This picture above was taken while I was watching my first live cricket match in a park in Edinburgh. It’s a look of pure confusion, I know. It’s also a look I have on my face frequently these days, in what passes for the tale end of the Covid-19 quarantines. With talk of opening up... Continue Reading →
M.J. Downing This is a true story and not funny at all. I beg you to remember that when it comes to the humiliation I went through, which was so long ago that you might think the sting of the event has lessened over the years. It has diminished only slightly and no longer causes... Continue Reading →
“The World’s Saddest Dollar Store.” M.J. Downing “That ol’ truck’s been a ways, ain’t it?”a voice said behind me. I turned away from the steaming radiator of my ’56 Chevy pick-up and saw a small, slender man sitting on the sidewalk of the General Dollar Emporium. With a week’s worth of beard growth and shaggy hair, he... Continue Reading →
M.J. Downing Some of you might remember the cover of this book that was on an old FB page called “The Ridge Road Mysteries.” The cover art is mine and though I had a better one designed by the talented Mr, Anthony Nowicke, this one was my first. You might even see it on Amazon... Continue Reading →
“The Sign of Four: My Own Enneagram Mystery.” M.J. Downing I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, take the Enneagram test and examine my personality type in depth. Invoking the Doyle title wasn’t my desire. The test that I took from Truity.com identifies me as a Four, and emotional type, a heart type, and... Continue Reading →
M.J. Downing Paul Calhoun pulled a chair up to Brendan’s table at the coffee shop, flipped open his tablet, and brought up his school account. Brendan’s eyes stayed on his screen. He didn’t act like he knew his best friend had joined him. He couldn’t. Brendan stared at a report that a girl he liked had shared about a... Continue Reading →
I took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to go to the Ali Museum today. They offered a special screening of an upcoming HBO Documentary, Ali & Cavett: the Tale of the Tapes. Both the film’s writers, Robert Bader and Dick Cavett, were on hand doing interviews and signing copies of the poster in the screen shot above. HBO... Continue Reading →
Here is a scene from a book I’ve been working on, Elwood’s Poem. I’m trying to do some dystopian world building through character. Let me know what you think. “Hanging on.” “Hey! Old man!” A rough voice called from the dark of the alley Mike Riley just passed. He hadn’t heard ‘tough guy’ voices calling... Continue Reading →
Timely Meeting: An Homage to Bill Forrester and Helen Loomis from Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine.” M.J. Downing At ninety-two, Bill Forrester weighed the same, was as trim as, he was at thirty-one. As Helen had told him sixty years before, though, he knew enough of his body to know that it was winding down. Still, he... Continue Reading →
I have an unpublished novel, Starling’s Call, about a some magical occurrences in the life of young Andy McKinney. This Christmas Story is set some years before the action of that novel, but I thought I’d share it with as a bit of Christmas Magic. If you enjoy it, let me know. “Holding Onto Christmas”M.J.... Continue Reading →
MJ Downing’s Place 