One upside to the times we now live in is that re-financing one's mortgage is a sound financial move. So, right now, I am in the middle of refinancing my mortgage for the house and home my family and I have lived in for over 20 years. One part of this process required a new... Continue Reading →
A look back at me in “Back outta the World”
The only pure communication is between you and your work. Recently, I have been resisting working on "Back outta the World. Oh sure, I can tell myself that work has been busy. True. I have been paying more attention to the blog. Also true. This afternoon I spent a good deal of time letting as... Continue Reading →
The Siren Agent
To submit a query, please use the form below. Please fill out all fields. If an agent wishes to read your submission, he or she will contact you in response to your query, usually within 6-8 weeks. Which agent would like to submit to? https://www.fineprintart.com/art/history-of-the-starbucks-logo There she is. My agent. She and I actually worked... Continue Reading →
Howard Schultz’s Book and my thoughts on it
I recently read Howard Schultz's book, From the Ground Up. This was not the topic I was going to write about today. Especially since this happened over a year ago in real life. At some point, yes, I was going to let you know how my request for a blurb from Starbucks Founder, CEO... Continue Reading →
Coffee and writing
It is nearly 7 a.m. on this Sunday morning. I have been up for close to ninety minutes. This is my schedule. I have come to the conclusion that sleeping in is overrated. This is my day off and one hears a lot about how others relish the chance to “sleep in” on their off... Continue Reading →
Raise your hand
"Just as a piece of land has to be prepared beforehand if it is to nourish the seed, so the mind of the pupil has to be prepared..." I was on my front porch drinking coffee, vibing to the start of the weekend and reading "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg when I came... Continue Reading →
What I want from Tripio-doesn’t matter
A look back on the one year anniversary of this post It is school day morning and my teenage son just asked if he could stay home today because he couldn’t get to sleep last night. He was asleep at dinner time and I tried to wake him up. I had made a good... Continue Reading →
The Starbucks want ad
The original Starbucks want ad. From a newspaper. Going home again to find the want ad Was it Thomas Wolfe who said you can’t go home again? Not sure why he said it. For me it was easy to jump in my car and drove two hours east to my birthplace of Dayton, Ohio.... Continue Reading →
Now that I’m a novelist
Yesterday morning at this time my backside was here. I was revising, rewriting, reworking -you name it- my second novel, "Back outta the World". This morning, I am using that very same backside to sit in the same chair and use the same keyboard. However that exact backside now proudly supports a novelist. Since you... Continue Reading →
Ohio River Traditions
Whitman. Twain. Melville. VanSchaik. (I’m the tan one) Yes, that is a list of a few of America’s greatest writers. But it means something else to me. You see, every summer for the past five years, I’ve managed to take a short mid year holiday at a rental house on the Ohio River. I discovered... Continue Reading →