Hold on, let me overthink this – A blog by Fred J. Lauver

A View from Mars

Coffee Flows Once More

For those following the coffee saga and the tragedy of a dead coffee maker, I can happily say, the sun is shining again. Actually, it is a bright sunny day here–the kind of day that makes it easier to stimulate the creative juices. It’s cold outside, like the Januarys of old, but we dodged a…

2022 New Year’s Day Tragedy (for a writer)

A tragedy of epic proportion is not the way I wanted to start the New Year. Our Mr. Coffee died. What could be worse? I know, it’s very sad. Your words of sympathy are appreciated. In lieu of flowers, coffee beans are welcomed. I feel like a disaster victim left behind on the island. Please…

Just letting my readers know, I’m still alive

Some of my author friends are very prolific when it comes to writing blogs and having something to say everyday in social media. I’m not among them. It’s not that I don’t write––I’ve been writing seven days a week––on short stories, novels, and novellas. But I’ve never been comfortable talking about myself. Yes, I know…

The Reason My Wife Quit Teaching

Last March as this pandemic began, the private school where my wife taught kindergarten closed for a couple of weeks. Even as public schools remained closed, the child center made the decision to reopen. Because the school provides childcare for nearby hospital workers, the school received a state waiver to remain open. While most other…

Mystery of the Utah Monolith Has Been Solved

The riddle of the Utah #monolith is solved. The bottom line: aliens did not leave the monolith in the Utah desert, nor was it left over from the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ross Bernards, a photographer, set out to the Utah desert to create a series of artistic photos after the monolith mystery…

Bertelsmann, Owner of Penguin Random House to buy Simon & Schuster

This is huge. Bertelsmann, who owns Penguin Random House, is buying out Simon and Schuster Publishing. The new entity will control an estimated one third of all books published in the USA. The good news is, they beat out Rupert Murdoch in their bid, but there is concern about a monopoly of book publishing. Monopolies…

We May See Moon and Mars Colonies in Our Lifetimes

In my novella, Olympus, I describe a domed city where survivors of Earth’s apocalypse live to preserve the human race from extinction. The technology and world created borders on science fact rather than science fiction. Some people may not realize how close we are to colonies on the Moon and Mars. We may see a…

Hello World – Welcome to My View on Just About Anything

This is just a friendly hello to anyone out there who wanders by and decides to step inside my world. I assure you I’m quite friendly and accepting of all people of good will. On the first day of putting my web site and accompanying blog online, I don’t expect people to go running to…