Category: Writing Process

A look into the lives of my fictional characters, my writing process, and the process of self-publishing my books.

Criticism

Over the years I’ve learned that there are some commonalities between being an artist who paints landscapes and wildlife, and an author who self-publishes his books. First, obviously, is that I “self”-publish my art as well as my books. But more importantly, both my art and my books go into the world and are judged. … Continue reading Criticism

Characters Who Stay

I was fourteen when I created my first book character: David Evans. His name came from the popular daytime gothic horror TV show in the US, Dark Shadows. His first name came from the boy character, David Collins, and his surname came from the waitress, Maggie Evans. Both characters had no siblings and lived with … Continue reading Characters Who Stay

New

Hello, readers. I have many plans for the new year. Among them is redesigning my website. I plan to spend this month doing that between working on my Ridgewood Chronicles books. I’m publishing my first paperback book at Amazon in March. I’m calling it Night of the Hell Hounds and Other Stories from the Ridgewood … Continue reading New

Feeling the Rain

I have been an artist most of my adult life. It has brought me awards and recognition beyond my desires. And it has brought me to crossroads when I’ve no longer felt challenged by it. Which is why I turned to other passions during those times. One of those other passions is writing, divided into … Continue reading Feeling the Rain

All Our Struggles Are Interesting

I was nine years old and a fourth-grade student when I wrote a short story in writing composition class about two astronauts going to a faraway planet. I don’t recall the story’s details very well, but I do recall it had a beginning, a middle, and an ending. In the beginning, my astronauts blast off … Continue reading All Our Struggles Are Interesting

Who Is Alice Myers?

I previously posted about the history of Ridgewood, a fictional town that appears in my stories and books featured here and at several online book markets. In that post, I mentioned a woman named Alice Myers, and in my haste to keep the post shorter than one of my short stories, I glossed over her … Continue reading Who Is Alice Myers?

New Story, Old Tale Again

Today, I’m presenting another edited repost from my old blog Vree Erickson. This one delves deeper into the “behind the scenes” of Ridgewood, Lenny Avery, and Vree. Enjoy. * * * Before there was Ridgewood, there was Ravenwood, a fictional town that I named after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem. In the center of the … Continue reading New Story, Old Tale Again

Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 4

Today, I’m presenting another edited repost from my old blog Vree Erickson. This one has a story about Vree for your reading pleasure. * * * The first story I wrote that featured Vree as the leading main character was a short called “Ghost Love” that I penned when I was fourteen. It was based … Continue reading Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 4

Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 3

Today, I’m presenting another edited repost from my old blog Vree Erickson. (Vree is a character that appears in many of my stories.) * * * In the last post about Vree Erickson, I introduced the character, Nick Corwin. He was the result of a high school creative writing assignment that developed into a short … Continue reading Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 3

Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 2

This is another edited repost from my old blog Vree Erickson, in which I wrote more about Vree’s backstory. (Vree is a character that appears in many of my stories.) * * * I mentioned last week that Vree’s last name was Erikson in the very early publications of my stories. The spelling changed to … Continue reading Vree’s Beginnings Again, Chapter 2