Paul Combs
I’m a writer, podcaster, and bookseller whose ultimate goal (besides being a roadie for the E Street Band) is to make reading, writing, and books in general as popular in Texas as high school football. It may take a while.
‘Magic’ Is the Best Bruce Springsteen Album You’ve Never Heard
It has been entirely too long since I've done a story about Bruce Springsteen, so today I want to call attention to an album that rarely gets mentioned when talking about his best work. This is a shame, because 2007’s Magic is one of his finest albums, and certainly the equal of The Rising as his best album of the last 20 years.
Paul CombsPublished 7 days ago in Beat
Balkan Run
One thousand meters. One thousand meters was all that separated Dagan from his goal. And there was cover for all but a few stretches of that distance. Cover from the snipers, at least. The mortars were another story.
Paul CombsPublished 9 days ago in Fiction
A Grumpy Old Man Surprisingly Falls in Love With the Marvel Films
“Avengers Assemble.” I’d heard this two-word phrase my whole life, literally; it was apparently first spoken in the comics by Thor in 1964’s The Avengers #10, and I wasn’t born until 1966. But it meant nothing to me until a little over a year ago.
Paul CombsPublished 10 days ago in Geeks
The Candy Man and the Teacher
Kevin was stepping out of the school office when someone ran into him full speed, bounced off him, and fell to the floor. He looked down, expecting to see a little kid in too much of a hurry. Instead, he saw a stunning young woman, probably a few years older than him, with blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail and ice blue eyes, dressed perfectly for the part of preppie teacher. She was surrounded by loose papers and seemed a little disoriented; as she stood no more than 5’2”, he had certainly proven to be an immovable object.
Paul CombsPublished 12 days ago in Fiction
The Novella Is More Than Just the Ignored Little Brother of the Novel
We all know about novels, and most here read (and write) short stories, but there is an often overlooked category of fiction that we should all be reading. That ignored middle child is the novella.
Paul CombsPublished 12 days ago in JournalWhen the Lights Go Out
As is the case so often in my life, I should have known it was a bad idea from the start. In my defense, there was a lot of foolish optimism running around as we neared the end of 1983, especially after Reagan invaded Granada in October and smoked all those Cubans; he was so much tougher than Carter had been. I was newly and happily discharged from the Army, in the longest-lasting relationship of my life (six months and counting), and eager to experience all Savannah had to offer. As the Hostess City of the South, she owed me no less.
Paul CombsPublished 20 days ago in FictionFive Excellent Reasons To Publish Your Best Online Stories in Book Form
I was looking back over some of my older stories recently, trying to remember if I had written a specific piece about Springsteen (I had), when something struck me. I have written a lot of articles, over 100 on Vocal and more than 250 on Medium as of today. That’s not nearly as many as some who have been on these sites longer than me, but it’s still a significant amount. Given the average length of my articles, it’s between 125,000 and 200,000 words total. Since a novel is classified as a work of fiction over 50,000 words, that’s the equivalent of five novel-length works.
Paul CombsPublished 22 days ago in Journal
Romeo and Juliet and America’s Team
Will glanced at his watch; they should have been here hours ago. His father could have easily flown the whole family here rather than making the long drive from Pittsburg, and his frugality was frustrating. Will had no such luxury himself; the cost of a plane ticket from the West Coast was beyond his means. He looked at his watch a second time. They would have to leave for the church soon, and Mandy’s parents were growing impatient.
Paul CombsPublished 30 days ago in Fiction
