“Christmas Ex Machina.” M.J. Downing On a cold, gray Christmas Eve, while Sam Cooper was home, at work, when the ghost came. Sam, surrounded by computer screens, was in the midst of a video conference at the same time he answered several questions from clients who paid him well. His talent was making software behave.... Continue Reading →

Do fairies translate to the techno, postmodern world? M.J. Downing First of all, I’m looking or comments on this subject.  So, please give this a thought, especially in light of the last story I posted, “An Eye to See.” Halloween stories need  a source of threat. I chose fairies, this time, because I don’t see... Continue Reading →

This one is for Tolkien enthusiasts who are disappointed by The Rings of Power: There’s Hope Yet!             Amazon’s Rings of Power is just the right size for television or film.  It is far too small, though, for Tolkien enthusiasts.  The computer graphics and clever camera work are all exciting, perhaps even innovative.  I am... Continue Reading →

Just recently, as I emptied my email spam box, I came across an invitation to be admitted to the Illuminati. No, I had not sent in an application, as odd as that might sound, coming from the former director of the Jed Clampett College Center of Esoteric B.S. the sign for which was once posted... Continue Reading →

M.J. Downing.             With the recent release of a “coming attractions” Netflix ad, folks will see that Enola Holmes 2 is on its way in ’22.  Furthermore, “Screen rant” suggests that Henry Cavill’s reprise of the Sherlock role will be more involved in the second view. In my view, I say, why not Cavill? Since... Continue Reading →

            I have been as busy as most these days, what with preparing this year’s Christmas Story as well as revising Sherlock Holmes and The Ghosts of Savannah (working title) before it goes in for copy edits. However, this past Thursday, 2 December, I was invited to Good Grounds Church, where, in anticipation of the... Continue Reading →

Any day that stands out on one’s calendar is a Red Letter Day. It could be a birthday, anniversary, start of a new journey, or celebration of an old one. The saying itself is an ancient one, associated with illuminated manuscripts, whose first letter—the Rubric—was often done in red ink and treated to all sorts... Continue Reading →

I am pleased to announce the re-release of The Best I Got, edited and with a new cover by the talented Anthony Nowicke, available now in Amazon Kindle and Print-on-demand! Check out this mysterious, nostalgic look at Louisville, Ky in 1970, an urban fantasy without vampires, werewolves, or other strange creatures.  The monsters then, as... Continue Reading →

Greetings Friends! My desktop--the actual thing, not a computer--is a mess these days.  I’ve been working on several projects, so there’s a welter of paper, pipes, and other litter surrounding me.  However, I’m not swamped yet! The picture of me above shows confusion, true, but that’s because I was watching a Cricket match at the... Continue Reading →

            If he had ever been alive, he would have been born 169 years ago today, 7 July 1852.  Of course, he would have been born in the U.K, but it would be more accurate to say that his birth occurred in the fertile country of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s imagination, which was never bound... Continue Reading →