The Breaker - series. Books 1 - 3:

 

The Breaker

ISBN: 9781656281517

Description:

How do you know the one you love won’t hurt you?

Or even try to kill you?
In many cases … you don’t.

How do we choose our path and purpose in life?

What makes us who we are?
When Seth Egan starts working as a private detective, he knows he’ll make enemies.
It goes with the territory.
As Seth works on a murder case and hunts down the killers, he becomes the target.
Some people have no conscience, shame, empathy, or remorse.
To get their own way, to get what they want, to take everything, they will do anything.
Even murder.
In the end, they will drag you down to hell with them.
Sometimes, our enemies are those closest to us.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/eKFZ03giKR?amp=1

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Bad Blood

ISBN: 9798682203192

Description:

No one is paying Seth Egan for his latest case.

He keeps this one unofficial.

Pro bono publico.

Off the books.

For him, this one is personal.

A matter of bad blood.

A woman with a grudge of her own leads Seth to a place where people vanish without trace.

Money is the motive.

Greed is the motivator.

Scores that can only be settled in blood.

A dark underworld of illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, violence and murder.

Amazon link:

 

https://t.co/e0XiS8crAr?amp=1

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Mall Maze

ISBN: 9798729917235

Description:

Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for many.

What should have been a routine adultery case ends with Seth Egan fighting for his life.

Cut off from the world.

With no way to call for help.

Trapped in a place where the walls are coming down around him.

Seth is running out of places to hide.

As chaos reigns and the city burns … the hunters close in.

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09244XVYW/

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Themes:

Abuse by proxy, Adultery, C-PTSD, crime, detective, domestic abuse, enabler, flying monkey, gaslighting, hardboiled, heist, infidelity, murder, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, personality disorder, psychopath, sociopath, suspense, thriller, vigilante, violence.

Books available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of my books is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

What’s On?

What’s On?

A Guide to Movies and TV Shows

Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9798342696098

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9798341177307

Kindle

ASIN: B0DJTZ8T58

Back cover description:

What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over 1,900 titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:

“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”

Slipped Masks:

Slipped Masks

ISBN: 9781719330640

Description:

I can’t call you because if he hears me talking on the phone he’ll hit me again. He scares me. I know sooner or later he’s going to kill me. I’ll text you again when I can. I love you, Casey. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you. Please come. Please save me …

With only text messages to guide him, Casey Byrne is on the hunt, racing across five states to save his ex-girlfriend, Madison.

Casey loves Madison deeply and wants desperately to save her life and rekindle their relationship.

But the closer he gets to her, the more surreal his journey becomes as the dead bodies pile up in his wake.

Clinical Lycanthropy: the delusion that a human can physically transform into a wolf.

If you were insane, would you know it?

How would you see the world if you were convinced you could transform into a wolf?

The hunter … and the hunted.

Slipped Masks is a dark neo-noir thriller about how the need for love and companionship becomes twisted into obsession, possession, jealousy, violence and murder.

A horrifying portrait of Clinical Lycanthropy.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/2Gwb135V3m

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Themes:

Sociopathy, narcissistic abuse, personality disorder, Clinical Lycanthropy, crime, murder.

Book available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of this book is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

Work in progress:

My next books are Triangulation and Stinger.

Books 4 and 5 in The Breaker series.

Set in the year 2001, the story continues from Mall Maze.

Themes:

Crime, detective, hardboiled, heist, murder, narcissism, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, psychopath, sociopath, thriller, vigilante.

 

A percentage from book sales is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

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The Breaker is an on-going series.

I’m outlining other stand-alone thriller novels.

Several coffee table books on my photography and my wife’s artwork.

A humorous book, based on the antics of our crazy pet Ragdoll cat, entitled: It’s That F****** Cat Again!

Here’s a GIF I made of our cat, settling down for another of his daily naps:

On this day in music history - Once in a Red Moon, by Secret Garden (2019):

Once in a Red Moon

Album by Secret Garden,

released December 27, 2019.

Track list:

Awakening; You Raise Me Up; Silent Wings; Greenwaves; Invitation; Duo; Belonging; Gates Of Dawn; The Promise; Fairytale; Once In A Red Moon; Elegie.

On this day in music history - Film Score Piano, by Fiona Joy Hawkins (2019):

Film Score Piano

Track by Fiona Joy Hawkins,
released December 27, 2019.

