I’ve told you many stories from my years publishing small town newspapers on the Pacific Northwest coast and in Arizona, but there are other stories that remain untold for one reason or another. Here is one that was a long time coming. Whether you are a healthcare worker, a first responder, a schoolteacher, or a […]
Yesterday started off with a visit from my friend TW Robinson , author of the excellent books The Retirement, and How To Self-Publish Your Book For Free And Not Get Conned. Besides being a great guy and fun to hang out with, TW is a retired Tuscaloosa police officer with a lot of stories to […]
My dad used to always tell me that you should try to learn something new every day, and he said you know that you have really accomplished something in life when you reach the age that your children can teach you something new. I guess I’m there, because while we were visiting my son Travis […]
I have always been a big believer in education. And not just the education you get in a classroom. That’s only the beginning. Education is a never-ending process in our personal lives and in our careers. It can be anything from reading books or attending evening classes at your local community college, to online courses, […]
I love what I do for a living. I wanted to be an author and a newspaperman ever since I was a kid, and I managed to accomplish both goals. It’s cool to make a living sitting on my butt talking into a microphone, telling stories that end up as books that people want to […]
On one of our trips through Alabama, we spent some time hunting peanuts. Don’t worry, Charlie Brown and Lucy are still alive and well, I’m talking about real peanuts. Well, they were not exactly “real” either. Dothan, Alabama and the surrounding area produce over one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop, and much of it is […]
From the time I was a kid I always wanted to be a writer, and especially a newspaperman. I consider myself very lucky that for most of my life I’ve made my living with the written word and been able to own and publish quite a few small town newspapers. Over the years I’ve seen […]
I bet you’re wondering how I can tie those three things together in one blog, aren’t you? Well, stand by and watch it happen. Terry had an appointment at Kutryb Eye Institute in Titusville yesterday, and when she was done with that, we ran to Lowe’s to pick up a couple of things. It has […]
I grew up in a very different world than the one we live in today. Before I was 10 years old I already knew what I wanted to be. Not a jet pilot or an astronaut or a professional baseball player. No. All I ever wanted to be was a newspaperman and to write books. […]
As a former newspaperman and an independent book author and self-publisher, I hate typos. But I’ve also been at this game long enough to know that they are a part of life, and no matter how carefully you watch for them, they slip in. I have at least three or four proofreaders for every book […]
On our recent trip to Alabama, we spent some time hunting peanuts. Don’t worry, Charlie Brown and Lucy are still alive and well, I’m talking about real peanuts. Well, they were not exactly “real” either. Dothan, Alabama and the surrounding area produce over one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop, and much of it is processed […]
After reading the blog post about our encounter with an armed burglar in our motorhome that I linked to in yesterday’s blog, three different people emailed to ask me why I didn’t shoot the burglar once I disarmed him and he was running away. The simple answer is, he was running away. He was no […]
We all know that’s a recipe for disaster, don’t we? The majority of car salesmen and RV salesmen have one thing in common – if their lips are moving, you can pretty much assume they are lying. And before you start jumping on me telling me that you know a good car salesman, note that […]
Being an old newspaperman, I’ve spent a lot of time in print shops over the years. It’s one thing to watch newspapers rolling off a press, and something else entirely to watch money being churned out. On a visit to Washington D.C., we got to see just that! Located in the heart of the nation’s […]
My old man used to always say that we are all crazy in our own way, and as long as your crazy and my crazy don’t clash too much, we’ll get along just fine. My career as a small town newspaper publisher, along with some years working in law enforcement, convinced me that Dad was […]
Lately, I’ve been feeling like a space cadet, and for the first time in my long career as a newspaperman, author, and blogger, I am having trouble coming up with something to write about. That never happens to me. I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I can always think of something to write […]