In the "always a best man, never a groom" category, I've submitted a story to a themed anthology 2 years running (it fit both themes), had it make the shortlist 2 years running, and as of today, been rejected 2 years running. Sigh. Might be time to give up on this market, or maybe this story.

In New Bedford, MA, outside the home where Frederick Douglass allegedly roomed after his escape from slavery.

My wife and I are counting lies in Trump's State of the Union. There were five in the first sentence alone.

I've been working on an alt-history novel for, I kid you not, 30+ years: planning, researching, writing, getting stuck, waiting for renewed inspiration, continuing... I almost gave up, but I stuck it out, and so I'm proud to say that within this past week, I was finally able to write the words:

If you want to read a great work of speculative fiction, look no further. (But maybe read the first two books in the series first.) www.amazon.com/review/R20XS...

In Fall 2026, once I wrap up my career at my current institution, I'll be teaching part-time in the MFA program at Chatham University. Here's the plug for me. Love how they made me look like a superhero! www.instagram.com/p/DSqKl3jjuO...

The tree is up, but even more important, the Rankin & Bass figures are on display. It's officially #Christmastime!

A #Caturday present!

I am a student at Brown in communication with a friend at RIBC. There is an urgent need for blood donations to support RI. Donations in NY, NJ, MN, NB, DE or NJ can help supply RI. Spread the word. www.ribc.org/donate-blood/

My son is a Brown student. He's safe for the moment, though no one is ever truly safe in this murderous country. My heart breaks for the victims, their families, and all who will suffer lasting trauma from today's horrific event. www.aol.com/articles/bro...

My Ecosystem books are discounted (or, in the case of the first book in the series, free) on Smashwords through January 1. Check 'em out! www.smashwords.com/profile/view...

All told, not a bad #NovNov.

I'm no longer shocked by stories like this, but I'm deeply angered. We say we care about protecting children, but at the highest levels of government and media, we don't actually give a rat's ass. time.com/7336204/meta...

I'm retiring in May 2026, and it can't come soon enough. Today, I received a batch of AI-generated papers despite a policy that prohibits the use of generative AI. I understand some people's enthusiasm for AI, but I'm a writing teacher. I can't keep working a job in which I've lost confidence.

I came across this website a few years ago and have been posting my annual "top 3 reads" there ever since. shepherd.com/bboy/2025/f/...

A couple sub-par days of #NovNov, and now I'm scrambling to get back to 1K per day. SO CLOSE!

Calling all #Pittsburgh readers and writers to the Scribble House Lit Fest! Publishers will be there! Authors will be there! Readers will be there! Oh, and I'll be there. With books to sell and sign. www.scribblehousepgh.com/litfest/

NovNov (as I shall now dub it) is humming right along!

In the interest of using language accurately, can we call this whole daylight savings/non-daylight savings scam "Adding or Subtracting an Hour from Two Days Per Year to Throw Everyone off Their Schedule in the Interest of Making the Morning or Evening Light Last Marginally Longer for a Month Day"?

Though scandal-plagued NaNoWriMo is NoNoMo, it got me in the habit of using November to focus on writing. In 2024, I began THE ADJUNCT (presently making the rounds of publishers). This year, I'm adding to a new WIP titled CHAINBEARER and hoping for 20-30K words. Day 1 was a success!

Another Halloween creation!

The pumpkin is carved. The Halloween season is now officially here.

Hey #TimeTravelAuthors: have any of you read LOST IN TIME? It was pretty good. (Warning: my review has a few mild spoilers.) www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I'm no wildlife photographer, but this great blue heron seemed to be posing for me.

Another reason to hate AI: multiple daily emails purporting to be from book marketers who sound as if they know my work well. But of course, it's all an AI-generated scam. I don't respond to marketers anyway, but AI has made this scheme all too easy, and I'm sure some authors fall victim to it.

Anyone ever read this Victorian novel? I first read it in grad school, didn't like it, but decided to give it another go. My conclusion: it has its moments, but on the whole, it's a bit of a stinker. And half the dialogue is in French, which didn't help.

I'll be there. Who's with me? www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=a...

