Writing

Strangers on a Train, or Rather, in the Condiment Aisle

Larry Dowell November 30, 2015 Writing

I was recently standing in the salsa and condiment aisle at the grocery, innocently scanning the shelves for the perfect organic mustard. A woman stepped right beside me, quietly scanning the shelf as well. After a few moments, she turned

Have You Stopped & Watched the Leaves Fall?

Larry Dowell November 25, 2015November 25, 2015 Writing

Autumn is arriving and the leaves are beginning to change here in central Texas. It’s an appropriate time for my poem video about change.

Viva la Vida de Austin

Larry Dowell November 20, 2015November 20, 2015 Writing

We have stopped at one of our neighborhood restaurants for a late dinner and a break from the latest social media frenzy. The cheerful international chatter at the surrounding tables completely disarms the looming threat of annihilation from terrorism. The

Bringing Out the Dead, Again

Larry Dowell November 6, 2015November 6, 2015 Writing

London is literally built upon the bones of the dead, from Roman cemeteries through century after century of plague pits. Forgotten pits continue to be discovered as new construction takes place across the city. Follow the link below to an interactive map

Elisha Warden

Larry Dowell November 5, 2015July 5, 2016 The Ancestors, Writing

Elisha Warden, my great-great-great-great-grandfather and one of my Revolutionary War ancestors, in 1776, at the age of 15, served in the Reg. Virginia Militia under Captain Thomas Pollard on an expedition to protect General Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon from destruction by the British.

Keep Out – This Is My Room

Larry Dowell October 31, 2015 Writing

Some years ago, I was working in northwest Austin, so we were considering moving to that side of the city. Martha had her Realtor’s license then and we would meet after work to look at houses. One memorable evening, we

Rebel with a Cause, or Two, or Three

Larry Dowell October 24, 2015October 24, 2015 Writing

In one of my early jobs, I was an Art Director at one of Nashville’s largest advertising and public relations agencies. Unfortunately, that agency did a lot of political work for one party’s candidates, quite dirty political work, as I

Having a Conversation with an Antiquarian Bookseller from 1666 London

Larry Dowell October 17, 2015October 17, 2015 Writing

Is it crazy to have a conversation with an antiquarian bookseller from 1666 London? Not really, not if you are a writer, or I should say, a historical fiction writer. The magic begins when that conversation takes on a life

The Past Plays Havoc

Larry Dowell September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 Thoughts, Writing

In the Heart of an Industrial Maelstrom

Larry Dowell September 7, 2015September 5, 2016 Writing

This Labor Day has brought back memories of my first full time job. The summer before I went off to college, I got a factory job to pay for school. It was in an aerosol products factory in Franklin, Kentucky, on a night