The Crotchety Old Man

New Home for an Old Story

DsP Publications releases No Good Deed tomorrow. It’s been available for preorder since January from the publisher, and since early March from Amazon and other outlets. The first edition was published as After Christmas Eve by MLR Press in 2013. My four novels include enough romance — barely — to have been picked up by romance…

April 25, 2016
Renewing My Gym Membership

A few weeks ago I renewed my gym membership again. The sales staff has been after me to re-up for months with phone calls and email messages offering “today only!” special deals. I fell for the “today only” thing the first time I renewed. Four years later, I know better. They’ve had the same specials since I joined.…

April 18, 2016
The Curse of Complexity

Nothing is simple any longer. Nearly everything is infinitely more complicated than was the case twenty or thirty years ago. Hardly a day goes by without an encounter with something complex enough to make my head explode. Take my medical flexible spending account — please. Tax-free dollars are transferred with each paycheck to an account I access with…

April 11, 2016
No More Romance for Me

Since my first novel was published in 2012, finding the right shelf in the bookstore for my stories has been a challenge. I’m talking, of course, about genre. Turns out, my stories don’t fit in any particular genre. Genre is a handy label to give readers an idea of the kind of story they’re about…

April 4, 2016
Back to Windows

Four years ago this month, I switched from Windows to Apple at home and at the office. I love the way all three devices (iMac at work, Macbook Air at home, and an iPhone wherever I may be) worked together. Life was good. I’m still happy with my iPhone. When I switched wireless providers (that half-price…

March 28, 2016
Southern Talk 101

I grew up in Kentucky, lived in D.C. for eighteen months, and for the past seventeen years, have called Athens, Georgia home. Most folks would say I’m a Southerner. I say most because some denizens of the Deep South don’t consider Kentucky or D.C. part of the South. Blame the War of Northern Aggression, or…

March 21, 2016
My Dreamspinner Family

Dreamspinner Press held their annual Authors Workshop the first weekend in March. For the second year in a row, I was able to attend. What a great weekend! During the drive down to Orlando last year I realized something new was up with my vision. The macular degeneration in my right eye progressed from dry…

March 14, 2016
Total Assimilation

Attitudes about homosexuality have changed much faster than I ever expected. In the 1950s and 1960s, mothers worried about protecting their children from homosexual pedophiles. Today, they’re card carrying members of P-FLAG. Sixty years ago, homosexuality was illegal in every state but Illinois. Until 1974, the American Psychiatric Association considered homosexuality to be a mental…

February 29, 2016
Exclusive Interview with Tellumo Magnamater

My guest today is Tellumo Magnamater. He’s the star of my new release, Whippersnapper. If you ask me, everything about him is interesting. Thanks, Tellumo, for stopping by. Tellumo: You’re welcome. I’m thrilled to be here and excited about answering questions from you and readers. MR: Well, the first question everybody asks is about your…

February 22, 2016
Exclusive Interview with Oliver Crumbly

I’m thrilled to bring you another exclusive interview. My guest today is Oliver Crumbly. He’s the the older man in the May-September relationship at the center of Whippersnapper. Thanks, Oliver, for making time to talk to me. Oliver: You say that like I had a choice. MR: I’m sorry. Are we keeping you from something?…

February 8, 2016