Michael J. Allen's Blog

Merry Meatloaf

Time never seems to be on our side during the holidays. Whether its because of shopping, holiday parties, socializing or trying to get a book done, easy meals can make our lives a bit simpler. For me, that usually means one of two dishes - cooked in bulk - and eaten as the need arises. The […]

Tastes of Childhood Holidays

The older you get, the more memories you collect. For most of us, not all of the memories which linger from childhood are good. The same can probably be said about the holidays. Today we're going to dig for gold in the combined treasure chests of both. Technically speaking, I had 4 grandmothers from an […]

Heritage Road Trip – Day 10

First of all, YES, we did jump ahead from Day 7 to Day 10. In some ways it would've been better if I'd been able to do the same. Today I resume my trip south along the Pacific Coast. I've picked up several pounds of dry smoked salmon, the rocking chair that was my first goal, […]

Heritage Road Trip – Day 7

Day six started great and ended up both good and bad. Today started off cold, powerless and littered with downed trees. With the whole valley without power, I'm eating out of the ice chest once more. Still, there's a lot to be said for the Barn's recipe for smoked turkey, Swiss and cream cheese on […]

Heritage Road Trip – Day 6

Day six started paying off huge dividends early in the morning.  For Dumpstermancer readers, this one was definitely a profitable day. I located the facility which houses the Wasteland, got a good read on the landscape between the prison and Seufert Fells and stopped to take pictures at a park near Celilo.   After stopping at the […]

Blasters & Blades Podcast – Episode 71: Michael J Allen, Starflight Anthology

I enjoyed the opportunity to join the Blasters and Blades podcast for an interview about the recently released Starflight anthology. Of course, as often happens when you get a couple geeks together, shenanigans and tangental stories ensued. Join JR Handley and I as we geek out about old games and all things kind of but not […]

Con-Tinual: Hot off the Press 56

I'm making an effort to participate in more and more of these kinds of video interviews. It's always an honor to be included, and every one of them is a blast. Don't miss this one.

DragonCon 2021

DragonCon - Atlanta's huge Labor Day geekfest is back and in-person this year. Just to set your expectations, this is neither rant nor rave. DragonCon does hold a special place in my heart. It was my first con, the place my first pro clobbered me for writing garbage, and where I spent year after year […]

Myths No More

Long ago I coined the joke that Myth and Magesty (Majesty) surrounded me and my writing. This was because with the addition of my second rescue Labrador, I had both Myth and Magesty curling up at opposite ends of the couch while I wrote in the middle.  Unfortunately, Myth sustained some injuries a while back that […]

Heritage Road Trip – Day 5

Day 5 started off in the fabulous Wild Bill's Irma inn and tavern.  I've had problems keeping track of days since my life was converted to 18-hour days on a fast attack nuclear submarine. On a trip without my best friend to keep me on track, I didn't realize Day 5 was actually Veteran's Day.  J'm […]