It’s CAPRICON 40 Weekend! This year, the venerable SF/F convention returns to the Wheeling, IL Westin with a “Tropics of Capricon” theme. Consequently, the first panel I’ll be on will be about IPAs – Beers From the Tropics (well, the IPA was really a beer brewed to GO to the tropics!). You know a con that STARTS with a panel on beer is gonna be good! I’ll be around with books in tow all weekend,…
I HAVE WANTED to go to the Carolinas for over 30 years. My wife Geri and I have talked about going for most of that time. George, one of my best friends in college, had planned to drive there with me over our winter break during my junior or senior year while we were at University of Illinois… but then a massive ice storm hit the east coast that Christmas, and so we had to…
THIS HAS BEEN a crazy couple of weeks! Two weekends ago, I spent playing pinball with my son and friends in Michigan… and then, last weekend I spent working at a convention center in New York for my dayjob. In between? I signed a contract for my 11th novel, finished the final rewrites and copy edits on my 10th novel The House By The Cemetery, and had dinner with my editor to catch up and…
I HAD TO GO to Las Vegas for a couple days this week to work at a meeting for my dayjob. I’m not a gambler, so Vegas doesn’t hold the allure for me that it does for many, but it is a fun place to wander around in. You can’t help but enjoy the lights and energy of the place. I went to see the Zombie Burlesque show the last time I was in Vegas…
I VISITED WASHINGTON, D.C. from June 22-25 for business, and finally got to visit one of the arms of one of my favorite breweries — Dogfish Head. The last time I was in D.C. a couple years ago, I wanted to get out to Virginia to check out their Falls Church Ale House… but just didn’t have the time available. This time around… I had a day where I was done with work before dinner…
IT IS AT TIMES like these when I realize how lucky I am. On Monday, March 14, 2016, I turned 50 years old. And for the past week, I have been showered with love and gifts from friends and family. It’s left me humble and happy in equal measures. I didn’t need the gifts (which were nevertheless awesome!) but it’s good to know that people care. I have to be honest… I was not looking…
LAST MONTH, I had a short trip to Barcelona for business, and while I didn’t get much free time to sight-see, I did discover a couple brewpubs that are must-stops for any craft beer lover. I had one afternoon where I was able to take a City Tour Bus around town and at least get a glimpse of what I’d like to see, if I actually was there in the city for a few days…
I’VE BEEN TRAVELLING a lot for my dayjob lately, which is not terribly unusual… but I am not usually on trips abroad. This fall, however, took me to both Ghent, Belgium and Barcelona, Spain. While on business trips, I don’t usually have many hours of daylight to “see the sights,” but I do always try to take a couple hours at night to check out the local brewpubs and breweries of the area. And Belgium…
ANYONE WHO FOLLOWS me on Facebook or reads by blog frequently knows that my dayjob sends me on a lot of business trips. I’m working most of the time on these jaunts, but I am privileged to see different locales, even if only for short dinner outings outside the hotels. I’ve been to lots of typical cities (L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, New York) and some exotic outings (Kauai, Chile, Germany). But one of the most…
OVER THE PAST couple weeks, I’ve been to Ann Arbor, Michigan and Calgary, Canada on business trips. Both turned out to be great micro-brew towns, with a handful of small breweries all within a few blocks of each other. So over the course of a few days I poked my head in, snapped a couple pictures and sampled a variety of ales. It was a great beer snob adventure! Click on any of the pictures…
