The Killer Suspense of “Prom Night”
In the spirit of Halloween, I did a search for Jamie Lee Curtis movies and Peacock served up Prom Night. It was the teaser clip that hooked me: An early 20s Jamie Lee Curtis, dancing alone to the song in her head, arms high and graceful, body spinning, when her nemesis flicks on the spotlight....
‘The Killer Angels’ Book-to-Movie Adaptation is a Doozie
I confess that I finished reading The Killer Angels a month or so ago. I kept wanting to write about it, but decided what I really wanted to do was watch Gettysburg, the 1993 film based on the book, to tell you about yet another fantastic book-to-movie adaptation. But, alas. The Killer Angels book-to-movie adaptation...
How “Deep Work” Made me Drastically Reduce my Instagram Usage
Last month I read Deep Work by Cal Newport and what Cal had to say about work, focused attention, connectivity, email, and especially social media, had an immediate effect on my behavior. Cal's entire body of work centers around technology, social media, focused attention, productivity, and other related topics. Deep Work is his Big...
The Creatures in ‘Bird Box’ Are Dumb, But it Works
I finally picked up Bird Box, long after the 2018 hype over the Netflix movie adaptation, and the trending cultural references and hilarious memes about blindfolds. I thought it was an entertaining read with a fast-paced, linear storyline that's airtight. There's very little meandering or monologuing. Josh Malerman is not making a cultural...
How is Top Gun So Good?
The new Top Gun: Maverick blew me away. It's so good! It was story telling magic just like the original 1986 Top Gun. When the final credits rolled it had me thinking, how the heck did they pull that off? Again!? If you're like me and enjoy nerding-out on stories that have that special something,...
Twenty-Thousand Leagues is not What You Think
I had Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea sitting on my bookshelf and decided to read it. The story isn't what I thought it would be, plus it moves too slowly for contemporary readers. Same with the Disney movie staring Kirk Douglas. But, the book changed the Science Fiction genre when it was published...
Pulp Novels Sell. Here’s a Pulp Novel ‘How To,’ Book
There's lots of reasons to write pulp novels. One reason is that pulp novels sell, and a writer should never discount what readers want. If you're a beginner looking for a quick book that will improve your storytelling, here is James Scott Bell's book, "How to Write Pulp Fiction," available on Amazon. When you're a...
3 Simple Tips for a Novel-Rewrite
Here I will share with you my process for rewriting a novel, and it involves a quality notebook and set of good pens. I had every intention of finishing my rewrites before my kids left on spring break. As it happens March is too busy for me and life has taken hold. But, even though...