I had an absolute blast chatting with New York Times best selling author Michael Koryta last week. It sounded like the audience of 200-some folks enjoyed it, too. The author talk, put on by the Johnson County Public Library March 27 on the campus of Franklin College, brought the Bloomington, Indiana, native in to chat... Continue Reading →
My third book scheduled to release this summer
History is full of cool stories. It’s one of the reasons I like researching it and writing about it. It’s the cool stories that really enhance the who, what, where, when stuff. Answering questions like how and why, as well as finding out people’s thoughts and feelings on what transpired gives history its flavor. I’m... Continue Reading →
Chat with a New York Times-bestselling author
I'm honored to have been invited to present author Michael Koryta for an author talk in Franklin, Indiana, on March 27. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Michael is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book... Continue Reading →
Missing a good friend
A good friend of mine passed away from cancer last week. It may seem strange to call someone I never met in person a good friend, but John Mammoser was one of the first people I connected with on Facebook way, way back when. This was an era when I sought out the people who... Continue Reading →
Soft peddling oral surgery-Nov. 13, 2023 update
I’m tired of pudding, macaroni & cheese, chocolate protein shakes, fluffy scrambled eggs, and apple sauce. Not that I don’t mind mixing those culinary treats into my diet now and then, but when you can only have soft foods and beverages for four days or more, it gets a bit monotonous. I’m craving hard, chewy,... Continue Reading →
Number 3
My second book, Wicked, Columbus, Indiana, has had another resurgence and has been on the Viewpoint Books bestseller list the past month or two. This week's listings, published on Saturdays in The Republic newspaper, have it at Number 3 in the adult nonfiction list. That's awesome! Note that I am one spot behind The Fonz.... Continue Reading →
Acting up
Now that life has returned to its normal frantic pace, instead of its overwhelming, breakneck, crushing your head craziness of the past six months, it's time to get back on stage. The last time folks saw me doing a bit of acting was in June, when I was portraying rich, benevolent, emotionally challenged Grandfather Laurence... Continue Reading →
Honors and benefits
Be it known to all that Paul J. Hoffman is hereby appointed a member of the grandparents secret circle and is entitled to all the honors and benefits occurring there, too. Signed, Little Orphan Annie. Countersigned, Pierre Andre! In ink! Honors and benefits. Already at the age of … well, okay … maybe I didn’t... Continue Reading →
Celebrating Viewpoint’s 50th
It was quite a party! I was one of several local and regional authors (including Matthew Graham, the state's poet laureate) who on Oct. 21 took part in the 50th birthday celebration for Viewpoint Books, located in downtown Columbus, Indiana. After Miss Polly's story time with kids, singing "Happy Birthday" and eating birthday cake, we... Continue Reading →
Helping my local bookstore celebrate its 50th birthday
I'm honored to have been one of the local authors invited to take part in my local bookstore's big birthday bash this Saturday, Oct. 21. I'll be at Viewpoint Books in downtown Columbus, Indiana, from noon to 2 p.m. signing books and celebrating its 50th anniversary. I'll have copies of both of my nonfiction books:... Continue Reading →