Tag: books

Margerumalia – A Holly Jolly Christmas

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – December 19, 2025

PHOTO CREDIT UNKNOWN

One camera, two actors, a director, and a camera operator stood in front of a little A-frame bungalow in the middle of Oxnard Beach, California. 

“That’s Burl Ives!” I said to my cousin Doug. Our Grandpa shushed me. Maybe he didn’t want us to ruin the shot, probably not, he had no experience with show business. I think he didn’t want these men to be bothered by a couple of nine-year-old kids. 

“I have his record, Grandpa,” I told him. “The Big Rock Candy Mountain. I know all the songs—”

Grandpa shushed me again. He’d heard me sing many, many songs by heart and he knew that with the slightest encouragement I would break out my repertoire.

Singing songs has always been a great joy in my life, and I knew at an early age that life really ought to be a musical. No wonder I went into theatre!

Burl Ives was an early part of that love of music. Besides being an actor, he was also a folk singer, and my brother and I just about wore out that record of his folk songs before we outgrew it.

Well, my brother outgrew it. I had it all memorized and those songs became a part of my life’s mental soundtrack.

My mental Holiday soundtrack includes the voice of Burl Ives singing “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold,” and, of course, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Oh, sure, other artists have covered these songs, and done them well, but it’s the voice of Burl Ives I’ve heard in my mind for over fifty years now.

Watching Burl Ives and his costar act out this brief scene on the beach we were their little audience of three. Quite a treat for my summer visit to California!

When they were done, Burl Ives smiled and waved at us before Grandpa led us away. But then the director—probably a second unit director based on what I now know about film and TV—came over to us and kindly told us the name of the TV series, the network, and about when the episode would air.

It was called “The Bold Ones: The Lawyers” and it aired at ten o’clock at night, so I never saw it. VCR’s wouldn’t grow into popular use for another dozen years.

Think of me when you watch the Rudolph special, and know that my little nine-year-old self is singing along with Burl Ives, who, like the main character, “will go down in his…to…ree.”

TTFN

* * * * *

While typing this newsletter I did a search for that TV title on YouTube. It’s there! Full episodes. I skimmed through two of them without finding a beach scene. There are 25 more episodes to look through, so if I find the scene, I’ll let you know. 

My other experience of TV and film is that scenes are sometimes left lying on the editing room floor, as with my IMBD-credited performance in “Right To Die” with Raquel Welch.

Ah, well, that’s show biz!

* * * * *

My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – A Moment With Santa Ed

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – December 12, 2025

CREDIT: PHOTOFEST

Ed Asner stood at the end of my gurney and put his hand on my ankle by way of encouragement as he was talking to someone else. He moved on before I could thank him but I sure appreciated the warm assurance. 

You may remember Ed Asner from his portrayal of Santa Claus on the movie Elf. Like my daughter says, the holiday season hasn’t really started until we sit down to watch Elf. It’s a Christmas favorite in the Margerum household and I love to pull my “World’s Best Cup of Coffee” mug off the shelf to salute the holidays.

Maybe you remember Asner as the voice of the curmudgeonly Carl Fredricksen in the animated movie Up. He flew his house to South America by equipping it with balloons.

My memories of him date back much further to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” in which he played Mary’s boss in the newsroom of WJM-TV. 

In the very first episode when she interviewed for her job, he asked inappropriate questions about her personal life and she stood up and reprimanded him for it. In response, he walked around his big desk with a half grin on his face and told her, “You know what? You got spunk.”

She modestly tried to thank him for the compliment but he interrupted her.

“I hate spunk.” 

That got a huge laugh from the live audience and the relationship was established. The series ran for nine years. 

His character, Lou Grant, was one of the few—maybe the only—to get a spin-off from a sitcom to create a drama. He was given the job of City Editor at a Los Angeles newspaper in a series that began immediately and “Lou Grant” would run for five years. Ed Asner won Emmy Awards for the same character in each series.

This was the Ed Asner I knew and loved even though, like Mary, I was a little intimidated by him. 

I was on a gurney donating blood along with many more actors in the Screen Actors Guild and Asner was there because he was the SAG President. Maybe he could sense my fear, actors are practiced at sensing the emotions in other people. I hate needles, and his hand on my ankle was just the reassurance I needed. I breathed a little easier after that. 

The only words he could’ve said to improve on the moment would’ve been: 

“You know what? You got spunk.”

