Social media- -Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest of it- -has wrought significant change in human communication. Though I’m not a dedicated social media user, I have been on Facebook for over six years. My experience with this platform has been, for the most...

Writing, in general, is a lonely line of work. Writers can work in isolation for hours and hours, submerged in the world of their projects, barely surfacing for meals, getting dressed and interaction with other humans. There are some exceptions to this life of...

Authors are frequently asked: Where do you get your ideas? My answer: Everywhere. But sometimes the original idea is not what ends up on the page. Which brings me to Ralph. Ralph is a character in Small-g City, my first book-length project accepted for publication. He...

As Halloween approaches, it’s natural to think of a diet overcharged with sweets. Even kids who participate in “downtown shopping area” kinds of events, sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, are likely to come home with a bag full of the good (chocolate), the...

Twenty years ago, shortly before my 39th birthday, I started a regular exercise program. Regular. Exercise. Program. My activities were divided between half an hour on an off-brand in-home cross-country ski machine and occasional chilly laps, twenty or so, at the...

Honestly, I’d like to write about something happy, positive, uplifting. But this week, for me, is filled with pain. I am talking about the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for the Supreme Court nominee. I can’t bring myself to type his name. It’s everywhere, so...