Scribbling Gizmos

My first novelette “Late Season Rains”, is now available as an ebook for just $0.99. The cover image will take you to its Amazon page. If you do not have an eReader, eBooks can be stored and read through Amazon’s Cloud on any device from a tablet to a laptop to a smartphone. After reading please return to the Amazon page to rate … Continue reading →

Are movie going audiences going dark ’cause they like it? Sampling the more successful or well received genre movies of the last few years there appears a tangible trend towards the dark, toward characters with a disturbing underbelly who we nonetheless root for, a draw to dire plot lines that wrench free from the confines … Continue reading →

The Daily Prompt’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflection Upper Trail Lake, Moose Pass, Alaska, About 30 miles north of Seward along the Seward Highway. _______________________________ Follow on Twitter , Facebook & Pinterest

He strode up the small hill, a breeze turning the high grasses into rolling waves, swells sent across the sweeping expanse of the veldt all around him. Surprised at even being here, he was one hill rise away from the place he first read about in a creased and crumpled issue of The Saturday Evening … Continue reading →

Beach Swing This week’s Photo Challenge: Abandon _______________________________ Follow on Twitter , Facebook & Pinterest

Be sure to read Part 1 for the full story from the beginning. The melange of echoes faded escaping the tunnel the way he’d come. Barrow stopped, listening for the man to give himself away, a breath, a misstep. He inched a step further, then one more, a metal clamor broke free from his last step, a … Continue reading →

A Weekly Writing Challenge _______________________________ Clouds rose above, their white bodies billowing into a blue sky. Below, surrounded by unkempt fields, a farmhouse rested on the patch of land it laid claim to long ago. Its sun worn siding, its sagging roof sliding into weeping eaves, the old house seemed too tired to stand for … Continue reading →

His lantern barely repelled the darkness but Barrow was obligated to keep going. He’d caught the man in the act and having given pursuit this far he couldn’t bring himself to turn round now, not when the suspect’s fleeing steps still echoed from the black. He adjusted his bowler, tightened his fist around the billy’s … Continue reading →

He opened his eyes, felt the cushioned crunch of pine needles under him. The trees rose into a entwined lattice above eclipsing much of the sky to him. Lying mingled in the acrid scents of the pines and rich earth he felt accosted by both almost tasting each on his tongue. His hand rose to … Continue reading →

Here’s my stab at Gonzo Journalism Fiction. Inspired by this week’s Weekly Writing Challenge. ______________________ “Thanks, Jerry,” I said taking the crime report Officer Reynolds slid across the counter, our daily routine. Stepping over a set of outstretched, denim legs, their owner laid out into one of the hard plastic waiting room chairs. He looked … Continue reading →

He looked like Marlin Brando in The Wild One in that hardened, black leather, motorcycle jacket that creaked when he moved but his blue skin and hairless head didn’t make the cut. Neither did the hissing, white-faced monkey scurrying back and forth across his shoulders for that matter. Roger couldn’t understand what the stranger said … Continue reading →

I’m a killer. That is, I have killed. I’ve lost count of how many, never bothered to keep track. Why would I? They were the ones who decided to come, to invade. What else was I to do? What else would any of us do under such circumstances? I thought they were gone, that they’d … Continue reading →

The sword hung from his hand, its tip buried in the earth. Chest heaving under his breastplate, breath misting before his blood streaked face, he lingered over the armored figure cast face down, deep in the mud where it had fallen. The deed was done. . . . _______________________ I’ve been reading and watching Game … Continue reading →

Standing there, she wasn’t sure why she went inside. Something about the house, could’ve been the color it was painted, brick red with white trim, or was it the flowers all arranged on a mound in the front yard, muddled with overgrowth now. Might’ve touched a memory. She couldn’t say. Whatever it was it brought … Continue reading →

Has today’s science fiction finally been tamed by physics? Did that pesky phrase, “scientific plausibility” grab ahold and rein in imagination? Well, perhaps that’s taking it half a parsec too far. But the moniker this literary sci-fi movement is saddled with, “mundane science fiction” does conjure up notions of flaccid creativity. While there are numerous … Continue reading →

The air was odd. The salt sea, that algal tinge which seeps in upon early evening breezes was there but something more was woven within. Or perhaps, it was something absent. I noticed it when I first stepped out but unlike certain scents that melt into the normals as the nose turns accustomed, this one … Continue reading →

To mark today’s DVD & Blue-ray release of Star Trek Into Darkness, I am reposting my original review of the film along with new and updated video links. The latest incarnation of Star Trek is in one word, “WOW”. Another would be orgasmic. No, not in that way. Orgasmic, in a Trekkie way. The sequel to the … Continue reading →

Is this the TARDIS in the background of the recently discovered Vincent Van Gogh painting, Sunset at Montmajour, identified by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam? Scenes from “Vincent and the Doctor“ _______________________________ Follow on Twitter & Facebook

This week’s photo challenge asked us to consider the emotions created by the sea, the feelings it produces within. This photo, I feel, places the power, the immensity, the inspired awe of the sea into scale. _______________________________ Follow on Twitter & Facebook

It sits within a cusp of space and time. It exists in service as a way-station, a dumping ground, a collection galley. It’s where supernatural horrors reside and are retrieved when needed. It’s where ghosts, UFO’s, gremlins and sixth dimensional dinosaurs – that cats see from time to time – come to play until they … Continue reading →

