My professional writers' organization, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) has invited me to write a monthly blog to share with members. I joined the group in 2017 and managed to attend two in-person conventions before COVID-19 reared its ugly... I was going to say "head," but I somehow doubt if a virus has what most … Continue reading So, you want to be a blogger?
Author: d.p. Benjamin
Author, cartoonist, journalist and photographer
Out to Launch a New Mystery Novel
Well, it's official. One of my good friends, who wishes to remain anonymous, just forwarded me a photograph of him lounging in his summertime swimming pool while reading my (presumably) waterproof novel. This may not seem like front page news, but consider these realities: I myself have yet to hold the book in my anxious … Continue reading Out to Launch a New Mystery Novel
The Naming of Animals, by Us
We label a creature we wish to stalk, kill, butcher, and eat ‘game,’ then have the gall to assign, to an over-ripe bit of the unfortunate’s tainted flesh, the label ‘gamey.’ Sometimes we get the name exactly right. Except for a minor disagreement about vowels, ‘deer’ seems an appropriate moniker for these gentle and—frankly—endearing beasts. … Continue reading The Naming of Animals, by Us
A dog’s life
I have a dog. Let me rephrase that: "I have a temporary dog." I'm dog-sitting for a friend who's planning to move from Colorado to Arizona. (I don't ask why such things occur, I just hear and obey...like some dogs.) My friend is in the Grand Canyon State scouting locations. She's steering clear of big … Continue reading A dog’s life
If you’re from Texas, how to tell if you’re in a Colorado blizzard
This, in Colorado anyway, is not a blizzard. Went snowshoeing a few days ago with Donna Marie, my dear friend who recently moved from Texas to the wild Western Slope of Colorado. She's an old hand at the healthy winter exercise of walking on snow and I'm a beginner. To reach enough snow, she guided … Continue reading If you’re from Texas, how to tell if you’re in a Colorado blizzard
Here’s your problem…
In case you think that the life of a novelist is all cake and ice cream, here's a look at just two pages of my line-by-line revision of my mystery, THE ROAD TO LAVENDER, due out in January 2020. Editing is not for the faint of heart. (Investment hint: copy and save this image. When … Continue reading Here’s your problem…
You may already be a winner
It was 1952 and the rotary telephone was just beginning to replace rural party lines and the need to ask a live operator to dial the desired number. And cell phones were something prisoners were allowed to use to make their obligatory single call presumably to a lawyer or their bookie. In October of that … Continue reading You may already be a winner
The Paul Lucas Factor
My dear friend, Paul Lucas, called the other day from somewhere up in the frozen north. He is a talented musician and music instructor and the help-mate of my late friend Tina Kjolhede. I'll add a link to his website and his music at the end of this short tribute. Among the memories Paul and … Continue reading The Paul Lucas Factor
Wolf Moon
Let me tell you about my older brother and the dark and monsters. I was a fearful child. Until my tenth birthday I had crippling night fears. I avoided the dark, which I imagined to be populated with werewolves. Here's the thing about monsters: I wasn't afraid of the Frankenstein monster who lurched awkwardly from … Continue reading Wolf Moon
The Average Human Heart
The average human heart weighs about ten ounces—that’s more than a gerbil and less than a can of soup. And yet, sometimes, the heart can seem so very heavy. But there are friends and puppies and kittens and sunsets and rainbows and fields and mountains and rivers and soup to make the heart feel lighter. … Continue reading The Average Human Heart
