Song of the Day – December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas) by George Michael – YouTube 🎵

Song of the Day – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) by Alvin & The Chipmunks 🐿🎵

Rough week for Trek. 🖖🏽💔 René Auberjonois, 1940-2019

Song of the Day – You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Neil Diamond 🎵

Gingerbread is one of the great pleasures of this time of year. 😋

Song of the Day – A Spaceman Came Travelling by Chris de Burgh 🎵

Song of the Day – Silver Bells by Rockapella 🎵

This is so fantastic! Whether you’re a Super Mario fan or not, this is worth a listen. 🎮🎵 Super Jazzy Bros. by Tony Brattoli on Apple Music

“A happy holiday season, will you have.”

What if Bach wrote Last Christmas? – Baroque cover version 🎵

Song of the Day – Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid 🎵

Song of the Day – Step Into Christmas by Elton John 🎵

As a writer on both Star Trek and Masters of the Universe, she contributed to two properties that have been the most influential in my life and creative work. RIP 💔 D.C. Fontana, 1939-2019

Song of the Day – Grown-Up Christmas List by Amy Grant 🎵

That moment when your mind goes blank, and literally the only thing you can remember about Bulgaria is that it’s the home of Quidditch star Viktor Krum. No? Just me? #HarryPotter 📚

Song of the Day – Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Single) by Brenda Lee 🎵

🔖 If you don’t think this is awesome, you’re apparently not as old as I am…or you have no soul. One of the other. 😉🎮 The NES console was discontinued in 1995. These developers are still making games for it. - The Washington Post

Bringing some holiday cheer into your lives. 🎄Drunk Lady Sings 12 Days of Christmas - YouTube

Song of the Day – Last Christmas (Pudding Mix) by WHAM! 🎵

I’ve just finished the second draft of a Dragon’s Brood short story that I’m probably prouder of than anything I’ve ever written. That’s kind of a scary place to be, though. ✍🏼😱📚

NaNoWriMo thoughts: There is no better feeling then when your characters take over for you (the author), and you’re just along for the ride. 💜✍🏼

The new single by George Michael is really great. 💜🎵

I don’t read memoirs or biographies very often. Most of the time, there might be one every year or two that I pick up and enjoy, but frequently not even that many. I’m a novel reader for the most part, but every now and then, a great bio comes along that changes everything.

Except in the month of October 2019, there were three of them, all extremely different from one another. I wanted to highlight them here, in the hopes that my readers may check them out as well.

WHAM!, George and Me

Andrew Ridgeley has long been known as “that other guy in WHAM!” To fans like me, though, he was a bit more than that. I grew up a tremendous fan of WHAM! and George Michael, and Andrew’s memoir of his time with George in WHAM! is a fun trip down memory lane. As a mega-fan, I knew a lot of the stories here already, having lived through them at the time, but there were some new gems as well, and some things I’d damn near forgotten about. For fans of George Michael’s incalculable talent or even just of 80s culture in general, this is a fun romp.

Side note: Like so many inexplicable decisions made surrounding George Michael’s music releases in the United States, the book is entitled WHAM!, George Michael and Me for us yanks.

Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

What can I say? Elton John rocks, and this is a must-read for any fan. It’ll have you laughing and crying, sometimes at nearly the same moment, and it gives remarkable insight into his life, career, and creative process.

I was born just a little too late to have lived through Elton’s 70s era, but I was a big fan of his body of work throughout my life. It was a ton of fun to read about the first quarter or so of his career that I missed experiencing first-hand.

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church

Megan Phelps-Roper is a remarkable woman. This memoir chronicles her life inside the toxic Westboro Baptist Church, her realizations about what they were doing, and her subsequent escape. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read—and certainly the best memoir. If you only read one memoir this year, this is the one. It’s an emotional ride that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it.

Today, NaNoWriMo starts in earnest for me. Good luck to everyone participating this year. I have several pieces in the works and coming soon. Thanks to all my readers for their continued support. 💜📚✍🏼

It is so crazy that in 2019, I am still forced to buy freaking CDs imported from other countries because new albums aren’t being released digitally worldwide. This is so stupid and inexcusable. This just keeps happening. Madness! /endRant 🎵