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…

Where were you on July 20, 1969 – the Day Apollo 11 Landed on the Moon? I included the Moon Landing question in a recent newsletter to my readers and asked them to share their experiences. I was so delighted by their personal and intimate recollections that I asked their permission to share their poignant…

“Make it a story of great distances and starlight…”– Robert Penn Warren from Tell Me A Story Updates [Update: In the last nine months since I posted this article, several exciting new advances in Text-to-Speech technology have arrived on the scene. At the end of this article, I have included information and thoughts on two…

The Call “You better come right away,” Ann urged.  “I just got a call from Harry’s daughter. He’s leaving us. I’m on my way to his house right now.” Harry, my unsung hero, was dying. “We’ll be there as fast as we can,” I assured her. Harry’s girlfriend of ten years, Ann, was not one…

[Note: Renata and Juan are both important characters in my recently-released, thriller novel NOT SO GONE ] Crazy Nonsense “Stop! Stop filling my head with your crazy nonsense,” Renata cries. “Sorry, I’m addicted to breathing and your crazy ex, Brad, almost put an end to that. It’s not nonsense. Look at this.” Juan lowers his collar,…

Who’s listening? This week we take a fictional look at a very non-fictional issue surrounding our personal privacy. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– Huh? I first saw it resting in a planter next to our table at Café Cucina. A black rectangle was camouflaged against the dark soil amid the thick stalks of a corn plant. I bent down…

A little fictional roadside whimsy this week . . . Enjoy! ——————————————————————— Lea stares at her reflection in the glass window at Starbucks. She likes having blue eyes in a brown-eyed world. She settles back with her hot coffee, breathes in the aroma like a fine wine, and gently sips. People coming and going in…

Here’s another departure from my usual non-fiction and occasional fiction on this blog. A very personal true story . . .  Unknown Man I never knew him. He died when I was a year old. But I heard growing up that my father when he was alive, liked to take home movies. I had never seen…