On this day in music history - Just the Two of Us, by Secret Garden (2013):

Just the Two of Us

Album by Secret Garden,

released December 27, 2013.

Track list:

Sometimes When It Rains; Heartstrings; Awakening; The Promise; Reflection; Ode to Simplicity; Poeme; Sortie; Just the Two of Us; Songs from a Secret Garden; En Passant; Papillon; Belonging; Serenade to Spring; Song at the End of the Day.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1957):

M Squad

Season 1. Episode 14.

Episode entitled: The Palace Guard.

Released December 27, 1957.

Directed by Bernard Girard.

Written by Jack Laird and Wilton Schiller.

Music by Stanley Wilson.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Whit Bissell, Alix Talton, Paul Newlan, William Boyett, Paul Bryar, Noreen Arnold, Charles Tannen, George Byrnes, Paul Hahn, John Culwell, Billy Nelson, Charles Perry.

Born on this day – Shashawnee Hall:

Shashawnee Hall

Actor

Director

Producer

December 27, 1961 – March 29, 2021

Born on this day – John Amos:

John Amos

Actor

Writer

Producer, December 27, 1939 – August 21, 2024

Credits:

20/20 (2018); 30 Rock (2010); 3rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (1997); 704 Hauser (1994); A Woman Like That (1997); Act of Faith (2014); Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980); All About the Andersons (2003–2004); All Over Again (2001); Althea (2014); American Flyers (1985); American Lowrider (2010); American Masters (2002 / 2015 / 2016); Ascension Day (2007); Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015); Ballers (2019); Beauty and the Beast (1988); Because of Charley (2021); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Block Party (2022); Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988); Booo Chapter One (2025); CBS at 75 (2003); Christmas Belles (2019); Christmas in Miami (2021); Clippers (1991); Coming 2 America (2021); Coming to America (1988); Contrast of Evil (2013); Cops and Robin (1978); Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated an Entire Nation (2007); Dance of the Dwarfs (1983); Die Hard 2 (1990); Die Hard 2: The Bad Guys - Villains' Profile (1990); Dinah! (1975–1976); Disappearing Acts (2000); Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006); E! True Hollywood Story (2000); Ebony/Jet Showcase (1989); Entertainment Tonight (2020); Extra (2015–2019); For Better or Worse (1995); For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (2010); Future Cop (1976–1977); Get Gotti (2023); Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast (2016–2017); Good Morning America (1977); Good Times (1974–1976); Hardcastle and McCormick (1984); Hauntsville (2016); Here's Boomer (1981); History of the Sitcom (2021); Hollywood Priest: The Story of Fr. Bud Kieser (2021); Hologram Man (1995); Hunter (1984–1985); I Love the '70s (2003); I Love the '80s Strikes Back (2003); In the House (1995–1997); Indie Cinema Showcase (2021); Information Processing (1971); Inside TV Land (2001); Insight (1982); Janet Russell Presents STAR POWER (2015); Johnny Staccato (1989); Judge Amos (2015); Keeping Up with the Joneses (1972); King of the Hill (1998); Let's Do It Again (1975); Lichnyy nomer (2004); Lie to Me (2010); Life After (2012); Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times' (2019); Live with Kelly and Mark (1989); Lock Up (1989); Love, American Style / Segments: Love and the Split-Up; Love and the Hiccups (1971–1972); Mac (1992); Madea's Witness Protection (2012); Mafia's Greatest Hits (2012); Martin (1997); Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration (2015); Maude (1973–1974); Me Time (2022); Men in Trees (2006–2008); Mercy for Angels (2015); Mr. Dugan (1979); Murder Was the Case: The Movie / Segment: Natural Born Killaz (1995); Murder, She Wrote (1987); My Baby's Daddy (2004); My Name Is Earl (2008); Night Trap (1993); Norman Lear: A Life on Television (2023); Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016); Nubbin & Friends (2016–2017); NYC 22 (2012); One Life to Live (1968); Oprah: Where Are They Now? (2017); Pioneers of Television (2013–2014); Police Story (1976); Prime Nostalgia Podcast (2021); Psych (2007); Remembering 'Roots' (2002); Ricochet (1991); Roots (1977); Royal Pains (2010); Sanford and Son (1973); See It Loud: The History of Black Television (2023); Shadow Hills (2011); Sister Circle Live (2018); Something to Sing About (2000); Speechless (2008); Sports Theater with Shaquille O'Neal (1998); Stills of the Movement: The Civil Rights Photojournalism of Flip Schulke (2009); Stingray (1987); Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971); Tamales and Gumbo (2015); Tavis Smiley (2006); The 11th Annual Publicists Guild of America Awards (1975); The 1st TV Academy Hall of Fame (1984); The 2nd Annual Black Achievement Awards (1979); The 2nd Annual TV Land Awards (2004); The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards (1977); The 4th Annual TV Land Awards (2006); The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2007); The 5th Annual TV Land Awards (2007); The Arsenio Hall Show (1990); The A-Team (1984); The Beastmaster (1982); The Beastmaster Chronicles (2020); The Bob Show (2012); The Chris Rock Show (1997); The District (2000–2001); The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994–1995); The Funny Side (1971); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1974–1978); The Howard Stern Show (1990); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (2014); The Last O.G. (2018); The Last Rifleman (2023); The Law (2009); The Leslie Uggams Show (1969); The Love Boat (1983); The Magical World of Disney (1983); The Marsha Warfield Show (1990); The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977); The Merv Griffin Show (1971); The Mike Douglas Show (1975); The Mo'Nique Show (2010); The Movies That Made Us (2021); The National Disaster Survival Test (1977); The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1972); The Nicole Barrett Show (2015); The Outer Limits (2000); The Players Club (1998); The President's Plane Is Missing (1973); The Ranch (2016–2017); The Righteous Gemstones (2022); The Rockford Files: Shoot-Out at the Golden Pagoda (1997); The Seventies (2015); The Tim Conway Comedy Hour (1970); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1974); The Truth About Santa Claus (2020); The Watermelon Heist (2003); The Wendy Williams Show (2017); The West Wing (1999–2004); The World's Greatest Athlete (1973); Today (2016); Tony Orlando and Dawn (1975); Touched by an Angel (1995); Touched by Love (1980); Trapper John, M.D. (1984); TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004); TV Land Confidential (2005–2007); TV Land Moguls (2009); Two and a Half Men (2010); Two Evil Eyes (1993); Two Evil Eyes / Segment: The Black Cat (1990); Two's Company (1973); Uncle Tom II: An American Odyssey (2022); Uncut Gems (2019); Vanishing Point (1971); Voodoo Moon (2006); Walker, Texas Ranger (1997); Willa (1979); Without a Pass (1991); You Are the Jury (1987); Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (2019); Zombie Hamlet (2012).

