First-Born Son, better look out!

A few Sundays ago, my guardian angel rose and stretched. “Been working overtime for the old gal,” he said with a yawn, “Think I deserve to sleep in this a.m.” With that, he crawled back into his feathery bed and was soon snoring.

Sample Chapter: Southern Discomfort

Part of my soon-to-be-published novel, Southern Discomfort, has been posted here on 8 Great Storytellers. It’s posted under its own tab, on the right side of the top menu. Updates will be added there as they become available. Comments and questions, please!

Does Hitler Matter Anymore?

What we believe about Hitler is that he was an obviously inhuman madman whose deliberate hatred motivated him to kill millions of people in concentration camps. But was it that simple? What if he was, if not perfectly sane, sufficiently so to be fully responsible for his actions? And what dark psychological forces underlay that

Suicide is Not Painless

by Mary Jo Hazard Last August 11th, Robin Williams committed suicide. He left three adult children to cope with his death—heartbroken, without a choice. On September 26, 1972, my father shot himself. It was my sister’s birthday. He sat on my old twin bed, in the bedroom my sister and I had shared as children,

Dan the Packer Man

Big Dan rests thoughtfully in silent scrutiny, a cigarette dangling from pursed lips, with a mind to the packing of the mules and the proper balance of trinkets and toys of little boy campers and fishermen who have pressed their gear upon him once again. His mind is not upon them for the moment, but

“One for All, All for One:” In the spirit of enlightened self-interest, all authors must share a generosity of spirit.

A Guest Post by Mark Fine, Author of The Zebra Affaire“ “One for all, all for one,” was the battle cry of Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers.” I believe this should also be a guiding principle for the Writing Community. We are neither competitors nor rivals; we must set aside these notions. Happily, in fact, we

WHO SCARED THE PANTS OFF PARENTS?

I could have been arrested. Some might say I should have been. But thanks to the passage of time, I can continue leading my reckless life while the children I “endangered” have safely reached adulthood. Today parents like me are being arrested for letting children play in parks unsupervised. I picture my face on a

The Table Turns

I am four years old. My mother has taken me grocery shopping, one of my favorite outings. As we roam the aisles, I traipse behind her as she checks prices and places items in the cart. I ask for cookies and treats, but she says no. I am distracted and don’t notice her rounding the

Saving Pennies

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” That’s what Grandma said every time she slipped me some coins. I had no idea what she was talking about. For me having pennies in my pocket meant a trip to the candy store to buy wax lips or Tootsie Rolls. But now that Grandma’s gone, her sayings

Life On a Chessboard, Chapter 4

It’s Monday morning, and I have to laugh at the terrible punishment the school has dumped on me.  Wow, I’ll be staying home all week and studying chess, poor me. I finish my breakfast and remember something I need to do.  The address book is in the bottom kitchen drawer, covered up by hot pads