writing

Another day in paradise, day 2751

Another Way: Beyond the Status Quo

On Smashwords (which distributes to iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc.) and ... read more

Hiking with Elizabeth, part 2

[continued from Hiking with Elizabeth] The scariest part was when we stopped. Then he stopped. I had my phone in hand, looking at the map. There was a tense moment... read more

Went hiking with my daughter, Elizabeth, yesterday evening. There's a nice little park in Thompson's Station with fairly extensive walking trails on the south end of the park, near the water tower. We saw an owl, so, with her new... read more

Lottery President

New book out!... read more

Last Train Out

New book out!... read more

Temporary Insanity

New book out!Long before winning the lottery and running for president, Benny was living in L.A. working as a temporary word pro... read more

Operation Detour

New book out!... read more

Writing

Artwork | Crafts | Dance | Fashion | ... read more

Recently-discovered book repository

How to move a book store

New book out!Cool! ... read more

Novels, novellas, 99 cents, Last Train Out, Operation Detour, Lottery President, Temporary Insanity

New book out!Each of my novels/novellas is now 99 cents (or FREE through Kindle Unlimited) (... read more

Too funny

This is too funny not to share. See German man's car found 20 years after he lost it in parking ga... read more

Trail of blood

Ordering a sandwich

Yet another grammar rant

In addition to "honoring our veteran's, " how about if we honor our teachers who taught us punctuation, spelling, and the difference between possessive and plural? :)... read more

Cats Disrespecting Pugs

So, I'm lying on the bed with the pug Joey between my legs. No, that's not a figure of speech. I'm referring to an actual dog. Anyway, the cat comes up, thinks about jumping across my legs to the other side, then decides to just step ... read more

Diary, 2017/07/29

I just went down the road to the quickie-mart and got coffee. It's something I do most every weekend morning since throwing away my home coffee maker to keep me from drinking too much of it. On the way there, I saw what I thought was ... read more

Free novella and novels

New book out!Free novella Temporary Insanity ... read more

Please patronize me

Check out my Patreon page. Patrons get free stuff! Well, not technically free since you do have to pay at least $1 to get anything. Still ... ... read more

Got yelled at today

Got yelled at today ... by a quail. I was crossing an empty lot toward the soccer field when I heard squawking. I looked down, and there it was.... read more

Folding clothes

Airlines misbehaving

United Airlines says "Thank you, American Airlines, now everyone finally knows we're not the ONLY a*holes!" Yes, the woman was ... read more

Being Human

Makes me laugh when Facebook asks why I think something is funny or amazing. I'm thinking "Bite me. I don't have the time or inclination to teach your artificial 'intelligence' algorithms what it means to be human." Not that... read more

Wife's Jetta

Driving wife's Jetta while my car gets serviced. I called it a piece of $h!+ just before getting out. Its door then hit me in the forehead while I tried to climb out. So, I guess we're even.... read more

One of the all-time great rock-era lyricists

Listening to Don Henley this morning. He is one of the all-time great lyricists/poets. Just thought I'd say so. Then Don McLean came on, so ... ?? Of course, they can both be among the greatest, but Henley is probably THE greatest.... read more

Tornadoes

Had to park under an overpass this morning to avoid tornadoes. No problems for me but one did touch down right near work. Someone said it hit Macy's (just across the Interstate).... read more

Cash back

Dumbing yourself down

Adjusted to winter

Writers Need Followers?

Publishers and writing "gurus" preach that writers need followers. The problem is that emotionally-stable people don't want followers, they want friends, compatriots, people who listen, not followers. Especially ... read more

Out of toothpaste

Me (joking, the other day): I'm out of toothpaste! Whaddaya gonna do about it? Wife (without missing a beat): Find a husband with toothpaste, I guess. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I married her. :) And that's why... read more

You know you're lazy when...

You know you're lazy when you check weather instead of getting up and going outside to see what the weather is doing! I (eventually) went outside.... read more

Fence guy

So, the wife texts me saying, "Fence guy quoted $35500 to do the fence. He's coming out Wednesday." This is a fence repair for a small backyard, not a new thousand acre fence. Me: "How much?!" ... read more

Christmas music

With wife playing Christmas music this morning (as soon as is socially acceptable), it put me in the mood for this: Christia... read more

Awkward

So, I'm walking back from feeding the neighbor's dog while they're on vacation. I see my wife and daughter in the car up ahead, just about to turn onto our street. I'm looking at them. They're looking at me (or at least it feels like ... read more

Last Train Out

New book out!Last Train Out, eBook (... read more

Dare to be nice

Dare to be nice (or friendly, even) once in a while instead of "cool." As my brother-in-law says, "Jus' sayin'."... read more

Cereal

"I think I'm addicted to cereal," I said. "Addicted?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm gonna hit the street looking for my latest fix." "And by 'street,' you mean Aisle 3 at Kroger, rig... read more

My novels

New book out!While working on my latest no... read more

You saying I'm ugly?

