Posts by Charles Levin
I See It All
[Note: Taken from a chapter in my soon-to-be-released thriller, Book 4 of the Sam Sunborn Series. Posting this as I just flew home to New Jersey from California like Monica in the following story/excerpt.] LGA At 9:45 PM, Monica struts through LaGuardia Terminal, roller bag in tow. LaGuardia Airport is as dingy and worn as…
Read MoreHow Much Should I Pay?
By Florence Sandler (1923 – 2008) [Author’s Note: this a special guest post by a relatively unknown, but talented writer. In this captivating true story, she manages to capture a time, a place, and a personality. This personal story along with a few other moving memoirs were recently found among Florence’s papers. At the bottom…
Read MoreEli the Mouse
[Author’s Note: the following is an excerpt from NOT ZERO-ONE, Book 4 of the Sam Sunborn series arriving Spring 2021] Reality Speaks I unclose my eyes. But virtual reality speaks. I have no real eyes or a mouth or ears. I have ones and zeros. I am ones and zeros moving in patterns that define…
Read MoreThe Elephant Stampede
[Author’s Note: I was reminded of a chapter from my novel NOT SO GONE (excerpted here) when I saw the brilliant photo below republished from the New York Times archives yesterday. It depicts the Barnum & Bailey Circus elephants crossing a bridge on their way to Madison Square Garden in New York. You’ll understand this…
Read MoreThought Experiment
[Note: Today enjoy a free excerpt from NOT SO DONE that both stands on its own and gives you a flavor for the bigger journey that I hope you will take. You can either read it below or listen to a chapter from the soon-to-be-released Audiobook, featuring acclaimed narrator Daniel Greenberg.] – Listen to the Audio…
Read MoreEscape to Nowhere
[Author’s Note: as many of us who love to travel had to cancel plans and are stuck at home, enjoy taking a vicarious journey with me on a 7500-mile cross-America trip we took a couple of summers ago. These days I’m reading travel stories, finding them a comforting escape, pleasantly reminding me of the real…
Read MoreLoverly
[Note: Taken from a chapter in my soon-to-be-released thriller novel, NOT SO DONE. I share it here because it sticks in my head like a favorite song and it’s loverly] – Listen to the Audio Version HERE The gravel driveway is long and winding up to the Riverdale Assisted Living Center in Scarsdale. Rich gets…
Read MoreMirror Moments and Memories – The Eyes Have It
“She looked in the mirror. Despite the makeup, she could see the puffy, gray circles under her eyes. Being President takes its toll on us all, she thought.”— from Not So Dead When I wrote the above passage in my first novel, Not So Dead, it just came naturally. When you look in the mirror,…
Read MoreA Not-So-Usual Thanksgiving
As I was approaching the finish line of writing my new thriller NOT SO DONE, the standalone sequel to NOT SO DEAD and NOT SO GONE, I considered changing the subtitle to The Final Sam Sunborn Novel. It’s not that Sam and his cohorts are done saving the world or that I tired of him…
Read MoreMissing The Ghost in the Palace Theater
A True Story – My sister stumbled upon a fifty-five-year-old set of documents. Buried beneath the legalese, the text evokes a flood of personal memories as it reveals the story of a family in the 1950s. The sales agreement, mortgage releases, and title insurance papers on their face codify the sale of the Palace Theater,…
Read More