Jeff O'Handley, Author

Jeff O'Handley

The Doubting Writer Finds His Voice

The Doubting Writer Blog

Blog
Jeff O'Handley

Flash: On the Barricade

For today, I’m posting a piece of very raw, very unrefined (can something truly be very raw? Or very unrefined? Seems to me that while something can be cooked or refined to varying degrees, there’s really only one raw, one

Read More »

Reviewed!

Well, here I am, back to my old habits, it seems. No excuses, I suppose, but I’ll offer some up anyway. Last week’s storm dropped eleven inches or so of some of the wettest, heaviest snow I have ever seen.

Read More »

Knocked Out

I’m a day later than I normally am in this resurrected blog. Blame April. When I was a kid, I remember hearing that the Inuit people of Alaska and Canada had something like 50 or 80 different words for snow.

Read More »

Writing “In”

At various times through this lengthy writing drought I would try, to put a twist on a song from Hamilton, to “write my way in”–instead of waiting for some grisly abomination to kick its way out of the back room

Read More »

A Cover Story

Some years ago, I was at a local arts center where The Magpie’s high school class was having an open mic event as part of a class project. It was a very enjoyable event with kids displaying their admirable talents

Read More »
Powerless
Jeff O'Handley

It’s Cover Day!

I. Am. Thrilled. I’m assuming if you’re reading this you’ve already seen the cover for Powerless*, coming in August. Haven’t seen it? No worries, it’s right here! I’m thrilled with the cover, done by Laura Duffy Design**, and what can

Read More »

Where Have I Been?

 It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything of substance. When I stepped away in April of 2019 I honestly believed that my hiatus would be pretty much like others I’d taken previously, that I’d be back in a

Read More »

I’m Still Here, Are You?

Well, folks, has it really been 2-1/2 years since my last post? Looks like…yes. Wow.  It was never my intention to be gone so long. I think when I checked out on April 1, 2019–a whole pandemic ago!–I figured I

Read More »

At Last: A Sequel I Can Get Behind

It finally happened. Yesterday, Netflix announced that El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie will air on the the streaming service on October 11. Aaron Paul, who played Jesse Pinkman on the original show for five seasons and reprises his role

Read More »

Reading List 2019 Part I

Prepare to be underwhelmed. The Crossing (2018), Jason Mott Family Trust (2018), Kathy Wang Unsheltered (2018), Barbara Kingsolver It doesn’t seem possible that I’ve only read three books. On my list, I note that The Crossing was finished on February

Read More »

A trip to the past

Quite often, when we face an uncertain future or an uncomfortable present, we retreat into the safety of the past. Perhaps we look at old pictures or videos, listen to favorite music, pay a visit to an old haunt. We

Read More »

Opportunity stolen

When I was a kid, I was spoon-fed the Myth of America. You know the one. It tells us that America is the land of opportunity. The land of the free. The place where anyone could become anything. Where a

Read More »

Yet another query post

And just like that we’re back in the dark. Among the many things to not like about the return of Daylight Saving Time is that, as I write this, sunrise is still 21 minutes away. Yes, it will not be

Read More »
agents
Jeff O'Handley

Gearing for battle

It seems like almost every movie that includes some sort of battle–be it epic fantasy, war, even a sports film–features a scene in which Our Heroes prepare for the coming fight. We see Our Heroes gearing up for battle: sharpening

Read More »

A wall, but not that wall

Way back in school–and I’m talking elementary school, mostly, so it was a long time ago–our teachers tried to impose a certain degree of structure on how we wrote. Whether it was an essay or a short story, we were

Read More »

One of those moments

My boss is smart. She has a Ph.D. She’s done research in aquatic biology, conducted wetland restoration work, taught at the university level, and now she’s running the premier environmental organization in my region. She’s got a quick mind, strong

Read More »
Uncategorized
Jeff O'Handley

A thought on my return from Washington, DC

This weekend, we visited family in Washington, DC. Aside from a few hours almost thirty years ago where my soon-to-be wife and I visited the National Zoo, I have never been there. On Saturday, we were fortunate to have good

Read More »
hockey
Jeff O'Handley

Glow Puck is back!

Twenty-two years ago, the National Hockey League’s broadcasting partner, Fox, broke out a technology that would revolutionize the game. After much work with the league to be sure puck integrity wasn’t harmed, a micro-chip was embedded in the puck, allowing

Read More »
words
Jeff O'Handley

Word Nerd Monday: Ruggedized

Last week, while reading through a Request for Applications for grant funds put forth by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, I came across something completely unexpected. In a section describing what grant funds could be spent on,

Read More »
hockey
Jeff O'Handley

Slumping

David Pastrnak is a talented, All-Star right winger for the Boston Bruins who won over the fans in Boston from day one for moments like this: …and for moments like this: Pastrnak has developed into a tremendous hockey player. After

Read More »

Reading List, 2018, Part Final

Hello again! A week later, happy 2019. I hope all of you had an enjoyable holiday season. I was fortunate to have two plus weeks off at the holidays, owing to the fact that I needed to burn a bunch

Read More »
Uncategorized
Jeff O'Handley

Time off

On Friday, we went and picked up the Catbird at college for her college recess. It’s nice to have her home. My wife figured it out, we’re down to four more round trips to do this, maybe as little as

Read More »
ideas
Jeff O'Handley

“I think there’s a play there!”

Monty Python’s Flying Circus once featured a skit in which a well-dressed, professional looking young man named Ken (Eric Idle) returns to the home of his parents, where he receives a warm welcome from his mother (Terry Jones), but hostility

Read More »

Subscribe for Updates

For announcements, alerts and special offers, subscribe to our emails.  Please note, you will have to confirm your subscription through an email to the address you provide.

Follow Jeff O'Handley

Jeff O'Handley ©2024 - All Rights Reserved.