Art does not require pain; joy is worth celebrating

Posted inRandom Musings, Rants, Writing
I'm not much for the whole posting quotes thing, but this quote from Ursula le Guin's award-winning 'Those Who Walked Away From Omelas,' which can be read in full here, strikes me as worth sharing: "The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain ... But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold…
Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps and Barons

The Ghosts of Hangar No. 1

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
The following is a brief excerpt from Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons, available now at Amazon and Lulu, as well as at the headquarters of the Lakehurst Historical Society. It recounts one of the many ghost stories that still haunt Navy Lakehurst's famous Hangar No. 1. As Navy veteran Don Adams recalls, Hangar No. 1 briefly served as a morgue, the results of a disaster that still cannot be explained. Do the ghosts of Hangar No. 1 originate from the now unassuming rooms once used to house those who fell like angels in flame? Some believe they do. Maybe a…
My Lakehurst book is here, so that’s pretty cool

My Lakehurst book is here, so that’s pretty cool

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
Even though the real work now begins -- I frickin' hate promotion -- I feel like I've come to the end of a long road. See, Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons, my book on the history of the Pine Barrens town best known for the Hindenburg disaster, is finally ready for public consumption. I've been pecking away at this book since 2002, first as a short series of articles for a local newspaper, later as an expanded series of more in-depth stories on local history, and finally as this book. It is not only comprehensive and (I hope) engaging to…
So I have this book coming out next week…

So I have this book coming out next week…

Posted inWorks by Eric, Writing
After three books I've authored or coauthored, each released by traditional publishers, Lakehurst: Barrens, Blimps & Barons will be my first self-published book (not counting the Pitched! comics, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2). That means with a little help from my friends, I had to do it all, from writing to editing to layout to cover design... Looks pretty cool, no? This book will officially be available by December 1, but if you read this blog or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you'll have first crack at it. I expect it to be ready for sale in a week…
Complaining about things I shouldn’t complain about, aka Writing can be boring

Complaining about things I shouldn’t complain about, aka Writing can be boring

Posted inRants, Writing
Leaning forward with a glass of bourbon and ice next to me, hair frazzled. A human drama plays itself out in the background, all loud voices and chaos, but I can't pay attention because I'm under the spell of inspiration, and as those words hit the page each sparkles like a shiny gold coin. Each sentence is a hundred dollar bill constructed with the power of my words. The keyboard is on fire with the rush of my work. It's invigorating. Nah. The above scene is bullshit. Writing for pay is not always interesting. In fact, sometimes it's downright boring.…