Starting From The Beginning

My name is Stephen Winn and I want to say thanks to you for stopping by my blog. Please feel free to leave a comment on this site or on my website at: www.stephenwinn.com

Since this is the introduction to my blog, I have to give credit where it's due. The idea to do this project came from my daughter Andrea. She didn't tell me about her blog, but I found out about it from my sister, Pat, who heard about it from another family member. That's how things go sometimes. I had a look at Andrea's setup and was impressed, so I started thinking about starting my own. Meanwhile, Writer's Digest kept reminding me in several emails that it's a good idea for a writer to start a blog, so that settled it!

I plan to use this format to discuss matters relating to the murder mystery fiction novels I write and ideas I have about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that I think will be of value to others. If something I write about has value for you in some way, then I have succeeded in achieving at least one of my many objectives.

I certainly hope you enjoy your visit here at my blog and at my website, and come back often. Oh, and please take a moment or two to tell me what you think of my articles, or share one of your own experiences.

Thanks again for your visit,

Stephen

Comments(3)

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Pamela McLauchlanApril 21, 2018, 10:32 PM—Reply

So, I decided to visit your Blog ... wow! It's quite something. I love the city scape at the top of the page. I also like the fact that there is a picture accompanying each article and a summary opening paragraph. Your articles certainly make one think and perhaps change one's perspective. I intend to come back again! Cheers!

WilbertApril 18, 2018, 1:52 PM—Reply

Admiring the time and energy you put into your blog and detailed information you offer. It's great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same unwanted rehashed information. Wonderful read! I've saved your site and I'm including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

Writers Need to be Courageous, Persistent & Informed

Writers need to be courageous, persistent, and informed. Man, do we ever! Being a writer is a labor of love because most often there is no promise of success (however you define it) or money.

Steal from a Writer? How Dare You!

I feel exhausted when I think about how many times someone has tried to rip me off lately. It's now reached a point where I get at least a couple of attempts a month. Here are a few of the more interesting examples I'd like to share with you...

Weed: Follow the Money

I wanted to write a few words about marijuana because it's such a recurring topic that can't be ignored. Everyone I talk to seems to have an opinion about it. I should tell you straight out that I am neither pro or con when it comes to people using it.

An Accomplished Writer!

It's always great to get together with old friends and talk about everything and anything without fear of being politically incorrect or offending sensibilities. Discussions about how fast life is whizzing by, and the good, bad, and ugly things that have come into our lives all end up out on the table. And speaking about things on the table, it always helps if the discussion happens over really good food.

A Tale of Two Blankets

It's seldom that I complain about something, but the two blankets referred to in this article were not just any two blankets. They belonged to my dear departed mother. My sister bought them for her and spared no expense. Both were Hudson's Bay blankets and each was made of pure soft wool. The more expensive of the two was ivory white, known as a "multistripe iconic point" blanket. It has the traditional green, yellow, red and blue wide stripes across it horizontally at the top and bottom.

Are You a Champion? Let's See...

There are champions in all walks of life. Some are very close by us and we don't even realize it: a mother with kids that just lost her husband and takes on the sole support role while improving her education after the kids are in bed; a mentally and/or physically challenged person that works so hard just to do the normal day-to-day activities the rest of us take for granted; the list goes on and on.

Some Lessons My Dad Taught Me

There are some special moments with my dad that I recall from time to time. They come back to me when I get into a jam or awkward situation and then think to myself, "...what would my dad do right now?" He was accomplished at many things. Unfortunately, I only realized the importance of most of his lessons when I was older and he had passed on. I intend to use some of his words of wisdom in my novels. Here are some examples:

So What About Guns?

First things first.

My dear dad, Ed, used to work for an airline. One day he came home and asked me if I would like to join the 'Airline Gun Club' and of course my answer was yes! I was eight years old at the time, so I was very excited to be grown up enough to finally have a chance to shoot a real .22 caliber target rifle instead of just an imitation 'cap' gun. I began to like it so much that I started going twice a week until I was in my mid-teens. That's when I started to play guitar and noticed girls...in that order. I can't recall ever missing a single night at the range over those years with the club, unless it was closed for a holiday.

Keyed on Queen

In my first novel "IMPERFECT", the murder-victim is Bill Stewart, the co-founder and co-owner of a very successful importing business. Bill drove a high-end Bentley Flying Spur which was his darling. He was known to continually rant and rave that there were all kinds of people who had no respect for the property of others. He worried these "stupid people" would carelessly dent or scratch his beautiful car, or worse, damage it on purpose.

Memories of Brandy

No, this blog article isn't about my liquor preferences. It's about my dogs, especially one named Brandy. I've had a dog most of my life. Our first was "Skippy", a mixed-breed black and tan mid-sized male dog that we got from the dog pound when I was just six years old. Sandy was our last one. She was a Belgian Malinois, also known as a Belgian Shepherd Dog. She was so smart that if she had the physical attributes to permit speech, I swear she would have spoken fluently.

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