Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, March 30, 2018, 1:32 p.m. Hindsight is supposedly 20/20, though I’ve often found memories to be considerably photoshopped. For instance, it just occurred to me that I have something in common with John Steinbeck. Hint: It’s not talent. I’m not particularly modest. In fact, I’m not remotely modest. I think it’s …
Tag: Monte Dutton
Don’t Ask; I’m About to Tell
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, March 24, 2018, 4:46 p.m. Surprise, surprise. I awakened this morning to discover that a close friend’s edit of my next novel, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, had arrived via email. Last night I arrived home from a free-lance assignment to discover that my stock car racing novel, Lightning in a Bottle, …
The Greatest Movies Ever by No One’s Measure but My Own
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, March 18, 2018, 10:08 a.m. My favorite movie hasn’t changed since I saw it. I vaguely remember seeing it at the Broadway Theatre when I was very young. It occurred to me that I should make a decision on my top 10 movies of all-time. Most have been in place for …
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Run Along, Nothing to See Here: Just Random Thoughts
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, March 16, 2018, 4:15 p.m. Trial and error. Risk and reward. Deadlines and commitments. Random meetings. A few nights ago, I bumped into a man I grew up with at Dollar General. I bought some soap and a box of Raisin Bran. Even though I live in a small town, and …
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A Cold Pastime So Far
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, March 8, 2018, 1:41 p.m. I've written about my first two baseball games of the spring. The home team won both. Both were in dramatic fashion. Both had runners cut down on the basepaths with disastrous consequences. One was a bit of a long shot, and the other was damned near …
Adventure Among the Ruins
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, March 8, 2018, 9:03 a.m. Imagine Professor Indiana Jones, only damaged by the trauma of the Great War. Imagine the alternative "Indy," deeply neurotic and wearing a half-mask to hide the part of his face disfigured fighting the Germans, for whom he understandably bears a grudge. He moves to Cairo, purchases …
Why You’d Enjoy a Stock Car Racing Novel … or Two
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, February 28, 2018, 11:17 a.m. In 2017, I wrote two novels about a young stock-racing ace named Barrie Jarman. Of my seven novels to date, they are the only ones related to each other. I've often explained this by saying that once I've completed the arduous process of writing a novel, …
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Lady Crusaders Find a Holy Land
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, February 25, 2018, 11:17 a.m. For twenty years, while I was writing about NASCAR, I didn't see a lot of women's basketball. Many times, people said to me, "You'd be amazed at how much better it is," and I'd say, "Well, probably so," without much commitment to delving into the matter. …
The Penultimate Skirmish in a Great Crusade
Clinton, South Carolina, Friday, February 23, 2018, 9:35 a.m. The Laurens Academy girls' basketball team reminds me of my Honda Accord. Both wear blue and are approximately the same age. The Lady Crusaders have made three successful round trips to Sumter. The Honda has made two, with a side trip to Camden, on a single …
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Ain’t No Need to Sit and Wonder Why
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, February 22, 2018, 8:01 a.m. This morning I awakened from a dream that concerned pickup basketball, Daytona International Speedway, a friend from high school, and trying to get back into the track without benefit of either shoes or my hard card. I haven't been to Daytona Beach in more than five …
Nightrider's Lament 