Prose

Why is a clipper ship called a clipper ship?
Answer: they clipped time off journey durations.

The American clipper ship, sleek and narrow with a formidable yardage of sail could convey high-value, low-volume freight at up to 400 miles per day. It was the technological apogee of the sailing ship. Combined with the telegraph it was the mid-19th century forerunner of the internet and the jet plane. Combined with a few other factors, they led to the 1850’s producing what Ben Wilson calls the Dawn of the Global Age.

A plethora of gold strikes: Read more about History of a Decade

I just opened a book my sister (in-law, but they are all sisters to me) sent me. It’s a book of short stories by P.D. James called Sleep No More. ( Side note: Great title to send to an insomniac, Lori) A nice little preface promises not only murder but also colluders, unwitting witnesses, the bad dreams of murderers, and suppressors of homicidal memories. Read more about Murder We Write

“Why make that guy a hero?” “More irresponsible behavior?” “She cooks too much.”

Those are just a few of the comments I have gotten over the years on the characters I choose to portray in fiction. The problem is, I don’t just make people up. I put real people into my stories. They aren’t perfect. They don’t make what other folks might call good decisions. Sometimes they cook.. Read more about Character Studies

Have you ever read Le Morte d’Arthur, by Sir Thomas Mallory? Of course not. Read more about Le Morte

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
In fourteen hundred and ninety-one, half the world didn’t even see us coming.
In two thousand and twenty-one, half of us didn’t see the other half coming.
Yeah. I see relevancies there. Read more about 1491

Ode to the Great Plains Read more about Willa Cather's Nebraska

I have just finished Hilary Mantell’s conclusion of the life of Thomas Cromwell, the He of this title) a saga that began with Wolf Hall, proceeded through Bring Up the Bodies, and ended with Read more about The King and He

Writers' groups will all tell you that everybody hates a prologue. I still like this one from my second novel, Ghosts of the Heart:

Gavin Hudson narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun. He could never quite accustom himself to the brightness of the overworld. Still, he'd been waiting for this moment for some time. She was back. He was certain of it. This time, the ascent would be worth the effort. Read more about A Prologue

Haven't finished any books recently to review, so I'm putting little intros to other fiction in here. This is the first page from my first novel, The Year of the Crow.

2030 Green Bay, WI Read more about YOTC Page 1

I didn't know his first name until much later, when the problem of Santos had been solved for all of us except Santos, who would carry the problem of himself wherever he went, most lately to somewhere out in Montana. Read more about An Old Story