New seasons always get me thinking. These are times for renewing and examining. The renewing is a lot more fun. However, examining may be more essential because it encourages you to evaluate and consider, and provides fuel for what should be renewed. It is also about recognizing that life's renewals can come from unexpected places … Continue reading Thoughts as Summer Ends and the Magic of Sea Turtles

Summer is almost officially over. Yikes, already? And although summer has been somehow historically designated as the "time of reading" — it is certainly not the only time I read. As my wife, who continually reminds me that the books on my nightstand are resembling a badly played Jenga game, knows well. That's why I … Continue reading Books I am Loving, and Loving Again

A year ago, I wrote this piece for my blog Walks With Sam. After years of considering a bigger project of walks with my dog, those many entries and a summer of regular walking have now been shaped into a manuscript. (John Hunt Publishing, UK, 2020). More on this as it develops. I'm bringing back … Continue reading A Woodstock Walk

Here's where I ask a favor. Click the link below for the latest blog post. This will take you to WalksWithSam. Years back, I wrote a weekly blog about walking my dog and coming upon new observations and mini-adventures that helped this guy find a little mindfulness. The essence of those blog entries are now … Continue reading Walks With Sam

Most of us don't sell a lot of books. There. I said it. This is not a defeatist attitude or some silly plea. It's the truth. There are a small percentage of elite writers and book producers who garner most of the readership. There are the one-hit wonders who write incredible books, big sellers, influencers, … Continue reading The Truth About Writers

I realized something other morning while writing here in the shed: I have been developing my writing life for the last ten years right out in the open. I could say my writing life had its origins when I was a kid delivering newspapers, but for argument sake, my first book was published in 2009. … Continue reading Writing Out in the Open

Here in the shed this week, I've been thinking about book titles. I like to have one decided early when I'm working on something new, which I am doing. Choosing a title helps me focus on the story's theme, the book's emotional center. So, I came up with one for a new manuscript-in-progress. I am … Continue reading What’s in a Title?

In Spain, the air is hot. I joked with my son who had joined me on the second leg of a trip to this beautiful country, following a week with my wife, that, yes, it was muy caliente. But it was not "Cuba hot." "That's a very different hot," I reminded him. Two years ago … Continue reading The Fuel of Travel

The other day the New York Times' book critics compiled a list of what they thought were the best fifty memoirs of the last fifty years. The critics said they were looking for books that gave them "whiskey, not whiskey and water." Books that felt like they were bringing a reader along on an "adventure" … Continue reading Memoirs: My favorites and what I’ve learned.

Now and then here in The Writer Shed, I will formally review a book. This is not the casual albeit sincere Goodreads or Amazon review, but rather a hard and close look. I do this only occasionally and usually choose books for specific reasons. Either I am asked to review the book by a publisher or … Continue reading Review: My Midsummer Morning