SOMEHOW, IT’S ALREADY been a week since I was in Pennsylvania for the Dark Drafts Festival at Bube’s Brewery. Jan. 24-26, 2025 was really a weekend that I will remember forever because it was an adventure all around. Tiffany Koplin from the Facebook Books of Horror group encouraged me to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,”…
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….
