A personal essay about all the books I haven’t read and some I have.. How many books have you started reading but never finished? That’s a question I asked myself recently now that I have many more unread books than ones I’ve finished. And I read a lot. I won’t even talk much here about…

[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…

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…

[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…

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…

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…

[Note: the characters Renata and Inspector V, as well as the crime of bodyjacking, play a major role in my upcoming sequel to NOT SO GONE and NOT SO DEAD.] Possessed “How does it end?” “I don’t know. I never do. I just write and it comes to me along the way.” “I don’t understand.…

[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…

What’s a Micro Story? What’s a Micro Story? I have been a fan of Short Stories since I was a kid. Maybe it’s because I’m a slow reader and like the satisfaction of being able to enjoy a full story from beginning to end in one sitting. As an adult, I got hooked on what…