Blog Index

I’ve been writing this blog on and off for many years now and have accumulated a good numbers of posts. For new people coming to the blog, it might be a tad difficult to find some of my older one. Thus, I’ve decided to this curated index in alphabetical order so people can easily browse through the posts and read the ones that are of interest. Eventually, I hope have all my posts listed here.

Note that I took a rather lengthy break where I only posted on my book blog at rogersreads.com. So if you’re interested in book reviews, then you’ll want to head on over there.

A

Advertising/Marketing

Constant advertising is exhausting …or is it just me?

My Dislike for Ads

Apps and Tools

Evaluating Our Tools

My Adventures in French with Language Reactor

Some of My Favorite iPad Apps

Subscription Fatigue

The Man Purse: My New Best Friend

Why I Ditched Scrivener (Gasp!) and Switched to Ulysses for All My Writing

B

Blogging

A Blog Post Every Day???

Blog Update

Blogging Every Day: What’s Easy, What’s Not, What I’ve Learned

A Languishing Blog

Should my blog have a niche?

Blog Series

365 Movie-a-Day Challenge

LGBTQ+ Cine Club

Books and Reading

10 Great Books I Read in 2021

16 Queer Indie Romance Writers You Should Be Reading

52 Book Club Reading Challenge

Are Audiobooks Reading?

Book Recs for Every LGBTQ Mood: From Cozy to Catastrophic

Books I’ve Read (By Month)

Downsizing My Book Collection: A Painful but Necessary Goodbye

How I Read So Much

How to Read Really Big Books

The Joys of a Bookclub

Kolchak: The Night Stalker – A Blast from the Past (with Fangs!)

Magic, Monsters, and Coming Out- How Supernatural Stories Reflect LGBTQ Identity

Magical Ride-or-Dies and Why I’d Be Dead Without Mine

More Vampires, Less Vanilla — Why Representation in Genre Fiction Actually Matters

My Top 5 Quarter 1 Books (2021)

The PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge

A Return to Physical Books

Still Here, Still Queer, Still Reading YA

Sunscreen & Sand: Queer Books to Devour at the Beach (Or Your Couch with a Margarita)

The Strangest Urban Legends from Around the World That Still Haunt Me at 2 AM

Time Loops, Grief, and Second Chances: My Thoughts on The Year I Lived Twice

Urban Fantasy Madness

Where are the Book Reviews?

Whiskey, Wards, and Wisecracks—How Noir Paved the Way for Urban Fantasy Detectives

Why I Reread Books

Why I’m Low-Key Obsessed with the Aardvark Book Club

Why We Love Anti-Heroes in Urban Fantasy (Especially When They’re Queer)

Book Reviews

A Chat about Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Book Chat: “The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnik: How to stay safe and private online”

Book Review: Frankenstein Builds a Boyfriend by Dylan James

A book chat about The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

Book Review: The Ghostwriter by A.R. Torre – A Wildly Gripping Page-Turner I Couldn’t Put Down

The Long Run by James Acker (YA LGBTQ)

Murder, Architecture, and the White City: My Thoughts on The Devil in the White City

When Robots Fall in Love – “Freethinker”

C

Challenges

365 Movie-a-Day Challenge

Community

Please Support Your Local Establishments

Support Your Local Library: Why They Matter More Than Ever

E

Education

Masterclass.com – so far, I’m loving it

The Lost Art of Cursive… AKA My Chicken-Scratch Future!

Email

Combatting Email Spam

Entrepreneurship

An Entrepreneurial Challenge

Hanging Out with Entrepreneurs

F

Finances

The Freedom Account: An Indispensable Financial Tool

G

Goals

19 Things I Hope To Accomplish in 2019

How to Accomplish Goals a Little At A Time

H

Hobbies

Filling the Void: Why Hobbies Matter More Than We Realize

Learning to Draw

Goodbye Field Notes (for now)

Holidays

Glendale Day Festivities

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! (2019)

Turkey, Family Drama, and Finding Your People: A Queer Person’s Guide to Thanksgiving

