Assume Good Will

My Father, the News Junkie

This is an oldie but goodie (in my opinion), a column I wrote about my dad for Father's Day. I recently came across the email where I sent a copy of this to my dad as well as a copy of the column printed in the Lake Havasu Herald in a special Father's Day section in 1994.

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Writing Down the Bones; Topic: Rationalization

I haven't started a writing exercise in a few weeks --  sorry life's been busy.... but this time I'll let you guys choose the topic of the exercise - first one with a good topic (preferrably something easy to explain and short so i can fit in the headline) i'll use and secon …

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My Interview With Jeri Westerson, Author of Troubled Bones and the Crispin Guest Series

      Article first published as Interview: Jeri Westerson, Author of Troubled Bones And the Crispin Guest Series on Blogcritics. I have to admit I approached Jeri Westerson's series of books with some skepticism but I was ultimately, pleasantly, surprised.

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Will You Take My 2012 Newsvine Movie-Film Challenge?

Who's in? I haven't made it to 50 in the last two years so i'm going to say 25 is enough but 35 is better. Movie #1 - Bones - Season 3 - Good season.

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Will You Take My 2012 Newsvine Reading Challenge?

(note: I've added the 2011 listings and the index - i'll revise it as I start posting 2012 reviews and interviews in the next few weeks.

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A Conversation with Chuck Eddy about His Career and His New Book: Rock and Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism

  Article first published as A Conversation with Chuck Eddy about His Career and His New Book: Rock and Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism on Blogcritics. Rock critic Chuck Eddy of Austin has written a fascinating book, containing a collection of his …

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New Writing Challenge: Write A Story That Could Explain This Building and Signage

I've been passing this building for weeks thinking "whenever things line up JUST right" this is going to be a great picture.

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An Interview With Peter Abrahams About His New Books The Dog Who Knew Too Much and Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street

  Article first published as Interview: Peter Abrahams, Author of The Dog Who Knew Too Much and Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street on Blogcritics.   What I love most about Spencer Quinn aka Peter Abrahams (more on that "aka" in a minute) is his wordplay.

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Weakly World News Exclusive: The Scoop on Occupy North Pole

Attempts to have the Occupy Wall Street movement grow to include an Occupy North Pole have so far failed, sources tell the Weakly World News. Rumors that there may be a protest planned while Santa is flying around the world could not be confirmed. There have been three reasons th …

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Writing Down the Bones Topic: Christmas Shopping

The topic for the week is Christmas shopping - you can do it as memoir, as fiction, etc Any questions?   Here are the rules for these writing challenges   The rules here are pretty basic: I, or someone else, picks the topic.

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Your First Holiday 2011 Writing Challenge: Write A Satire/Fiction Piece From The Perspective of Mrs. Claus

This is the first of three or four Holiday writing challenges most of them satirical innature I'd like you to write a story from the perspective or point of view Santa's wife. If you can make it funny, great. If not, that's ok too.

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Reviewed: Sue Grafton's V Is For Vengence

Sue Grafton books are always interesting - having worked her way from A to, now, V, she has done a great job of developing her protagonist,Kinsey Millhone. The plots - well, some grab me more than others.

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An Interview with the Co-Authors of ZooBorn Cats

Last year I received a copy of the incredibly cute and heart-wrenching book Zooborns, a collection of animals born in the zoo. Why heartwrenching? Because the animals included belonged to endangered species. I was asked to help publicize the book and gladly did so.

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Fiction: I Am NOT A Haunted House, Just a Friendly, Talkative One

(This is my submission to my writing exercise – as explained here – asking people to write from the perspective of an allegedly haunted house)     Dear Neighborhood Association, I am writing to correct a wrong, to fix a mistake, to dispel myths and to, most  …

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Writing Down the Bones Topic: Halloween Candy

The topic for the week is the candy you give out or receive on Halloweens past and present - you can do it as memoir, as fiction, etc Any questions?   Here are the rules for these writing challenges   The rules here are pretty basic: I, or someone else, picks the topic.

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Fiction: Trying To Understand Halloween

      This is in response to a writing assignment here   The challenge was to write a story using these words (Haunted, theory, relative, transparent, physical, surprise, night, music, surreal, fright, scream, dark, sinister, grim reaper) as someone who ju …

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Let's Write A Scary Story Together For Halloween

As I mentioned in my latest assignment - writing  a story from the perpsective of a haunted house - each year we write a collective halloween story. Last year's is here.

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New Writing Challenge: Write A Story From the Perspective of An Allegedly Haunted House

Every year I do some halloween-related writing challenges. Last year, for example, I asked for anecdotes (more on that in a minute) and we wrote, together, a halloween story. If there's interest we can do another one of those this year.

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New Photo Writing Challenge: Create A Story Involving At Least One of These Two Photos

From time to time I like to post interesting writing challenges and exercises.

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Let's Discuss Maltese Falcon, both the book and the movie (warning: spoilers)

I asked here if there was interest in discussing this classic story and there seemed to be some. This all got kickstarted because Austin's great Book People's 7 percent group is going to do a discussion of the novel at its Monday Oct. 3 meeting.

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New Writing Challenge: Write From the Perspective of A School Bus

Recently one of my Newsvine colleagues mentioned she liked past writing perspective aka POV pieces so I promised to put up a new one and this is that. Past ones range from my car talking about me looking at other cars (i'd challenged people to write from the perspective of their  …

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A Review of Neal Stephenson's New Book, Reamde

I have been a fan of Neal Stephenson going back to his great cyberpunk novel Snowcrash.

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Is There Interest In a Maltese Falcon Discussion (Both the Novel And/Or The Movie)

I'm thinking about setting up discussions here and at facebook to discuss two things: the classic noir novel The Maltese Falcon and the movie version  (It'd be for the third adaption of the book as discussed at wikipedia here

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My Interview With Film Critic Roger Ebert About His New Book, Life Itself: A Memoir

Article first published as Interview: Film Critic Roger Ebert About His New Book, Life Itself: A Memoir on Blogcritics. We know Roger Ebert as an excellent source on movies, not just his movie reviews but his essays and books too.

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An Interview with the Lead Singer of the Bottle Rockets about the Band's New Live Album

Article first published as An Interview With The Lead Singer of the Bottle Rockets About The Band's New Live Album on Blogcritics. he Bottle Rockets are one of my favorite alt-country bands.

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Scott (Scoop) Butki

Articles Posted: 1410
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A cynical idealist fighting lazy thinking If you want to know more about me check out some of my memoir pieces and my interviews.

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