I was explaining to my 9 year old daughter what "networking" is, and that I'm not very good at it. She said, "That's because a lot of people judge you by your looks. And you're not ..." "You trying to say I'm ugly?" "I don't t... read more

One too many cats

I was up a little earlier than usual this morning, which apparently surprised one of the cats in our house. The thing is, we only have one cat. Any more than that is too many. This one — either a stray or just one of the neighbo... read more

Parents code of ethics

Signing my daughter up for softball, I just had to laugh at this (stripped down) Parents Code of Ethics: I will encourage good sportsmanship I will place the emotional and physical well-being of my child ahead of my pe... read more

Catfish

[from 1994, © 1994] by Eric McGovern It was a warm, humid night, as are most nights of August in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. It was ten p.m. and, as I loaded my fishing gear into my truck and looked up at the full ... read more

Devastating Earthquake Rocks Southland

Aliens Spoke to Me

Kangaroos Attacked Me

[from 1993] by Greg* — [* not really] There I was in Long Beach, California, having lunch down along the docks like I always do. It was a cool Autumn day, early November. I was watching the ships roll in ... ... read more

Remmy Gets Gas

[from July 1990] by Bill Remmy pulled into the gas station and jumped out of his pickup. He went to the rear of the truck, checked his reflection in the camper shell window, smiled at himself, and slid the gas nozzle in... read more

So Much for Sacrificial Rites

Baub

Requiem for a pigeon

Requiem For A Pigeon by Bill We witnessed a pigeon's demise Right here on the dock o' the Bay There was nothing we could do Nothing we could say It just wasn't the pigeon's day ... read more

Best thrillers of all time

New book out!... read more

Advice for writing

A writer's narrative perspective (their "voice," or, how they come across to their reader) must be: This is me talking to you.That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.It's not: This is me 100 years ago speaking in a "cl... read more

My twitter feed

Tweets

My Twitter feed: by @TheBillHolmes Some of my better ones, according to me ... Perfe... read more

Cold day in November

It was cold today in Nashville! The high for the day was only about 45. I guess that'll feel warm if we get that in January, but still.... It's supposed to get down to the mid-20s tonight. I know, I know. You all in ... read more

This is deep

I just had to share this comment someone left here on FriendsNews. Read it, absorb it, digest it, lather, rinse and repeat it. Then let me know what the %$^# it means! Here it is: "I comprehend that is g... read more

How does writing affect your brain?

How Does Writing Affect Your Brain? [infographic].Interesting ... to me, anyway. "Most of us write a little so... read more

Recent tweets

I remember when I didn't know what a "tweet" was, other than the sound a bird makes. It wasn't so long ago, either. Below is just a random list of tweets. Pathetic, I know, but I felt the need to put something new on the site. Anyway.... read more

Lost a friend

No, not that kind of "lost" (knock on wood). So get that lump out of your throat. No, I just noticed I've lost a friend.Don't you hate it when you're walking along talking to someone, it's crowded, you hear a muffled screa... read more

Dinner and a show

After stopping at Tara's sister Stephanie's house in Smyrna to pick up a newly-refurbished ... read more

Just another Sunday

Wife and kid are off at this thing called "church." Maybe you've heard of it. I'm not familiar. Not sure what to make of it. :)I'm basically just hanging out waiting for the new mattress to be delivered. We told the delivery guy, "... read more

Started a new story today

New book out!I started writing a new story today. Can't say much about it except that it's pretty much sci-fi, though it might w... read more

About my books

New book out!Click here for ... read more

Cracking up over Lottery President

New book out!Here's my Ama... read more

Father's Day

I'm just writing this post to get something new on the blog other than that free ad for Windows 7. :) We drove up to be with my wife's side of the family today for F... read more

Guest posting

I've been following and listening to Jeff Goins's TribeWriters program, and he says an important aspect to successful blogging (at least as far as getting noticed) is to "guest pos... read more

House cleaning

Doling out who would be doing what for today's house cleaning project, my wife Tara assigned the following to me: Strip and make the bed. Knowing me, she then felt the need to clarify this. "That means strip the bed." I&... read more

Holiday World

I rode a rollercoaster for the first time in I don't know how long. It was a blast! The Raven has been voted "most awesome [or whatever] wooden coaster" several times i... read more

Not pulled over

Had a very brief, mundane, realistic dream the night before last in which I was pulled over by a traffic cop. I didn't think much about it until the next morning when I was going down Antioch Pike to a client's office. That particular... read more

I am now a published author

New book out!OK, so it's SELF-published, but still ... :) It's called "... read more

Cinco de Mayo

It was Cinco de Mayo, so we tried Moe's Southwest Grill. After ten minutes with very little movement... read more

Saved a life today

Probably. You never know about these things. Anyway, I had forgotten to buy cat food and that is what allowed me to be there in time to save a life. Taking my daughter to school this morning, I had to turn south on Nolensville Rd beca... read more

Great suction!

