I reconnected with an old friend recently, Ken Finkel, who is a wonderful guy and an accomplished musician. I am a writer and book publisher first, but I happened to mention to Ken my side hustle. I am a semi-professional poker player and have competed against the best players in the world with some success.…

I played poker as a teenager, but I took it up more seriously twenty years ago. The intrigue and intricacies of the game found me when I needed the comfort and distraction of a high-level intellectual challenge. It feels funny writing that last phrase, as most people think of poker as a game played in…

“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,…

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…