Born on this day – Christopher Benjamin:

Christopher Benjamin

Actor

December 27, 1934 – January 10, 2025

Credits:

Angel (2007); Angels (1976); Anything More Would Be Greedy (1989); Armchair Theatre (1967); Armchair Thriller (1978); A Gentlemen's Club (1988); A Likely Lad (1992); Ace of Wands (1970); Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round (1998); A Spy at Evening (1981); Baffled (1972); BBC Play of the Month (1968–1971); Between the Wars (1973); Black Silk (1985); Blott on the Landscape (1985); Boon (1987); Bowler (1973); Brass (1990); Brief Encounter (1974); Budgie (1972); Call Me Mister (1986); Campion (1990); Can You Hear the Earth Scream (2006); Casanova (1987); Casualty (1992); Chintz (1981); Churchill's People (1975); Comedy Matinee (1961); Crown Court (1972–1981); Cyrano de Bergerac (1985); Death in the Streets (1970); Dempsey and Makepeace (1986); Detective (1968); Dick Turpin (1979–1982); Doctor Who (1970–1977 / 2008 / 2009); Doctor Who: Short Trips (2017); Doctor Who: Target Novelisation Audiobooks (2013); Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles (2009); Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited (2013); Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor Adventures (2008); Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures (2013–2017); Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor - The Last Adventure (2015); Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor Adventures (2012); Doctors (2009); Donkeys' Years (1980); Don't Knock Yourself Out (2007); Down to Earth (2004); EastEnders (1999); Father Brown (1974); Feet First (1979); Forget-Me-Not-Lane (1975); Foyle's War (2003); Fraud Squad (1969); Gangsters (1976); Get Some In! (1978); Great Performances (1988); Hadleigh (1976); Haggard (1990); Hard Times (1994); Hawk the Slayer (1980); Heartbeat (2006); Hennes meget kongelige høyhet (1968); Holding On (1977); Holding the Fort (1980–1982); Honour, Profit & Pleasure (1985); Inspector Morse (1992); It Takes a Worried Man (1981–1983); ITV Play of the Week (1965–1966); ITV Playhouse (1968); Jack the Ripper (1973); Jackanory Playhouse (1978); Jago & Litefoot (2010–2021); Jason King (1971); Judge John Deed (2003–2006); King & Castle (1988); Koroshi (1968); Late Night Horror (1968); Leonardo (2003); Little Big Time (1971); London's Burning (1992); Looking for Victoria (2003); Lovejoy (1994); Love's Labour's Lost (1965); Magic Grandad (1994); Maigret (1992); Man at the Top (1971); Melba (1988); Midsomer Murders (2005); Minder (1984); Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle (1977); My Son Reuben (1975); Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1971); New Scotland Yard (1973); Orlando (1966); Paul Temple (1970); Play for Today (1980–1981); Poldark (1975–1976); Premiere (1978); Pride and Prejudice (1995); Pride and Prejudice Revisited (2005); 'Pride and Prejudice': The Making of... (1999); Private Affairs (1975); Public Eye (1968); Quick Before They Catch Us (1966); Ramshackle Road (1968); Ring of Bright Water (1969); Rooms (1977); Rosemary & Thyme (2006); Rumpole of the Bailey (1991); Runaway Railway / Junket 89 (1970); Salut champion (1981); Saracen (1989); Scorpion Tales (1978); Secret Agent (1967); Seesaw (1998); Seven Times Seven (1969); Shades of Greene (1976); Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1994); She-Wolf of London (1991); Shine on Harvey Moon (1982); Shoestring (1980); Softly Softly: Task Force (1970–1976); Special Branch (1974); Spy! (1980); Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming (1990); Strauss Dynasty (1991); Suspense (1962); Sword of Honour (2001); Target (1977); The Adventures of Black Beauty (1973); The Avengers (1966–1968); The Baron (1966); The Birds Fall Down (1978); The Black Velvet Gown (1991); The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1985); The Devil's Crown (1978); The Diary of Anne Frank (1987); The Diary of River Song (2019); The Double Dealers (1974); The English Programme (1985); The Fellows (1967); The Forsyte Saga (1967); The Fortunes of Nigel (1974); The Gamblers (1967); The Gold Robbers (1969); The History of Mr. Polly (1980); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1976); The Index Has Gone Fishing (1987); The Last Hurrah (2010); The Last Salute (1998); The Legend of Tarzan (2016); The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982); The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999); The Man in Room 17 (1965); The Merry Wives of Windsor (2011); The Onedin Line (1972); The Paternoster Gang (2020); The Plague Dogs (1982); The Prisoner (1967–1968); The Prisoner Video Companion (1990); The Protectors (1972); The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986); The Roads to Freedom (1970); The Saint (1968); The Sandbaggers (1978); The Saturday Play (1998); The Squirrels (1976); The Strauss Family (1972); The Tichborne Claimant (1998); The Tomorrow People (1994); The Villains (1965); The Way We Live Now (1969); The Wednesday Play (1965); The White Rabbit (1967); The Worlds of Doctor Who (2014); Theatre 625 (1967); Theatre Night (1988); Thérèse Raquin (1980); Thirty-Minute Theatre (1967); Thriller (1974); Time Space Visualiser (2020); Treasure Island (1999); Upstairs, Downstairs (1973); Van der Valk (1973); Very Like a Whale (1980); Vienna 1900 (1973); Village Hall (1975); We, the Accused (1980); When the Boat Comes In (1977); Where There's a Will (1989); Whodunnit? (1978); Wilde Alliance (1978); Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981); Yes, Honestly (1977); Yes, Prime Minister (1987); Young Charlie Chaplin (1989); Z Cars (1965).

Born on this day – Nick Dimitri:

Nick Dimitri

Actor

Stuntman

December 27, 1932 – October 20, 2021

Born on this day – Dorris Bowdon:

Dorris Bowdon

Actress

December 27, 1914 – August 9, 2005

Credits:

The Moon Is Down (1943); Jennie (1940); The Grapes of Wrath (1940); Drums Along the Mohawk (1939); Young Mr. Lincoln (1939); Down on the Farm (1938); Always Goodbye (1938).

