The Clifton Central High School Class of 1975 held its 50th reunion last weekend—and yes, my wife and I actually went for a change. Back in ’75, they handed us a diploma, shook our hands,…

My husband, Dan, was transferred to Scottsdale, Arizona, so we moved from Chicago to a newer ranch-style home in the charming small town of Cave Creek. It felt like the perfect place to land, especially…

Present Day Having accepted a CEO position with a major hospital in upstate New York, my wife, Hannah, and I began searching for homes online. Nothing quite caught our eye, so we decided to spend…

It was a warm, sunny Monday in Chicago, October 1945. Game 6 of the World Series was about to begin, and Wrigleyville buzzed like a hornet’s nest. The Cubs were back from Detroit, having taken…

As many know, Brian Wilson passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 82. He was the creative force behind the legendary American band, The Beach Boys. Now for the backstory. Formed in…

Toward the end of 1978, I was an aimless twenty-one-year-old living with my parents in the small town of Chebanse, Illinois. I had just moved back home at their request as we had recently buried…

During an endocrinologist appointment in April of 2024, I weighed a svelte 320 pounds – the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I say svelte with the kind of irony only someone hauling around…

Excerpt from my recently published book Prologue– It Speaks to Me October 1897. Slains Castle, North Yorkshire. I came here to write the finishing chapters of Dracula. The early drafts had taken shape at the…

I stopped by the hospital one Saturday afternoon to sit with my grandfather, Ray. He had been in a coma for three days, and at 102 years old, he wasn’t expected to live much longer.

New York City, March 1920 I am dying – this time, I believe, for real. I have not left my chambers on the twelfth floor of the Chatsworth in Manhattan for several weeks now, too…