PROGRESSION As I sit here today, I have published seven books of historical crime fiction. Four have fallen under the Ark City Confidential Chronicles and the three recent ones under the Wichita Chronicles. Nearly ten years have passed since the writing process began on the very first one. While I can wax philosophically about my development as a writer, it is important to consider how I first came upon this genre and how I have since progressed.

Or, how I got to where I am!

#TulsaLitFest
#BookSky

Question: Where can you meet a Midwest historical crime fiction author who wears a Fedora with his Hawaiian shirts?
Answer: OWFI Writers Conference.
#OWFI26

#Sourdough
Fourth loaf since the beginning of the year; second with inclusions (apricot and walnut).
There are two many opinions about process. This might not have been "perfect" but it sure tasted good.

DRIVING INTO A FOG BANK To expand upon this analogy, there is a vast difference between driving into a tunnel and a fog bank. There is an innate understanding that the tunnel will end at a fixed point, that light from the other side will be noticeable well before the end, and there will be a blinding sense of exhilaration. Fog, on the other hand, can come upon you at any time.

Make use of the moments we have and treasure what we accomplish, no matter how big or small.

#booksky
#Authors
Well, we're finally in April. I'll be in Oklahoma twice.

A POEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (IN HONOR OF NATIONAL POETRY MONTH) When I started writing poetry what seems like a lifetime ago, it was largely iambic pentameter, A-B-A-B rhyme schemes, simplistic doggerel. When I encountered Shakespeare, I wanted to write sonnets. Further readings pushed me in alternate directions. High school and college gave me T.S. Eliot, likely “The Waste Land.” But it was almost academic as opposed to empathetic. Was that the teaching or the youthful naivete?

In honor of National Poetry Month.

#booksky
#OWFI26

DON’T MAKE ME LIKE THIS I grew up at a time when the educational system was intent upon creating the Well-Rounded Student. The curriculum in high school and many colleges was designed to provide a diverse offering to students in order for them to be (what?) more interesting or, in their minds, better developed. Perhaps they were well-intentioned at the time; I did come away with an appreciation for a wider variety of subjects.

"Thank you for your suggestion!"

Lemon8 · Just signed my EIGHTH book contract. · @H.B. Berlow See the full post on Lemon8

Check out this post on Lemon8! v.lemon8-app.com/al/OgrfFjmvys

I'm getting out and about.
This is my current schedule; a few applications in for other places.
Finally getting a chance to mix and mingle and sell books.

WHAT I USED TO DO As far as writing goes, I started out with short stories. They were part of my public school curriculum until upper grades of high school when we delved into classic novels. (I wasn’t a big fan of “Wuthering Heights” but was fascinated by “To Kill a Mockingbird.”) I studied screenwriting in college but also took creative writing classes. At the very least, I knew this was what I wanted to do.

Everything old is new again!

I'll be there along with @weatherviking.bsky.social as presenters.
There will be one from each of us and then a tandem presentation.
That is THREE sessions.
Check it out at owfi.org

I don't bother predicting or inquiring about predictions.

I just enjoy the show.

#AcademyAwards

www.facebook.com/share/v/17vD...

Always strive to learn.

CATCHING UP AND REVISITING After a certain amount of life experience, you realize the books and movies and music you have come across in your life. For many people, it becomes simply anecdotal. We talk about a book, when we read it, what our feelings were about it BACK THEN. We have too many books and too little time now to re-evaluate it or reconsider it from another perspective.

The inspiration of the past lingers today.

Just leaving this here for any readers who might be in the Tulsa area.

#books
@weatherviking.bsky.social

CASABLANCA Let me start by saying this is my absolute favorite movie of all time. And it’s not because I share the same initials as the leading man. There are movies with better acting, better directing, better production values. There are movies with deeper meaning, have a philosophical or sociological bent that makes them intriguing. There is all of that. This movie stands head and shoulders above them for the pure emotional connection.

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

They don't think I'm hardboiled enough.

Hey, readers of all kinds of genres. Tikiman and the Viking will be selling and signing their books at Half Price Books, 8145 E Kellogg, Wichita, KS on May 16, 2026 from 2p to 4p.

We look forward to meeting you at this truly amazing book store.

#books
@weatherviking.bsky.social

Olive oil herb bread.
Peanut butter cookies (the bulk of which were given to my mother in law with a sweet tooth!).

A JAZZ POEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION It was in the early to mid-1990’s that I developed a passion for the music of Charlie Parker. This then expanded to other Be-Bop musicians and then further into Cool Jazz and beyond. With the idea of capturing the essence of Parker’s music and life and what made them both unique, I embarked on a project eventually entitled ORNITHOLOGY. It was a multi-page poetic treatment of the fundamentals of creation and the notion of capturing an ephemeral essence.

A jazz poem, for a change of pace.

Give us a listen.

I appreciate that she is patiently waiting for the author to appear for the book signing.
#booksky

FRANK WAS RIGHT I would not advocate the use of Frank Sinatra lyrics as an alternate to, let’s say, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, as a philosophical system. But, you do have to admit that, on occasion, the crooner was right. This forthcoming year looks to be spectacular. I don’t mean this in the “I feel it in my bones” way that an urban Italian might suggest from a 1970’s crime flick.

On the road in 2026.

The beard is a lot neater here.
#booksky
#authors

I will be there along with @weatherviking.bsky.social .
Tikiman and the Viking Podcast will be well represented.

I'm not sure how many "ace crime reporters" of the 20's and 30's had big beards. I might have been one of the few.
#booksky

The scene reminds of something out of "Sweet Smell of Success"
#booksky

While I prefer the time period, I'm not sure how Hemingway or Fitzgerald would have responded to the beard.
#booksky