Tag: books

Being a Self-Published Author

Not that I never tried to become a published author in the traditional sense, but I’m too impatient to wait for something I can do myself. After all, I self-published my first short story in book form when I was fourteen. Ten years later, I self-published my own comic book. By the time I was … Continue reading Being a Self-Published Author

Book Two

Ten years ago this month, I wrote I am testing the waters of self-publishing at Amazon right now so my family and friends can read my stories on their Kindle e-readers. I wish I could offer my books free, but Amazon doesn’t have that option. Soon after I published “Night of the Hellhounds” to Amazon’s … Continue reading Book Two

New Year, New Ideas, New Goals

I love writing fiction. It brings out my inner child. The story world of my books is a playground in my mind where my characters can run as fast as they can, jump far, fly if they need to, fall and skin their knees if they must, and end up heroes if I want them … Continue reading New Year, New Ideas, New Goals

The Joy of Writing Books

I love writing stories and turning them into books. Metaphorically, writing stories is a trip to the playground where I can run as fast as I can, fall and skin my knees, get into arguments with any big bully who tries to shove me down, and climb to the top of the monkey bars to … Continue reading The Joy of Writing Books

New Story, Old Tale

Before there was Ridgewood, there was Ravenwood, a fictional town I created in my high school creative writing classes. In the center of the town that I named after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem was Myers Lake, named after Alice Myers, an incredibly old woman who lived alone in an ancient Victorian mansion at the … Continue reading New Story, Old Tale

Beginnings, Chapter 3

I presented a draft from 2016 in the last post, of a story I wrote in 1971 that introduced the characters Nick Corwin and Vree Erickson. It began as a high school creative writing assignment that developed into a short story about a boy with a magic typewriter that took him places when he typed … Continue reading Beginnings, Chapter 3

Beginnings, Chapter 2

Last week I mentioned that Vree’s last name in the early publications from my high school years was Erikson. The spelling changed to Erickson when I began writing about her again later in life. Other changes were Ravenwood to Ridgewood, Myers Ridge to Russell Ridge (I moved Myers Ridge farther west), and the twins Dave … Continue reading Beginnings, Chapter 2

Beginnings, Chapter 1

In the beginning, Vree lived on Myers Ridge in Ravenwood, Pennsylvania. I created Ravenwood when I was 13. The year was 1970 and I was an eighth-grade student at a small high school in northwest Pennsylvania. I modeled Ravenwood after my hometown and surrounding communities. The town’s countryside was center stage for many of the … Continue reading Beginnings, Chapter 1

Introducing Vree

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms. I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones. Now, I’m going to discuss the joy of writing—and one of my favorite fictional characters. I began writing short stories about fourteen-year-old Vree Erickson in the early 1970s when I was her age. In those days, … Continue reading Introducing Vree