The Writer’s Craft – A Real Character

(Silverdale, Washington; Oct. 6, 2019) – There is a moment in the Disney version of Pinocchio in which the titular character characters declares, “I’m a real boy!” The moment marks his transformation from being an enchanted wooden puppet to a flesh-and-blood human being. The whole story of Pinocchio is, effectively, of an inanimate object being … Continue reading The Writer’s Craft – A Real Character

Travel Blog: When a Napkin Saved a Family

(Dec. 5, 2017) I was touring the National Museum of the United States Air Force with my family the other day when I encountered this story. I’ll get back to the museum later; this story is remarkable enough to warrant its own column. It is a small “footnote in history” (to quote the man who … Continue reading Travel Blog: When a Napkin Saved a Family

Travel Log – Baguettes

(Nov. 28, 2017) One of the great things about traveling is people. You don’t always need big historic sites and grand natural vistas. Sometimes a small moment with a woman you’re sort-of-almost-related-to can provide a very lovely evening. I’m at my brother’s place in Ohio. Tom and Natalie are also a military family. They have … Continue reading Travel Log – Baguettes

It is Finished

It is finished. The seven stories of The Norfolk Murders have been completed. This exercise in the creative process as performance art is over. I wrote seven novellas in nine months...while I was retiring from the Navy. March – November tracked the final active duty adventures of the Navy’s Accidental Detective, Isaac T. Shepherd. In … Continue reading It is Finished

The End is Nigh!

The end is nigh! The Murder Game has been concluded, and it’s the second story I consider to be one of my better-set plots. Granted this is a matter of opinion, but I love these type of locked-room, isolated set pieces where the murder, murderer, suspects, and detective are all confined to a small area. … Continue reading The End is Nigh!

Well, THAT Didn’t go as Planned…Again!

Well, THAT didn’t quite go as planned…again! The Hanged Man was a difficult story to write. Partly because the plot painted me into a corner (I blame the plot, not myself), and partly because, although it was started and set in July, the sequence of events I’m living as I get near retiring from the … Continue reading Well, THAT Didn’t go as Planned…Again!

Stripping Down

No, not like that. Get your minds out of the gutter! This is the one-year anniversary of Sparks1524.com here on WordPress, so that’s a milestone right there. Yes, for my loyal followers (all two of you), I know I’m still behind on the fifth Isaac Shepherd mystery, The Hanged Man. Work with me; I’ve been … Continue reading Stripping Down

Tangled Tale Along a Troubled Trail

Madness. Sheer, inescapable, asphalt-founded madness. Yet, what a story today’s tangled tale along a troubled trail of precipitation-painted pavement is! Tomorrow (Aug. 8, 2017) I have my first in-person interview for a job I would very much like to get—teaching public affairs at the Defense Information School (DINFOS), also on Fort Meade. However, as … Continue reading Tangled Tale Along a Troubled Trail

The Hanged Man – Chapter 2

Under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1971, this is a fully copyrighted and protected work by law. Copyright is owned by and all rights are reserved to Nathanael Miller. No part may be reproduced in whole or part without my written permission. Facebook and Twitter links to this story may be shared; but the work … Continue reading The Hanged Man – Chapter 2

The Hanged Man – Chapter 1