Riddles in the Round

"Isn't it curious," Iago suddenly said, "how geography affects so many things?"

Quasimodo put his hands on his hips, smiled and gave his companion a sidelong glance. "I'm no C. Auguste Dupin," he replied. "There is no way on earth I can deduce what led to that question. It just came out of the blue. Besides, what exactly are you talking about?"

Iago was surprised. "Why, dragons, of course. You know, things like that. How could you not know what I was referring to?"

Drawn Hearts

She walked up behind him, put her arms around him and nestled her head on his shoulder. "Good morning, Frank," she whispered in his ear. He did not turn around, but patted her arm. And so they stood there quietly, two people almost melted into one, looking out their patio door at the flowers in their backyard. 

Punchinello, Mourning

A second piece inspired by a book about Domenico Tiepolo's Punchinello drawings. Some of the biographical sources I checked flatly state that the artist was born  in 1726, while others just as confidently state 1727. The Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Data on my book's copyright page states 1726 but with a question mark after it. And that's why I followed the Library of Congress' subject heading for the gravestone's inscription... as if you were really wondering.

The Good Shepherd

When I was a child my grandmother gave me the above plaque as a Christmas gift (yes, the colors are off and it has a distracting flash. I never was a very good photographer). I've often wondered who was the artist. There is no signature and no title. Not only am I a terrible photographer, I'm also a terrible detective, so I have no idea how to track down the information. If you know who the artist is, I'd be delighted if you'd tell me. Oh, the accompanying pencil sketch is merely my feeble attempt to copy the image.

Credit where credit is due! Almost a month after posting the above, I discovered the artist was Bernhard Plockhorst.

Character in Search of a Fairy Tale

I have a book written by Adelheid Gealt that is about Domenico Tiepolo's Punchinello drawings and every time I look at it I think that I should try a doodle of the character... but, for one reason or another, I never do. As you can tell by the hat, this started out as a Punch-type individual but it quickly got away from me and degenerated into just another fairy tale type character. Ah well!

Bartleby, the Scribbler

"So," he smiled, "correct me if I'm wrong..."

"Oh, brother!" I interjected, "That's bound to be a never-ending job!"

"But," he continued unperturbed, "didn't Poe want to have his own magazine?"

Adventure Man Returns!

"Adventure Man" number two is available from Sparkle Comics (www.sparklecomics.com) or, if you live in the Dayton area, the finer comic book shops. Grab your copy today! With exciting editing by Matthew Brassfield, powerful print formatting by Juliet Fromholt, courageous cover colors by Jason Gilmore, scintillating story by Jeremy Hoyt and Matt and some odds and ends by me, you know it will be a fun read. Join in the adventure!