doughty This word has long been a favorite of mine. I can’t remember exactly when I first heard it, but I’m sure it was in a sentence something like, “he was a doughty fighter.” The word means persistent or brave or tough. In my mind in connotes a sort of “stick-to-it-ness”. I suppose one of …
reeve Here’s a word you might not be familiar with – unless you’re from Canada (and even then, maybe not). It is the title given to the mayor of a village or the leader of a town. The only place I believe it is still used today is in Canada, in small rural villages in …
I’m excited to announce the release of the revised edition for Into the Vast. I know it looks just like the previous edition on the outside, but you know the old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Well, it’s certainly applicable in this instance. So what is inside? Well here are a few highlights: …
Viand This is another uncommon word and again, I simply love the sound of it. It means food, or a piece of food. It’s usually used in the plural in the way we’d use foodstuffs or provisions. For example: The viands of the king were always abundant and delicious. The word comes to us, rather appropriately, …
Here’s an excerpt from my novella, The Jammer and the Blade. The story is now available in ebook format at Amazon.com. If you’d like to be notified about this and other releases, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. This section is from the opening of the story: Sun li stared at the freshly cut arcoiris …
A few years back I read the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. If you haven’t read it, you might think it was a tragic, sad love story. It certainly is that, but it is also a book about architecture. The reference to the Paris cathedral is not just for the setting, you see. In this …
Welkin This word means simply “sky” or “the heavens”. It is an antiquated word that descends from the Old English wolcen. I doubt you’ll get much practical use out of it, but it is occasionally used in the phrase, “the ringing of the welkin” to signal when something momentous is occurring or is about to occur. …
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can’t say enough about what an enjoyable journey this was. The characters were vivid and charming, the plot brisk (once it got going), and the language and descriptions were superb. Phileas Fogg, the main character, proved “equal to the …
