Like most writers, I have a lot of influences. If someone put a gun to my head and said, “TOP FIVE INFLUENCES OR I PULL THE TRIGGER!” I’d probably list the following: Ray Bradbury’s, Dandelion Wine Time Bandits (The Movie — and point of this entry) John Cheever’s Short Stories “The Body” from Different Seasons, […]

I used to be that guy: the guy who fumed about blog mills paying $1 for 500 – 1,000 word articles and people posting “Writer Wanted! Payment: Possible Exposure” ads on Craigslist. The mere thought of someone not paying writers at all, or “what they’re worth,” got to me…to the point I found myself almost […]

My great grandfather on my mom’s side came over from the Calabria region of Italy. (The toe of the boot about to kick Sicily — where my great grandmother came from.) My great grandfather was one of those solid guys who let his actions speak for him. He owned a butcher shop/corner grocery store in […]

As the end of the year closes, I find myself deleting a lot of people I once followed on social media sites. People claiming that it’s all about the message, but freaking out because people aren’t doing what they want online. I read something from a prominent blogger (Chris Brogan, who does seem like a […]

The world didn’t end today. I almost hate writing something about the supposed end according to the Maya that was never real from the start. But I try seeing good even in ridiculous things. As goofy as it is giving credence to the belief that the world would end today, if you pretend it was […]

I recently wrote about focusing on what I really want to write vs. what has a better chance of selling. It hasn’t always been the easy choice, but it’s been the right choice and not without its rewards. I’ve made decisions some might question: “Why would you spend all that time on difficult novels when […]