.

Who to turn to? Who do I trust to read my book and give honest, constructive feedback? I’m not yet willing to use professional beta readers. That’s mostly a matter of time and money, to be frank. But I do have friends, friends who enjoy reading and who give good, honest opinions.

Even then, a writer must still choose which friends. After all, if you know somebody who loves nonfiction, they probably aren’t the best qualified (or excited) to read your urban fantasy novel. So, it’s a matter of discretion, good judgment and maybe even a bit of risk-taking.

I hope to have my novel ready for publishing by the end of the year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but more importantly, I’ll be planning ahead for inevitable setbacks, errors and various other bumps in the author’s road.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Five Happy Things

Five things that make me feel happy every day:

  1. The sound of songbirds in early morning
  2. The sight of squirrels running up a telephone pole
  3. The taste of cold water after a hard workout
  4. The feel of a warm shirt fresh out of the dryer
  5. The smell of fresh rain hitting the ground

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

Reading Discworld

What book could you read over and over again?

Any entry from Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.

Pratchett had a rare talent for molding words into the most fascinating and enticing sentences and using them as the building blocks for a fun world and enjoyable, interesting and likeable characters.

It’s a hard thing to precisely describe the style of certain authors. The truly gifted have a fully developed voice that is recognizable as their own and no one else’s.

I read through the whole series over the course of several years. I could very well do it again, and love every minute of it.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Everyologist

When I was little, I wanted to be an “everyologist.” I would be an expert in everything – history and science and books and everything.

Little kids can be experts in everything, because everything is within easy reach.

I got older, and couldn’t do everything, so I decided I should focus on “most things.”

Then I got a bit more older, and decided I should focus on “the most important things.”

But I still dabble in everyology on the side.

***

Many thanks for visiting my blog. I post updates on my writing career, I muse over storytelling and fiction, and I reflect on the curious and wonderful things in life.

“Hermes is not having the best time. He walks a fine line, and his duty as messenger of Olympus weighs heavily on him. Being a god in the modern age means living in a world that no longer believes in gods. How much can one deity accomplish when no one respects him anymore? And why do his instincts tell him that he, the son of Zeus, is losing favor with his own family?

Tensions abound. The upstart Young Gods play dangerous games using entire cities as their boards. Formless monsters strike from the nighttime shadows, terrorizing hapless mortals. Agents of rival pantheons scheme to thwart Olympus’ designs. In the thick of it all, Hermes does what he does best: trick, lie, and cheat his way to victory.“

Professionals on Writing

Living is easy. Writing is hard. Let’s hear what the experts have to say:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

Stephen King

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

Mark Twain

“The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.”

Agatha Christie

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I write for the same reason I breathe — because if I didn’t, I would die.”

Isaac Asimov

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

Ray Bradbury