Afterlife “It’s haunted,” Peter said. His brother slugged his shoulder, “She said it’s not.” The priest glared admonishments upon them. She stomped from the house bedraggled and equipment burdened, passed the audience at the sidewalk to her car. “The house is most certainly not haunted,” she said, distracted, packing cases carefully away. The priest studied … Continue reading →

For Better or Worse The stars above, different. Not hers. She laid, bedroll disheveled around her legs. Struggles awash in a waking mind. Home, Earth was gone, too far to reach had it still been there. The little shuttle, the captain who lost her ship. Three months; food, water…priorities. Then the traders’ vessel, the convoy. … Continue reading →

Recently, I entered a local flash fiction contest. Write a story in 99 words or less, “Make us weep, laugh, scratch our heads“. Sounded like fun and WoW what a challenge, especially since most flash fiction flirts between 300 to 1000 words. So, I wrote three and sent them in. Unfortunately, none of them were chosen … Continue reading →

This week’s Weekly Writing Challenge: “Set a countdown timer for 10 minutes,  choose one of the writing prompts below, and just start writing. Whatever you do, don’t stop for ten minutes. Keep your fingers typing. Write what you remember. It need not be accurate — it’s your memory. Do not judge.” ___________________________ I remember our … Continue reading →

“Well I want to go to South America.” “Listen, Robert, going to another country doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried all that. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” “But you’ve never been to South America.” “South America hell! If you went there the way you feel now it … Continue reading →

All tuckered out & waitin’ for the fireworks to start. ________________________________ Follow on Twitter

Today, the happy souls over at the daily prompt idea machine asked us to consider the road less traveled, to Pinpoint a moment in your past where you had to make a big decision. Write about that other alternate life that could have unfolded. The Note I grew up in Idaho. I wasn’t born there … Continue reading →

Today’s Breakfast Pancakes from scratch, Homemade blueberry syrup, Strawberries & blueberries from the backyard. Can it get any better? ________________________________ Follow on Twitter

I’ve often said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen–whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book–it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place. – … Continue reading →

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Inspiration provided by yet another thought-provoking Daily Prompt suggestion; Daily Prompt: Red Pill, Blue Pill “If you could get all the nutrition you needed in a day with a pill — no worrying about what to eat, no food preparation — would you do it?” ______________________________ “All it takes is one pill! That’s right, just one pill a … Continue reading →

Eight miles north of Lincoln City, a mile or so off the Oregon Coastal Highway, down the tree-lined stretch where seaside scents mingle with the inland forest breezes, across the road from the local gas station, at the the flashing yellow light sits the best place for french toast along the Oregon Coast. A quick … Continue reading →

The Daily Prompt for June 2, 2013 Tell us about your favorite way to get lost in a simple activity — running, chopping vegetables, folding laundry, whatever. What’s it like when you’re in “the zone”? Falling into the Writing Zone; The fostering of an idea is where it begins, then a picture is conjured in … Continue reading →

The latest incarnation of Star Trek is in one word, “WOW”. Another would be orgasmic. No, not in that way. Orgasmic, in a Trekkie way. The sequel to the reboot of the Star Trek franchise which entered theaters this May, offered a multitude of treats and surprises for the life-long fan that anyone, who considers … Continue reading →

Hello everyone. Sorry for the lack of attention I’ve been paying to the blog of late. Has anyone noticed? I have a good excuse. I was working diligently on a short story before a submission deadline passed. Being new to this whole writing thing, I’ve been learning quite a bit about the process of submitting my works. There is … Continue reading →

My submission for this week’s photo challenge, “Pattern”. Shoe Buddies ________________________________ Follow on Twitter

A View From Above is this week’s photo challenge. Bathtub Golf ________________________________ Follow on Twitter

“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” – Pearl Buck “I know writers who write only when inspiration comes. How would Isaac Stern play if he played the violin only when he felt like it? He would be … Continue reading →

Wet cool days have yielded to blue skies with promises of the summer warmth to come  Beets, Leeks & Carrots ready for harvest, Herbs, roses, tomatoes, Peppers & artichokes Are ready for planting. But for many it’s time for Hula hoops, jugglers, & steel drum orchestras Or simply to find a relaxing place in the sun To … Continue reading →

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It was their third trip. This time his birthday, a horseback ride through the cloud forest then on to the little town near the mountain. Each time before it was clouded over, not worth going to see. Maybe this will be the right time to hike the slopes of an active volcano. They arrived at … Continue reading →

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking. … Continue reading →

The weekly writing challenge for April 15, 2013 The Person, She passed by, staying to the concrete path off the grass. Sitting on the plaza’s green grounds a book in my lap. I doubt she would have drawn much notice away from my pages save the rustle of her long, brown, ruffled skirt against blue … Continue reading →

Early any given morning, the sun creeps through the blinds as the alarm clock wakes. Two stations play at once, static crackling out in between. A blind hand taps around reaching out from under piles of blankets, finds the snooze and silences the caterwauling for eleven more precious minutes. It begins again. Up and out … Continue reading →

This the writing space I call home. Where do you write? Share a photo of the workspace you go to for writing, photography, the spot where you produce what you post on your blog. Share a link here, in the comments below. ________________________

“The first movie star I remember is Lon Chaney. The first drawing I made was a skeleton. The first awe I remember having was of the stars on a summer night in Illinois. The first stories I read were science-fiction stories in Amazing. The first time I ever went away from home was to go … Continue reading →

The 3rd season of the Walking Dead has come and gone, arguable the best season yet. But after this year’s snubbing by the big awards shows will this season turn some heads and direct some much deserved attention its way? Continue reading →