A morning brew in a solid container reassures me that I can live confidently — “Would you like your coffee in a to-go cup or a mug?” I appreciated that question from the owner of the small coffee shop where I used to sit and write. “A mug, please.” After I became a regular they always gave me a mug. The boutique shop seated less…

My guide to the fiction, marketing, relationship articles and more that I’ve written — Publications Hey Don: The Days of Don Simkovich Two-minute life lessons So Cal Live Work Play Stories from Southern California related to home and health, career and entrepreneurship, and recreation Stone Cold Crime Stories True Crime and Crime-Thriller Fiction featuring background information collected for the Tom Stone Detective stories available on…

Writing was my way of heading into the thick of the action — I was in early grade school when the NBC Nightly News splashed videos and images of the Vietnam War across the television screen. My parents were typically busy upstairs while I watched in our basement’s family room. What intrigued me was how journalists could cover fights in the jungle and…

My father-in-law’s final moments made me realize the generation is passing away — My father-in-law, age 97, has said he’s ready to go home and be with Jesus. Several years ago he went on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. where he met Bob Dole, the late senator from Kansas who died in 2021 at age 98. I wrote about the passing of…

A sobering reminder to share the stories of hardships and blessings — My father-in-law served as a teenage medic on a ship in the Pacific during World War Two and today he’s 97 and surviving in the hospital having recently fought off pneumonia, strokes, and Covid-19. He’s among the 16 million Americans who served in WWII and the 240,329 who are still…

Changing course is difficult — and costly — so batch writing is becoming more necessary — Writing content in batches seems like a solution for those of us who write multiple projects — from client posts, to articles to novels. My challenge is that I’m writing multiple projects on any given day and I have various timelines to adhere to. In addition, I may start writing…

Why I often turn to 1 John 1 and mull over the physical nature of Christ — When the days get crazy and chaotic, I delve into the brief letter of 1 John 1 that the apostle John wrote. The words center me and bring me back to the reality of who I believe Jesus Christ to be and the relationship He called me into. “That which…

A husband and wife team’s specialized niche requires a best-of-breed knowledge with a caring spirit — A private jet circles over the high desert in Los Angeles County and lands on a locally-operated runway. The passenger is a businesswoman, philanthropist, and author, Lana Fuchs, on a personal jaunt from her home in Las Vegas to the community of Agua Dulce, about an hour’s drive northeast of…

Writers need contingency plans like any business owner — Yesterday morning was moving well for me until late morning when the internet went out. No big deal. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, I usually wait a few minutes and it comes back on. But it didn’t come back on so I called the internet provider which…