I wrote last month of my Brother Orion once again plying the skies, and his faithful dog with him.
Two weeks and two days ago (as I write this) our faithful dog, Boo, passed. It was at home, on his bed, Susan and I talking to him and cradling him in our arms.
8:37pmET.
A wonderful vet came to the house. Boo had two strokes earlier in the day. The first left him weak, the second left him unable to get off his bed. We called and were told she was booked and it would have to be the next day.
Very well.
She called an hour later and said she couldn’t let us suffer, nor let Boo suffer.
Many have passed from my life. I know it is necessary. I wish it weren’t. And so it goes.
December 2025 Announcements
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RoundTable 360° – Our 29 Dec 2025 RoundTable 360° session is Note the December RoundTable is on Friday, 26 Dec 2025, 7:30-9pmET.
Our topic will be “Successes/Proud Moments/Thankfulnesses/Yeehas.”
Each RoundTable member will take the spotlight to share what their 2025 was like. We’ll talk about what succeeded, what made us proud, what we’re thankful for, what made us stand up and cheer. And we’ll have a chance to review our past episodes.
Reserve your seat at http://nlb.pub/RoundTable
Grab your seat at the table now. |
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Writers’ Month Long Workshop – January 2026’s writers’ workshop covers many if not all phases of craft and storytelling. The workshop is on Wednesdays, 7-28 Jan 2026, morning and evening openings available. Sign up here.
You can an idea of what craziness (and learning!) will ensue on my Experiments in Writing posts. |
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Brother Martin Swirko’s All Routes Are Amber – Martin is retired from the US Army after serving over 30 years in active duty, the army reserves, and National Guard. He is the recipient of the combat infantryman badge and bronze star, and his units in Iraq received the joint meritorious unit award in meritorious unit citation. Swirko also served 28 years as a police officer in Manchester, New Hampshire.
His first book, All Routes Are Amber, is a memoir of his experiences in the Middle East.
It was 2005 when Martin Swirko, a Master Sergeant serving in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, volunteered for active duty to serve as an embedded advisor with an Iraqi battalion. Motivated with a burning desire to discover whether or not the US Army doctrine he had been instilling in soldiers throughout his career had any relevance once they arrived on the modern battlefield, Swirko left his wife, civilian life, and career behind, in transition from Fort Carson to Kuwait to Iraq, and finally into combat.
In a vivid retelling of his military experiences, Swirko begins by describing his first days in the US Army reserves in the 80s, followed by the tedious and often arduous process as he was mobilized and fed into the regular army for his assignment. As he moved through time to eventually describe his time in Iraq, he provides a candid glimpse into his leadership challenges and unique, cultural obstacles he and his team faced while operating in living among his Iraqi battalion and local population.
All routes are Amber relay the experiences of a citizen soldier who ultimately volunteered for active duty in Iraq to contribute to the global effort to stop radical Islam.
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Talk with the Editors – Wilderness House Literary Review EIC Steve Glines and I (Senior Fiction Editor) hold monthly open chats with authors interested in a) writing for us, b) improving their craft in general, and/or c) increasing their chances of being accepted by other markets.
Meetings are held via Zoom on the last Friday of each month from 9-10amET.
So, want to know how to write for us? Want to know what gets our attention? Want to know how to write better for whatever market you’re interested in? Join us for our next “Meet the Editors” Zoom session. Seats limited! Sign up and talk with us. We’re relatively easy going and fun to be with. |
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Sister Rika Chandra’s Site Launch – It took a Thanksgiving in chilly Iowa to do it and Rika’s redone her website
After months of tweaking, refining, and rethinking how I present my work as a writer for architects and creative businesses, it’s finally live. Check it out!
And if you know any architects, designers, or builders who could use a hand telling their story – whether that’s case studies, project profiles, bios, or brand messaging
She also offers Five Must-Dos For Your Website
I spent countless hours building my site – researching, watching YouTube tutorials, buying courses – and I’m genuinely proud of what I created. But nothing compares to having a professional look at it with fresh eyes. Hence, the website refresh! ??
That experience inspired me to put together a blog for anyone updating or building their own site.
Short, simple, and full of things I wish I’d known sooner.Read Five Must-Dos For Your Website
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Recovery Triptych needs first readers.
In a bizarre nightmare world, Gerrold is relentlessly attacked by grotesques who thwart his every attempt at escape until an angelic being appears and offers him a way out. The being, Acquiesce, does not do the work of escape for Gerrold and instead guides him to make his own discoveries about escaping and what it means to be free. With Acquiesce’s guidance, Gerrold realized escaping the nightmare means challenging the source of that nightmare and understanding how hells are made.
Gerrold travels to the nightmare’s source and faces its creator only to discover he has constructed the nightmare himself. Can Gerrold destroy the part of himself which has imprisoned him, set himself free, and heal from the things he’s let happen?
Fans of Guillermo del Toro’s and M. Night Shyamalan’s work will appreciate this dark psychological fantasy which forces the reader to recognize their own hells and offers paths out of them. Read it now and learn if Gerald finally escapes his self-constructed nightmare or succumbs to the doom of his past. (Warning! Graphic Content). – Graphic novel (Warning! Graphic Content)
Book I : The Echo
Book II: Welcome to My Sandbox
Book III: The Stone in God’s Sling |
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Brother Greg Hickey asks a favor He writes: As 2025 comes to a close, I have a quick favor to ask. I usually put together a brief reader survey around this time of year, and you can find this year’s version at the link below. It shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to finish, and it will help me better connect with you and my other readers. So please help me out by answering a few questions.
Click here to take the survey.
And to thank you for your assistance, I’m giving away an audiobook download of my dystopian novel Our Dried Voices to one survey respondent. If you’d like to win the prize, please enter your email address at the end of the survey. |
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A Little Game – A little seasonal, this one.
How come Rudolph’s nose couldn’t have been red?
How many of Santa’s reindeer were male? How many female?
Were did the Santa Claus story originate?
The first five people to get back to me with a correct answers a signed Tales Told ‘Round Celestial Campfires Volume 2 ebook. The first person to get back to me with answers that make me laugh gets a signed print copy (and no looking it up on the internet, folks!). |
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And finally, for those who read this far, two posts which, I hope, both educate and amuse:
Sheldon, the Jewish Christmas Tree
Santa’s Shamanic Origins
Peace, all.
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That’s it for December. See you next year!
Enjoy!
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