EDITOR’S NOTE: When Cade Welch, our first grandson, was born in 2005, I began a ritual of writing a once-a-year letter to him in The Register-Guard — and later to his sister and cousins — come birthday time. Today, Cade … Continued
I’ve been marketing books of mine now for more than 20 years but only recently realized a big mistake I was making: Thinking it was only about books and sales. Instead of, say, salt and light. Or experiences. Or giving … Continued
They say if you want to make money in the writing business you find a niche and go to that place again and again. In other words, if the crowd loved your trumpet solo don’t come back on stage with … Continued
Mother of Rain, about hardscrabble life in the hills of Tennessee in the 1930s and ’40s, is the most intriguing read I’ve experienced in years. Full disclosure: I consider author Karen Zacharias a “writer friend” among whose attributes is an … Continued
Editor’s note: Since leaving The Register-Guard Dec. 6, 2013 I’ve had numerous requests from readers who missed my final column. Here it is: Column writing, it’s been said, is a little like running in front of a combine in a … Continued
SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — Here’s what it’s like to spend a weekend at the Wonderful Life Festival in Seneca Falls, N.Y. You’re waiting for a table at Parker’s Grille and Taphouse when a stranger leans over to you and says: … Continued
SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — Tonight, in a snow-swept town south of Syracuse, I stepped foot in Bedford Falls for the first time. Sort of. Thoroughly convinced that “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank Capra used its little town as the … Continued
Shortly before the 50-year anniversary of the death of John F. Kennedy, I interviewed 88-year-old Bill Kunkle, who had driven the future president around Portland while JFK campaigned in 1960. When I asked what they’d talked about, he mentioned Kennedy’s … Continued
A colleague once told me that column writing is a little like running in front of a combine in a farmer’s field: exhilarating, exhausting and lots of fun — until you trip just once.After 14 years as a columnist, 24 … Continued
Keyboard Kitten: An Oregon Children’s Story, has been described as an “Oregonized” version of Dr. Seuss. It blends the story of a kitten, an unsuccessful children’s author, and the wonderful state of Oregon, from Tillamook Cheese to Mt. Hood, from … Continued