The Pilgrims and the Loggers were headed in opposite directions. It was “getaway day” at quaint Fitzgerald Field. The Pilgrims had won the third of four games the night before, after two rain delays, and were poised for a sweep. They were three games ahead of the Suns, thanks to six wins in a row. …
Tag: fiction
A Strange Significance
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 1:05 p.m. The coronavirus blurs the lines between major and minor accomplishments. On Monday night, I finished the 22nd chapter of a novel. I’m closing in on the completion of the rough draft, but it’s not quite as rough because I’ve done a lot of retracing my steps …
Dreeeaaaam, Dream, Dream, Dreeeaaaam …
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 8:48 a.m. She was a level-headed dancer / On the road to alcohol / And I was just a soldier / On my way to Montreal … That I think a lot about John Prine songs is in part because he recently died, but it’s also because I …
Satire at Sunset
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 8:37 a.m. Back when I traveled most of the country, writing about race cars that went ’round and ’round and the mostly white men who drove them, my favorite device was not a shock absorber but its literary equivalent, satire. Once -- it was in Dover, Delaware, I …
Stormy Thursday
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, February 6, 2020, 1:18 p.m. Storms never last, do they, baby? Bad times all pass with the winds … Waylon Jennings had the perfect voice to sing those words. The storms of life keep washing me away. Ditto, Randy Travis. It’s rainin’, rainin’ in my heart. Damned if it hasn’t knocked …
Easily Mistaken for the Mystical
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, December 23, 2019, 1:17 p.m. Most bad things have good sides, and vice-versa. For a solid week, I have been sick. I’ve been getting better through the weekend. I’m close to well, though my throat is full of congestion and I don’t feel like yodeling. Last week, when I had to …
My Breakfast Is My Life
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, November 11, 2019, 9:51 a.m. Most mornings, I get up, put some coffee on, plug in the cell to recharge, take some medication, and retire to the facilities. Then I return, sit down and arm the laptop (okay, sign on), let the coffee cool a bit, and check the morning email …
Making Light of Myself, Etc.
Clinton, South Carolina, Monday, October 7, 1019, 9:38 a.m. This blog is an intangible. I derive no tangible income from it. I hope it has some promotional value, but mainly I write it to get things off my chest. It’s therapeutic in its way. Sometimes it’s a warm-up, like playing scales, I guess, if I …
Friday the 13th and Beyond
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 12:49 p.m. One of the small attributes that has grown within me as I’ve aged is an attempt to minimize the effect of superstition in my life. This sort of began with research for my third novel, Crazy of Natural Causes (2015). The story of Chance Benford required …
Independence with a Little ‘i’
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, July 6, 2019, 1:49 p.m. I’ve restrung two guitars this week during the time I could spare from work. I also worked on my next novel on consecutive days for the first time in at least six months. Independence Day gave me some time for independence. I had a few local …
Nightrider's Lament 