Fantasy Short Story 007-2023-0320

Many years ago I wrote a story for a high school English class. My teacher helped me to understand story structure the best she could, but it was enough to create an aha moment that aroused my interest in writing more stories. The more stories I wrote, the more my interest in the craft grew. … Continue reading Fantasy Short Story 007-2023-0320

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

Fantasy Short Story 003-2022-1004

Halloween grows closer and I’m in a ghost story mood. This short story about young Vree Erickson and a ghost appeared earlier this year in my post of June 6. Vree Erickson’s pleasant expression changed to surprise, then to shock mixed with fright. The air in the dugout became thin and dry, as though an … Continue reading Fantasy Short Story 003-2022-1004

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

Fantasy Short Story 002-2022-0922

I call this story “Into the Void” and wrote it in 2007. It’s a bit strange and reflects the fiction I was reading at the time. It’s no secret that current culture and events seep into every writer’s work (and every artist’s artwork). * * * Ronald Parker’s cell phone vibrated on his leather belt … Continue reading Fantasy Short Story 002-2022-0922

Fantasy Short Story 001-2022-0901

I call this story “Different Perspectives.” * * * The coffeehouse window Larry sat beside reminded him of sitting in his car at the car wash. Except, this wasn’t Get Wet Express. This was another rainy day in Ridgewood, at Mabel’s, on Monday, around eight-thirty in the morning, and he sat across his sister Elaine, … Continue reading Fantasy Short Story 001-2022-0901

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 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