I’ve been marketing books of mine now for more than 20 years but only recently realized a big mistake I was making: Thinking it was only...

They say if you want to make money in the writing business you find a niche and go to that place again and again. In other words, if the...

Mother of Rain, about hardscrabble life in the hills of Tennessee in the 1930s and ’40s, is the most intriguing read I’ve experienced in...

It’s one of the most oft-asked questions I get as a writer and teacher: “What can I do about writer’s block?” “Write,” I say. (I was...

Remember that close-to-the-end scene in White Christmas when General Waverly is being feted at his heretofore empty ski lodge by guys...

To begin an interview with me on Eugene’s KLCC recently, host Eric Alan referred to the “book tour” I was, uh, launching. I mentally...

Pacific Continental Bank in my home town of Eugene has an interesting requirement for all new employees going through their orientation:...

Bob has a new book that just came out Cascade Summer. Get an overview of the book Read a sample chapter Buy Now

Resolve: From the Jungles of WWII Bataan, the Epic Story of a Soldiers, a Flag, and a Promise Kept Sample Chapter ORDER NOW at Amazon.com

On August 20, 1905, Oregon wilderness wanderer John Waldo wrote a journal entry from the east slope of Mount Jefferson. In it, he quoted...

Mary White, subject of my favorite column. A WHILE BACK, Ed Russo, a Register-Guard colleague, suggested we read a book called Deadline...

Ah, but some books come more easily. Last spring, in my post-Beachside Writers recovery week in Yachats, I read Laura Hillenbrand’s...

As the summer deepens and I start planning our Fall Beachside on the McKenzie Writers Workshop, I’m thumbing through my favorite books on...

AS I PREPARE for the Feb. 25-27 Beachside Writers Workshop in Yachats, the question comes up as it certainly will that weekend. Why...

“Remember to wrap the plastic around the candy before you bury the treasure,” my first mate suggested as, shovel in hand, I prepared to...

Last month, after an Oregon baseball game, fans were allowed on the field to watch the movie “Sandlot” on the big screen. It bought to...

Tonight, on salon.com I came across the only other story about family members building a coffin for their father that I’ve ever read. I...

As with most trips, wife Sally and I experienced some low moments: having to pay $32 a day to park our rental car at our downtown hotel;...

Today, April 18, is National Columnists Day. Like I needed to remind you! I can just imagine the wild celebrations going on from the...

Since words are the raw material I use in writing and speaking, a lot of my posts are going to deal with writing, speaking, books,...