RIP Lynda Obst

Mpepper/ October 23, 2024/ Flashbacks

Two days ago, I posted a book review of Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights on my YouTube channel. Reading the book (and reviewing it) necessarily made me think about my time on film sets, which of course made me think of interning for Lynda Obst. The very next day—yesterday—I saw the headline that Lynda had passed away. She was young; the same

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2022 in Review: Writing

Mpepper/ December 9, 2022/ Flashbacks, Writing

Although the year is not quite over, it’s about time to start wrapping things up and examining what worked, what didn’t, and how to move forward. I intend to do this in bits and pieces by looking at different aspects of my life through the year. Naturally, I’ll start with my writing. Releases It’s difficult to believe I actually started

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Looking Back and Forward

Mpepper/ December 30, 2021/ Flashbacks

What did I accomplish in 2021? Well, I released a couple books. Went on a couple family vacations (remember those?). And tried to make peace with my health. In spring of 2021, our schools reopened with a reduced schedule. Kids who wanted to continue learning from home could do so, but all three of our kids wanted to go back.

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Timeline/Perspective

Mpepper/ February 22, 2021/ Flashbacks, Think Pieces, Writing Advice

Years ago, when I was feeling bad about my lack of success as a writer, I made a timeline of my writing history to remind myself of how far I’d come. I don’t know where that timeline is now, or even what software I used to make it, but I do still find looking back at my journey gives me

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Book Summary 2020

Mpepper/ December 4, 2020/ Flashbacks

Prefer video? View my 2020 Reading Wrap-Up on YouTube. Yes, there are still a few weeks left in the year, but the chances I will finish reading another book in that time are slim to none. So I don’t think it’s premature to look back at my year in books. This year, I read 62 books, fewer than the 81

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2020 in Review

Mpepper/ November 21, 2020/ Flashbacks, Think Pieces

There are 39 days left in the year, which means it’s time to begin the process of reflecting on all that has occurred. And for a year spent mostly at home, there is surprisingly a lot to review. I started the year with health issues and big plans. My focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) in my liver had begun to act

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My 9/11 Story

Mpepper/ September 11, 2020/ Flashbacks

I’ve told this tale many a time, but now that I have a brand new site, I will post it once more. This is the story of a newlywed living on Beacon Hill in Boston. At the time, I worked for Houghton Mifflin (pre-Harcourt). I used to walk to and from work—across Boston Common and the Public Garden to the

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