Uncategorized – Mark Bruce, Writer

The Vagaries of Love

For most of us, Love is the great adventure of our lives. We will never save the world by cutting the right wire to the nuclear bomb a second before it goes off. We will never commit a brave deed in the middle of combat. We will never climb Everest. We will never throw theContinue reading “The Vagaries of Love”

More Songs From the Listening Room

So I go to this open mic in Ventura ( a 2 1/2 hour trip either way) on the Second Sunday and Fourth Fridays of the month called “The Listening Room.” I sing original songs. Here’s the latest, “Moonlight” and “Summer Moon.”

The Universe Answers

My last whiny blog was about how the mean ol’ universe was oppressing me like that peasant in Monty Python’s Holy Grail. Something about how depressed I was and it was all someone else’s fault because they wouldn’t publish my novel. Wah. As if to bring me up short, the Universe sent me an answerContinue reading “The Universe Answers”

Confession

I am a Catholic through and through. And every good Catholic knows that confession is good for the soul. If not the career. I confess that I have not written anything of substance since Nov 30. At that time I was working on a novel (I didn’t get to 50,000 words this year) but theContinue reading “Confession”

Arsenic and Adobo

One of the things about the Mystery genre I have always liked is that it’s a big tent. Long before other literary forms began looking for “underrepresented voices,” the mystery genre was welcoming to anyone who could write a good book. Women have always been welcome as mystery writers, no bias here. People of colorContinue reading “Arsenic and Adobo”

The Tyranny of New Year’s

December 31 is in two days. Your Cultural Overlords demand that you celebrate. You must attend a party. It must be chaotic and wild. You must drink to excess. If you decide to drive after such drinking, all the better. We need to reduce the surplus population. You must count down the seconds until JanContinue reading “The Tyranny of New Year’s”

Yule Warp

Christmas barrels in like a Japanese bullet train flying toward Tokyo. It stomps on our lives like Godzilla smashing Tokyo. It is as busy as a Tokyo street. It is as confounding as a Tokyo street sign. I have never been to Tokyo, but I’ve watched a lot of anime and I think this isContinue reading “Yule Warp”

December 23

A song I entered into the Great American Songwriting Contest. I usually don’t win these things but I think this is one of the best songs I’ve ever written. What do you think?

Celebrity Lives

Don’t know about you, but I am signally not interested in what Gwen Stephani and Blake Shelton are up to. Ditto the Kardashians, any of them. Doja Cat can stay in her litter box, for all I care. Ariana Grande says she needs to be carried everywhere so that her delicate feet don’t touch theContinue reading “Celebrity Lives”

The Villian Explains

One of the mystery writing tropes which drives me nuts is the moment in a book where the villain feels compelled to explain everything he’s done. Usually this happens when the protagonist is helpless, at the complete mercy of the bad guy. The protagonist often says something like, “I guess you’ve been very clever inContinue reading “The Villian Explains”