[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…

A few months ago, I was looking for a book on the lonely bookshelves in our living room when I stumbled upon a box I had not seen in 48 years. Could it be? Opening the box, there rested an eight-inch reel of Super-8 film, the long-lost, original and only copy of Love in the…

[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…

[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…

[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…

“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,…

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…

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,…

Story by Marlene Claire Steele, Oralee O’Byrne, and Charles Levin Written by Charles Levin [Reader’s Note: Last month, I asked readers to suggest the second half of the plotline in a story I started Thanks to all those who contributed their very creative and fun ideas. I chose two from readers, Marlene and Lee, whose…

[Reader’s note: this is an unfinished story, featuring DHS Director Rich Little and Assistant Deputy Director, Michelle Hadar. Both significant characters in my thrillers NOT SO DEAD and NOT SO GONE. Let’s have some creative writing fun and try to finish the story together if you’re up for it.] Let’s Go! Takes 2 minutes! Read…