Until I read Michael Connelly’s The Proving Ground, I had never heard of Garcia v. Character Technologies. In the book’s endnotes, the bestselling crime author mentions reviewing court pleadings in the case while working on his eighth novel in the “Lincoln Lawyer” series. In October of 2024, Florida mother Megan Garcia filed a lawsuit against…
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It’s been years since I saw this quote from bestselling author Stephen King, but it stuck with me: “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” A corollary appeared in a collection of inspiring quotes published in Inc. magazine. It came from Robert Collier, whose The…
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We acquired a flat-screen TV several years ago when one of our grandsons offered us his 40-inch Television free of charge. Turns out it had been sitting in the corner of his living room after he purchased a friend’s 50-inch model. Then in the midst of a move, the friend didn’t want to drag the…
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Although the saying has been around for decades, I only recently encountered “human in the loop.” The phrase appears in Fast Attack Leadership, a forthcoming book I recently finished ghostwriting for business consultant Marc Koehler. In Marc’s seminars, he often relates leadership lessons he learned on a Naval nuclear submarine to modern business challenges. His…
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If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times at various writers’ conferences: as a freelancer, you need to start your day by tackling the hard jobs first. Buckle down, plow into the toughest task, and then move on with the rest of your to-do list. Finally, when I had a chance to…
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I periodically use the New York Times as a resource for research and book footnote citations, but am not a daily reader. So a friend first alerted me to the “pay to play” method (spotlighted in mid-April) used to boost California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s memoir onto the legendary newspaper’s bestseller list. “Here’s one way to…
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Until recently, Logan, West Virginia—just a 90-minute drive from my home—was best known as the hometown of America’s Got Talent winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. The former car-wash-worker-turned-singing-sensation captured the hearts of underdogs everywhere with his rags-to-riches saga, chronicled in his 2013 book, From Washing Cars to Hollywood Stars. It helps that he retains the…
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If there’s one thing our frenetic, fast-paced, always-on world needs, it’s a break. God modeled a sabbath for us in Genesis 2:2; if He needed a break after creating the world, what does that say for everyone else? This principle isn’t just a wise prescription for a weary soul; it extends to good writing and…
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Freelance writers and editors have been having a tough time lately. I know because, despite several promising projects at hand, March was one of my bleakest months in years. It’s not just me. A friend and fellow freelancer recently told me of a severe slowdown in his work. In a prayer network affiliated with one…
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In a little over a week, millions will pour into America’s churches, making Sunday, Apr. 5, the biggest day of the year. It’s what some wags call the “Super Bowl of church attendance.” Yet, those who are simply putting in an annual appearance or just bringing the kids for an Easter egg hunt are likely…
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