If one were to peruse the list of books I have read since 1996, the first item of note might be the book that started it all, #1 on the list: From Earth to Heaven by Isaac Asimov. Why this book? Why the list? Why now? In other words, how did it all start? In…
I. The Fiction Writer There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but ther are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, tranform a yellow spot into the sun.— Pablo Picasso November has rolled into December and with it, a milestone on the road of my life is just ahead. December…
In addition to teaching me (almost) everything I know about science, Isaac Asimov taught me that essay collections are poison at the box office. He then went on to become the exception that proved the rule by publishing scores of essays collections. Prior to reading Asimov’s essays, my general perception of the form was that…
There are certain books I return to again and again. One Man’s Meat by E. B. White is one of these books. I recently re-read it for the fifth time. I return to this book when I feel the need to be recharged both as a reader and a writer. One Man’s Meat is a…
Two nights ago I braved the bitterly cold weather to check the mail. When I got outside, I looked up into a midnight blue sky, crystal clear in the cold air with stars shimmering brightly, and immediately saw a meteor disintegrate in the upper atmosphere. I remembered then that it was about the time of…
The February 2009 issue of ASIMOV"S has a great "Reflections" essay by Robert Silverberg called, "It Wasn’t All That Easy", in which he talks about the the time when he was a young, would-be writer, seeing all of his heroes sell stories and become famous, while he collected rejection after rejection. He wondered if he’d ever…
Edmund Schubert, editor over at Intergalactic Medicine Show, asks all author who have had stories published there to write an essay on how they came to write their story. Since my story, “When I Kissed the Learned Astronomer” is in the current issue, I wrote an essay for Edmund. That essay is now available for…
I just finished reading Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson and I give it 5-stars. It was outstanding! I rarely rate a book as 5-stars and it has to be truly remarkable for me to do so. The last book that I ranked as 5-stars was First Man: The Life of Neil A.…
I was up at 7:30 this morning and headed over to IHOP to have breakfast. Apparently, today is Superbowl Sunday; restaurants around town have signs out front pleading people to come watch the big game at their establishments. I don’t even know what time the game starts, let alone who is playing. Back when I…
I’m a big fan of Michael Josephson’s “Character Counts” essays on KNX 1070 in Los Angeles. The daily essays on ethics and character are a breath of fresh air compared to most news programming out there. Recently, these essays have reached their 10th anniversary. Tomorrow, at 11 AM Pacific (2 PM Eastern), there will be…