Everybody & Everyone

Everybody said so.

Far be it from me to assert that what everybody says must be true. Everybody is, often, as likely to be wrong as right. In the general experience, everybody has been wrong so often, and it has taken in most instances such a weary while to find out how wrong, that the authority is proved to be fallible. Everybody may sometimes be right; 'but that's no rule,' as the ghost of Giles Scroggins says in the ballad.

The past four Christmases, I celebrated the season by reading one of Charles Dickens's Christmas Books. Year #5 brings me to his final yuletide tale: The Haunted Man. I haven't gotten far enough to offer an opinion, but I did enjoy the two opening paragraphs I've quoted above.

Speaking of things everybody says, I hate reminding people that I've written books. You know, the kind of books you can buy, read, or review online. (Preferably all three.) Popular wisdom says that I should talk about my books until I'm blue in the face and then keep going. Apparently y'all don't pay attention and need upwards of seventeen reminders before you'll actually take a look at them. Note: I'm not saying this. Everybody else is!

Anyhow, I've got some news to share about my books. I'm taking that as good cause to do what everybody says and talk about them.

Blue Ice and Other Stories from the Rink

My first book began as an undergrad thesis. It's by no means an academic work, though. Just a fun collection of six short stories about hockey.

Do you have to like hockey to like this book? Not necessarily. But if you're a hockey fan, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it. There's a story about an enforcer, a flash fiction piece about a breakaway, and a ludicrous tale of crazy Canadians who try to steal the Stanley Cup.

The book may be sixteen years old, but I'm still proud of those stories.

Here's what's new: there's now an audiobook version.

I wish I could tell you how this came about. To be honest, I had no idea this was even in the works when my brother-in-law told me this past summer that he'd listened to my book. (Perhaps that's why they misspelled my name on the cover?)

Initially released on the publisher's streaming app, it's now available via Audible/Amazon. So, if you're an audiobook person, and if you happen to have an Audible subscription, check it out. Maybe even leave me a review. =)

Embrace Your Writer's Block

When I published this workbook, I made a deliberate choice NOT to release a digital version. The whole reason I transformed it into a "real" book was because I wanted something wonderfully tangible. Something writers could write in. Something they could proudly carry around. Why, then, would I offer them something that could only be read on the screen?

Well, I'm relenting. Since January is the time of new beginnings—a great time to restart that writing project that's been languishing on your hard drive—I'll be releasing an e-book in the new year. Stay tuned for official dates, links, etc.

However, since I still believe that the hard copy—the codex, for those of you who like technical terms—is superior, I'm selling that at a 50% discount for the remainder of December. Note: you only get this discount if you buy it through my /IngramSpark page. If you're an Amazon Prime devotee, you'll just have to console yourself with your free shipping.

If you've never heard of this workbook before, you might be wondering who it's for. Glad you asked! It's for writers who find themselves a little (or a lot) stuck. I open with a novel premise: what if writer's block is not a creative flaw, but a gift? From there, I walk you through 10 exercises that will help you identify the reasons WHY you're stuck and WHAT you can do to restart your writing.

This Week I Learned...

Park Hae-young, my all-time favorite K-drama screenwriter, has a new drama coming out in 2026. Its speculated (tentative?) title has me by the heartstrings: Everyone Is Fighting Against Their Worthlessness. YES, PLEASE!

Keep your stick on the ice.

Frank.