Tom Swift Writer’s Notebook

I made my television debut recently. Though that word makes it sound far more likely than it is that I’ll ever be on the tube again. I am sincerely grateful a producer was interested in my work and Charles Bender’s story. But I simply cannot watch the show. I provide the link because I figure [...]

My thanks to Mark Moore, senior subject librarian, and the rest of the staff at the amazing Cleveland Public Library for hosting yesterday’s panel discussion. The Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium is a terrific venue and a great crowd turned out. I am fortunate to have been included in such a first-rate event. As I mentioned [...]

Thanks to journalist Vince Grzegorek for his interest in the book and the event. Also, the panel got a plug in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cool.

One of the three is a distinguished professor emeritus of history at an accredited university who has written several acclaimed books. Another is a prominent baseball writer who is both a prolific author and a columnist at ESPN. The third is, well, me.
From noon to 1 p.m., Friday (June 27), Dr. Charles Alexander, Rob Neyer [...]

When I was introduced to Harriet Tubman in grade school the Underground Railroad almost sounded like a good time. All that sneaking around and hush-hush meetings with “friends” in the middle of night seemed akin to an adult version of kick-the-can — at least to my woefully insensitive ears. That reference point stuck in part [...]

I had no idea what to expect. It’s summer. Lives are busy. I’m not exactly David Sedaris. Besides, Howie Mandel gives away a lot more than I do. But what a great time last night at the library.
A good crowd asked great questions — readers at my events always ask great questions — and the [...]

Matt Mosman includes Charles Bender in his list of great band names. A variation on the theme: Chief Bender and the Sliders. I’m thinking of jazz so smooth you can’t help but chill.

I love spending time in libraries and my next two trips should be memorable ones. Many thanks to the Oak Grove Public Library for its efforts to publicize tomorrow night’s event. Can’t say that I’ve seen my name in such large type before. Certainly not while driving in the old Carolla. I look forward to [...]

People frequently ask about what it feels like to publish a first book. More than the satisfaction of publication or the pleasant surprise of a flattering review the thing that hits, and hits even more often than the question is asked, is the kindness of readers. It’s the e-mail out of nowhere, thanking me for [...]

I am a big supporter of independent bookstores — and I would be even if there wasn’t a spine with my name on it in many of them. Indies are good for local economies. They are good for the environment. They are good for small presses. And, amen, they are good for mid-list authors. That’s [...]

I have learned that during Saturday’s signing I will face off against another author: Lou Nanne.
If you live in Minnesota and you can explain what it means to ice a puck you know the name Nanne. He was an All-American for the University of Minnesota and a defensive stalwart for the Minnesota North Stars. After [...]

I will about double my yearly allotment of mall hours on Saturday when I spend most of the day in one large enough to hold seven Yankee Stadiums. But I won’t buy a new blue shirt and I won’t ride a single roller coaster (beyond the mental up-down that comes when I appear at a [...]

… human suffering, the next day I picked up James Wood’s piece. He weaves a mélange of thoughts from books and essays, philosophy and the Bible, into a mind-expanding meditation on the topic. Wow.

Sometimes a single statistic reveals more about human values than a thousand comment-laden blogs. I scribbled down one such jarring fact while reading Jonathan Alter’s often-insightful column: We essentially spend more money every six months in Iraq than we’ve spent in the past 30 years on cancer research.

Father’s Day is sneaking up on you and, let’s face it, you don’t have a gift. Not only do you not have a gift, you don’t have time to shop for one. Or the first clue what to buy if, by chance, you do make it to a store in time. You wonder whether the [...]

This morning’s edition of the best five minutes in radio features a poem that makes me smile.

I heard this two-minute bit the other morning while walking the Savage Beast. We were in the middle of a small field of over-grown grass, the usual a.m. jaunt, and I couldn’t control the giggling. He stopped, tilted his head and looked good and long — looked at me as though I was no longer [...]

My heartened heart says to gush. But there are so many emotions it’s too early to sort them into anything useful. My fired-up mind says to carp. But if I start in on the pundit poppycock I might never stop. Lesser lobes say to disrespect. But if the candidates (or the candidates’ supporters) are so [...]

Father’s Day is coming up! This year I have had that date mentally marked for months. Most years I have to be reminded by the thoughtful person in my marriage. I still don’t know what I am getting my dad but I have good idea (if I don’t say so myself) what you should get [...]

Last month I pushed 30 percent off signed copies. Here’s a slightly different approach to book promotion.