It’s the first holiday of the impending summer season. Pools open around Richmond and other locales, many people head for the beach, and backyard chefs fire up the grill. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was first observed a few years after the end of the Civil War. More American lives were lost in that one war than any other conflict involving the United States, and it caused the creation of national cemeteries. Since World War I, all military war dead are honored. In

Oh my goodness! This week is almost gone. So, this week’s The Write Drive is more of an update and some advice. I’ve been working on completing a submission for the Frightening Floyd’s next anthology, Handbook for the Dead. Editing your own work is possible when you’re operating on a shoestring budget like me, and here are some of my tips: Once you complete your first draft, save it and wait a few days before you get back to it. Remember, when you’ve been working on a composi

The reason you’re able to read and understand this week’s blog is because of a teacher. The reason I’m able to write this blog that you can read and understand is because of a teacher. So few of us really comprehend the effort it takes to be a schoolteacher. It’s demanding work, being at school from almost the crack of dawn, if your pupils arrive at 7:30, until sometime around the middle of the afternoon, and longer, if you’re involved in extracurricular activities. This prof

May Day, that’s today, has strong connections to the ancient past. The Celts believed this day was the most important day of the year, celebrating with the fire festival of Beltane. This was the day that divided the year in half, going from the dark to the light. Building symbolic fires (bonfires) and dancing and walking around them, were a major part of the festivities, heralding the return of life and fertility. When the Romans came into the picture, they eventually include