Author Archives: admin

All Roads Lead to Rome

Posted on June 6, 2025 by admin

Dave’s short story “Ranks of Bronze” is included in an anthology edited by Hank Davis and David Afsharirad, released June 3, 2025, by Baen books. Step back in time and traverse the stars with classic stories that reimagine the grandeur … Continue reading →

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Newsletter -1

Posted on September 7, 2024 by admin

DrakeNews #-1 September 2024 Even after 9 months it is difficult not to imagine that Dave is outside downstairs on the lower deck with his books and computer. If he were writing this newsletter he would probably report how Hurricane … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #137

Posted on November 17, 2023 by admin

DrakeNews #137 November 2023 Dear people, The long view: covid and my series of mini-strokes have caused me to revisit items from my past.  For example, the Library of America recently reprinted crime novels of the fifties. Some of them … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #136

Posted on October 9, 2023 by admin

DrakeNews #136 October 2023 I just turned 78 (September 24). I used to have a big pig-picking at our house in the country, but Covid made a large gathering a bad idea. So, for several years I took family and … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #135

Posted on August 25, 2023 by admin

Dear people, I don’t go to many movies in theaters, but recently I saw Oppenheimer and Barbie and I found both excellent. They both address major issues: nuclear weapons and gender equality respectively, but the films are about people. The … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #134

Posted on August 4, 2023 by admin

 DrakeNews #134 August 4, 2023 Dear People: One of the things a father is likely to think about is what field of work should my child go into? My answer was ‘whatever he pleases.’ I didn’t advise my son Jonathan. … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #133

Posted on July 3, 2023 by admin

Dear People, In the 1960s when I was just starting to write fiction, I was drawn to ancient history as a subject. I liked ancient history and knew nothing about the writing business, but it struck me at once the … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #132

Posted on May 29, 2023 by admin

DrakeNews #132  May 24, 2023 Dear People, A couple of things happened to me around 1970 that changed my future in major ways. I was drafted in 1970 and sent to Nam. I hadn’t expected that. I was in the … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #131

Posted on March 11, 2023 by admin

Dear People, The pond has frogs, but nothing more exciting so far. That’s okay, and if it continues to hold water we’ll consider stocking fish. I continue to train with Dave Colisanti who was Jonathan’s work-out partner thirty years ago. … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #130

Posted on February 2, 2023 by admin

Dear People, We have a pond and also have redone the gravel drive after construction equipment drove over it. This has been a long run but we seem to have gotten somewhere. I joked with my trainer that as soon … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #129

Posted on December 20, 2022 by admin

DrakeNews #129 December 20, 2022 Dear people, Life hasn’t changed a lot for me personally since #128. I continue to be much less smart than I used to be. I can no longer hold a complete idea in my head. … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #128

Posted on October 14, 2022 by admin

DrakeNews #128: October 14, 2022 Dear people, I am now 77. I had a modest dinner party in a restaurant for family and a few old friends. Jonathan and his wife were present, also grandson Tristan, now a sophomore at … Continue reading →

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3 Drake Men at the Gym

Posted on October 14, 2022 by admin

Three Drake Men at the Gym October 2022: Jonathan, Dave & Tristan

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Newsletter #127

Posted on August 2, 2022 by admin

DrakeNews 127: August 2, 2022 Dear People, A problem with getting old is that you’re increasingly likely to die. If you don’t die, you’re likely to lose old friends. I’ve just lost two, most recently Eric Flint, whom I met … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #126

Posted on May 25, 2022 by admin

Dear people I’ve got mildly good news! I was looking up a book on amazon and ran into mention of a book in the Winston sf series from the ’50s: Danger: Dinosaurs. I had read and liked a number of … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #125

Posted on March 11, 2022 by admin

DrakeNews #125 for March 11, 2022 Dear people, I’ve been taking Genaire ReBuilder for some while now. At this point I can endorse it.  In combination with working out on machines with my son Jonathan, I am in better shape … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #124

Posted on December 22, 2021 by admin

Dear People, I’m not back to writing, but I thought I’d do another newsletter. Karen tells me she just meant for me to pause in the regularly scheduled newsletters, and Christmas seems a good time for an update specially since I was … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #123 – the last one

Posted on November 17, 2021 by admin

DrakeNews #123, the last newsletter, November 17, 2021 Dear People, Karen suggested I title this newsletter last, so I’m doing that. My health problems continue, whatever they are. I can’t concentrate enough to write a novel and I even had … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #122

Posted on August 31, 2021 by admin

DrakeNews #122 for September 2021 Dear People, I had an MRI which seems to say I don’t have Parkinson’s. My brain however has shrunk, and there’s evidence of ministrokes of which I knew nothing. My sister tells me that our … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #121

Posted on July 6, 2021 by admin

Drake News #121: July 6, 2021 Dear people, Things have been rough for me for a while now and I’ve decided that the Parkinson’s has won. I’m unable to concentrate mentally and my typing has gone completely to hell. I … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #120

Posted on May 11, 2021 by admin

DrakeNews #120: May 11, 2021 Dear People, Things are getting better! The catheter is out and I can pee normally. It took a while and I was doubtful to the end that shrinking my large prostate by embolization was going … Continue reading →

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What are you working on now?

Posted on May 11, 2021 by admin

updated May 11, 2021 What are you working on now? I am working on a plot for/with Ryan Aslesen.

