Beuerlein was an upscale town of about three thousand, perched on the New Jersey Shore. Unlike many such towns, Beuerlein's residents mostly lived there year around, and most who didn't were writers, artists, and craftsmen, and craftswomen, of other ilks. Lots of intelligent, good-natured people lived there, and most didn't get too out of shape …
Tag: writing
The End of the Tunnel
This is bound to be a unique kind of book review. First of all, the book I just finished, Shine, is the third in a series. Secondly, it's not fiction. Thirdly, I've known the author, Joey Holland, for most of my life, probably dating back to some swing set or playground slide or sandbox. …
Too Much Information About the Way the Morning Went
I just read the county arrest report on my iPhone. Police charged a man named Roydrecilous Irby with "giving false information to law enforcement." I wonder if it was his name. The bad weather has "about played out," as is often said around here. It's slick, but it'll be wet by tomorrow. I had to …
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New and Terrible Horizons
Being in an informal community of writers -- the ranks of the Amazon KindleScout winners are growing exponentially as more and more of the program's novels are released -- has led me down disparate paths. Jennifer Skutelsky led me up into the Andes in her Grave of Hummingbirds. As such, I felt a certain kinship …
The Master of the Deal
In the first place, I'm no Trekkie, but, if you're going to quibble about technical discrepancies between my short story and the wealth of data available on the Star Trek franchise, it won't bother me. The point I'm trying to make is unrelated to outer space. Besides, frontiers are common. Captain's Log, …
Christmas with All My Imaginary Friends
This Christmas I'm thankful for my characters. Not the characters, mind you. As a lad, Christmas was full of "characters": the uncle who always showed up sloshed on Christmas morning and stayed all day long, and my father, who would drink with anybody but him, fleeing to parts unknown; the Christmas Eve parties with the …
A Weird, Wonderful Tale of the Road
It's no surprise I enjoyed Joe Clifford Fausts's joy ride of a novel, Drawing Down the Moon. Dating back to a dive into the Beat Generation about a decade ago, I've grown fond of "road novels." My first, The Audacity of Dope (2011), was about a songwriter leading bad guys (and girls) on a merry …
It Could Have Been Worse
I've been writing about a bad guy named Glen Trimmel in what will be my fifth novel, so I guess I was in the mood to write this short story. Johnny Wangerin began the day by giving his nephew a ride to work. Then he stopped by the pharmacy, where his call-in prescriptions …
A Woman of Her Word
"I see that brooch you've been wearing," Estelle hissed. "Warren gave that to you, didn't he?" "Why, yes. He is so sweet." "Giselle, you hussy! If you thought there was a chance in hell I'd be leaving any time soon, why, you're sadly mistaken. Wild horses couldn't get me out of this house." "Well, my …
Fiction and Taxes
What's the Anne Murray song? Hey-a-ay-ay-hay-ay-ay, what about me? I've got some feelings on my mind, I-I-I do ..." Something like that. I would have referred to it as an old Anne Murray song, but there aren't any new ones of which I know. I've got a lot going on. There's this ridiculous tax dispute …
Nightrider's Lament 