shelf life

SHELF LIFE: Ta-Pocketa-Pocketa-Pocketa

My wife, Julie, kicked me under the table at a restaurant the other day. “You’re doing it again,” she said.  “What?” “You’re watching something going on.  You think you’re subtle, but you’re so obvious.” She’d caught me red-handed.  Something had caught my […]

SHELF LIFE: Anthology

I have a real soft spot anthology TV shows. Shows like The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Tales of the Unexpected to name a few. There’s something exciting about an anthology show. The stories aren’t confined to a set of characters, locale or […]

SHELF LIFE: Rat Catcher

I discovered quite a treat at the weekend—a 40th anniversary edition of James Herbert’s THE RATS. It was his breakout novel about oversized rats eating their way across London and the Home Counties. THE RATS was also the first book of his […]

SHELF LIFE: Bulletproof

I’m not bulletproof. I hope to be one day but I’m not. I wound easily. No, I’m not talking about being bulletproof in a percussion weapon way (so please don’t try shooting me) but in a literary way. The topic of author […]

SHELF LIFE: Backhanded Compliments

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” —Luke 23:34 I’ve cribbed this quote from Luke to talk about the backhanded compliments that I’ve encountered. As a professional scribbler, you have to be able to take things […]

SHELF LIFE: Shameless

I recently finished Jon Ronson’s excellent new book SO YOU’VE BEEN PUBLICLY SHAMED which explores public shaming of all varieties through the medium of social media.  For me, Ronson is a cracking nonfiction writer.  As a writer and journalist he tackles the […]

SHELF LIFE: Looking For Strange

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” ~Sherlock Holmes I’m totally with Sherlock on this one…especially when it comes to the improbable.  I’m drawn to the weird, odd and bizarre.  I’m fascinated by the […]

SHELF LIFE: Play Nice

On this end of the writing game, it’s easy to have your feelings hurt.  Writers hold their stories very dear to their hearts.  Just see my piece Wetting the Baby’s Head from a couple of weeks ago. A tongue-in-check piece, yes, but […]