Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration

On June 11, 1776, the second Continental Congress appointed a committee to write a declaration of independence. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman were elected to the committee.  One of these five was a renowned writer. For nearly thirty years, only the Bible outsold Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, and his articles made the Pennsylvania Gazette the most successful newspaper in the colonies.  But Franklin declined to draft the declaration, supposedly due to poor health, so the committee asked the thirty-three year Thomas Jefferson to draft the document.


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Mastermind, The Many Faces of the 9/11 Architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

Book Review by James D. Best


Mastermind by Richard Miniter is far more than the story of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSH). This new book is a concise history of terrorism from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing through the September 11, 2001 attacks to the present day. How apropos that Miniter’s book is being published on May 3^rd, just days after KSH’s boss—Osama bin Laden—has been killed. Americans should read this book to celebrate this victory in the war on terror and to understand how jihadists think and act.
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The Founding Principles

Founding Principles

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'Bout Books Reviews the Shopkeeper

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Coming Soon--The next Steve Dancy Tale

Murder at Thumb Butte is with the editors. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work before publication. Beyond editing, there is internal design, cover design, proofreading, and all the administrative set up. Still, I'm pretty excited about this one. Steve, Jeff, and Joseph are back, of course, but I'm really happy that Maggie decided to make another appearance. She really livens up the story. I'll continue to provide updates on the progress and share more of the story as production moves along. Thanks to everyone for your patience. This novel has certainly taken longer than I expected. By the way, this is a prototype of the cover:

Finding the Past

 

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Constituting America Guest Essayist: James D. Best

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5

5:  No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

The president of the United States must meet three eligibility requirements. He or she must be a natural born citizen, be at least thirty-five years old, and have resided within the United States for fourteen years.

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A Great Book That Should be in Every Writer's Library

Lawrence Block

When I transitioned from writing non-fiction to novels, I probably read a dozen books on writing fiction. Now, every three months or so, I pick up a book on writing to remind myself about the basics or to pick up an advanced tip or two. I breeze through most of these books because they are pedestrian rehashes of the same basic advice.

Spider, Spin me a Web by Lawrence Block breaks from the pack. Originally written in 1988, it is not only filled with solid advice, it's fun to read. The book is actually a series of magazine articles by Block, which means the narrative is not straight-line, how-to instructions. Nonetheless, the organization, deft editing, and lively writing make it more cohesive than most books of this sort.

Spider, Spin me a Web appeals to me because it is filled with truth and treats me like an adult when it address basic issues. The comments on the publishing industry are out-of-date, but this is a small part of the book. Spider, Spin me a Web talks mostly about the writing craft, and the advice is timeless.