In 1990, I discovered a 1907 newspaper obituary of my great, great, grandfather, Henry Stark, that my grandmother had tucked into a photo album. As interesting as that was, it was the mention of Henry’s father, Captain Ebenezer Fletcher Stark, that really got me excited. The clipping said Captain Stark was a steamboat captain on […]

When Devi Snively, writer/directrix of Deviant Productions, said she wanted to make a movie of my short story, “Return to Sender,” I about wet my pants. Is this how Hollywood discoveries happen?! We shot the film in The Villages, Florida. During the planning process, I told Devi (pronounced Day-vi) I thought I knew where I […]

One of the frequent questions I get regarding my book, “Great Lakes Skipper” is what is true and what is fiction. The book was originally written in the genre of creative non-fiction. That is a narrative based on fact but allows liberties in dialogue and scene descriptions. “The Right Stuff,” the story about the first astronauts […]

A favorite part of my hobby, “pretending to be a writer” is giving talks to various groups about my books. The organizations include a number of military and aviation clubs because of my Navy flying stories, but also include library groups, service organizations, and book clubs when speaking about my historical fiction novel based on […]

Nothing recalls the growing-up-years of my three sons more than the words “Pinewood Derby.” The Derby was an annual Cub Scout event that teamed fathers (or mothers) with their Scout sons to build a seven-inch race car. The tiny autos coasted down a descending forty-foot track, four abreast in a series of elimination races at […]