TTFN

* * * * *

Screenshot

Last week, a few hours after my newsletter went out, I saw a social media post from Judy Norton that an autographed CD version of her Christmas music is available through her website: judynorton.com.

I had only mentioned where I saw it downloadable.

Downloads are handy but so difficult to wrap, don’t you think?

* * * * *

If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.

Margerumalia – Gratitude

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – December 5, 2025

That’s me pushing my snow blower down the length of the driveway—the longest driveway in the neighborhood, thanks Dad—for the second time in one day. The photo credit goes to Debbie who had the good sense to stay inside and take pictures from a warm cozy room.

I heard a podcast recently where the author of a book about mental health was discussing the value of gratitude. It was a fitting discussion for the Thanksgiving Weekend and I got to hear about the science behind brain health and gratitude.

Most of us have heard about endorphins that our body generates in response to exercise and healthy eating, but they’re produced in response to gratitude as well. And a practice of journaling or making mental notes of things we’re thankful for results in us discovering even more reasons to be thankful every day.

I got to discover one such moment.

As I blew snow off the driveway I noticed my neighbor and his son trying to push a car that was spinning its wheels but never finding traction. The end of our cul-de-sac slopes down toward that gray house over my shoulder and the wet snow had accumulated about five inches, leaving the car helpless at the bottom of the street.

I offered to push my snow blower down the street and create two tracks of bare pavement for the women in the car to drive up the hill.

Everyone was happy for the suggestion and I plowed one track down the hill, turned around and positioned the blower to plow another track back up. “Now let’s see if I can get the right distance between the wheels,” I said.

It worked!

As I returned to plowing our driveway I felt a warm glow. Not just because they thanked me for the assistance, but because it made me feel good to be helpful. 

They say it’s better to give than to receive and I think there’s a lot of truth to that old adage. Like the author on the podcast said, I became aware of my gratitude. The opportunity to be of service is always its own reward.

* * * * *

This holiday season, I want to recommend a Christmas album that was recorded by my friend Judy Norton.

If you think you recognize her name, you probably remember her from the TV series “The Waltons” which ran for nine years. She played the oldest daughter, Mary Ellen Walton.

Judy has done plenty more as well, including directing and performing in several musicals. In fact, we met while working together on an original musical. 

When I saw she had recorded a Christmas album I told her that I thought her voice was perfect for this kind of music. I was right. It’s warm, expressive and is accompanied by wonderful arrangements.

It’s available as a download on Amazon and Apple Music, and probably several more venues as well.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

TTFN

* * * * *

My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Giving Thanks

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – November 28, 2025

“We had eight cats,” my wife said, “now we’re down to two! Can you believe it?” 

A few days after the four kittens (huddled in the bathroom sink last week) went to The Humane Society, their fifth littermate walked into our cage and spent a night in the same bathroom before Animal Control transported him or her to join the rest. We’re thankful they’ll all find safe, warm forever homes.

During that same stretch of time, a neighbor across the ravine told me that his mother-in-law wanted a cat to replace her beloved pet of many years.  I told him and his wife about GG (or Gigi) who is pictured above. He has been so responsive to affection over the last few months that I knew he would make an ideal companion.

I have to admit I lost several hours of sleep picturing how GG would or would not go willingly. What if I tried to put him in the carrier and he squirmed away? Would he run scared? Would he even come back?

We left the carrier on the front porch for a couple of days and I tossed in a couple of cat treats to make it an appealing spot. I saw his sister and his mother both enter the carrier to get treats, but never saw him do it. 

On the scheduled day, I let GG and his sister get a good bellyful of food on the porch and then I went outside with a generous helping of affection for GG. At some point I could see he was facing the right direction and I directed him into the carrier, zipping it up before he knew what had happened.

My heart was pounding out a drum roll while I texted our neighbor that GG was in the carrier. “I’ll be right over,” was the reply.

All those months of getting him used to human touch, and all those hours of lost sleep wondering how I would accomplish the capture, and it was all over in a few seconds.

A few days later I got this photo: 

(I cropped out our neighbor’s face, not having gotten permission to show her for this newsletter.)

The report on GG was that he was timid, and not eating yet, but willing to crawl into her lap, which he never did with me. I recently got a follow up message that he’s eating now and using the litter box. The granddaughters are coming to visit soon and will decide on his new name.

I’m writing this several days before Thanksgiving, but we should be in an arctic freeze by the time you read this. We’re thankful that the cat formerly known as GG will be in a cozy home nestled in someone’s lap, soaking up the love the way you see him doing above.