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Newsletter #119

Posted on March 4, 2021 by admin

DrakeNews 119: March 4, 2021 Dear People, This will be different (and maybe more data than you want). It was certainly more than I wanted. This has been  a very rough two months. I had my eyes tested for glasses. … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #118

Posted on January 12, 2021 by admin

DrakeNews 118: January 11, 2021 Dear People, I hope you’re well and not too bent outa shape about the election (regardless of the result you wanted). We’ve got to get along with one another people. The US Civil War is … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #117

Posted on November 9, 2020 by admin

DRAKENEWS For November 2020 Dear People, I hope y’all have voted. My wife and I waited to vote on election day for tradition’s sake. I hadn’t been worried about the result (I never worry about that; I did my part … Continue reading →

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German Edition of Killer

Posted on November 9, 2020 by admin

Here’s the cover of a new German hardcover translation of Killer just published…. Read more about Killer

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Newsletter #116

Posted on September 8, 2020 by admin

Dear People I sent off The Serpent, third book in Time of Heroes Series and it has been accepted by Toni for Baen Books. My submission wasn’t nearly as clean as mine usually are. I’ve been having printer issues too. I had many … Continue reading →

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The Serpent

Posted on September 8, 2020 by admin

Publication by Baen July 6, 2021 The Serpent is based on the legendry of King Arthur as were The Spark and The Storm. Much of the action is adapted from the romances of Chretien de Troyes and the Prose Lancelot. … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #115

Posted on July 3, 2020 by admin

DRAKENEWS #115: July 3 2020 Dear People, I hope you’re all doing okay. I am but I sure wish I were doing better. A friend has taken to slugging her e-mails In this time of plague. This is a useful … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #114

Posted on May 4, 2020 by admin

Drakenews  #114 May 4, 2020 If you are well, it is good. I too am well.         Above is the standard opening for a Roman letter, frequently reduced to initial letters like an acronym (Actually, I guess it is an acronym). … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #113

Posted on February 7, 2020 by admin

Dear People, No really exciting news this time, which isn’t entirely bad (given the content of my excitement the past couple years). Basically I have been writing The Serpent, a novel in sequence with The Spark and The Storm (in … Continue reading →

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3 Drake Men 2020

Posted on February 7, 2020 by admin

Tristan, Jonathan and Dave, New Year’s 2020

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Holiday Greetings 2019

Posted on December 15, 2019 by admin
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Newsletter #112

Posted on November 15, 2019 by admin

Dear People, Parkinson’s Disease runs in my family. I’m showing active signs myself and am now on a light dose of levodopa. My bigger bike (a Suzuki DL650) is not especially heavy but it has a high seat. Coming back … Continue reading →

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Rancho La Brea

Posted on November 15, 2019 by admin

After the banquet at the World Fantasy Con in Los Angeles

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Newsletter #111

Posted on August 28, 2019 by admin

DRAKENEWS 111: September. 2019 Dear People, This is a bit early because my webmaster, Karen, is going on a genealogical trip to get in touch with her German roots. (These, by the way, are in Hesse, not Bavaria, so I’m … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #110

Posted on July 12, 2019 by admin

DRAKENEWS #110: July 9, 2019 Dear People, I’ve been relaxing the past two months, which sounds like a more pleasant business than it’s been in my head. The trouble is that rushing the most recent book put me so far … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #109

Posted on May 1, 2019 by admin

DRAKE NEWS: May 1, 2019 Dear People, TO CLEAR AWAY THE SHADOWS, the latest RCN novel, is complete! Thank goodness. This has been a very rough passage. The problems basically go back to the wreck in May, 2018. [Newsletter 104] … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #108

Posted on March 9, 2019 by admin

Dear People, As of writing this I still haven’t finished TO CLEAR AWAY THE SHADOWS, but it’s getting close. I’m on the final planet of the plot, and I’m on course to meet my own deadline. When I got far … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #107

Posted on January 4, 2019 by admin

DRAKE NEWSLETTER #107:  January 4, 2019 Dear People, I’m at work on To Clear Away the Shadows. I’ve got a good chunk (20 texts which average over a thousand each), but it sure isn’t racing along.  Getting back on track … Continue reading →

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Holiday Greetings 2018

Posted on December 19, 2018 by admin
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Newsletter #106

Posted on November 9, 2018 by admin

DRAKE’S NEWSLETTER #106: November 9, 2018 Dear People, I’ve started writing TO CLEAR AWAY THE SHADOWS! Really writing it: not taking notes, not plotting, not even putting pieces of the plot together. I’ve done all those things, for much longer than … Continue reading →

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Southwest Trip 2018

Posted on November 9, 2018 by admin

Jo and I went to the Grand Canyon region (Zion, Bryce, and the North Rim) with our very old friends Glenn and Helen Knight. These are the folks we recently went to Italy and Greece with, and in the past … Continue reading →

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Newsletter #105

Posted on September 4, 2018 by admin

Dear People, There’s only ordinary news this time: I’m seriously into the plotting of my new RCN novel TO CLEAR AWAY THE SHADOWS. I’d like to be farther along–indeed, I’d like to be well into writing the book–but things are … Continue reading →

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Yamaha SR-400

Posted on September 4, 2018 by admin

A new bike after the GS500F accident:

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To Clear Away the Shadows

Posted on September 4, 2018 by admin

Baen, June 2019 in the RCN Series ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE There were earlier examples, but the 19th century was the great age of scientific exploration. Wealthy amateurs sometimes funded their own expeditions, most were carried … Continue reading →

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Three Drakes 2018 – Updated

Posted on September 4, 2018 by admin
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Newsletter #104

Posted on June 27, 2018 by admin

NEWSLETTER #104: June 27, 2018 Dear People, For once, the big news hasn’t anything to do with writing. On May 9 I pulled up behind an old Jeep Cherokee at a traffic light in Carrboro. I was on my way … Continue reading →

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GS500F Bike Accident

Posted on June 27, 2018 by admin
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Three Drakes 2018

Posted on June 27, 2018 by admin

See also: 2016, 2015 and 2012

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