Born on this day – Marlene Dietrich:

Marlene Dietrich

Actress

Singer

December 27, 1901 – May 6, 1992

Credits:

Just a Gigolo (1978); Paris When It Sizzles (1964); Judgment at Nuremberg (1961); Touch of Evil (1958); Witness for the Prosecution (1957); The Montecarlo Story (1956); Around the World in 80 Days (1956); Rancho Notorious (1952); No Highway in the Sky (1951); Stage Fright (1950); Jigsaw (1949); A Foreign Affair (1948); Golden Earrings (1947); The Room Upstairs (1946); Kismet (1944); Follow the Boys (1944); Pittsburgh (1942); The Spoilers (1942); The Lady Is Willing (1942); Manpower (1941); The Flame of New Orleans (1941); Seven Sinners (1940); Destry Rides Again (1939); Angel (1937); Knight Without Armor (1937); I Loved a Soldier (1936); The Garden of Allah (1936); Desire (1936); The Devil Is a Woman (1935); The Scarlet Empress (1934); The Song of Songs (1933); Blonde Venus (1932); Shanghai Express (1932); Dishonored (1931); Morocco (1930); The Blue Angel (1930); Nights of Love (1930); The Ship of Lost Men (1929); Three Loves (1929); I Kiss Your Hand Madame (1929); The Art of Love (1928); Café Elektric (1927); Sein größter Bluff (1927); Kopf hoch, Charly! (1927); Der Juxbaron (1927); A Modern Du Barry (1926); Madame Doesn't Want Children (1926); Manon Lescaut (1926); Dance Fever (1925); Der Sprung ins Leben (1924); The Countess of Paris (1923); The Tragedy of Love (1923); Man by the Roadside (1923); So sind die Männer (1923); Im Schatten des Glücks (1919).

Born on this day – Jane Burr:

Jane Burr

Writer

December 27, 1882 – 1958

Exact date of death unknown.

Credits:

City Dust; I Build My House; Letters of a Dakota Divorcee; Marble & Mud; Married Men; Rare Antique: Fourteen Radio Plays; That Woman; The Glorious Hope; The Passionate Spectator.

Movie:

The Arnelo Affair (1947).

Born on this day – Sydney Greenstreet:

Sydney Greenstreet

Actor

December 27, 1879 – January 18, 1954

Credits:

Malaya (1949); It's a Great Feeling (1949); Flamingo Road (1949); The Velvet Touch (1948); The Woman in White (1948); Ruthless (1948); The Hucksters (1947); That Way with Women (1947); The Verdict (1946); Devotion (1946); Three Strangers (1946); Christmas in Connecticut (1945); Pillow to Post (1945); Conflict (1945); Hollywood Canteen (1944); The Conspirators (1944); The Mask of Dimitrios (1944); Between Two Worlds (1944); Passage to Marseille (1944); Background to Danger (1943); Casablanca (1942); Across the Pacific (1942); They Died with Their Boots On (1941); The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Recommended reading - Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes (2004):

Film Noir Reader 4: The Crucial Films and Themes

by Alain Silver and James Ursini.

Published by Limelight.
Published 2004.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 0879103051
ISBN-13: 978-0879103057

Description:

The earlier Film Noir Readers, which now boast a combined sale of well over 30 000 copies, have all quite deliberately conveyed a sweeping overview of the classic period, demonstrating how broad and inclusive noir movies are. Film Noir Reader 4 moves in a different direction. Its purpose is to identify the key films and motifs of noir and to analyze in depth the prototypical pictures that, while vivid examples of certain cinematic themes, bend and break their molds to find new ways to enthrall and frighten us. Like its predecessors, Film Noir Reader 4 is generously illustrated and features essays by such respected film critics and scholars as Robin Wood, J.P. Telotte, R. Barton Palmer, and Robert Porfirio. All have as their purpose to explain why and how these classic films work; the way screenplay, direction, acting, cinematography, editing and all the other filmmaking crafts blended together to produce work that exemplifies both a particular movement in film history and the innovations that keep the noir style fresh and compelling.

Gloria Steinem, on writing:

Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else.

- Gloria Steinem.