Tabitha and her daughter, Rocket, still need to be caught and spayed before they deliver more litters of kittens. But that’s a story for another day.

I also wrote a check to The Humane Society for their valuable work. I’m grateful that we have a couple of no-kill shelters in our town.

TTFN

* * * * *

If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.

Margerumalia – The Rest of the Story

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – November 21, 2025

HEADLINE: He got cuffed after playing the ‘Imperial March’ at National Guard. Now, he’s suing.

[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/11/10/star-wars-imperial-march-national-guard-washington-dc-first-amendment/87064239007/]

In my October 24 newsletter I invented a phone conversation between a National Guardsman and the DC Metropolitan Police. Turns out that my version of the story is not how the incident played out.

The “Imperial March” dog walker, Sam O’Hara, was confronted and cuffed by the DC Police for 15-20 minutes before they released him. Now he’s suing the city for violation of his First and Fourth Amendment rights, backed by the ACLU.

I think my version of the story had a better outcome. 

Now, the City of DC has a lawsuit on their hands because of a National Guard deployment that they didn’t want, and the National Guard has earned a reputation for not being able to handle a little bit of teasing.

By the way, I looked up the 2:02 on O’Hara’s T-shirt. It turns out to be an Angel Number  (02:02) representing balance, harmony, and the importance of relationships in our lives. Isn’t that interesting?

* * * * *

You probably wanted to know about the four kittens in our basement bathroom. There’s a story there, too.

The Humane Society of told me that strays had to be delivered by  Animal Control from the kittens’ jurisdiction, so I called them for two days and got no reply. On the third day I went to the police station and talked to the guy in person.

“Why did you wait so long to contact us?” he asked. 

I assured him that I had been trying for two days. He was surprised to hear it and I went through my phone menu on speaker so he could hear his own outgoing message. 

His coworker figured out the next day that the desk phone had been disconnected. Lots of voicemail to catch up on! Good thing I came in person.

I’ve always found that direct human contact is the best way to accomplish things. Words of understanding are spoken, clarity is established, and difficulties are resolved.

What was 02:02 supposed to represent again? Oh, yes, balance, harmony, and the importance of relationships in our lives.

I suppose I’ve been using that Angel Number for a while now.

TTFN

* * * * *

My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Getting Ideas

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – November 14, 2025

Well these weren’t here when I walked down this path on the way to the park. I wonder if someone dropped them or just abandoned them…

I wonder. 

That’s what I do. I wonder. And ideas begin to take shape. 

I showed this photo to my wife—the photographer—and she complimented me on the composition after I described a different version that didn’t include the path in the distance. Isn’t it exciting to realize what you’ve learned from your partner just by sharing interests?

“Now there’s a writing prompt!” she said, reflecting my thoughts back at me. “It makes me think of someone who was so scared he jumped out of his shoes and ran. Or  maybe a huge eagle grabbed him and flew away leaving just his shoes.”

“Right?” I asked, feeling the juices of more stories start to bubble up in my imagination.

In my newsletter from two weeks ago I wrote about a 12-year-old girl who came to my book signing at Main Street Books. She wants to be a writer and her mother encouraged her to ask me questions. As did I. 

Of course, the most commonly asked question of any writer is “Where do you get your ideas?” Especially when the writer has written a fantastical adventure tale! 

Just as the girl asked me that question, a customer walked past, saw my flyer about the kittens, and exclaimed “Awww, they’re so cute!” as she passed by.

“There’s a story right there,” I told her. Maybe she always wanted to adopt a kitten but lives in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Or maybe she had a cat who passed away but looked just like one of these kittens. Everyone has a story to tell, right?” The girl nodded. “If you pay attention to other people and listen to their stories, that’s a great way to begin. And then you can start playing around with those ideas by using your imagination.” 

I didn’t tell her that I was a notorious daydreamer in school. My mom told me I was an easy child because she could set me in the middle of the room with a handful of toys and I would entertain myself for hours. She was right! I remember doing that.

My attraction to theatre was a natural extension of that kind of thinking. Hey, Eric, do you want to join a group of students who all use their imaginations to tell stories and then add sets, costumes, props, lights and more? Hey, sign me up! What a perfect activity for a devoted daydreamer!