Quote for the New Year

I

Inspiration

Anxiety and the Imagination Olympics (Where I Always Win the Gold in Catastrophe)

The Awkward, Beautiful Beginning of Every Creative Weirdo (Yes, Even You)

Brains, Brawn, and Bizarre Flags: Asimov Might’ve Been Psychic

The Day I Got Tired of My Own Excuses

Deciding Not to Stay Put

Define It Yourself, Darling

Don’t Let Your Dreams Melt (Seriously, Grab a Spoon Already)

Dreaming vs. Regretting: It’s Not Just About Age

Dreams Don’t Happen in Draft Mode

The Early Bird, The Second Mouse, and Me

How I Stay Motivated When I Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything

Kindness Isn’t Complicated (We Just Keep Pretending It Is)

Let’s Stop Dragging Yesterday Into Today

Living Outside the Box of Expectations

Looking Foolish, Looking Great

The Little Things That Make Life Big

Luck, Coffee, and the Myth of the Magical Shortcut

Neil Gaiman’s Commencement Address – Advice for Creatives

The Quiet Surrender of Power (And Why We Need to Stop Doing It)

Small But Mighty — When Size Doesn’t Matter (But Intention Does)

Still Breathing, Still Busy – Thoughts on a Lauren Bacall Quote

Stop Talking, Start Doing: Why Henry Ford’s Quote Still Hits Different in 2025

The Tattoos We Give Our Brains

Throw Off the Bowlines (Even If You Still Get Lost in Your Own Neighborhood)

The Time Will Pass Anyway (So You Might as Well Do the Thing)

When Good People Sit Out, Bad People Step In

When “The Right Time” Is a Myth We Keep Falling For

Why Bob Marley’s Words Hit Different When the World’s on Fire

J

Journaling

The Art of Keeping a Journal

Paper Journaling vs. Digital Journaling

L

LGBT Characters

Creating Compelling Gay Characters (Without Making Them Walking Stereotypes)

LGBTQ+ Characters in Folklore Around the World — Hidden Histories and Magical Tales

The Rise of Openly Queer Protagonists

Spellbound & Fabulous: Queer Icons Who Deserve Supernatural Roles

Supernatural Coming Out Stories: Parallels Between Coming Out as Magical and Coming Out as Queer

Why We Can’t Stop Crushing on Queer Villains (Even When They’re Trying to Burn Down the World)

Life Hacks

Best Travel Hacks I’ve Learned from Frequent Flyers

Decide Who You Are and Be It

New Morning Routine

What the eyes see, the heart desires

Why Not Start Today?

M

Movies

A Love Letter to Queer Coming-of-Age Films

The Best Queer Horror Films That Actually Scared Me (and Didn’t Suck)

Campy Queer Christmas Films

Dracula Untold – The Origins of Count Dracula

Film Review: The Giver

Gay & Queer Christmas Films Worth Watching

On Going Back to the Theater

A chat about A Star is Born

Kanopy: Your Ticket to Free Movie Nights Courtesy of Your Library Card!

Mary Poppins Anyone?

Movies, Queerness, and the Occasional Ramble — A New Blog Thing?

My Favorite Queer Movies That Don’t End in Tragedy

My Totally Unexplainable Love Affair with Cheesy Holiday Romance Movies

Queer Magic & Monster Madness: My Favorite LGBTQ+ Paranormal Shows & Movies

Review of the movie G.B.F.

Review of Jupiter Ascending

Rewatching an Old Favorite: Why “Latter Days” Still Hits Different After All These Years

Robocop Mini-Review

So I Watched James Gunn’s Superman and Honestly? I’m Kind of in Love

Streaming Movies (or not)

Why I’m Obsessed with Benito Skinner’s “Overcompensating”

Music

Florentine Opera at the Lake

My Favorite Writing Music for Urban Fantasy Fight Scenes

Why I Flip-flop between Three Streaming Music Services

Musings/Opinion

Can We… Just NOT Anymore? A Rant About That Pesky Time Change.

