Welcome! I’m so Glad You’re Here
The reason I write this newsletter is to inform, entertain, and illuminate parts of the world that may not be getting enough attention.
When you subscribe to my Substack page, here’s what you’ll get: essays on music (and playlists), books, and a wee bit of photography because, well, that’s who I am: a DJ, musician (drums/guitar), a writer/reader/author (science fiction, thrillers, urban fantasy, mysteries, rock biographies and more), and yes, I make images with a camera and have since I was a pre-teen. I feel I have unusual and intriguing stories to share about artists I’ve met, shows I’ve been to, stories I experienced or have been told in the music and radio world, and people I know. One story you can find is the very odd and true time I got a phone call from the future. Or something like that.
Free subscribers will get nearly all my posts and essays and my themed playlists. I mean, I must do playlists because I’ve been playing music on the radio for over fifty years. I can’t stop sharing music! You’ll also get a few peeks at my work-in-progress, Forged in Ancient Fire, a novel about a young sorceress navigating the immediate aftermath of the unexpected death of her mother and meeting her somewhat dysfunctional and heretofore-unknown-to-her Korean family.
Paid subscribers will get deeper and longer essays of music stories, photographs, and longer looks at my upcoming book. In other words, much of the same stuff that free subscribers will get, but MORE OF IT.
How Often Will You Hear From Me?
I initiated this adventure in early July, but along the way, I’ve made and will continue to make some changes. At first, I felt it was important to post two or three times a week, but that’s changing. I’ll work to post longer, but not as often, but at least once a week. Hey, it’s a work in progress.
Why Am I Doing This?
I could say that because there’s been this big rush to Substack over the last year, I just wanted to jump on the bandwagon, but that’s not true. In fact, I find that when I don’t write or don’t play my guitar or bang on my drums, my skin itches, I get testy, eat too much, and feel like the world is off balance. I spent a dozen years writing and posting two or three times a week on my tradeshow-industry blog (that’s another story), but I pulled back from that a year or more ago and found that I still need an outlet, one that’s closer to my heart. Which means music, novels, and photography. If those topics interest you, please jump on board with a free subscription and consider upgrading.
Who am I?
Briefly, here’s me: I grew up in the Oregon Cascades a mile from Hoodoo Ski Resort (so I’m a ski bum still); I started taking pictures and developing them in my dad’s darkroom before I was twelve; I learned drums in school band, played in lots of rock bands in my 30s and 30s; I created comic books and superheroes and bad science fiction stories when I was a teenager and even published a very short-lived fanzine that I cranked out on my dad’s mimeograph machine.
I’ve been a DJ, salesman, project manager, marketer, author, speaker, and much more, and I look forward to hearing from you as you see the things I come up with. I’m married to the lovely and talented Jenny, have a couple of grown sons and a stepson, and a dog Scruffy who is the sweetest but barks like crazy at the mailman and the UPS and Amazon delivery dudes. You know, to protect the hearth and home or something like that.
Life is Good. Jump on In!
To learn more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
