I wonder. Probably more times than not.   Do avid readers and even those occasional purveyors of best-selling novels or short stories in various periodicals, think about the writer’s motivations?   Do they wonder?   Contemplate and try to figure out where the writer’s themes, plot lines, characters, and situations come from? Is it a writer’s pure imagination or a temporary glimpse into some reality-based aspect of the writer’s life?   Do writers “borrow” someone else’s life story and experiences, and then portray the life of others in a fictional or a creative non-fiction structure?   Now, let’s get real. There are some folks {whose thinking is grounded in a variety of self-declared ideologies unique to them} surmise that so ‘n’ so had to be on “something” to come up with the fantastical plot and/or unusual characters. Others opine that creativity is a platform solely driven by and held hostage by mental or emotional health characteristics. So, ...

  The American lexicon is rampant with slogans, phrases and linguistic meanderings that use certain words more than others. Interestingly, such phrases are grounded in mundane or repetitive human actions that often manifest images in our mind that may not be pertinent to the moment that we hear the phrase. Need examples?   Play ball.   The ball is in your court.   That’s the way the ball bounces.   The whole ball of wax.   And while there are negative phrases using ‘ball’ it is not the intention to decipher the totality of ‘ball’ phrases. However, we are reminded of famous people whose surname ended in Ball.   Lucille (Lucy) Ball is probably the most famous. And while there are Philip, Carsten, Ernie, Fred, Harvey, Lawrence, John, David, and others whom you may find on anyone’s list of notable Balls, there isn’t a notable figure with the first name Stephen as far as we know. That is about to change. Now, there is another notable for the Bal...

  The Fantastic World of Jen Shin You may remember. The time you stood online, for most likely several hours, waiting to get into your local movie theater to see the 1981 film, “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a film that I saw five times (only matched by “Fame”) in at least three countries. And then a year later in 1982,   your wait time to get into the theater, as well as your wildest imagination was furthered stretched by once again, the creativity of George Lucas (founder of Lucasfilm and the perennial influencer, Industrial Light & Magic) and director, Steven Spielberg when “E.T., The Extra Terrestrial” was released. As with great visual stimulation, there was the wonderment and joy as you were transported to a different time, meeting unimaginable characters, holding your breath as intrigue and excitement coursed through your being. And years later, your world of imagination was furthered broadened. With an enthused cultural awareness influence...