Category Archives: Uncategorized

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad (2011. Tantor Audible. ISBN 978-1853261749) I’m a Conrad fan. Victory. Heart of Darkness, his short stories. I’ve read and loved them all. But I hadn’t heard of, much less listened to, Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, until my … Continue reading →

I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Liberal and proud of that label. So, take my musings with a grain of salt. Recently, I’ve been troubled by a segment of America continuing to support the former Occupant and his vision of the future for … Continue reading →

Recently, an old friend, whom I admire both for his wisdom and pragmatism, asked me to watch the documentary, The Fall of Minneapolis. After watching the first five minutes, wherein the intentions of the folks behind the film are made … Continue reading →

Here’s the unedited version of my interview in FAR with Finnish American author, Tim Jollymore. MM: Kiitos for doing this, Tim. Let’s start with your surname. Jollymore certainly doesn’t seem to be Finnish and yet, we run into each other at … Continue reading →

Tito: The Story from Inside by Milovan Djilas (1981. Phoenix. ISBN 1-84212-047-6) In my continuing research regarding my manuscript, Slovenci (The Slovenians), I picked up my second book by one of Josip Broz’s (Tito’s) understudies. Here, Djilas, writing after his fall from grace … Continue reading →

Surface Displacements by Sheila Packa (2022. Wildwood River Press. ISBN 978-1-947787-36-0 I woke to an acre of mayflies a lace of water lilies and weeds before and after nudges of waves coming to and from the island a cloud on … Continue reading →

Land Without Justice by Milovan Djilas (1958. Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-15-648117) Just so you know. I’m in the process of trying to write a second historical novel regarding Slovenia from the 1930s to present day. My first effort, The Legacy, was well … Continue reading →

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump (2020. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-9821-4146-2) I get it, Dr. Trump. I really do. After spending time reading your analyses of your uncle, former president (and hopefully, soon-to-be convicted felon) Donald J. Trump, … Continue reading →

Today, my local paper, the Duluth News Tribune, published my rather lengthy (what did you expect from a novelist?) rumination on the writing life. You can read the edited version here: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/columns/local-view-how-does-an-author-know-when-its-time-to-rest-the-pen. Or the unedited version here:                                                             A WRITER’S JOURNEY … Continue reading →

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017. Audible. B074F3BX79) I’ll confess. Before I listened to this audio version of Ng’s novel, I watched the Hulu series adapted from the book. I’d suggest reading or listening to the story first, then watching … Continue reading →