For weeks we listened to the news about the devastating effects wrought on New Orleans and the Louisiana coast by Hurricane Katrina. Being a former veterinarian I was particularly sensitive to the horror stories I heard about the thousands of displaced pets. My gut would not let me rest. I felt compelled to do something but what? I remember awakening in the middle of the night with the clear message: "go help the displaced pets." I [...]
Several years ago I found my enjoyment of writing for magazines had faded. At that time, most of my writing revolved around my previous career as a small animal veterinarian, but writing about animal health issues had become boring and routine. Fortunately, I stumbled upon an idea that revitalized my love for writing. I invented a writing project, but not just any project. One of my favorite vet-related assignments had been to interview Bill Irwin and [...]
One of my fondest and clearest childhood memories is of sitting on one of the many wraparound porches so popular in the South, eating watermelon, listening to the grownups debating various topics. On such lazy summer afternoons, a favorite question often bantered back and forth was which came first? Was Charm House named after an original family whose surname was Charm, that then resulted in the family modeling the house to match its new name, or [...]
Before turning my attention to writing fiction, I spent a number of years writing for magazines and other nonfiction publications. One of my favorite that I continue to write for on occasions is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. I consider these true stories to be visionary nonfiction in that they also have a similar intention to my visionary fiction - to entertain while also inspiring the reader and providing insights into life. So, I'm [...]
The answer to that question is simple. I live in a magical place and I want my readers to share in the magic. Really, I do. And to prove it, here are a few of the pictures I've taken of the area. First, a few pictures that have already inspired stories in the previous two books: And here are ones still waiting to be turned into stories I mean, really, chairs hanging [...]
I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy, going all the way back to the fourth grade. That's, oh my gosh, some sixty years ago! Two of my favorites were the interconnected stories of Ray Bradbury's books like Fahrenheit 451, and The Martian Chronicles, and the original The Twilight Zone. So, I guess it's not all that surprising that I would want to pay homage to these incredible masters of storytelling with my own series of [...]
As you may recall, I celebrated my 70th birthday a couple of Tuesdays ago. It seemed to an appropriate time to reflect not only on where I've been but where I see myself going in the future. The day before my birthday, I completed the rough draft of my 19th fiction novel: Ghost Elephant: Book 3 of the Zak Bates Eco-Adventure Series. (By the way, there are still a few spots left if want to join [...]
I realize that most people who find their way to this blog are readers, but I suspect an occasional indie author finds their way here as well. So, this little tip is for you. Who knows, I may be starting a series of tips in the spirit of collaboration. So, the question asked on Nick Stephenson's First 10K Readers Facebook page was whether or not one could use MailerLite's email service with Optimize Press landing pages. [...]
Let me start by sharing what led me to start the Zak Bates Eco-Adventure Series so you'll understand why this series has such a special place in my heart. My love for reading science fiction and fantasy started the summer before I entered the fourth grade shortly after my widowed mother moved us to Raleigh, North Carolina. It didn't take long before our new neighbor took pity on my harried mom who I was driving crazy [...]
The purpose of this blog post is to debrief the relaunch of the FreeForm science fiction thriller series. Let me start with a little background. This project began several months ago during which time I did a lot of prep work including: All new covers for all six books, (Designed by Victor Habbick. Thanks Victor.) New blurbs/book descriptions (written by Maxwell, aka dogpillow. Awesome job Max) A new prequel story entitled Freeform: Crash, Additional editing, and [...]
