I’m still blushing over the reviews my new book, The Forever Home, has received on Amazon since its late March debut. Readers have a lot of good things to say about the book, which took me three years to write. The book is based on three dozen interviews with homeowners and architects done during the […]
Lincoln’s Lost Colony: Available for Purchase
I’m pleased to report that my first history book, Lincoln’s Lost Colony: The Black Emigration Scheme of Bernard Kock, has been released by McFarland. The book took me 11 years to research and write. It wouldn’t have taken so long had I not elected to thoroughly footnote and index it. I elected to do this […]
Left Bank Books Appearance Exceeds Expectations
I’m relieved to report that my recent appearance at Left Bank Books in St. Louis was a big success. The event to promote my new book, The Forever Home, not only exceeded the bookstore’s expectations, but many attendees later told me that they greatly enjoyed it. The book signing/presentation took place one day before my […]
New Book, The Forever Home, Comes out Soon!
My new book comes out on March 14. Based on dozens of homeowner and architect interviews during the pandemic, the book provides a revealing look at the deep connections between owners and their homes, an important issue in these times when people are staying longer in their homes. With some foresight, homes can be designed […]
Old Trade Editor Refuses to Part with ‘Priceless’ Tchotchke
Boyce Thompson admits that his house is a mess. Closets, drawers, and bookcases are overflowing with paraphernalia left over from his days as a business press editor. But he refuses to part with any of it, even things of little to no sentimental value. “It’s all I have left from the good old days,” says […]
Springfield Residents Prepare for Ratmageddon
When can we expect the nearby Westbard development to unleash an army of rats on the neighborhood? That’s the question on the minds of many Springfield neighborhood residents these days. Polly Gist, a spokesperson for the development, says Springfield should expect only incremental increases in the rodent population. “It’s not like an army will descend […]
The Robie House: The First Modern Family Home
The best way to experience the Frederick C. Robie House — Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterwork near the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, Ill. — may be to go back in time. Imagine yourself in evening attire standing outside an ornately detailed Victorian home at the turn of the 20th century. You […]
Grim Lessons from Tornado Alley
I detoured from a business trip this fall to travel through parts of Tornado Alley, which extends from North Texas through South Dakota. Big twisters seem to touch down there with alarming frequency, causing major building damage and heart-wrenching loss of life. I wanted to see how homeowners and builders there have responded; how they […]
How Windows Perform in Hurricanes
The United States gets hit by roughly the same number of hurricanes each year. But they are growing in intensity, thanks to higher level of moisture in the lower atmosphere. In 2017, two Category 4 hurricanes struck U.S. shores. The next year, Michael made landfall along the Gulf of Mexico with Category 5 force with […]
How to Pick the Right Builder
The most important decision you make when building a new home is selecting your builder. Nothing can make or break the home-building experience like the builder you choose. Some people spend years in their new house cursing a builder who cut corners or cost them a fortune by failing to do things right the first […]