About twenty years ago, Terry Brooks gave Tracy and me a piece of advice that has stuck with me ever since. Read outside your genre. He was talking to us as writers. His point was that if you read nothing but the sort of books you write, sooner or later you start breathing your own […]
The Other Side of the Bookstore Read More »
Last week, I declared August 31 New Year’s Eve. There were school supplies involved. Fresh notebooks. New pencils. That strange feeling I’ve never quite lost that September is when one year ends and another begins. It was a lovely idea. There was, however, one small problem with declaring September the start of the New Year.
Resolutions for the Rest of the Year Read More »
Tomorrow is September 1. Which means today is New Year’s Eve. Not the official one, obviously. Nobody is going to stand outside tonight in twenty-degree weather wearing a stupid hat and counting backward from ten. There probably won’t be champagne. Ryan Seacrest is unlikely to turn up. And if somebody starts singing Auld Lang Syne,
The Other New Year’s Eve Read More »
Once upon a time, “cozy” meant somebody had been murdered in a picturesque English village, but at least there was tea. Now cozy has escaped the mystery shelves and wandered into fantasy, science fiction, and even my own *The Summer Garden*. So what exactly makes a story cozy—and what genre will it invade next?
Is Everything Getting Cozy? Read More »
August may look quiet from the outside, but behind the scenes authors are tending stories the way gardeners tend their plants—patiently preparing for the season ahead.
The Dog Days of an Author’s Summer Read More »
Years after finishing a novel, it’s rarely the plot we remember best. It’s the people. The quiet characters who felt real, who made us laugh, who gave the story its heart. Those are the ones who stay with us—and perhaps that’s true of the people we meet in life, too.
The People Who Quietly Stay With Us Read More »
Some of the most important things in life begin as something small and uncertain. A packet of seeds. A first chapter. A conversation. Standing in the garden this spring, watching green shoots push through the soil, reminded me that growth is often invisible until suddenly it isn’t—and that the things we plant today may become far more than we ever imagined.
The Things We Plant Read More »
Some years are quieter than others. Some years are meant for rest.
And some years? Some years hand you a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a horizon full of work worth doing.
In this reflective new post, Mark Posey writes about turning sixty, building twenty raised garden beds, rebuilding the future of Stories Rule Press, and why this season of life feels less about chasing and more about building — steadily, patiently, one load of compost at a time.
The Year of the Horse Read More »
Sunday mornings used to be about sleeping late, catching up, or feeling guilty about everything still left undone. These days, they’re quieter. Coffee in the kitchen. Music playing softly. Conversations that drift between the new, the familiar, and the things you somehow keep revisiting after decades together. Outside, twenty raised garden beds wait for spring planting, which may be ambition or madness. Possibly both.
Sunday Morning Kitchen Read More »
Some movies adapt a book. A rare few understand it. From Stand By Me to The Bourne Identity, these are five films that prove story always matters more than spectacle, budget, or special effects.
Five Movies That Prove Story Always Wins Read More »
A great story doesn’t just entertain—it pulls you under. Stand By Me still hits because it reminds us of who we were… and who we still are beneath everything else.
The Story That Reminded Me Why Stories Matter Read More »
Mark takes a moment to brag — loudly and unapologetically — about Tracy’s incredible achievement: completing the thirteen-book Once and Future Hearts series and preparing its exclusive hardcover Kickstarter. From behind-the-scenes glimpses to outright spousal pride, this post celebrates the epic scope of the project and why the upcoming campaign is such a milestone.
A Little Marital Bragging (Okay, Maybe a Lot) Read More »