Can’t go too long without showing you more barbershop quartet brilliance. Enjoy this one about nursery rhymes from The Newfangled Four!
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Remind Me (A Writer’s Prayer)
Lord, remind me when inspiration fails me and writing is a slog, that even at such times the writing life is a life of privilege and blessing. Remind me when I feel overwhelmed with work of the “dry spells” I’ve endured when paying jobs were few. Remind me when I am tempted to do less than my best to make every word, sentence, paragraph, and page a holy offering to you. Remind me …
The Odd English Language: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
In the English language, there is a two-letter word that has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is UP. It is listed in the dictionary as an adverb, preposition, adjective, noun, or verb! (Click here for the Merriam-Webster Dictionary link and keep scrolling down the page.) There are over 30 definitions! I cannot claim total originality for what follows (I think variations …
Fun Fridays – July 10, 2026
The World Cup of Soccer is still going on with the teams whittled down to only a few still in the competition. There was a particular match played years ago that was captured on film by those odd men whose group is called Monty Pyton’s Flying Circus. This particular match between Greece and Germany is one that anyone with a modicum of philosophical knowledge will thoroughly enjoy. (The …
The Making of Many Books
Today, we wish a happy 125th birthday to the late British author Barbara Cartland, who died in 2000, just before turning 99. If you have never heard of her, it might be worth a minute or two to familiarize yourself with a very distinctive, flamboyant, prolific, and best-selling author. Photos of her and her home are alone worth a thousand words. She wrote romance novels in the historical and …
The Romance of the Scam
Many people have written about book scams, but I was surprised to receive a letter about an old title of mine, More than Friends. At the moment, I have no plans to re-enter the writing world. I love being a literary agent so much that I wasn’t tempted. I’m sharing this because the tactic employed is the same as that in a romance scam. Rather than a love affair promised to a lonely person, this is …
Monday Moments – July 6, 2026
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, …
Fun Fridays – July 3, 2026
With July 4th this weekend, we in the United States celebrate Independence Day. Today, be stirred by this rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Sandi Patty. First sung in 1986, it has become one of the most electrifying performances of all time. Turn up your volume, and stay through to the exhilarating crescendo at the end. (The video goes black for a moment after the opening …
A Summer of Reading Dangerously
Be careful what you read. It may change your life! Franz Kafka wrote that books can “wound and stab us … wake us up with a blow on the head … affect us like a disaster … grieve us deeply.” As we slide further into Summer, think about the books you plan to read the rest of this year. What is on your to-read list? Is there a book with which you know you will disagree? Is there one that could rattle …
Fun Fridays – June 26, 2026
Today, abbreviated, is 6/26/26. Isn’t that fun? To thoroughly geek out about numbers, watch today’s video about the origin of the ISBN number. Yes. It is interesting. I’ve written before about this seemingly unimportant little piece of publishing. Enjoy these other articles: “I Is for ISBN” “The ISBN Turns 50” Then click on today’s video and enjoy a …