There is a strange paradigm to disasters, in my experience. Everyone sees the big events and the images that become iconic: jets flying into buildings, the collapse of structures, spacecraft shattering and streaming across the heavens before scattering across East Texas, levees collapsing and the wave of human diaspora. Those are the images shared by everyone: responders, media, those of us at home witnessing what our fellow Americans are enduring. It becomes our template of

It was a nice gift. Yesterday, I received a validation logo and seal as a winner of the Claymore Award for Down at the Balinese, but it got me to thinking about the timing. It was Labor Day, generally a day when most Americans do anything but labor if they are lucky. That said, I realized that the word could have an entirely different connotation, so I’m going to indulge that. Now, I would have never written a decent word, and I certainly wouldn’t have won any of the awards f

I just learned that my short story “Heat” made the shortlist for the Faulkner-Wisdom competition. This was really gratifying in a bittersweet sort of way. This story about a pregnant migrant worker’s tragedy while picking in the insufferable summer heat of the San Joaquin Valley is inspired by a real case. A few years ago, the White House and OSHA announced new steps to address worker exposures to excessive heat and heat-related illnesses, including an enforcement initiative

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1005761579163299 Best Saturday night ever with my agent and friend Dean Krystek of the Wordlink Agency, and Dwight Holing, fellow Capitol Crimes writing member and winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Western themed novel. As I said during the acceptance speech, Down at the Balinese was a gift. While caring for an old gangster during my medical training in Galveston, Texas, he began telling me a story, an incredible story, with insights that o

I am really excited about being selected as the moderator for the Humor and Suspense writing panel at KillerNashville on Saturday, August 22nd, 1:50-2:35 p.m. It’s a great lineup with incredible writers: Christine Mager Wevik, Shelley Marsh, and Lois Winston. We will be talking similarities in writing suspense and humor, how to incorporate humor into suspense writing and vice versa, incorporating humor into non-fiction and how the two genres really are both sides of the mirro

I am so pleased to announce the release of The Language of Wolves, the debut novel by my good friend and former Second City comedienne, Nan Schmid. Nan is a very talented screenwriter, playwright, actress, and now novelist, whose work has been recognized by The Nicholl Fellowship at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The story is interesting, compelling and timely. It centers on veteran war reporter Joey McAllister whose journey to recovery from psychological tra

I just received word that my upcoming novel Stuck in Stowe is a finalist for the prestigious Claymore Award for Comedy. I'm delighted, of course. This is really wonderful encouragement for a crazy little story about how art can save someone—despite their best intentions. Considering the fantastic reviews it has received from Pulitzer winner and author Stephen Hunter, and Silver Falchion winner and prolific writer Rick Meredith, I’ll take this affirmation to heart. I’ll even

*Original posting preparetodefendyourself.com “I Sing the Body Electric” Walt Whitman That means a lot more now days than it used to. Beloved Uncle Walt The other day I gave my annual lecture/discussion with graduating members of the PhD and MPH program at Texas A&M. As usual, the conversation was engaging and interesting. Afterwards I received an outreach from one of the participants. In the course of some back and forth, the subject of singularity came up. I shared that 7 y

I was asked to speak to book club this week about Sun City and Crockettville, and my upcoming Stuck in Stowe, which I just finished this month. It was a great discussion. Many in the group were writers as well. While engaging in the Q&A, one of them asked me to talk about my process for writing. I’ll confess I had no idea what that even was. They were wondering where I found ideas, how I constructed a story—did I imagine a character and write around them or did I lay out the

A few months ago, I was honored with a request to be a judge of the 100 word short story competition sponsored by Gold Country Writers. I’ll admit, I didn’t envy the participants. The constraints of the competition were to craft a compelling, emotionally resonant story in 100 words. Not 99, not 101. 100. That’s a little like the prose version of a haiku. Highly structured and almost daunting. When I started reading, the submissions were not just surprising, but pretty extraor

