Military plane crashes tested an Olympic runner in Japan and Army men and a WAC in New Guinea — True stories of military heroism can be so exciting that imperfections in the writing matter less than they would in a novel. A wartime narrative can transcend literary flaws if it passes three tests: Is it credible? Is it accurate? Does it tell a neglected story worth telling? Seabiscuit author…

This one could help you, too, if it’s been a while since you had those middle-school geography lessons — Are you taking the kids on a long-postposed car trip now that pandemic restrictions are easing? Are you wondering how to have fun on the road after you’ve exhausted your store of license-plate or “I Spy” games and everyone in the back seat has spent too much time on an…

Four sleuths over 70 solve crimes in a series Steven Spielberg has optioned for the movies — Growing old is no crime, but can it heighten its appeal? You might think so from the welter of recent mysteries with sleuths or perpetrators in their 70s and beyond. Check out bookstores these days and you may see Granny’s Got a Gun, An Elderly Lady Is Up to No…

You think YOUR yoga class is judgy? Or YOUR book had bad copy editing? Wait until you read these stories — Did you know that American death row prisoners get a physical exam “to ensure they’re fit enough to die”? That bizarre fact turned up in an article distributed by the King Features Syndicate to news outlets here on the Gulf Coast. …

You need to be able to describe both to an editor, reader, or interviewer who asks you to do it — This is the first in a series of stories about basic writing topics (“What’s the difference between your theme and your topic?”) as well as more advanced publishing questions (“What’s the best way to find a literary agent?”). You can read about my credentials here. Did you play hooky on…

An actress recalls playing ‘floozies’ on MTV, a bit part on Seinfeld, and more in Hollywood and New York — Back in the 1980s Nancy Balbirer studied acting with David Mamet, who told her she’d be asked to do two things in every role she played: “Take your shirt off and cry.” Mamet may have spoken with tongue-in-cheek, and Balbirer may have tweaked his quote, given that she begins this…

Try this list of 30 books from 30 countries if you’re looking for one about a place that interests you — Do you wish knew more about your ancestors’ homeland? My paternal grandparents came from Hungary, and I’ve often felt frustrated by the shortage of good English-language books about their country. I’ve had the opposite problem with my maternal ancestors: They’re from the Scotland, which has produced so many good books…

Was its lesson sexist or comical or both? — Every June 6, I write about a D-Day book in honor of a treasured relative who landed in France with the Allies and was seriously wounded and evacuated in the liberation of Saint-Lô. There’s a lot of good writing about the invasion of Normandy, and I’ve been rereading some of…

These remarkable men and women — including the model for “Q” in the James Bond books — served with courage and distinction Digby Tatham-Warter led a bayonet charge during the Battle of Arnhem sporting a bowler hat and an umbrella. Nell Allgrove and other Australian nurses survived on two ounces…