Buy your very special signed book today.Downriver$9.99,
Everyone has a story. My job is to help people tell their stories. The way I do this is to find what makes it memorable, and work it into a theme. It starts and ends with that theme, and the details are how that theme works its way into the reader's heart and mind. That's what I do for a living, whether it is for a grant proposal or a magazine or the community newspaper.
Listen to me give a long, rambling soliloquy, as is my wont, on the Wordsy Podcast!
Welcome to my small corner of vanity on the web! Most of what you see here are pieces that I wrote for practice or in some attempt at "art".
I first gained access to the ARPAnet in 1985 while a student at Carnegie-Mellon, which was about 5 years before it became the Internet. I had a blog called "Columbus Day Riot" in 1999, before the word "blog" existed. I have been involved in e-commerce and marketing since 2001 as well. Despite so much dabbling in this stuff, I find the internet to be nothing more than a tool that allows people to connect - and what we do with that tool is up to us. The big deal isn't the technology, it's the hearts and brains of people that are somehow represented on it which count.
I have lived in Buffalo, Miami, and Pittsburgh but I love Saint Paul
enough to stay there. I have been a Chemical Engineer, a salesman, and a
manager but prefer to be known as a writer and a father. Despite such diverse experience, I make a point of
watching the world closely enough that there are still surprises all the time.
That helps to make my chosen career, as a writer for hire, a series of fun and
intriguing small adventures.
I have started a blog in this space, which contains some of my partially baked thoughts - generally on writing, civilization, and what I think a writer's obligations are to the world we live in.
Recently, I did an interview about "Downriver" for readerviews.com which I hope explains my work.
I also hope you like the work in progress, which are the short stories that make up the Saint Paul anthology "Urban Legends". Click "Short Stories" to see two of the seven finished so far. These are based on small moments and chance encounters that stayed with me for reasons that are best not described. The characters, however, can tell their own stories well enough.
Thank you for visiting my world, and I hope you enjoy your stay! You can write to me as wabbitoid47@yahoo.com
Downriver by Erik Hare When you are 3 1/4 inches tall and thoughtless humans destroy your home, you want revenge. One Hopneg's journey in search of payback brings him something bigger. "Downriver" was written for teens but speaks to everyone who wants to be able to see those things we usually can't.... Amazon.comAmazon.co.ukBarnes & Noble.com
Short Stories Authenticity by Erik Hare This requires some explaination.
Literary agent Nathan Bransford had a contest on his blog to see who could write the best first page. I decided to sit down and write one based on an idea... A Real Estate Christmas Carol by Erik Hare This was originally posted on stpaulrealestateblog.com. I took a chance and wrote a (very) short story rather than a typical real estate blog post. Some people took it badly, missing the point of... Solstice Light by Erik Hare This is my first attempt at a story which celebrates the Winter Solstice, my own winter holiday.
... The Lord of Hobbies by Erik Hare I hope this short fable isn''t taken badly. But I have honestly never understood a few things about the traditional Christian creation story.
I don''t understand why He decided to make all o... Midnight by Erik Hare This story is part of a collection of seven titled collectively "Urban Legends". Each is about a different aspect of love that is realized through a turn in the protagonists’ life as they are followe... Noon by Erik Hare This story is part of a collection of seven titled collectively "Urban Legends". Each is about a different aspect of love that is realized through a turn in the protagonists’ life as they are followe...
Poetry Bemidji by Mornin' by Erik Hare Does a song parody that I actually sung once count as poetry? Somehow, I doubt it. Oh well.... I Speak for the Trees by Erik Hare This was done for stpaulrealestateblog.com. All references to "The Lorax" can be denied by a really good attorney.... Plague on Wheels by Erik Hare These are the (not so great) lyrics that accompany the tune "Plague on Wheels", which there is a link to at the bottom. It is in midi form. The lyrics follow the sax part, after the introduction....
Articles Banking Should Be Boring by Erik Hare This was originally done for StPaulRealEstateBlog.com, and is an update to an earlier essay.
... Might as Well Feed the Birds by Erik Hare If you invest your tuppence wisely in the bank
Safe and sound
Soon that tuppence, safely invested in the bank
Will compound ... F. Scott Fitzgerald by Erik Hare This was done for stpaulrealestateblog.com. It tells the Saint Paul side of an otherwise famous and rather sad story. I love my town, and so did Fitzgerald; the difference is that I make a point of ... Neighborhood Life Cycles by Erik Hare Conventional Wisdom dictates that neighborhoods, particularly urban ones, are subject to a "life cycle". While it''s sad that an obviously flawed policy is so standard, at least there are ways you ca... Fix 'er Up! by Erik Hare This work was originally for the Real Estate blog I contribute to.... Community: The Elements by Erik Hare This is a work in progress. For my "day job", a working definition of community that allowed for project evaluation became necessary. I am attempting to use this elemental approach for that purpose.... The Saintly City by Erik Hare I did this one for stpaulrealestateblog.com to explain Saint Paul.... More than Memories by Erik Hare This is a piece I did for stpaulrealestateblog.com on Memorial Day.... Enniskillen, God Willin' by Erik Hare My story of Ulster during the troubles.... The Case Against Bush - Murder by Erik Hare This is a bit of a departure for me, going into overtly political territory. I wrote this in 2004, and it is still valid. Note that I support the action taken in Afghanistan, as it was clearly in re... Timeless Living by Erik Hare This is a piece I did for stpaulrealestateblog.com... Energy Alternatives by Erik Hare Figure 1: Energy usage in Minnesota, 2000 (various sources), BBTU... A New Line of Thought by Erik Hare This was done for Columbus Day Riot, my blog-before-there-were-blogs, back in 1999. Little has changed.... Another Chance by Erik Hare This is how I came to adopt my dog, August. I first met him on the day of August Wilson''s funeral, and the themes of rootlessness seemed to describe this little dog. This is not my best work, but m... Industrial Glaciers by Erik Hare This is a short one I did for St Paul Real Estate Blog.... The Glengarry Leads by Erik Hare This is one I did for the St Paul Real Estate Blog.... One Stitch in Nine Saves Time by Erik Hare Save what?...
News Erik Hare on Wordsy Podcast by Erik Hare An interview with Erik Hare, nominated for Best Literature Blog of 2007, is featured on the wordsy podcast:
http://www.wordsy.com/podcast/2007-nov-30-episode_-twp021_final_hans_dekker
... Tao-Influenced Story Teaches Teens About Finding Their Place in the World by Erik Hare Erik Hare''s young adult book, "Downriver" brings serious life lessons to teenagers in a metaphoric format through a fanciful story about small creatures called Hopnegs. ... "Downiver" Featured by Erik Hare "Downriver" will be featured at readerviewskids.com the week of 11 June....
Links
Plague on Wheels
This is a little tune I wrote sometime back. It is a midi file. The lyrics are filed under "Poetry".