In an era when social media and the web are ever more self-centered, self-serving, and pointless, it is a joy to find something that educates, enriches, and enlivens. That is why I am so delighted to share my friend and colleague, Eric Duran-Valle's new broadcast of The Radio Adventures of Ranger Roscoe! Ranger Roscoe The Radio Adventures of Ranger Roscoe! | All's Well That Ends Well "The Radio Adventures of Ranger Roscoe! is a podcast that cowpokes of all ages can enjoy and

So normally, I segregate my articles for the Health/Medical/Science blog at www.preparetodefendyourself.com from the more entertainment oriented stuff I post here, but what I have recently been writing about has such potential public impact that I am doing a bit of crossover. Now, you may be saying, "I live on the Lower East Side or I'm on a yacht in the Mediterranean so I'm not concerned with wildfires." Okay, fair enough, and yes I am jealous, but when you check out the r

Eric talks audiobooks, the Vegas art scene, audiobook microphones, and what not to do to a Picasso! https://vimeo.com/1163371076 I can’t say enough about what a delight it is to work with Eric at the National Southwestern Recording Studio in the art district of Las Vegas. As promised if interested the number is (702) 527-7990 and the website is www.11thstreetrecords.com

Nate gives advice about what an artist AND and author should keep in mind in crafting award-winning work. https://vimeo.com/1161909763 Nate chats about art, books, movies, and characters... and does a few!

I don’t know, but this pic looks like my worst karaoke nightmare come true. Thanks again to the Board of Gold Country Writers, and especially, Margie Yee Webb for having me in Auburn. It was s shockingly incredible turnout for the conversation about the similarities between writing Horror and Humor. For anyone who missed it and would like to partake, here’s the link to the broadcast. I promise, it’s a sure cure for insomnia! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUHYbJIpgLg Here’s

From left: Dan Araujo, Sarah Bresniker, Matthew Minson, Terry Wicks, Chery Anderson, Barbara Young, Pat Sears, Trudi York Gardner, Margie Yee Webb, Sarah Pressler, Mac Daly, Rick Meredith (photo by Nissreen, Old Town Grill) It was a real honor to speak with the members of Gold Country Writers about writing Humor and Horror and how the two overlap. What a fantastic and accomplished group of artists and writers. Mercifully, they rescued me from having to do all the talking, and

They are the twins at the mirror! Both sides of the thespian mask. And more alike than most consider initially. Next week, we will dispel the myths! I am really looking forward to hanging out with the great folks at Gold Country Writers in Auburn, California on January 21, 2026, from 10-12 and talking about the special similarities of writing humor and horror. We look at not just the similarities in both genres, how they blend, why writing them is actually more challenging th

I have been asked about this weird little film a couple of times, mostly, if I would ever just put it out there publicly. Well, I think it is time. https://vimeo.com/334327180 It was a little workhorse. It did its turn on the festival circuit and won a few awards, and then to my surprise, I started getting some requests from tech companies and conferences. They wanted to show it as it seemed prescient to a world moving more fully into AI. So, has recently had a second life.

One of my literary heroes is the poet, Gwendolyn Brooks. Not because she did something so generous for me—she did—but because it was one of her poems that triggered something in me and made me see the soul-enriching value of great writing. The poem was “We Real Cool.” It was amazing, highly visual, vital, and, for me, permanent. What I didn’t realize, until years later when I attended her public reading of it, was that I had the cadence wrong. So, she taught me something tw

What a great surprise to hear Sun City and Crockettville mentioned on "What a Joke with Papa and Fortune" https://www.facebook.com/NetflixIsAJoke/videos/what-a-joke-with-papa-and-fortune-on-netflix-is-a-joke-radio-on-siris-xm/1106800910478699/ on "Netflix is a Joke" on Sirius satellite. What A Joke with Papa and Fortune Really delighted when I heard that the hilarious Fortune Feimster and Tom Papa received their copies of Best Indie Book award winner, Sun City , and the gr