It’s now been seven days since my book, Internal Lockdown, came out. This time last week I was anticipating the release in the same way I approach a flight: hoping that everything goes well, but always keeping in mind that I could end up in a smoking wreck. So many things can go wrong. I… Continue reading The Novel: Takeoff
Category: Writing
Adopting Love: Beyond the Viral Video
This a feature I wrote for the Town and Country two weeks ago. The subject, Paige Moyer Zezulka, is a former student of mine. You may want to check out the video HERE before you read. The video has millions of views since it was posted on Facebook in late August. Ten-year-old Ivey has… Continue reading Adopting Love: Beyond the Viral Video
A Narrative of Triumph and a Message of Hope
THIS IS ANOTHER NEWSPAPER ARTICLE I WROTE FOR THE TOWN AND COUNTRY. IT CHRONICLES THE REMARKABLE SURVIVAL STORY OF A CHILD OF PARENTS WHO MISUSED SUBSTANCES. Stacia Hang is a survivor, and she is on a mission to help children overcome the same type of helpless situations that could have doomed her as she grew… Continue reading A Narrative of Triumph and a Message of Hope
The Story Behind the Story
This is the backstory on Internal Lockdown, my first novel. (This appeared on lfbooks) I began writing a short story about a normal day interrupted by an announcement to lockdown and it quickly becomes obvious that this is not a drill. Now what? I did not go outside the “known”. The point of view was strictly… Continue reading The Story Behind the Story
My Novel
My novel, Internal Lockdown, will be published in October by Prodigy Gold Books. Here is the first review by Laura Freestone (@freestone_laura and lfbooks.blog) Rating: 4/5 (Really liked it) Official Summary: “Over a morning, you can tend to your garden, paint a room, watch the morning news repeat its talking points. Over a morning, you can do… Continue reading My Novel
Focus
I exited the blogosphere for a month to concentrate all my writing time on responding to the developmental editing notes I received as part of the process of getting my novel, Internal Lockdown, published, hopefully, this fall. The novel is about the terrifying situation of being on the inside of a lockdown when an intruder… Continue reading Focus
TTSlaM
Recently, I read that the NBA had held its NBA 2K draft. Seventeen NBA teams own franchises in the esport league. My reaction was “What?!?” I did some more reading and decided that this might be an interesting chapter in my second novel: a satire about high school teaching. The setting: the faculty/copier room where some… Continue reading TTSlaM
Vendible Students
Over 12,000 words are now drafted for my fictionalized-based-on-my-real-experiences-satirical-view of education. (Working title 422) I have a vague idea of where I am going when I sit to write a scene, but thoughts and recollections begin to flow and intended paragraphs turn into pages. For example, I had no preconception of the following scene, but… Continue reading Vendible Students
Don’t Be An Ostrich
From experiences on the streets of the notorious Badlands of Kensington to the emergency room to rehabs to homeless shelters to prisons to her own house, Deb Delp has the credibility of a frontline soldier in the raging battle against drug abuse. The nurse, mother, teacher, coach, author, and anti-drug crusader had a warning… Continue reading Don’t Be An Ostrich
Write Again
After mid-October, when I attended a Push to Publish, I put aside writing for a while. It took time to get over the shock of not being immediately offered a six-figure publishing contract, a movie deal, and a Pulitzer Prize. My novel, Internal Lockdown, garnered rave reviews from my wife, my sister, and a friend, so… Continue reading Write Again
The Q-View 