March 9, 2026 The real beach where my fictional characters hang out. Photo © Dave Swan. If you've been writing for any length of time, you've heard "Write what you know." In fact, you might've been inculcated with it, which is the ten-dollar way of saying, "had it knocked into your head." Often attributed to… Continue reading Writing: What you know, remember, and dream up
Category: Florida
The Case of the Nebulous Nazis
Free fiction! A Florida PI tackles a mysterious oil spill on the Emerald Coast. Red sky at night: no delight for a hardboiled, sunbroiled gumshoe! In my business you hear a lot of sultry female voices. Just ask Mike Hammer, Easy Rawlins and the rest, both the literary lions and the flesh-and-blood PIs like me.… Continue reading The Case of the Nebulous Nazis
A personal paradise lost
July 21, 2025 This is a hugely depressing story for me, partly because it’s about yet another MAGA type getting his way. This guy bullied the government of Walton County, Florida into letting him drape Trump banners all over his house in spite of a sign ordinance. However, it’s also a bummer because of the… Continue reading A personal paradise lost
New short story: “Wildwood Nights: The Prologue”
June 23, 2025 Art mirrors life—or is it the reverse? For Brian and Kate, reality and fiction spin a complicated web in my new story, “Wildwood Nights: The Prologue.” Just after Kate's infidelity nearly wrecks their marriage, her illness forces them into an uneasy truce at their beach house on the Gulf of Mexico. Amid… Continue reading New short story: “Wildwood Nights: The Prologue”
A shining, silver life
April 29, 2025 Twenty-five years ago I started my morning by stepping on a snake, but the day was definitely not snakebit. April 29, 2000 was the date of my first and only wedding, which has now led Janet and me to a wondrous silver anniversary. The big event unfolded on the Florida Panhandle, where… Continue reading A shining, silver life
May daze
May 2, 2023 I remember this (Photo by Rodrigo Burgos S. on Pexels.com) A place I didn't expect to be this week: at the drugstore for a second round of updated Covid booster, which the CDC recommends if you're over 65 or have a weakened immune system. Their guidance has at times been confusing, premature,… Continue reading May daze