My article on the South Carolina peach industry is featured in the June-July 2019 issue of Smoky Mountain Living for anyone who is...

Recently, I did something I seldom do but that I have determined to do more often: I read a novel. I’m glad I did. Modern society is...

Sometimes great writers have some interesting advice and insights about the craft of writing (and many other topics). Here are a few...

A number of years ago, my wife and I were returning from a trip up north and were cruising along somewhere down I-75 in Ohio. We had a...

I recently completed an eight-part series answering the question “How does one go about getting a book published?” Some of my writer...

Recently, during one of the brief lulls between ten straight days of rain showers when the sun was making a brief appearance, I was...

Ironically, I’m a doubter, especially about myself and my own abilities, so I have to constantly remind myself of the attitude expressed...

Taggart is not only a student of theology and a pastor and director of education in a Baptist church in Jefferson City, Missouri, but...

10 RULES FOR GETTING AND KEEPING READERS’ ATTENTION HAVE A MESSAGE.  “To get attention, the first golden rule is, always say something...

Well, the new year has barely begun, and I’ve been thinking about and beginning to act on my reading. In fact, I received a magazine in...

Happy New Year to all the readers and followers of this blog. A new year is also an opportunity to evaluate what was done in the past and...

Good Old Days, January-February 2018 issue: #reading #writers #marriage #Memories #publishing #romance #family #Lessonslearned...

I’m a voracious reader and have been since fifth grade, when good ol’ Mrs. George sparked the reader within me, kindled that flame of...

The difference between minor surgery and major surgery is determined by whether you are having it. That’s sort of the way it often is...

One of the key ingredients of both good fiction and creative nonfiction is realistic dialogue. Readers certainly know that fact. Writers...

The best writers, writing teachers often say, are avid readers, and high on their reading lists are great writers, those who stand as...

Recently, I’ve been reading a little [DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!] fiction, and old fiction at that. Few people today recall the author or his...

The first week of November is a busy time! It starts off with National Authors’ Day, which affects only a relative handful of people, but...

It never fails. Soon after one makes a commitment to do something, that commitment will be tested. How long one is able to remain...

One hundred ninety years ago today, a man was born who later published a book the influence of which stretched far beyond his own...