I'm going to delay my normal weekly blog due to everyone's minds being somewhere else, with good reason.

Now, before I go on, I want to make something very clear: I don't like Donald Trump. He's a bully and an a**hole.

That's not a political statement, because I also don't like Joe Biden. He's an idiot savant, a dumb person with a genius for getting ( Read more... )

This is the tenth anniversary of one of my favorite blogs, and also of this one. I reran it a few years ago, but few people read it because it's about history. As I said in the opening to our book "Hoosier Hysterical", history would be a lot more fun if it was made ... well ... fun. So I had fun with this. (It's been changed slightly, because I'm ( Read more... )

This is a repost, because now that fireworks are an all-summer thing my nerves are shot. Also because I've been busy promoting the reissued Storm Chaser, which is, after all, set in summer. John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Second U.S. President, and all around unpleasant guy, had this to say about America's Independence Day ( Read more... )

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Not "Happy" Memorial Day ... although I suspect I've unconsciously been guilty of that one.


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Much as I tried, I couldn't write anything new this year to memorialize the events of 9/11.

I was so heartsick over our horribly bungled and costly withdrawal from Afghanistan, I found myself unable to say anything that wouldn't just attract pointless political arguing. Oh, I found words--I'd even go so far to say they were eloquent. But despite ( Read more... )

 John Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Second U.S. President, and all around unpleasant guy, had this to say about America's Independence Day:

"It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations, from one End of this Continent to the other, from this Time forward-- ( Read more... )

My initial reaction when hearing about the Broadway musical Hamilton was surprise that all these historical characters were being played by non-white actors. How was this better than having a white actor play a real black person? How would black people feel if they did an all-white version of Roots? Pissed, that's how they'd feel, and with good ( Read more... )

I originally wrote this six years ago, but few people read it because it's about history. Ironically, it was one of the last pieces I wrote before my newspaper column became history.

As I said in the opening to our book "Hoosier Hysterical", history would be a lot more fun if it was made ... well ... fun. So I had fun with this. (It's been ( Read more... )

Belgians and tourists in Wisconsin in 50 Authors From 50 States:

50 Authors from 50 States: Wisconsin Time, Traditions, and Tourists: Belgian Christmas Traditions with Christine DeSmet The research for writing a future Christmas book in my Fudge Shop Mystery series to...
I'm falling a bit behind in reposting these, what with the new book ( Read more... )