Ronald E. Yates 
One of the saddest events of the past ten years or so has been the inexorable demise of the brick and mortar bookstore. Fully half of the bookstores in the United States have vanished in the past ten years. Gone are places like Borders, Crown Books, Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, Kroch’s …
Al Franken, Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Kevin Spacey, John Conyers, Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, Bill O’Reilly, and (gasp!) Garrison Keillor. What do all of these men have in common? Yes, we know they are accused gropers, sexual predators, harassers, etc. Well, maybe not so much Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegon. …
When I was teaching journalism at the University of Illinois, I often gave my students a test designed to see just how observant they were. Observation, as I have pointed out in previous posts, is a critical skill writers need to master IF they are to provide clear and vivid …
[This is a re-post of a post I published a while back. I am posting it again because of questions I have received asking me to discuss how authors can use the skills practiced in professional journalism] How can the methods of reporting and writing practiced by professional journalists possibly …
[This is a re-post of a post I published a while back. I am posting it again because of questions I have received asking me to discuss how authors can use the skills practiced in professional journalism] Without a doubt, one of the best places to learn the craft of …
Within hours of the attack in New York in which an Islamic terrorist used a truck to mow down and kill eight people on a bicycle path, public officials were out in front of the cameras telling the public to go on with their lives because: “we can’t let the …
If there is one thing most authors have in common, besides the shear agony that sometimes accompanies the writing process, it is the dreaded Rejection Letter from an agent or publisher. I don’t know who got this one from Harlequin, but it had to be devastating to the person receiving …
I am reposting this commentary by former U.S. Marine, Ken Russell. I believe he speaks for millions of active duty and former members of the U.S. Military. He certainly does for me. HooRah! By Ken Russell I had the privilege to serve with the finest Americans, the U.S. Marine Corps, from …
Most Americans, I believe, would prefer to think of China as a friendly nation with a different political and economic perspective of the world. While the U.S. remains committed to a freewheeling form of capitalism and a democratic system of government where power (for the most part) is lodged with …
For the past week or so I have watched with bemusement the violent behavior of some of my fellow Americans who are bent on eradicating our nation’s history and obliterating some of its significant symbols, such as statues, monuments, and treasured documents. My attitude toward the minority of Americans who …