Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 45
July 21, 2020
Op-Ed Pages #10: Trump, the habitual liar…
[Note from Steve: If you’re afraid of the truth, don’t read this article…or maybe you should!]
“The Trumpian lie is different. It is the power lie, or the bully lie. It is the lie of the bigger kid who steals your hat and is wearing it—while denying he took it.”—Masha Gessen, in Surviving Autocracy.
Of course, Trump’s lies are much more than that, especially in the danger they represent for American democracy. He says he won the popular vote in 2016 if you don’t count all the fraudulent votes; h...
July 16, 2020
Steve’s shorts: The Gift, Part Two…
The Gift
Copyright 2020, Steven M. Moore
“You’re from the Middle East, I suppose,” Bubba said to Ed as they sped along.
“Iraq. I was an interpreter for the US Army. I was able to get here just before…well, you know. I’m still trying to get my family out.”
“Sometimes our government does things that make no sense. Where ‘bouts in Iraq did you serve?”
“Green Zone mostly. Outskirts of Baghdad. I retrained as an EMT when I arrived here in the States.”
“Probably better than truckin’. ‘Cour...
July 15, 2020
Steve’s shorts: The Gift, Part One…
[Note from Steve: The following is an old story that I dug out of my archives and modified. It reflects some current sociological concerns. It’s in two parts; the second appears tomorrow. Enjoy.]
The Gift
Copyright 2020, Steven M. Moore
“We have a heart for you, Mrs. Brady,” the cardiologist said to his patient. He also smiled at the husband.
“Thank you, doctor.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
The husband glared at Dr. Chang. “Not from one of them virus patients, I hope. You’d like that I suppo...
July 14, 2020
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #182 and #183…
Oops! I just realized that I didn’t post #182. Even though the audiences are very different, there’s some overlap in my email and online newsletters. I sent out the email newsletter, but I forgot the online one. My apologies. The following is a combination that will bring readers of this blog up to date just as well. A lot is happening now, but not that much in my publishing life. To wax optimistic, I can say that COVID has one positive: I’m reading and writing a lot more! (See below for both.)
...
July 9, 2020
Steve’s shorts; The Cardinals…
[Although we live in NJ (only thirteen miles from the Lincoln Tunnel), wildlife is plentiful around here, especially now during the pandemic. We’ve even had deer on the lawn. Earlier this spring, we had a woodchuck mother make her annual return to her hideaway under our shed, and squirrels and chipmunks seem plentiful this year as well. The little tale that follows is just another reminder that Nature’s creatures can do just fine without us. Consider this story a fable. Hopefully it brightens yo...
July 8, 2020
Review of Masha Geeson’s Surviving Aristocracy…
Surviving Autocracy. Masha Gesson, author (Riverhead Press, Penguin/Random House). Although I’m a fiction writer, I read a lot of non-fiction, as a glance at the “Steve’s Bookshelf” web page at this website will show. A lot of it has to do with politics. I know many authors are afraid of alienating some of their readership, but I’ve been a political junkie since high school when John Bolton’s hero, Barry Goldwater, ran for president (I was not a Dr. Strangelove fan). Some readers, in fact, criti...
July 7, 2020
Op-Ed Pages #9: Immigration…
Too many Americans forget their origins: Unless you’re a Native American, you’re an immigrant or descended from immigrants. At one time, the poem on the Statue of Liberty was a clarion call for all who seek refuge in the US. Now DHS and ICE have basically edited it to say, “Give me your tired, your poor, your hidden masses…but only if Mr. Trump wants them here.”
What do a lot of autocrats have in common with Trump? If your answer is “fascism,” you’re right, but what fascists create is an us-vers...
July 2, 2020
Thank you, Harlan Coben…
Sometimes real life creates mysteries too. I’ll describe one that remains unsolved. No, I’m not an UFO junkie reporting on some mysterious events occurring at Area 51. There’s just one real-life mystery, and it would even stump Dame Agatha.
An author-friend’s husband—a fellow ex-physicist too, by the way, so there was a lot of scientific prowess applied to solving the mystery—was interested in one of Harlan Coben’s many tales, so he queried “Harlan Coben” on his smart TV system. Up came my novel...
July 1, 2020
Review of Clare Chase’s “Eve Mallow Series”…
“Eve Mallow Series.” Mystery on Hidden Lane, at Apple Tree Cottage, and at Seagrave Hall. Many readers of this blog know that the COVID-19 pandemic has driven me to more reading as well as writing (my finished manuscripts are stacking up—one is displayed below). In particular, I have binged on several series of British-style mysteries. Reading an entire series has been a lot more fun than watching TV reruns, cable TV’s old movies, summer game shows, and “family specials” (wasn’t that John Legend...
June 30, 2020
Op-Ed Pages #8: Who is the real John Bolton?
John Bolton’s book has made a lot of news (Simon & Schuster likes the free publicity, I’m sure), and he’s been attacked by both Dems and the Good Ole Piranhas firmly in Trump’s greasy, fascist hands now. The book will be published (copies are already distributed and many pundits have one), and we’ll have to see if Trump’s threat of reprisals isn’t just more autocratic blathering (loss of royalties and lawsuits for releasing classified info, although so far I see no reason for this, and the book ...
