Ghosts and the Fairy King
After Sayeh and I had an intense year (we bought a house, moved, I changed jobs at work, I got about a thousand rejection letters for a novel, etc), we… Read more »
The Quit is Real – But you are not alone
This past weekend was the annual Surrey International Writer’s Conference. For those of you who have read this blog before, you’re probably aware that this event is tantamount to Mecca… Read more »
Awards Can Be Hard To Take
I was honoured, last night, to be recognized during the 2017 Surrey Detachment OIC’s (Officer In Charge) awards. The awards are designed to give recognition to both police officers and… Read more »
Discipline Vs Inspiration; or, My Muse is Drunk and Stole the Inspiration Bus
The last year has been rough and the words have been scarce. I often say in my blog posts (the last of which was 327 days ago…so long that I… Read more »
A Storyteller’s Stages – or – The Penmonkey wants his banana.
*note* I borrowed the term “penmonkey” from Chuck Wendig (www.terribleminds.com), and need to give him credit for it. This post started off in my head as a rant. And while this is my blog, and I figure I can probably … Continue reading →
Words aren’t enough
The world is full of tough guys, or, at least, guys who want you to think they’re tough. In my work-life as a street cop I see a lot of swagger, a lot of bravado. I’ve encountered a lot of … Continue reading →
How A Stack Of Iron Saved My Life
When I was about fifteen years old I saved up enough money to buy my first weight set, consisting of one of those rickety Weider benches, a couple of iron bars, and a hundred pounds in crumbling, concrete-filled vinyl weights. … Continue reading →
New Words, Old Memories
Before I was a writer, I was a reader; just like every other writer on the planet. My parents, while not particularly educated people, were voracious readers, and I think that’s a trait that was both nature and nurture. There … Continue reading →
The Three Hardest Words
A number of years ago, I was sitting in the audience when Jack Whyte gave the Saturday night keynote speech at the Surrey International Writer’s Conference. Dressed in his regimental colours (of the Calgary Highlanders), Jack asked us, “What are … Continue reading →
A Season Of Loss
When I was a kid, Christmas was a big deal in my house. My mother was an overt Christmas lover; she would hang the first decorations about the same time as the first snow fell, Boney M Christmas music would … Continue reading →