C. Michael Bennis's Blog: Newspaper, The North Woods and Exceptional Women

Ralphs Place was always there

Ralph’s Place was there before I ever considered writing novels. It began as a bedtime story to my first son, 4-year-old Alex, whom we lost to cancer at six-years-old. Brother Danielâs later arrival brought new Ralph Bedtime Stories that began when he was 4-years-old.

On business days, I caught the Westport, CT commuter bus to Metro North RR, then I walked to the nearby Daily News building and the offices of Changing Times, where I sold advertising space in the Kiplinger Washington Editors ex...

So you want to write a novel?

The purpose of this blogpost is to help new writers with the exciting albeit frustrating creative process, plus some helpful suggestions on overcoming writerâs block.

Publishing your first novel has never been easier thanks to CreateSpace, an Amazon company,as well as others that help writers independently publish books in physical or digital formats at affordable prices.  Beware of some snarly publishers that will publish for free or for very little.  They make their money on the back end...

University of Colorado Champions

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Colorado/Boulder is Hot! Men and women athletes won across the athletic spectrum: 9 individuals were crowned national champions, 39 athletes earned All-America honors, Skiing 1st place in Giant Slalom & Classical.  Women’s lacrosse finished 16-4, after 4-years in existence and coach Ceal Berry received the prestigious lifetime achievement award.Two Bronze medal winners in Rio– Jenny Simpson & Emma Coburn (co-female athletes of year), Cross country & Track athle...

Oxycodone – a miracle and a nightmare

Oxycodone was developed in 1917 in Germany, and is a moderately potent opioid analgesic generally indicated for relief of moderate to severe pain. Physicians often prescribe it because it works. This is a personal story about the unintended effects of the drug.

In the summer 2014, I crashed my racing bici at 28-mph and suffered a fractured clavicle, eight fractured ribs, and a partially deflated right lung.

The accident occurred when I was five minutes below my fastest time as the derailleur...

I was in advertising. Yes, like Mad Men.

The fall of 1980 was a pivotal moment. After a series of misfortunes, my wife and I moved to New York City with the advice of an epidemiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital: Move to New York City and pit your minds against the best and brightest. Leave misfortune behind in Boston. We took his advice, and my wife, who was a successful designer in Madrid, created placemats in the Big Apple that were bright and original and she caught the niche in an exciting market.

On the contrary, bad lu...

HBS Author’s Spotlight – Class of July 2016

Monday, August 1, 2016

HBS Authorâs Spotlight â Class of July 2016

This month we have a group of interesting writers with worlds of knowledge and expertise. The author interviews are a MUST read.

Be sure to check out what they have coming next for their readers. I try to pick authors who are interesting studies and ask them unique questions for our Q/A section.

Check out the Showcase feature of the HBS Author’s Spotlight. I have included those authors in this class. Also, we have added...

Ralph’s Place – A Magical Experience – by C. Michael Bennis

An enchanted place packed with vampires and mystical creatures will help Ralph find what he needs the mostâhimself âin this inspirational young adult fantasy by C. Michael Bennis.I began creating nightly Ralph stories twenty-five yearâs ago. Friends cautioned: âonce you start you can never stop. Imagine returning from a stressful day at the office and having to pick up the burden of another nighttime story?â Ironically, that never occurred. The shock came when I had to stop for lack of an...

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Life is like the river traveling to the sea

Hold happiness tightly enjoy it brightly

Javea was a little known paradise in the province of Alicante, Spain, when Bobbi and I stored our Madrid furniture and personal effects in January of 1980, and drove to the Costa Blanca in our new Citroen Méhari (orange plastic, French 2 cv). Javea is where the warm Mediterranean breeze circulates with the fragrance of orange blossoms and creates the feeling of knowing and feeling you are where you are supposed to be.

Bobbi and I would part and go sepa...

New Blog Post 15 December 2015 Re: bicycle accident

The last blog post was dated July 4, 2014, and the ensuing hiatus in blog posts resulted from summer 2014, when I crashed my racing bici at 28-mph and suffered fractured clavicle, eight fractured ribs, a hairline pelvic fracture and a partially deflated R-lung.

The accident occurred while ridding my vintage Cannondale that should have been replaced. I had just shaved five minutes off my best time ever and headed downhill toward home when the derailleur slipped. I could have dismounted and rep...