All Blog Posts (5,810)

I Won’t Be Home For Christmas

Vinny mulled things over while sitting in a parked car in an underserved community. The Neighborhood Crime Stoppers resigned years ago, allowing corruption to infiltrate every nook and cranny like melted butter on a hot English muffin. The detective’s officiousness sent him on a wild-goose chase an hour drive from home. This dick didn’t ruminate his personal welfare. The stallion is a risk-taker and ventured into the war zone. His…

I went out for track in both junior high and high school. I never placed in any of my races. I went out for basketball as a junior in high school but the first warm up made my legs hurt for three days.

I'm not a fast runner but I've built up the endurance through taekwondo and through persistence.

I break down my running exercises into two categories. Intervals and…

I’m one of the Stage Captains assisting legendary author Pat Conroy during his book signing at this past weekend’s AJC-Decatur Book Festival at the First Baptist Venue! Mr. Conroy wrote the novel Prince of Tides, The Great Santini and many, many others. He is an incredible human being as well as a fantastic author. He gave all writer’s a great tip:…

We now return this blog to its regularly scheduled program. lol

This was my main thrust at the Sisters in Crime meeting. I discussed my fitness regimen, how I workout. Then I related those workouts to writing. So, let's spend a few weeks on just this aspect.

I discussed my workout regimen in that I have a lottery system that determines what I do from day to day (or day to…

It's a warm and humid Friday morning and I'm all ready to post part three of the recently popular series of blogs regarding fitness and writing. As mentioned last week, I suspected that an author might intrude upon this series and I was proven correct when the door burst open, the cat raced under the bed and this woman stood in the doorway. "Come with me," she commanded. "Yes,…

Your Story Matters... Tell It – by Linda…

DIALOGUE WITH THE MOST HIGH

In the midst of the immeasurable expanse called the City of Light, seated upon a pure-gold throne, his hair white as snow, eyes glowing torches and the Deity’s electrified voice echoes into space cracking a whip giving salutation to the opening of the day. The Eternal Father, who makes all things new, powerfully vocalizes his intensity, releasing justified energy. Only the Holy Spirit heard God speak. Judgment was…

I think of Means as part of the cop phrase, “The suspect had means, motive, and opportunity.” I take it and revise it just a bit so that Means includes preparation, opportunity, and follow up.

prepare picPreparation

When it comes to fitness, you have to prepare for the workout. This includes cardio work to get the heart pumping. Proper warmup starts with cardio. You need the heart going and the blood pumping, the sweat forming, the muscles warming. Then you can do some…

Crossing the Bridge

The day we moved out of our Lukens Avenue home, I dug a shallow grave by the gazebo, and buried my paper-dolls, forever. Taking the small toys and bird nest that I found in the playroom when we moved in, I carefully placed the items in a brown-paper bag. Leaving the poke by the backyard swing, I threw a kiss in the air…

I'll be blunt.

The Central Valley is considered an agricultural giant. However, many consider this area a cultural wasteland. Some of those people with negative impressions don't live in Los Angeles or San Francisco. They live right here.

For a writer who believes there is a wealth of possibilities to write about in this region, the misconception hurts. William Saroyan renamed Fresno “Ithaca” for “The Human Comedy.” He brought…

Deep Sleep

I dialed Steve and left a voicemail. Disappointed, I dropped the phone on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. The camera rolled. I not only acted out the script but I narrated the talking points of the cinemascope footage.

My sister and I were standing in a pizza parlor in Brentwood, New York. The contours of Janie’s face changed. My older sibling’s lips…