The Sentences That Create Us

Throughout history, prisoners have written about their experiences. A few served a long apprenticeship to reading and writing and getting rejected, and then reading some more and writing some more to discover how to write their stories. I think of Edward Bunker’s five unpublished novels before the sixth was good enough. He’s not the only …

Portrait of an Artist as a Single Dad – Payday

Every writer who has kids knows the challenges of writing and caring for the needs and, dare I say, whims they need addressed IMMEDIATELY, DAD!!! Yeah me too. And for all you single parent/writers out there–solidarity my brothers and sisters. But there comes a special day when the kids reach a certain cognizance of what …

Portrait of an Artist as a Single Dad – Sleep Overs

The incoming texts bleep both girls’ phones. Heads down, thumbs dashing off messages. They both look up and ask, “Can we have sleepovers?” At first I am leery. The last multi-girl sleepover entailed me losing at least two years off my life just due to casting spells to reassure youngsters that no witches could get …

Portrait of an Artist as a Single Dad – Look at the Light!

I awoke. The light streamed slantwise through louvre style blinds across the double bed for one. Groggy and reaching for the iPhone, I knock over the wine glass. It falls and hits the carpet with the thump of a cat paw. At night, I have a glass of wine or a bottle of beer or …

Writer Walking and Gawking

Observation, it has been observed, is a key element in being a writer (just think any artist when I say writer). Indeed some say to live a fulfilling and joyful life a person must be able to live in the moment. It’s hard to escape the moment when you are savoring it no matter what …

Getting Tweaked and Finding your Category

Who me? Not but three days ago I didn’t know how to check Amazon’s rating system and then Social Media Advisor Christy Hovey alerted me that my memoir, Ahead of the Flaming Front: A Life on Fire was listed at #97 in like books. I was excited as all get out to be in the …

Marketing and the split personality

So I’ve been working feverishly on a new project and neglecting the blog. It’s true. What’s the use of the blog, sometimes I think, when I should be working on the new project like an attentive new lover. I am a writer after all and 500 words here is not 500 words there. Marketing of …

Driving to see Ray

This interview took me back in a bunch of ways. First as a high school kid who read a lot, introspective, wanting desperately to be a poet. Second as a rock and roller. Third as a young man who wanted to see the world as it really was, infinite and introducing me to William Blake. …

Finding Readers

When I started writing I had no idea how hard it would be to get people to read my books. I also had no idea how hard it would be to get help to promote them, so far that is. But that is the nature of the biz, and I am not alone in this. …