In preparation for the much-anticipated Comcast installation (Internet, not TV), I do as they suggest and clear out a space where I want them to put the cable wall jack. Once I ha... read more

Doing the dishes

So, my wife tells me most people do the dishes every day. I don't believe her. "Every day?" I ask."Yes, every day," she says."Every single day?" I persist. She nods. "You don't mean," I search for clarification, "it's s... read more

Shaking while braking

Three and a half hours in the Pep Boys waiting room is always time well-spent, wouldn't you agree? :) I'm home now, appreciating the comfort of my office chair, but Pep... read more

Denied again

This is the second "denial" in as many days. Yesterday it was the life insurance company. Today, I got one of those job application denial emails: Thank you for your interest in our [recent] opening. We have had a chance to revi... read more

Insurance companies

Good news: SunLife Financial sent me a refund check! Bad news: It was because they denied my policy for, according to them, failing to send all of my paperwork in on time. Um, I th... read more

Tried to mow the lawn

Well, I tried to mow the lawn, but the lawnmower wouldn't start. I swear. :) It's probably all clogged up from sitting there unused all winter. It was a hand-me-down mower, anyway, probably in need of replacing, but that's j... read more

Your novel blueprint

Good article for writers. via Your Novel Blueprint | WritersDigest "Writing a novel and building a house are ... read more

Contentment

Contentment is lying in bed, social networking on my laptop, listening to my wife and daughter "fight"/tease each other in the other room, while I've got the cat cuddled up on my left and two out of three pugs cuddled up on my right.... read more

Serialized version of Operation Detour

New book out!I have serialized my novel, "Operation Detour." The first several installments have been scheduled, one a day... read more

A couple of books/novellas on Kindle

New book out!I've published a couple of books/novellas on Kindle recently: ... read more

Diary, 2012/07/02

It almost rained today. I know, exciting. Apparently, it did rain pretty hard in some places, but not here on "the south side." Hopefully, by this time next week it will have rained several times. The possibility is in the forecast, ... read more

Diary, 2012/06/30

Lottery President ebook now available on Kindle

New book out!Click here for your ... read more

Monkey Joe's again

This could get expensive coming here on a regular basis at $9-$10 every time, but Tara had a coupon that made it half price. We're at the new one in Brentwood/Cool Springs. ... read more

New rules for writers

Anis Shivani: New Rules For Writers: Ignore Publicity, Shun Crowds, Refuse Recognition And More.... read more

Couch potato

I've been a couch potato all day. Well, most of the day. I did finally pull up the dead "crops" in the vegetable garden at one point. And I did do some recycling, taking the paper, bottles, cans and plastic bags out of the trash c... read more

Winter has arrived

It's been snowing all day, at least an inch and a half accumulation. Earlier, I put some de-icer on the driveway in preparation for tomorrow morning. Before that, I had to walk the dogs in the snow. You know, pugs don't like s... read more

New washer

The new washer was delivered today. I let them take the old one away even though we'd just bought it (used) a week ago. That's right, it lasted just one week. Oh well, we didn't really need that $200 (after tax and delivery), anyway. ... read more

Yesterday

Tara had a busy "day off." Her basic schedule consisted of: 1) taking our pug Chandler back to the vet (for the fifth or sixth time the past month) to check on his ... read more

Lucy's birthday

Today's my sister Lucy's birthday. She must be having a good one, because she has not replied to anyone's email birthday greeting. The previous weekend was our nephew Daniel's 2nd birthday party in Smyrna. That kid partied... read more

Diary, 2010/07/25

Just got back from an all day shopping excursion. I don't know how Tara does it every week. I told her that was harder work than going to the office all day. She said, "So, you appreciate me more now?" Of course, I said yes. F... read more

Diary, 2010/07/24

Diary, 2010/07/23

Aetna reverses its decision

My insurance company, Aetna, which denied a $10,000 medical claim last year, has finally reversed its decision (after my second appeal) and decided to "process the claim" again.W... read more

Bird in the house

Woke up this morning to a bird in the kitchen. I had a hunch the cat Sunny had brought something inside because, while still half asleep, I heard her banging around outside of the bedroom somewhere.Anyway, I walked int... read more

Installed the new dishwasher

I finally got around to installing the new dishwasher that Tara's sister Stephanie mysteriously bought for us. Not sure why, but I never look a gift horse in the mouth. Seriously, if anyone ever feels like giving me something, feel fr... read more

McDonalds wi-fi

In Nashville, anyway, it seems you can get around their proxy system (those outlets that use it), simply by using Google Chrome and maybe Firefox. It might be as simple as using any browser other than Internet Explorer. ... read more

Happy spring!

