Author Archives: Brian Bixby

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About Brian Bixby

I enjoy history because it helps me understand people. I'm writing fiction for much the same reason.

Off to the movies: one old, one new: Hell House, Hell Baby

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I live with someone who does not enjoy horror films, so when she’s away, I often rent them. This last weekend was one such occasion, so I watched two films, 1973’s The Legend of Hell House and this year’s Hell Baby. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Chapter 34 of Martha’s Children, and op art

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Brian Bixby

The last time we saw Nora O’Donnell, her brother was a vampire, her parents under the control of sorcerers, and she had just toppled backward into . . . nothing? Well, it turns out to be a very specific nothing, … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Playing at history: your author as George S. Boutwell

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I mentioned in my previous post that I’d be spending this last Saturday in my old home town, playing a historical character. The character I was playing was George S. Boutwell (1818 – 1905), who served as a Massachusetts governor, … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Lady, History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Chapter 33 of Martha’s Children, and taking on a historical character

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Martha Fokker is not the most trusting of people. When her friends and allies start disappearing, she suspects foul play. Well, if there wasn’t foul play before, there will be by the time Martha gets finished! And Make Love Not … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Conspiracies, imaginary and real

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Brian Bixby

On this date in 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute had its premiere in Vienna. For those of you who don’t know, The Magic Flute is famous for incorporating a great deal of Masonic symbolism into both the music and plot … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chapter 32 of Martha’s Children, and Mudd

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Brian Bixby

What’s a good Catholic girl to do? Nora’s brother is leading a group of vampires who want reinstatement as cops, and Nora herself has been bitten by the same vampire who killed all those cops. So she turns, naturally, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

For once, a video that does justice to the book: The Green Man

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Brian Bixby

You’ve heard the refrain: if only the movie had been true to the book, it would have been so much better! Of course, much of what can make a book good are things that are difficult to capture in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Chapter 31 of Martha’s Children, and getting rid of ghosts

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Brian Bixby

As the sorcerers’ war between Edward Cross and Martha Fokker heats up, Ivy McIlwraith finds herself on the sidelines, unable to help directly. But Ivy’s stock in trade, as a scholar and librarian, has been information, and she decided to … Continue reading →

Posted in Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Stoker devolution: from Dracula to Seven Stars to The Awakening

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Between having some idle time, and doing some Egyptian-themed reading, I decided to watch a movie I’d been meaning to see for some years, The Awakening. No, I’m not going Kate Chopin on you, nor am I talking about the 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Chapter 30 of Martha’s Children, and Mayor Richard J. Daley

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Blood has been shed in the sorcerers’ war, and Ned’s vampire cops are caught in the middle. “Mother” Fokker isn’t happy about that, and she’s not exactly known for her good temper. But you don’t get to be a centuries-old … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Martha's Children, Writing fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments