From the Blog…
Check out Shane’s latest thoughts from his blog.
This polarization is taking its toll
We are so polarized and angry these days that I feel the pain emanating from almost everything I read on my smart phone. Facebook is
Should I write another novel?
An ennui overcomes a writer between the writing of books: bad dreams, purposelessness, a sense of time running out, a lack of accomplishment, anger towards
Feeding the Barbarians at the Gate
Once upon a time, a benevolent prime minister looked upon the land and decreed that we would no longer be diminished by books written in
Self-Censorship leads to Self-Paralysis
I was going to write something the other day, and paused. The words were not flowing as freely as they used to. Was I getting
Shrinking Attention Spans – an epidemic
Thanks to social media, we constantly joke about “shrinking attention spans,” as if this is a phenomenon embroiling only the younger generation. We lamented when
Custom Advertizing in Politics – Good, Bad or Ugly?
Advertizing in politics is now under the microscope. Especially after Facebook was able to create custom ads that only the individual viewer could see, targeted
Big Brother is Watching
I have been following the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, particularly in the corporate employment sphere, and I’m feeling both trepidation and relief, glad
Unpaid Labour
As I sat down to write a eulogy to my mother who recently passed away, I scratched my head trying to find the many accomplishments
Hooked on the Social Media Drug
I remember when social media sites were first set up. They invited us to join for free, to exchange messages, pictures and other snapshots of
A Self-Directed Literary Tour of Ireland
Someone told me that I would find inspiration to finish my new collection of short stories if I went to Ireland. So I did, spending
Are there Non-Starving Writers?
Are there non-starving writers? Yes, there are. The old cliché of the “starving writer” needs to be dusted off. There are all kinds of writers
Dulling of the Senses to Violence
There used to be a time when the faintest whiff of violence or social disorder would send people into a panic: schools would shut down,
What if Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook went out of business?
Hard to imagine, but what if these behemoths of data went belly up? Sure, a few banks might fail, a few cities go bankrupt, perhaps
Private Prisons & Private Medicine
I was reflecting on these industries that reside south of the border that are constantly threatening to move north like a fleeing refugee, and wondered
Drones for Company
I’m getting ready for when drones will dot the sky and obliterate the little sunshine we have these days. It’s a magical time to be
Mixing Genres in Fiction
I have always felt boxed in by the definition of “genre” when it comes to writing fiction. Why be bound by the rules of a