[It’s time for something light-hearted, as I’ve actually been depressing myself with the public-affairs commentary. So have a story about a young man who works at a quack-remedies mill who discovers something that actually works…and finds love in the bargain — FWP] ==<O>== Harley Crandall is a Texan émigré and a businessman of …
Category: fiction
Jan 29 2023
This Writer Has An Uncanny Foresight
I’ve mentioned Mackey Chandler’s April series more than once here. I liked it enough that I’m now reading his other works. Just now I’m enjoying his 2011 novel Paper or Plastic, an unusual first contact story in several ways. A moment ago I encountered this passage, in which a very human alien is explaining …
Jan 28 2023
Conditional Hypotheticals
“Say, what if there were no hypothetical questions?” – Originator unknown I found this at Ace’s place: I can’t speak to whether the figures cited are accurate. However, the suggestion that persons of below-average intelligence would have trouble understanding such propositions seems like that most uncommon of all things, “common sense.” Moreover, …
Dec 15 2022
Free Fiction!
Starting today, through January 1, all my novels without exception are free downloads at Smashwords. You can get them in any and all popular formats, suitable for reading on your handheld device or your computer. Amazon won’t allow me a giveaway promotion any more, so hie thee to Smashwords for the freebies.
Dec 05 2022
“Freedom: I Won’t!”
This will be an extremely trying day here at the Fortress, for doggie reasons: our Newf must go back under the knife yet again, this time to correct a dangerous abdominal hernia. So I doubt I’ll be posting anything much. Accordingly, I’d like to recommend that anyone who hasn’t yet read Eric Frank …
Nov 27 2022
The Adventure Of Love
A number of my fiction readers have commented that the romances I write are “different.” Well, I should hope so. Why write what everyone else is writing? Why not follow a unique path that persons bored with “the same old thing” can use for their refreshment? All the same, it raises the question of …
Nov 15 2022
A Sentiment I Have Often Felt
It was unusual to see anyone in a p-suit in the corridors. Walking back suited up with the machine pistol and her sword in her left hand might get a few looks. She was way past caring. April put the badge back in the bag and tossed it to Bob. “Take care of …
Nov 03 2022
May I Or Mustn’t I?
On this third day of November in this Year of Our Lord 2022, I refuse to talk about the upcoming elections. I refuse to talk about the attempts to pre-anesthetize us about the massive, nationwide act of vote fraud we must anticipate. And I flatly refuse to talk about the whining for “pandemic amnesty.” …
Oct 16 2022
Imagination, Orthodoxy, And Faith
Hm. Perhaps that should be “And The Faith,” but let it stand as it is. Yesterday at The Catholic Thing, there appeared an essay, with embedded interview, on Fostering the Catholic Imagination. Let there be no argument: the subject is an important one. There isn’t enough fiction written from a Catholic perspective, which …
Sep 25 2022
Against The Anti Brigades
The following video is a snippet from a 1977 BBC interview of Sylvester Stallone about why he wrote Rocky. It’s both surprising and, to those who doubted his intellect, revealing: Stallone’s diagnosis of the cultural trends is dead on – and even more important for our time. Americans wanted entertainment that would resonate …
Sep 07 2022
The 2022 Based Fall Book Sale
Hans G. Schantz, author of the Hidden Truth trilogy, is once again hosting a gigantic $0.99 or free sale of “non-woke” books: Some complain about the culture. Others do something about it. Support non-woke authors and get yourself some great books from both established and emerging talent for only $0.99 – many …
Aug 31 2022
Got A Buck?
In case you missed the original announcement: All My Novels Are Now Just $0.99. I can’t discount them any further. I trust I need say no more. But wait: there’s more! I have: A New Retailing System! That allows you to purchase my books directly from me! Applause and many thanks …
Jul 28 2022
What Cannot Be Reported As Fact
…can sometimes be depicted to good effect in fiction: Then there was the matter of process. How the election was run. How it was administered. The frenzied push to ramp up absentee and mail-in ballots and ramp down verification, especially in battleground states. How many states changed election laws? Hint: a lot. How …