This Writer’s Life

Controversy recently arose over Pentagon spending on ribeye steaks, lobster tails, Alaskan king crab, and salmon. The budget for those fancy foods was $25 million. Some commentators and social media pundits implied that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon brass would be eating all of it.

Social media is a marketing necessity for most authors. Over the years, I’ve maintained accounts on many platforms. The ones that worked, I kept. The others, I left behind. For a long time, Facebook was one of the ones that worked. I used it regularly and built a solid following there.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried to log in — and Facebook told me my password was incorrect.

Repeated attempts got me locked out.

You may have noticed the Buy Me a Coffee button that now appears at the top of my blog posts and in my social media feeds. It’s a popular, user-friendly platform that allows readers, and fellow creators, to directly support their favorite authors in a simple, low-pressure way. Think of it as a digital tip jar. You can ignore it completely, of course. But if a story made you think, smile, or linger a little longer on the page, you can leave a small tip and even send a short message.

I like modern technology. It’s what allows me to sit at home, in slippers, and earn a living.

I think everyone who follows my blog or social media knows that I’m an author. That means I sit here and write most of the day, occasionally pausing to stare into space and call it “thinking.” Recently, however, a rainstorm brought flooding and knocked out power to much of the local area. You might assume this meant an unexpected vacation until the electricity was restored.

I certainly did.

That thought lasted less than five minutes.