Taking my own advice, I made a point of asking the girl what she had written and then listened to her story. I could tell we were kindred spirits, dabbling in fantastical worlds and characters. I could also tell that she appreciated having an adult listen to her like an equal while encouraging her aspirations.

So what flight of fancy did my imagination run to when I saw these shoes?

Maybe they’re lying in wait for you to come along and try them on, because they’ll take you into a world where trees talk, birds read your thoughts, and dreams come true. 

TTFN

* * * * *

Sinking Feeling

Having failed to lure Tabitha into our humane trap, Debbie and I pivoted to catching her kittens instead. Maternal instincts are a pretty major influence so this could be the needed work-around. We only managed to catch four of the five before the early snowfall, but we still hope the last one will give the cage a try.

They’re isolated in our small downstairs bathroom and when I went to visit them, these two were cuddled up together in the sink. That’s like a greeting card photo, right?

* * * * *

If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.

Margerumalia – What I Learned In Kindergarten

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – November 7, 2025

I had the pleasure of going to see twelve high school students perform a one hour version of this play on Sunday. I had directed all of them in junior high or high school plays over the past seven years. Some backstage students, too, and several more who were in the audience. 

Talk about a proud Papa! I got to sit in the auditorium and appreciate how much each of them had grown, both as actors and young adults.

The new director told me that when the students heard I was coming, someone had said “I hope he’s ready for a lot of hugs.” That really warmed my heart, and after the show I gave and received lots of hugs! 

The play also made me stop and think about what I had learned in kindergarten. 

It’s not easy to remember specifics after sixty years, just a lot of general things. One day we made applesauce, which was delicious! On another day we learned our addresses and phone numbers by pasting pieces of construction paper onto a page and writing on the house cut-outs we had made. 

I’m sure we also learned please and thank you, if we hadn’t already learned those “magic words” by watching Captain Kangaroo on TV.

But what stands out in my mind is the epic incident of a visit from Batman.

You see, my friend Rob had a Batman costume from Halloween and I had my Superman costume. He came up with the idea to wear them to school because, you know, that’d be really cool. 

The next morning when I told my mom what we were going to do, she vetoed the whole notion. Halloween was months behind us and, despite my protestations that Rob was going to do it, the answer was NO.

We walked to the elementary school with Rob in full Batman gear, cowl and all. And when we arrived at the classroom, the kids erupted. 

The Batman TV series was playing every week and the Caped Crusaders were enshrined on lunch pails, cereal boxes, and jars of peanut butter. To have Batman show up in your classroom was a lightning bolt from the sky! 

Have you ever experienced mob behavior? I got my only taste of it in kindergarten.

Like a kennel of loose puppies on a sugar high, the entire classroom rose as one and headed straight for Rob. He did the only logical thing. He ran. 

A double classroom of forty or fifty kindergarteners (it was the Baby Boom, not enough classrooms) chased my friend around the playground like a swarm of bees defending their hive.

I chased him, too. Like I said, mob mentality.

We ran until everyone was exhausted, including the teachers, who were insisting that we come in AT ONCE.

What did I learn? I learned that I was perfectly capable of getting caught up in the moment along with dozens of other children. When Rob later asked me why I chased him, the answer was simple. Because everybody else was doing it.

I expect that the two kindergarten teachers gave us a firm talking-to on how not to behave, but I have no memory of that speech, just the unruly run around the playground under the influence of all those kids. 

What I learned in kindergarten was that crazy things can happen when you’re part of a mob. And you know what? I haven’t done it since!

TTFN

* * * * *

My wife took this picture of Tabitha nursing her kittens on the back deck. I thought I’d share it with you. Talk about a mob. It’s an entire kittenkaboodle! (I figure if I use that word enough it’ll catch on.)

Tabitha entered the humane trap a few days ago and backed out with a mouthful of food without setting off that hair-trigger spring. Clever girl!

* * * * *

My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Halloween Kittens

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – October 31, 2025

Here’s a bit of a fright: five more kittens! 

Three torties (tortoise shell markings), one tabby (already looking like her mother), and one black cat (a Halloween kitty).

If you’re thinking you only see four in the photo, zoom in on the black kitten in the middle of the kittenkaboodle*. Its head is down but if you can find the eyes, you’ll suddenly see the fifth kitten. It’s like one of those Magic Eye pictures. 

While you’re looking closely, check out the paw of the tortie to the far right. There’s a bright white patch on the toe, like a mani-pedi gone awry. But totally adorable. I’ve already started calling her Toe White.

