Posts by Charles Levin
Arrive Late / Leave Early
One of the best pieces of advice the bestselling writer Walter Mosley gave me was to “arrive late and leave early.” What did he mean? Well, we both write psychological mystery thrillers. And to keep a story interesting, you don’t need a lot of extraneous detail in the beginning or at the end. So, no…
Read MoreThe Mind-Body Problem Revisited
By Charles Levin Edited by Neil MacNeil “It’s always the same, always on my case. ‘Do this. Do that. Oh, no, don’t do that. Faster.’ Without me, what’d you got? An uptight vegetable. I make things happen. I’m all about action, baby! Yeah, sometimes I do get sick, and it is usually his fault.” The…
Read MoreAncestral Echoes, Ballroom Dancing, and CIA Missions
When did this happen? Last week, my sons, who both live in California, blessed us with a rare visit. It was a magical weekend for many reasons, including a big party we gave for 50 of our closest friends and family. The night before the big party we did Chinese takeout from Ho Ho Kitchen,…
Read MoreThe Submersible in ‘NOT SO DEAD’
[Author’s Note: so many of the events and predictions in my NOT SO DEAD Series have strangely happened as predicted or appeared later in the news. The world has been captivated for the last 2 weeks by the trials and tragedy of the Oceangate submersible. That very same Oceangate submersible model appears in my first…
Read MoreHarry Belafonte and Elaine: In Praise of Unassuming Heroes
[Note: this is a guest post from one of my favorite authors, Bob Katz. The heroic true story of Elaine referenced in this post, alludes to his book Elaine’s Circle: A Teacher, a Student, a Classroom, and One Unforgettable Year. I highly recommend it.] For many years I ran a speakers bureau, which I would…
Read MoreSmile Though Your Heart is Breaking
Charlie wakes up on a bed in an LA department store. His rumpled black jacket is wrapped around him; his derby hat rests on the night table: and his black shoes with the holes and spaghetti laces lay neatly underneath. The store is empty, the lights dim. He rubs the sleep from his eyes by…
Read MoreThe Last Candy Store in East Apple
Story by Diana Searby and Charles Levin | Written by Charles Levin [Reader’s Note: two weeks ago I invited readers to help me finish writing a short story I had half-written on a plane flight from San Francisco to New Jersey. Thanks to all those who contributed their very creative and fun ideas. I chose…
Read MoreWrite a Story with Me #2
[Reader’s note: this is an unfinished story, featuring some childhood memories–maybe yours or maybe mine. I wrote the original Write a Story With Me in 2019 and had some very creative responses which I turned into the finished story The Gift with credit to those who contributed the What happens next to the unfinished story. Let’s…
Read MoreChat GPT and The Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial
By Charles Levin with ChatGPT [Authors Note. I had an idea for a satiric short story based on a real clinical Alzheimer’s drug trial application form I saw that seemed to be absurd on its face. But I have been experimenting with AI and I thought I’d ask GPT to chime in. The following are…
Read MoreAll That Jazz on the Wall
I inherited the painting from my mother thirty-two years ago. It was one of many by an accomplished artist named James Carlin. But this one differed from the rest. I’ll get to that in a minute. My mother and James ‘Jimmy’ Carlin struck up a friendship in the 1950s. She was the first female stockbroker…
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