I am sooooo glad winter is over ... here in Nashville, anyway. I'm also glad we're not getting any flooding like North Dakota. Now, I need to make up for last year in my ve... read more

Screenplay submitted

I submitted a screenplay to Scriptapalooza today. See scriptapalooza. The first deadline is Friday the 5th. The real deadline is April 15. I think first prize is $10,000, but... read more

My Cousin Kenny's book

New book out!... read more

Thawing out

Hopefully. It snowed a good 5-6 inches Friday in and around Nashville. It wasn't good snowman/snowball snow, though. Not in our neighborhood, anyway. It was too crusty because of the freezing rain that came after the snow. It made... read more

Stories to download

New book out!Get your "eBooks" here!Links to my Amazon book ... read more

A day without my car

I'm just testing this Windows Live Writer software. UPDATE: There's now a newer, "open-source" version here. ... read more

Diary, 2009/10/28

We had a "Fall Festival" party at Elizabeth's daycare/preschool tonight (called that because some parents don't like Halloween). Elizabeth went dressed up in her Minnie Mouse costume. She was very cute. But then, she's cute no matter ... read more

Diary, 2009/10/17

Diary, 2009/10/15

Too many doctors lately

I had knee surgery the other day. They removed my bursa sac that kept filling up with fluid due to an injury. The only thing I can figure is that it happened when I helped this neighbor kid stop his bike as he was coming down the hill... read more

Haircut

Got a haircut today. Finally! What little I have left — after all the stress at work and the stress of the recent back pain — was getting pretty long and goofy-looking unless it was wet and slicked back. Anyway, I was sitt... read more

Christmas 2008

It took five months, but here it is: Christmas 2008... read more

New fence

I forgot to mention that I built a fence last weekend. It only spans about 12 feet from the side of the house to the retaining wall dividing us from our slightly-uphill neighbor. I've still got to cut a gate into it. Hopefully, I can ... read more

Thought for the day

I was noticing how I'm not as good of a speller as I used be, or at least not as quick. Old age, I figured. Brain deteriorating. Oh well. Then I decided it's not necessarily that big a deal when certain brain synapses or pathways/... read more

Diary, 2009/04/02

Today is Dad's birthday. 90 years old! Amazing. I'm 48, in case you're wondering. Amazing ... ly disgusting! Oh well. Anyway, back to Dad. Longevity runs in his side of the family. His mother lived to be 101. His father made... read more

Our first outside Christmas lights, ever!

That's it. No story. Here's the link: Our first outside Christmas lights... read more

Diary, 2008/11/10

Parents all worry about how well they're raising their kids; how they will behave; what kind of people they will grow up to be. Well, tonight I discovered a sad truth about our youngest daughter, Sunny. She likes to hang out in gutter... read more

Diary, 2008/11/07

Diary, 2008/04/26

Poetry

Artwork | Crafts | Dance | Fashion | Jokes/... read more

People you'll be missing and why

Hats

A Prince in Disguise

The Run

A Saga of Seven

Short Stories

Artwork Jokes | Music Photography... read more

Books

New book out!Artwork | Crafts | ... read more

The Slow Leak

by Steve Holmes Sept. 9, 2000 It was a gorgeous Sunday near the end of September and I needed some exercise. Exercise, just for the sake of exercise was probably best done by running on the treadmill at the athletic club. B... read more

The Admired Car

Dinko Goes Shopping

Murder, or Just an Honest Mistake?

A Day at the Fair

Lunch at Jack-In-The-Box

One of Those Nights

Lipstick & WD-40

Good Friday

It WAS a good Friday. There was nothing religious about it. If you know me at all, that wouldn't surprise you. I was just reading my previous post and wanted to have something more positive this time. We're all still adjusting to ... read more

Bill and Tara's excellent adventure

It started out as an innocent attempt at "dinner and a movie" on a Saturday night. It turned into... Tara's nightmare! Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but still... We had dinner at ... read more

A day at the races

[from 1994] The first Saturday in May. What does this date mean to you? Probably nothing, except that Spring has finally arrived, unless you live in California where it's been Spring already for two months or more — ... read more

A girl named Lucy

[from 1990] This is a story 'bout a girl named Lucy Otherwise known as "The Rappin' Watusi" She lays down a beat that gets your toes tappin' If your toes get tired, let your fingers do the snappin' She says... read more