We’re thinking we can drop one in the first five Trick-or-Treat bags that open up when we answer the doorbell. A trick that grows into a treat! Probably throw in a can of cat food for good measure.

So all that time we spent worrying about getting Tabitha back to her unseen kittens when we took her to the vet was absolutely accurate! And she’s now bringing them around for us to take over the feeding of the brood. We’re pretty sure they’re nesting under the deck by way of a small opening at the steps.

In my updates from the last few months I’ve mentioned how streetwise Tabitha is—dare I say cagey—and that she won’t walk into the humane trap we used before. 

I’ve imagined the old fashioned upside-down cardboard box held up by a stick, but you have to be there to pull the string, AND be ready to hold down the box during the thrashing of a frightened feral cat, AND have a way to transfer the cat from the box to a cat carrier. Not very practical.

I’ve also thought about childhood TV cartoons of a dog catcher carrying a big net on a stick. They don’t do that anymore.

Tabitha still needs to get those non-dissolving stitches removed, so stay tuned for more updates and more precious kitten pictures.

TTFN

* * * * *

I thoroughly enjoyed my Saturday at Main Street Books in Lafayette, made several new friends and got to encourage a 12-year-old girl who already knew she wanted to be a writer. I could see her mother’s gratitude and approval for what I was saying. Their mutual thanks were really special to me.

I also got to reunite with some of the high school students I had directed in plays over the last few years. They were at the Farmer’s Market outside and were so enthusiastic about coming in to see me. They have a play coming up this weekend and I’m excited to see what they’ve accomplished under their new director.

After the book signing, Debbie and I visited one other former high school student working up the street. They are already out of college, also a writer of plays, and we got to talk shop between customers. They work at Scones & Doilies and let me tell you, walking into that bakery, the aroma alone will register an additional five pounds on your bathroom scale. And you won’t object because it’s heavenly! We bought a few treats, including gluten free options that Debbie could enjoy.

* * * * *

If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.

* * * * *

*kittenkaboodle—get out your scorecard, Eric has added one more word to the English language!

Margerumalia – Assault By Music

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – October 24, 2025

A Phone Call

I had a good laugh recently when I saw this sequence on line. A citizen of DC decided that he would protest the unnecessary invasion of the military into his city by following around the National Guard playing “The Imperial March” on his phone.

Sergeant Beck here got a little fed up with it, broke ranks, and confronted the deejay protester with a threat to call the Metro PD. 

Can you see the guy over Beck’s shoulder biting his lower lip as if to suppress a guffaw? He’s thinking “Don’t do it, Beck, just keep walking.” But the Sergeant has had it and the video ends with him whipping out his cell phone to call the police. 

I figure the call went something like this… 

Hello? Yes. This is Sergeant Beck with the National Guard. I need you to send an officer down to—[aside] Where are we?

[First National Guardsman says] Kingman Park.

Kingman Park, to arrest a civilian.

What’s he doing? He’s walking around following us, playing music, that’s what he’s doing! 

Um, I don’t know. Classical, I guess. [Asking the three other National Guardsman.] That’s considered classical, huh?

[First National Guardsman says] It’s the soundtrack, from Star Wars.

[Second National Guardsman says] John Williams won an Oscar for that. Since then he’s conducted the Philharmonic. 

[Third National Guardsman says] Definitely classical. 

Okay, shut up you guys. [Into the phone] It’s classical music. [Pause.] No, it’s recorded. It’s just one guy. You think we’d have an entire symphony orchestra following us around?! [Rolls his eyes.]

What do you think? We DID tell him to stop, and he kept on playing it! 

Because I’m not here to arrest people. That’s YOU’RE job! [Stomping his boot.] I want you to send someone over right now!

What? No, we don’t do police work.

Because we’re not trained for policing! We’re here to ensure the safety of the citizens of Washington, DC!

I don’t know! [To protester.] Hey, fellah, are you a citizen of Washington, DC? [Protester nods.] Yeah, he’s a citizen. 

But we’re not threatening his safety!! 

But it’s Darth Vader music! 

But…But…okay.

[Whining.] I said okay, jeez.

[To protester.] You’re free to go. [Protester starts up the same music.] 

Can you at least play some Taylor Swift, or something? 

[Other National Guardsmen snicker as he resumes the head of the formation.] 

What, she has a good voice!

