Writing

SW New Hope - FINAL

A brief appreciation of John Williams’ score to the 1977 George Lucas film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. I discuss my discovery of the music, analyze a selection of cues, and consider the music’s legacy. For Amazon Kindle. Published January 2018.

Conan the Barbarian - FINAL For Real

A brief appreciation of Basil Poledouris’ score to the 1982 John Milius film Conan the Barbarian. I discuss my discovery of the music, analyze a selection of cues, and consider the music’s legacy. For Amazon Kindle. Published April 2017.

Jaws

A brief appreciation of John Williams’ score to the 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws. I discuss my discovery of the music, analyze a selection of cues, and consider the music’s legacy.  Jaws is special because it was probably the first movie I fell in love with. For Amazon Kindle. Published April 2017.

Apoll 13 Launch - Text

A brief appreciation of James Horner’s score to the 1995 Ron Howard film Apollo 13. I discuss my discovery of the music, analyze a selection of cues, and consider the music’s legacy. Published 2017. Available for Amazon Kindle.

Batman Logo 2

A brief appreciation of Danny Elfman’s score to the 1989 Tim Burton film Batman. I discuss my discovery of the music, analyze a selection of cues, and consider the music’s legacy. Published 2017. Available for Amazon Kindle.

Madrid Under Three Skies - Cover

Juan Milagros Jr., the American son and namesake of a famous Spanish expatriate painter, explores his father’s playgrounds in Madrid for the first time over the course of a busy day. Juan has just graduated college and is finding himself. He has all the painterly instincts of his father but, as of yet, no calling. At the top of the Telefonica building, in the rural beauty of Fuentiduena de Tajo, and at a street flamenco performance, Juan may just find the inspiration and direction he’s looking for. Spain, he discovers, is everything his father told him it would be. Madrid Under Three Skies is a short story available for Amazon Kindle. Published 2016.

The year in 1972 in the fictional town of Sycamore in Cecil County, Maryland. The town is poor and racially divided. The county sheriff is wracked by guilt for witnessing a lynching years ago and doing nothing about it. The sycamore tree where the crime took place is now on a residential lot and new homeowners are moving in. The sheriff cannot pray before the tree any longer. What will happen when the Philly transplants cut down the tree? Where will the sheriff find solace? The Penitence Tree is a short story available on Amazon Kindle. Published 2015.

A collection of ten critiques of Hollywood film. Titles discussed include THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, THE SAVAGES, SCENT OF A WOMAN, THE BORDER, THE CANDIDATE, SAVE THE TIGER, IRON MAN, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, and 12 YEARS A SLAVE. Actors Eli Wallach, James Rebhorn, and Philip Seymour Hoffman receive special tribute. Available on Amazon Kindle. Published in 2014.

A collection of ten film score critiques. Films discussed include STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, FURY, MEDICINE MAN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, MAN OF STEEL, and RIO 2. Film composers Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith receive special tribute. Available on Amazon Kindle. Published in 2014.

A Halloween short story based in Cecil County, Maryland at the turn of the 19th century. Available on Amazon Kindle. Published in 2014.

Lawton Chiles was one of the most inspirational and influential politicians to come from Florida. His unique campaign style and passion for improving people s lives established a legacy that deserves recognition today. John Dos Passos Coggin conducted more than one hundred interviews with the friends, family, and co-workers of Lawton Chiles to create this definitive biography. Walkin’ Lawton is an authorized biography available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format. Published in 2012.