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I have lived in multiple cities around the world, and visited many more.
One thing I have learned is that the Eagles were correct in their song, The Last Resort,
when they say " ... call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye."

Nowhere is perfect but some places are more "human" than others.
I came to Calgary, Canada, because there are many humans here - and I happen to love humans.
Calgary, and Canada overall, are not perfect but they try to get as close as they can. Do they always succeed? No. Do...

Way back in the 20th century, authors would mail out book copies to newspaper columnist journalists or magazine journalists in hope of getting a favorable review. And they would complain about the cost of postage and how long they had to wait to see if they got reviewed or not.

Even though we had functional email from the early 90's it was not really fully implemented as a marketing vehicle or solid alternative to snail-mail until the 2000's. Even then, it was the advent of social media...

To be a writer or not, that is indeed the question for anyone flirting with a literary career.

It may come easy for you, or you may have to work at it. Either way, you must get to the point where compulsion and love and need outweigh the vagaries of money, fame, and recognition, else you collapse under the weight of the idea instead of rising to each potential height.

This blog, and this website have nothing to do with the heading at all.

In each of the categories above, there is a small army of people ready to take your hard-earned money for the "secret" to success. If you fail, you mustn't have done it right or you didn't send enough money.

Throughout human history scams all look different but they are fundamentally the same, whether someone is selling you a piece of the original Cross, a piece of the Berlin Wall, a digital marketing solution or an AI bot...

Most of you would have seen the unflattering balloon version of Donald Trump, wannabe dictator of the United States. They have popped up all over the world - at least in countries where they don't deport you to an El Salvadorean prison.

So, I thought, why not feature the same on the cover of a poetry book?

I don't care what your politics are, whether you consider yourself a "conservative" or a "liberal" or something in-between. Trump has nothing to do with politics as you think you know it. He...

Some of you will be familiar with the Three Graces, also known as the Charites. In Greek mythology, they are goddesses who personify beauty, charm, and grace. They are usually depicted as a group of three, and are often associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

My painting "The Three Disgraces" (pictured) was created as a "metaphoric analogy" to the Greek myth.
In my writing, particularly in my poetry, I tend to employ metaphor and analogy a great deal. Meaning, real...

Stephen Donaldson once wrote, and I paraphrase, that "good fiction is a blend of the exotic and the mundane". This is never truer than in the creation of characters.

How many of your characters have personality traits of people you've met, people you like, people you dislike or even hate? Can you honestly say your character is pure creation, with no experiential input? I doubt it, and that's OK. A good character grows and evolves with the story, reacts in different ways to different scenarios,...

This painting in entitled, "Elegy" by Louis Kahan, and I was the proud owner of a limited edition print of this piece for many years. I had the chance to meet Louis before he passed and he was as remarkable a man as he was an artist. This man actually fought with the French Foreign Legion - one of his many rare accomplishments!

A great painting or drawing is like a favored sibling or cousin to great literature. Both evoke feelings. memories and thoughts that are either new, or old ones...

Everyone should have a dog, and mine is Blu.

If I spend too long on my laptop Blu trots in and growls at me, reminding me that it's time to play. If I'm too focused on my phone, Blu nudges me with his battering ram nose to let me know that belly rubs are now overdue. If my table is covered with papers with character sketches and world maps and other esoterica, Blu drops one or more of his toys onto my workspace to remind me about what's important - him!

Interruptions are necessary for a writer....

As a child I had access to lots of books and was actively encouraged to read. Which I did. A lot.

At the age of 7 or 8 I attempted to read The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales. I tried and tried but couldn't make sense of the archaic language and turns of phrase. Using the dictionary only helped a little.

Over the span of the next few years I came back to those books, and each time I was able to read a little bit more, understand a little bit more. By the time I got to High School Shakespeare...

Seeming effortlessness.

When an author has done all the hard homework of clarifying physics laws, determining the precise mechanics of spacecraft, calculating detailed demographic and topographic information of multiple worlds, and working out how various beings interact n such a universe, the end effect seems effortless.

As with all stories, a detailed back story and history, a clear plotline and sub-plots, and excellent descriptive and conversational writing are necessary as well. But the...

In Alberta, a writer named Roy
found a book that he thought he'd enjoy;
he read all the words,
thought they were absurd,
and now Roy from Alberta, annoyed!

It happens to all of us. We're browsing a pile of books when a striking cover peaks our interest. It might be striking artwork, an edgy title, a good looking man or woman. Whatever the hook, it works and we end up buying the book.

When we get home and open the book, one of two things happen: it is either even better than we anticipated or it is...

As a writer, how much time do you spend thinking about fonts?

I admit to spending way too much time arguing the merits of Times Roman vs Arial, or Helvetica vs Calibri or which "exotic" font works best for a cover.

Do I bold or italicize my font? Which justification format works best? Will the literary gods smite me down if I choose incorrectly? What if my readers are offended by my font choice?

In the end I usually decide that there is too much noise inside my head over friggin' fonts. Times...

Much has been written about the works of Nostradamus and there is a library of literature covering the so-called biblical prophets. For me, one of the greatest prophets of all time is Terry Gilliam, best known as the animator for the Monty Python films.

The movie, Brazil was released in 1985 - forty years ago! If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and watch it two or three times. Preferably, with a notepad. Remember the year it was made while you're watching and you will begin to see why...

According to Google these are the most searched keywords on Amazon's KDP platform.

I'm sure I've mentioned the beach, Summer and dogs in my writing before but I don't think I've ever written about a mouse or a unicorn or gifts, specifically. Maybe I need to write a book about unicorns entitled, The Mouse is in the House? Or a book called Gifts for Kids? Sounds more like a catalogue, doesn't it?

One of the great challenges for writers today is "discovery". When so much time is spent on keywords,...

For years I have heard many actors say that they never watch their own films. I always thought they were being a little pretentious but then I realized I do the same thing.

I have written thousands of poems and except on rare occasions I couldn't tell you what was in the poem twenty minutes after I finish it. I am fully invested while writing but when it's done, well, it's done.

Writing books is a little different. I find I read and re-read pages, paragraphs, even sentences, editing my thoughts...

To be honest, I don't understand "writer's block" at all.

When I want to write, I write. Sometimes the writing is great, other times less so. When that happens I edit or rewrite. On rare occasions I scrap the work and start again. Never do I think I can't write.

When a martial artist is learning a kata or form he or she is clumsy at first, slowing improving and getting better until the kata is mastered, or at least mostly so. At no stage does the martial artist think "oh, I can't move my arm"...

Here is Google's AI overview to the search enquiry "writers who inspire other writers":

"Many writers find inspiration in the works and lives of other authors. Some prominent examples include J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, and George Orwell, all of whom have significantly impacted the literary world and continue to inspire aspiring and established writers. Additionally, figures like Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, and Alice Munro are often cited as...

After months of background notes, creating maps, biographies and histories, I have finally started my new novel, POET. POET will be the first book of a trilogy named the Indrajala Trilogy.

I expect to have the first book finished by mid next year, earlier if the writing gods smile warmly on me.

I will send updates via my mailing list so make sure you're subscribed if you're not already.

I have heard this all my life - "there's nothing new", "there's nothing original anymore", "everything's already been done".

Any artist or musician or writer know that this is simply not true. Yes, there is plenty of "borrowing" and even theft but I would argue that is a necessary part of the creative process. Ask any coder and if they are honest they will tell you they learned by stealing everything they could get their hands on. Creating original content, any content, takes time and it often...