I have enjoyed creative writing for as long as I can remember. It was always one of my favorite things to do in school. I loved to write things that I thought my teachers would enjoy or that I thought might make my friends laugh. At that stage of my life, that was about as far as my writing went. I always had a dream to be a writer but never had the guts to really try. I suppose it... Read more
Dear People of Earth, It has been brought to my attention that the our planet has managed to lap the sun once again and we have entered another new year. I have never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. I don’t particularly enjoy setting myself up for near certain dismal failure. It is a coward’s victory, I know, but the surest way to keep from breaking a resolution is to keep from committing to them in the first... Read more
For my money, it’s always been tough to beat Elton John. I like his hits as much as the next guy, but I have always been the sort who prefers the deep tracks of my favorite artists. This is especially true of Elton. I have always spent more time listening to those songs in his catalog that don’t get much, if any, air play. The decade of the 70s were when Elton and his partner/lyricist, Bernie Taupin were at... Read more
My recent foray into the strange new world of being an author has put me into the position of getting to meet and spend some time with some people that I have admired for a long time. At the top of that list is a man who I consider to be my idol as a reader of, and now writer of historical fiction. James Alexander Thom is on a short list of the very best in that genre. He will... Read more
A topic I find interesting, especially in my position as a teacher of history, is just what it is that makes some people love history and some look at it as something to be dreaded. The easy answer, I suppose, is that some people are blessed with history teachers, early on, that made it interesting. While that may, indeed, be a major contributing factor, I suspect it goes a lot deeper in many cases. My theory is that a lot... Read more
I am not a very political person. I suppose, as a history teacher, I should keep closer tabs on the wheelings and dealings of Washington D.C. Yet, I just don’t care to go very deep into that cesspool. It isn’t that I am uninterested in politics. I find the subject very fascinating and stimulating. In fact, I find politics too stimulating. Sometimes, politics can be so stimulating that it can become hazardous to one’s blood pressure readings. For that reason, I... Read more
I am an unapologetic Hoosier. I am not ashamed to proclaim that I come from one of those “Small Towns” that John Mellencamp sang about so famously. In fact, one might argue that I am the product of the quintessential American small town. That’s right! In the thick of WWII, Life Magazine proclaimed my hometown, Alexandria, Indiana, “Small Town U.S.A.” in a bit of wartime propaganda to promote the wholesome family values of Middle America. From that day to the present, Alex (the shortened... Read more
Source: The Carter Journals: Time Travels in Early U.S. History This is the story behind the story… Whenever I am out doing anything book related, be it a signing event, tv or radio, a speaking presentation, etc., I am inevitably asked some of the same general questions. Is this a series or will there be a sequel? How long did it take you to write? Where did you come up with the idea? The first of those questions is easy... Read more
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