lancebarger85

Write With Urgency

I had this great idea for a post. Every night my wife and I read our daughter a couple of books before bedtime. It used to be one book, but that little sneak somehow negotiated her way into two stories a night. That’s fourteen stories a week. Sixty picture books every month. Our library receiptContinue reading “Write With Urgency”

Lullabies and Nursery Crimes

Andy Pinkerton walks into my office first thing on a Monday morning. I haven’t even tasted the sippy cup of milk sitting on my desk when he shuffles in and lingers at the edge of my desk, hands folded in front of him, eyes roaming the floor and four walls of the office. Andy neverContinue reading “Lullabies and Nursery Crimes”

The Write Time (Ugh. Really? A Pun?)

My wife granted me the ultimate gift for a parent of two small children, several hours of blissful solitude. Grabbing my laptop and car keys I drove down to the Barnes and Noble Cafe where I sat in a corner drinking a sugary latte. My intention was to take these few precious hours and hammerContinue reading “The Write Time (Ugh. Really? A Pun?)”

Breathing Life into the Undead

An absolute titan of horror died over the weekend. The godfather of the modern zombie flick passed away at the age of 77. His importance to genre fiction cannot be overstated. His legacy will endure for generations. George A. Romero’s zombies will always matter, despite the seemingly insistent push to shovel watered down, generic pilesContinue reading “Breathing Life into the Undead”

Story Mining

Ella Fish died tonight. She was a bright blue betta fish with streaks of red in her tail that fanned out behind her when she swam like hair being blown back by a strong Kansas wind. She was a male betta fish but since my daughter named her and insisted it was a girl, EllaContinue reading “Story Mining”