Michael’s Tribute to Daniel Woodrell

Michael’s Tribute to Daniel Woodrell

I feel as if lately I’m honing a craft never desired: the tribute piece. In July, I wrote a farewell to my best friend – that may seem an odd term to apply to an 88-year-old man, but it’s the right one. His name was Bob Hammel, and he was a sportswriter by trade and a...
Michael’s reflections on his beloved mentor Bob Hammel

Michael’s reflections on his beloved mentor Bob Hammel

I’m at 30,000 feet when I get the update, relayed via text message and Wi-Fi, technological wonders that Bob Hammel could not have imagined when he filed stories from Munich, Maui, or Madison Square Garden: He is ready to go. I am not surprised. Hammel has been ready,...

Michael’s Holidays 2024 Recommendations

Michael appeared on Noon Edition LIVE on WFIU & WTIU News from Viewpoint Books: Chapter Two to recommend books. You can see the whole show below, and here are Michael’s suggestions: THE BACKYARD BIRD CHRONICLES by Amy Tan Her illustrations are gorgeous. The...

The Name-change Game

“A conversation about earthquakes made me decide it’s time to tell the truth.” That’s both the opening sentence of my novel LOST MAN’S LANE and this ground-stop inspired confession. A frequent question when one adds a pen name after writing 14 novels is: why? In my...