Author W. James Chan from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, describes himself as retired from “delightfully banal office work that afforded plenty of writing time on the sly.” He has been writing for almost as long as he has been reading. His first book, Blackcloak: A Man of his Sword, was published in 2015. He […]
Let’s Talk! – A Deer Nibbles Apples Left to Rot in the Grass
Are you sitting comfortably, your screens switched off, waiting to discuss or ponder another prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book over dinner? Want me to start or finish with my take on it? Here you are! I was probably around seven or eight when my grandparents took me and my family to a deer […]
Across the Fence: Seltzer
I ran into the English Germanism Seltzer during my very first visit in the U.S. as a fifteen-year-old. My uncle in Maine loved to drink Seltzer with just a hint of natural fruit flavor. I tasted it and cringed. When I returned to Germany and told my mother about it, she stated, “You must have […]
Let’s Talk! – A Dark Shadow on the Ocean Wave Behind Her
Have you switched off your screens to ponder or discuss another prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Well, here is my take on it. For whatever reason, my first thought was humming the Jaws movie’s musical motif, tongue in cheek. My mistake. It would probably NOT be a dark shadow, as the beast in […]
Across the Fence: Der Kommissar
The English Germanism I am going to scrutinize today takes us into the musical era of the 1980s in Austria. Back then, the Neue Deutsche Welle (prounounce ‘noy-ah ‘doytsh-ah ‘vellah, meaning New German Wave) was celebrating one success after another – the sound was based of punk and rock elements, the language was German, and […]
In the Book Nook with … Alisa Weis
Author Alisa Weis lives on a small farm in Olalla, Washington, with her husband, son, daughter, and a host of animals. She teaches English to secondary students at a private school in Bremerton, WA. Alisa started writing fiction as a young girl, but didn’t publish her first book until age 36. She is a member […]
Let’s Talk! – On the Train
Have you switched off your screens, already, to ponder or discuss another prompt from my friend, author Tyrean Martinson’s book, A Pocket Sized Jumble of 500+ Writing Prompts? Maybe you would like to read my take on it? Well, here it is. My very first memory of traveling on a train was from my German […]
Across the Fence: Behind the Scenes of Real-Life Police Work
“Apply today for the Lakewood Police Citizens Academy” – this article ran this last May 2 in The Suburban Times, and it electrified me. I had known about the program for a while, but hadn’t been ready to apply in the past. I had always wanted to know how law enforcement works – not just […]
In the Book Nook with … C.J. Booth
Author Charles “C.J.” Booth, who grew up in Delaware and lived in Minnesota for years, and his wife raised their kids on Mercer Island, retired to Whidbey Island, and now live in Gig Harbor, Washington. C.J. started life in broadcasting, moved to film and video production, then started writing film scripts and toyed with fiction […]