As with many families, the past holiday seasons brought my immediate family together. Six grandsons provided a lot of excitement. Opening presents resulted in a floor covered with paper, ribbons, boxes, and gadgets, a basic free-for-all. Adults learned new self-defense strategies as things flew around. This year I heard from a reputable source that Santa has …
The war in Ukraine reinforces the need for espionage tactics to infiltrate Russia. A hypnotized mole who speaks Russian. A beautiful woman, perhaps, to charm Vladimir Putin. We know he is divorced and probably needs someone by his side. She can make him feel young. His obstinate personality will succumb. She can tune this personality …
My favorite question and response from The Hollywood Squares TV show in the 60s… Q. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat? A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness! (The audience laughed so long and hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)
Can solar energy power machinery in a factory? My novels Lost Identity and Counter Identity take it to a reality. Why not use it?
“I think of a writer as a river: you reflect what passes before you.” – Natalia Ginsburg
The Star-Spangled Banner Francis Scott Key (as he wrote it) / September 15, 1814 Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early lightWhat so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?And the rockets’ red glare, the …
Aging: physical features changing; learning from our children by comparing their thoughts and attitudes to people I dealt with in my life; identifying with our grandchildren by relating their experiences to ours; learning to handle situations better by reducing emotional reactions, etc. So, being a father sharpened my experiences of time, exhaustion, fun, travel, excitement, …
Beethoven, Bruckner, and Mahler died after writing their ninth symphonies. I’m up to my fifth novel and wonder what will happen after I’ve finished my ninth. But Mahler believed that he could cheat death if his next symphony was titled rather than numbered. Should I be concerned? Any ideas?
Some readers have been curious about how I come up with my characters. In Lost Identity, Counter Identity, Fatal Identity, and the 2023 story, Triple Deception, many of the characters’ personalities came from men I served with in the Army. Some even have the same last names as my fellow servicemen. Not only are some …
I have been asked, “Why do you write, and where do you get your ideas?” I like the freedom to think about something and elaborate on it. When I get ideas, I write them down or record them on my small recorder. I write because some of my personal experiences, like my military service, offer …