Tag: writer

My poems are “accessible.”

A while back, I compiled some of my poetry and had Community Printers in Santa Cruz print up two hundred copies, which I distributed to family and friends. I did three readings and maybe sold a half dozen books. All in all, a great experience. I have continued to write poems, but not at a great pace since most of my literary time has been spent on my novel. I recall writing and gifting one particular poem to a friend on her birthday. She made the comment that my poems are “accessible.”…

Adventure in Lombok Strait—2003

This blog has nothing to do with my novel, Five Hundred Moons. (Did I hear some sighs of relief?) No, it’s about my son and his friends and an adventure in Lombok Strait—2003. An experience they would just as soon forget.…

Reunions and Reviews…

The past two Saturdays I’ve been involved with two reunions—my 50-year high school reunion (Soquel High) and a family reunion that Jennie and I hosted at our house (all descendants of my grandfather). Both affairs were enjoyable. I got to visit with people that I’ve been close to for many years, many of whom I haven’t seen in quite a while. Good food, good wine, and good conversation accompanied both events.…

What’s in a Name?

The original title for Five Hundred Moons was In the Name Of. Throughout the entire writing process that was the name of the book. I even had my daughter-in-law design the cover art with that title in bold print. I assumed most people would add their own opinion as to what In the Name Of stood for, with the Father, meaning Father Junípero Serra, as the obvious fill-in-the-blank choice. So, what’s in a name?…

How I Learned to Write

Since I published Five Hundred Moons, several people, including some I’ve known since third grade, have made the comment, “I didn’t know you could write so well,” or posed the question, “How did you learn to write?”…

My Wedding

On June 27, 1981, at 5:00 pm I stood next to the altar in the Mission Carmel Basilica, waiting for my bride to appear from the courtyard about a hundred feet down the center aisle. Below me, entombed in stone crypts, were the bones of three men—Father Juan Crespi, diarist of the Portola expedition and a strong ally of Junípero Serra; Father Fermin Lausen, priest and successor to the presidency of the California Missions; and Father Junípero Serra, the man most influential in inaugurating the Spanish and Catholic colonization of California. Little did I know these three men would one day play a central role in my novel, Five Hundred Moons.…

Traveling along the Central Coast

While traveling along the Central Coast, Jennie and I took a trip down to Anzo Borrego Springs to see the wildflowers. Unfortunately, rainfall in the desert has been so sparse this year that we were mostly treated to cacti, dry shrubbery, and the occasional ocotillo bloom.…

A short road trip…ro

Jennie and I took a short road trip down to Oceanside a few months back. The brief trip was a spur-of-the-moment getaway…