News flash — just in: Beaver surges in popularity…

Today’s pop culture has a way of being tomorrow’s trivial pursuit. Does my title when spoken refer to an old sitcom or a misspelling of the name of the young man who drives tweenies crazy? Or, a new meat in your grocery store you’ll find next to the buffalo burger? Fiction writers today have to be knowledgeable about old and new culture—the trend is to mix them together. The modern author needs to recognize that not all readers will recognize the words he or she uses.

An added complication is...