Where It All Began

Neil Gaiman takes us on a trip below Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (1997) - Richard Mayhew isn't special. He's a nice guy with an ordinary life. Until he stops to help a young woman bleeding on the sidewalk. From that moment, his life would never be ordinary again. Mayhew enters the world that exists below...

The American Painter

Edward Hopper by Carol Troyen (2007)- A collection of nine essays on the life and art of one of the United States’ most celebrated painters. It includes over 100 paintings as examples. This is a massive book, printed on high-quality paper. Originally a companion to a large traveling Hopper exhibition, the result is the classic...

My Life Creative

Peeking At A Rural Wonder I can not explain my "thing" for barns. But they fascinate me. On a trip last summer into wine country in northern Virginia, I spotted this one on my first day. My wife graciously agreed to stop at the side of the road so I could take eighteen different shots....

The Dream Sweeper Comes

Two Favorites in One Crunch Treat! Smoke and Mirrors – Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman (1998) I love short stories, and over the last several years I have developed a deep appreciation of Neil Gaiman. So this was a wonderful surprise when I found it on the library shelf. In today’s literary world,...

My Life Creative

Here's another addition to some of the work I've been doing. The weather is getting warm enough again to get out and explore on a regular basis. I will go out when the weather is less pleasant but it's not my favorite. To each their own. This striking heron was from last summer along a...

Not A Full Data Set

Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events by Brent Spiner (2021) Brent Spiner (Data on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) wrote a book that is part memoir, part noir mystery, part novel, and part behind-the-scenes look at the beloved, long-running science fiction franchise. The problem is that it’s not enough of any of them...

Looking Creative

I'm getting into the groove by sharing some photos. I started being "serious" with the camera back in the '70s. This photo, which appears on the cover of my first book, is from 8 years ago. I have a fondness for it. This falls into the "Where do you find your ideas?" discussion. Literally, everywhere....

The Lie of Perfection

If You Wait till You’re Ready, You’ll Wait Forever I have been working on all kinds of cool ideas. Ideas for this blog, for my other blog, for writing projects, painting projects, photo projects, A PODCAST! And I keep telling myself that as soon as I get everything ready and organized, I’ll launch them. Then...

Creativity Rocks and Rocks Are Forever

I was cruising along in my car, doing a very old guy kind of thing. I was listening to the radio. Yeah, radio still exists! And you can still find some very interesting things on it. That day it was an obscure punk band from the '80s. "Obscure" might be overselling them. Black Citron was...

A Dying Lake and a Dead Man

Don’t Cry, Tai Lake by Qiu Xiaolong (2012) - Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police is sent to a resort reserved for higher levels cadres in China. The compound is in a town he visited as a child and has changed as much as he has. During his stay, Inspector Chen meets a...