TTFN

* * * * *

Evidence of Tabitha’s Kittens

We haven’t tried to trap Tabitha yet, we’re still regaining her trust. She’s at our back door every morning meowing for the canned food (with the medication). 

The other day Tabitha lay on the back deck with her belly facing towards us. I saw two teats that were definitely enlarged, so we’re confident that she’s still nursing at least two from her recent litter.

If you want to see the kittens we’re currently feeding, I posted a short video of them playing on the back deck. You can find it on Instagram (@ericmargerum), Bluesky (@margerumeric.bsky.social), or Substack (@margerumeric.substack.com).

Next week we’ll try to capture Tabitha again.

* * * * *

Book Signing

I’ll be at Main Street Books, my favorite indie bookstore, on October 25 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. I’ll be signing books, giving away mazes and bookmarks, and can sell you a MAMLA coffee mug. Smiles are free.

* * * * *

My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Encountering Bradbury

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – October 17, 2025

Ray Bradbury. On campus. In person!

It was my first semester at the University of Southern California where I was working on my Master’s Degree, and one of the great icons of science fiction was coming to campus to speak!

The man who wrote Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and countless short stories. THAT Ray Bradbury. 

And because I was born in October, he clearly wrote The October Country just for me. I had to meet him!

What made me think of him for this newsletter? I’ve been listening to his novel Death Is A Lonely Business, another Bradbury masterpiece that he wrote in 1985. It features a young aspiring writer in 1949 living alone in Venice, California, who gets caught up in a murder mystery that’s rife with haunting metaphors of fog and mist, and a pay phone that rings in the middle of the night only to deliver the sound of a distant person breathing.

Bradbury doesn’t write horror, he writes the stuff that makes you pull your covers over your head to protect yourself from the monsters under the bed. The psychological terror of childhood fears. He’s a poet of anxiety, a purveyor of winds off the graveyard.

In this novel, his protagonist is writing some of the same stories that Bradbury himself wrote in his younger years. An informed reader will hear the echoes of stories like “The Fog Horn,” “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit,” and many more. I was transported to when I had first read these stories and felt like Bradbury was telling me the origin of each story.

In his talk at USC, he pointed through the dark auditorium, his finger penetrating the walls and across the quad. “The library,” he told us, “that’s your most important education of all right behind you.” The university had a huge library. “Go read,” he told us, “anything you can get your hands on. That’s where you’ll learn the most. One book will lead you to the next and the next… Never stop.”

I never have.

While I sat listening to him speak I thought about the many stories he had adapted into short plays, and I wrote him an invitation to see me in my first play at USC, Eugene O’Neil’s “Ah, Wilderness!” I promised to reserve two tickets for him if he could make it.

The other advice he gave about writing was entirely practical: begin by writing short stories. You can spend a year writing a terrible novel and it’ll waste a year of your time, or you can write fifty-two short stories, one a week, and sell at least one. He defied anyone to write fifty-two terrible stories in a row, one of them was going to be good!

A few years later I wrote one story and sent it in to Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. I sent it on paper, through the mail, with an SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) so they could send me their reply. I still have that story in my files, and my rejection slip. I was too embarrassed to send it out to another magazine, or to write fifty-one more. My bad.

I was also embarrassed when I handed Mr. Bradbury my hand-written invitation to see my play. Others were waiting in line for autographs but I had to run to class so I just handed him the folded paper. 

“Does it have your return address?” he asked, stopping to take me in, probably seeing a reflection of himself in my eyes. 

“No,” I answered, “you don’t have to answer it.” 

I still picture him opening up my note and reading it long after the play was done, thinking to himself “I’d like to have seen that.”

TTFN

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Tabitha is still coming to eat her medicated food, but we’re going to run out. We need to capture her soon. Her son, GG, looks in the window to see if I’ll come out to pet him while he eats. He also lies on top of the picnic table outside to watch TV with us every night.

He’s so ready to be domesticated.

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For anyone who lives around Lafayette, Indiana, I’ll be signing copies of The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles at Main Street Books on Saturday, October 25th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. 

The books make a good holiday gift for children ages 8 to 12. I’ve heard from parents and grandparents who have read the book aloud—the original audiobook—saying they created special memories with the young folk. 

I can sell you a MAMLA coffee mug for your hot apple cider, and I’ll be giving away bookmarks and mazes if you just want to come by and say hi.

October 25th is the last day of the Farmer’s Market for the 2025 season. Always a fun time and just a block away from Main Street Books.

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