Such a loss. I wish she could have lived forever. www.aol.com/articles/jan...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/29 Proving time travel is impossible by going back in time? You heard that right! Find out how it works in "The Last Man in Time" by Donald A. Sansom, the final story in THE ACCIDENTAL TIME TRAVELERS COLLECTIVE, vol. 3. www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/27 Ready to have your mind blown? Then read "A String of Pearls" by Gregory B. Taylor, the next-to-last story in THE ACCIDENTAL TIME TRAVELERS COLLECTIVE, vol. 3! www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/25 The main character in "First, Do No Harm" by @kbenfante.bsky.social wrestles with questions of ethics. Who says time-travel scientists have no souls? www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/23 How about this for time travel? It was 11 years ago today that I published my first novel. And now here's "Ghost Life," the prequel short story to my most recent novel, MYRIAD! www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/21 You know how they say time has no meaning when you're in love? Well, @fenleygrant.bsky.social's romantic sizzler "The Fountain of Youth" puts a new spin on the expression! Read it in The Accidental Time Travelers Collective, vol. 3: www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/19 Fans of dystopian time travel are in for a treat with @writernatswift.bsky.social's "From Now On," the action-packed companion to his "Blue Skies" (featured in ATTCv1). Hold on to your hats (and your parachutes) when you read this one! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/17 "A Sweet Deal" by @maykenalanna.bsky.social is a sweet story that asks how far one person would go to save a beloved pet. Read it here along with 12 others! www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

For all you #Pittsburgh area readers.

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/15 A second chance at life? Thanks to the miracle of time travel? Discover how it all works out in the wondrous "A Matter of Time" by the equally wondrous Lucia Green! www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/13 In "Reels Through Time," time-traveling art thieves face the music when a new technology threatens to expose them. Kiersten Marcil's sequel to "Muse" (featured in ATTCv2) is every bit as alluring as its predecessor. www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ5XF54M

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/11/25 If you could receive letters from your future self, what would you learn? What would you not want to know? Find out in "Box 13" by K. L. Small, one of 13 time-travel stories in The Accidental Time Travelers Collective, vol. 3! www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQ5XF54M

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/9 Working for a time-travel company is tough, as you'll discover in Dalton Croyle's twisty tale. To read it (and 12 other stories) in their entirety, follow this link: www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/7 Next up in ATTCv3: "Borrowed Tomorrows" by the ever-original @brightlamp.bsky.social, wherein a lonely man connects with an online fortunetelling service called KrystalGaze, with unexpected results. www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/5 The Accidental Time Travelers Collective, vol. 3 starts off with a bang: @ingrediments.bsky.social's "Kali Anywhen," consisting of letters to a time-travel advice columnist and their responses. Read the first page, and buy the book here: www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

I was updating my curriculum vitae for work, and I discovered that I've published 43 short stories and pieces of creative nonfiction throughout my lifetime. That's not too shabby! Here's my most recent publication: www.bloodhoneylit.com/fiction/note...

#TimeTravelAuthors 9/3: So, instead of following the prompts this month, I'm going to be promoting the latest volume in the Accidental Time Travelers Collective series. 13 short stories by 13 #TimeTravelAuthors. Stay tuned! www.amazon.com/Accidental-T...

Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, PA. Memorial Plaza and Tower of Voices.

My daughter has moved to California, my son left today for his last year of college, and so my wife and I find ourselves empty nesters. Is there an emoji that represents equal parts happy and sad?

#TimeTravelAuthors 8/25 The best writing advice I've received is this: focus on the aspects of writing you can control, not on the aspects you can't. What you can control: writing. What you can't control: everything else.

#TimeTravelAuthors 8/21 MYRIAD pulls a switcheroo on the trope of time cops restricting travel so as to preserve the past: in my book, the main characters ARE the time cops, and their job is to reverse crimes that were already committed. But, you know, that turns out not to be such a good idea.

#TimeTravelAuthors 8/19 Time travelers use aliases in MYRIAD. Miriam's is, of course, Myriad. Her partner's is Vax, which has nothing to do with vaccines but is a mispronunciation of his last name (and also the nickname of a swords-and-sorcery character I created as a teenager).

The summer wouldn't be complete without a stop at Page's, Pittsburgh's nationally ranked ice cream shop.