Free Speech Doesn’t Mean I Have to Listen to Your Nonsense

I Wish I Still Believed Everyone Could Change

My Brain at 3AM: A Transcript

My Novels/Writing

Big News, Ghost Fans! The Nick Michelson Box Sets Have Landed!

Dehumanization is the First Step—Don’t Take It

First Novel in the Ghost Oracle Series released: Nick’s Awakening

Ghost Oracle Series Book 2 is now available!

Book Update on New Novel – Ghost at the Prom

Cover Reveal for Upcoming Book

Ghost at the Prom is out!

Guess What Just Dropped? “Murder at the Savoy” Is Officially Out in the Wild!

I wrote a werewolf book!

🎶 It’s Here! Spectral Symphony Has Officially Hit the World 🎶

Keeping Corey is Available for Preorder!

My New Novella: Christmas Cookies That Sparkle

My Newest Book is Live

New Book in Ghost Oracle Series

New Nick Novella Coming Soon

Newish Book Out Now

Nick’s Destiny is Out!

Norian’s Gamble is Out!

Nick’s Destiny is Out!

Returning to Writing: A Year in the Rearview

Up To Speed Guides – Did you know?

N

Nature/Outdoors

Camping at Nelson Dewey State Park

The Critters in my Yard

My Neighbors – the Crows

P

Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

10 More LGBTQ+ Characters & Books in Urban Fantasy + Paranormal Fantasy

Are Ghosts Just a Glitch in the Matrix? My Late-Night Obsession with Time Slips & Residual Hauntings

Bloodsuckers Through the Ages: How Vampires Went from Creepy to Sparkly (and Back Again)

The Coolest Magic Systems in Urban Fantasy Novels (That I Kinda Want to Try IRL)

Found Family in Urban Fantasy: Why We Crave It

Gay Wizards, Vampire Boyfriends, and Why We Need More Than Just Tragic Backstories

Ghosts, Goblins, and Emotional Baggage: Dealing with Trauma in Paranormal Fiction

Ghosts, Grit, and Guys Who Kiss: Why I Write Gay Male Superheroes in Supernatural Worlds

Hidden Gems – Underrated Urban Fantasy Novels You Should Absolutely Read (Because Magic Deserves Better PR)

Just for Fun: If I Lived in an Urban Fantasy World…

Just For Fun: If Mythological Gods Had Instagram

Paranormal Pet Peeves: What Gets Under My Skin?

Paranormal Romance vs. Urban Fantasy: Where’s the Line, Anyway?

The Perfect Bookshelf: What Your Urban Fantasy Collection Says About You

Queer Identity in a World Full of Monsters

Queer Paranormal Books to Binge When You’re Craving Something Dark & Magical

The Rise of ‘OwnVoices’ in Urban Fantasy

Supernatural Coming Out Stories: Parallels Between Coming Out as Magical and Coming Out as Queer

Top 10 LGBTQ+ Characters in Urban Fantasy

Top 5 Paranormal Creatures I’d Love to Meet (and 5 I’d Absolutely Bolt From)

Welcome to Homeroom, But With Spells: Why We’re Still Obsessed with Magical Schools (Especially Us Queer Folks)

Things That Go Bump (and Why We’re Weirdly Obsessed With Them)

Unicorns, Shapeshifters, and Sapphic Mermaids: Queer-Friendly Mythical Creatures You Probably Haven’t Met Yet

When Reality Gets Weird Enough to Be Fantasy — Urban Legends I’d Love to See in Magical Worlds

Who Would You Call First in a Supernatural Crisis?

Witches, Wolves, and Wasted Potential: Urban Fantasy on Screen

YA Fantasy vs. Adult Urban Fantasy: How to Tell Who’s Paying the Rent

Personal

39 Things You May Not Know About Me

A Blackout!

Back at It (Kind of), After My Accident – Because Stories Won’t Write Themselves!

Hello, 2026 (I’ve Been Expecting You)

How Coffee Turned Me Into a Morning Person

Misowhat?

My struggles to become a morning person

Pseudonym

Shaving with the Dollar Shave Club

Trying to Learn How to Draw…Because Why Not?

