I love the Tree of Life Tweet that shows the work space I used when writing MORTAL THINGS. Well, ONE of the places where I worked on the novel. Like most other writers and readers, I roam from room to room, nook to nook, sometimes from state to state, but this one anchors me in … Continue reading Your Work Space: In Three Words (or more)
Moments That Matter: A Look at Kent Haruf’s BENEDICTION
Years ago, a poet friend exclaimed, “How did he do that?” after reading a short story by the late Andre Dubus. He didn’t quite see how those relatively few pages had built to such dramatic effect. I’ve had similar reactions after I’ve read novels by Kent Haruf. Kent Haruf 1943-2014 Haruf’s fictional terrain was the … Continue reading Moments That Matter: A Look at Kent Haruf’s BENEDICTION
A Good Read and a Good Dog
About a month ago, Kathleen and I attended an author program featuring author Craig Grossi and his well-traveled canine brother, Fred. The amazing story he shared in his maybe half-hour of comments has stayed with me. Turning points in people's lives always get my attention, and this book chronicles some cosmic ones for this young … Continue reading A Good Read and a Good Dog
MORTAL THINGS Publication Date & Cover Reveal!
Mortal Things has been a constant in my life for more than three decades. It began in the late eighties as a short story, which morphed into a novella then into a novel. Set during a time of changing values and beliefs and in a Philadelphia neighborhood known for its diversity of ethnicity, race, and social … Continue reading MORTAL THINGS Publication Date & Cover Reveal!
TURNING POINTS—”Finding Our Voices”
We all experience points in our lives that prove pivotal. Those moments are not always obvious to us at the time. For a woman in Maine’s town of Camden, it is not difficult to identify a particular occasion when everything changed. Patrisha McLean’s personal horror that night immediately and permanently impacted her personal life. Since … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—”Finding Our Voices”
TURNING POINTS—THE DIG: Two Ways
Every once in a while, Kathleen plants a book in my hands and gives me that You’d be a fool not to read this immediately look. “It’ll be a break from the other stuff you’re reading,” she said the other day, handing me her library copy of John Preston’s The Dig. “There’s a movie … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—THE DIG: Two Ways
TURNING POINTS—Personal Transportation, Three Ways
Welcome to summer. Late spring/early summer can be the sweetest time of year, especially if we get ourselves moving through our environment and do it mostly under our own power. The year’s longest days invite us to go OUT and feel the natural world around us when it is at its intoxicating finest. These last … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Personal Transportation, Three Ways
TURNING POINTS—Mare Demands More Time!
This post about a script is a postscript to last week’s homage to the HBO series Mare of Easttown. When I saw this Philadelphia Magazine interview with Brad Inglesby, I had to share it here. https://www.phillymag.com/news/2021/04/03/mare-of-easttown-brad-ingelsby/?fbclid=IwAR1L_1krBuNBYfntALkeXIgk373PC3p9lHkneQwGiVuh4XtKrh95mCfOexQ Victor Fiorillo did a great job with this interview, and I’ll let him take it from here. Buzz is … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Mare Demands More Time!
TURNING POINTS—Making Me Want To Watch Television Again
Even if you’re not from the Philadelphia area, I recommend the HBO series Mare of Easttown. Filmed in the Philly area, there was no way I could ignore this series. The production staff went local in a hardcore way, with everything from shirts and caps representing the local sports teams, schools, and favorite spots “down-a-shore,” … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Making Me Want To Watch Television Again
TURNING POINTS—War Provides Them, Always Has, Always Will
I saw ten Mike Stephens photos in a Facebook post the other day by old friend Tom Sexton. Each of these painfully raw glimpses at pain and loss tears out a piece of your heart, and makes tactile and real the impact of combat loss to the family, friends, and brothers and sisters in arms … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—War Provides Them, Always Has, Always Will
Ned Bachus 