Recently, I came across some awkward language I had written. It wasn't Latin, per se, but it was stilted. It...
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Thoughts on “Will Kill for Food”
July 11, 2014
Why I Wrote the Story For some time, I have been planning to write a novel about the aftermath of...
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“Will Kill For Food” is now a serial
June 12, 2014
This morning my novella, Will Kill for Food, was accepted by JukePop for online publishing. The short story (no pun there)...
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Rick Wakeman on how to write a synopsis
June 3, 2014
A few months ago, I completed what I think is a version of my novel March Bicycle Madness worth circulating....
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Adventure!
April 28, 2014
My son and I have been reading classic boys adventure novels. You know, Treasure Island, King Solomon's Mines, Journey to...
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“Please Be Advised” to be published soon
September 13, 2013
I received an invitation from Paula Johnson of Rose City Sisters to include "Please Be Advised" in their upcoming flash fiction...
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Cattle on the 101
July 14, 2012
So far, I've come across two sources that mentioned using the new state highways (circa 1910-20) as covenient roads for...
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Two Views of Mustard
July 13, 2012
Apparently, wild mustard made an impression in late-1800s Southern California . . . The wild mustard in Southern California is like...
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Cattle on the Conejo
July 12, 2012
One of the books I picked up on the bookstore tour was Cattle on the Conejo, by J.H. Russell. It...
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Used Bookstore Tour
July 10, 2012
A couple of weeks ago I drove to Southern California. The rest of the family was already there, at a...
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Gente de Razòn
June 21, 2012
Gente de razón is a Spanish term meaning ¨reasonable people,¨or more closely, ¨people of reason.¨ It's the term the colonial Spanish...
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California in 1800
June 21, 2012
I've had a few posts drafted, but was hoping to polish them up a little. I don't seem to be...
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Conquest, Slavery, Death
June 10, 2012
I started reading up on California history last year because my son, Kazu, was entering fourth grade, and that's what...
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Kids, what’re gonna do with ’em?
June 5, 2012
"Two boys drowned an Indian to amuse themselves, but in consideration of their tender years, were dismissed with twenty-five lashes...
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Call me, Ishmael
June 4, 2012
I've been wandering again in my reading. I took Starr back to the library, and renewed Bancroft, but set him...
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Where is Monterey?
May 22, 2012
As we discussed last time, in 1769 Spanish explorers were charged with establishing a mission and presidio in both San...
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Offending God, the king, and the country
May 20, 2012
Continuing on in the early history of Spanish exploration in California . . . After a few excursions by sea...
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“California”
May 13, 2012
Kevin Starr agrees with HH Bancroft that the name "California" comes from a 16th century Spanish novel. Indeed, after explaining...
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California History
May 12, 2012
Last year I spent a lot of time researching California's El Camino Real. I was trying to discover the original...
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