A Visit to the DMV

Where have I been?

Why I’m Finally Breaking Up with The New York Times (Yes, It’s You, Not Me)

Pets

I know the names of everyone’s dog

Productivity

The Cult of Overachieving Productivity Gurus

Dumping the To-Do List

Looking Ahead

Resolutions are Toast; Goals are the Jam!

Using the Ta-Da List

Privacy and Security

Hide and Seek in the Digital Age (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My VPN)

Online Security & Privacy

Why Cryptomator Has Become My Little Digital Vault (And Why You Might Want One Too)

R

Reading

15 Queer Indie Authors You Should Be Reading Right Now

Books That Made Me Cry in Public (And I Regret Nothing)

Queer Paranormal Books to Binge When You’re Craving Something Dark & Magical

The Perfect Bookshelf: What Your Urban Fantasy Collection Says About You

Time Travel Stories That Actually Don’t Suck (And Some That Totally Do)

S

Scootering

My Love for Scootering

New Drive-In Excursion to The Kiltie

Sometimes, It’s fun to play hooky

Self-Care

Dwelling on Embarrassing Things

Don’t Borrow Shoes You Can’t Dance In

Exhausted by Toxic Politics

Fear of Screwing Up Is the Real Screw-Up

From Stick Figures to Stardom — Why We All Start Somewhere

Give Yourself a Gold Star

Growing a ‘Stache for November: The Whys and Hows

Letting Go of the Past

On Comparisonitis

On Resentment

Quote: And I flew

Should I Stay or Should I Ghost the Apocalypse?

Take a Walk – It’s Good For You

Trying Again Tomorrow (and Maybe Eating a Cookie First)

When Life Doesn’t Give You Doors, Grab a Hammer

When People Project Their Fears Onto You- A Thought I Just Had

Why I’d Rather Be Ridiculous Than Boring

Why It’s Important to grow and evolve

Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing as a Queer Author: What They Don’t Tell You (But Probably Should)

T

Technology

100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet

AirPods?

Back to Dropbox

Back to the Future: My Childhood Sound System

Can I Actually Ditch My Mac for an iPad? Maybe… Probably… I Don’t Know, Let’s Talk It Out

Getting Caught Up in the Upgrade Trap

Me, My Eyes, and My Beloved Boox Note Air 4C

My Favorite Tools, Apps and Services of 2001

My Backup Routine

Technology is Great – But We Need Plan B

Upgrading to Big Sur

Don’t Get Left in the Digital Dust: Why Keeping Up with Tech Matters!

Why I Ditched Audible and Fell in Love with Libro.fm (And Why You Might Too)

Why I’m Basically Married to My iPad

Why Reddit Is My Favorite Corner of the Internet (And No, It’s Not That Kind of Social Media)

Telephone

No More Phone Calls

Television

65 Things To Do Instead of Watching Television

Altered Carbon Netflix series – off to a great start

Living Without Television

No TV, No Problem

On Customer Churn

Queer Magic & Monster Madness: My Favorite LGBTQ+ Paranormal Shows & Movies

So Many Shows, So Little…Interest?

Why I’m Moving Away from TV Shows

U

V

Vacation/Travel

A Change of Plans

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

W

Weekly Roundup Posts

Wordless Wednesday Posts

Writing

The Art of the Slow Burn – How to Make Your Detective Yearn (Without Making Readers Yawn)

Beyond the Gay Best Friend: Let’s Talk About Writing LGBTQ+ Side Characters Who Aren’t Just Sassy Props

City as Character: How Urban Settings Shape Supernatural Narratives

Found Family Dynamics: Building Meaningful Support Networks for Your Lone Wolf Detective

Just for Fun: 16 Things Writers Love

Magic in the Margins: How Supernatural Elements Can Highlight Social Issues in Fiction

What I’ve Learned from Writing Queer Characters Across Different Decades

Why I Ditched Scrivener (Gasp!) and Switched to Ulysses for All My Writing

Writing Believable Teen Voices (Especially for Queer Teens Who Are Going Through…You Know… Stuff)

Writing Without Permission Slips

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