Spring’s First Breath and a Slow Sunday

Sunday, March 1, 2026, Orlando, Florida

Hello, friends!

Today marks the first day of meteorological spring—though astronomical spring won’t officially arrive until the vernal equinox at 10:46 AM on March 20. Still, I’m more than ready to bid farewell to the winter of 2025–2026. And in true Central Florida fashion, spring is easing in with a pleasant 74°F (23°C) under partly sunny skies. The high should reach 77°F (25°C), and the humidity is already reminding us that we live in the subtropics. Think of it as nature’s way of offering a gentle, slightly sticky hug.

Yesterday, I didn’t touch any of my literary projects. It was Saturday, after all—one of my two days off from Serious Writing™. And as readers of Stephen King’s The Shining know all too well, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I briefly considered tinkering with Amazon A+ content for either Reunion: A Story or Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, but ultimately decided to let the weekend be the weekend. Sometimes inspiration needs a little room to breathe.

So how did I spend my downtime?

I gave the Hormuz scenario in Sea Power: Naval Combat in the Missile Age another go—a fitting choice considering current events. With the U.S. and Israel conducting military strikes against Iran and the Iranians declaring the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the timing felt almost uncanny.

I’ve played Hormuz (a fictionalized take on the first Earnest Will convoy mission from July 1987) several times since picking up Sea Power in November 2024. It’s one of the few missions I’ve actually managed to complete in the base game. Lately, though, things haven’t gone as smoothly. Ever since Triassic Games released an update last week, I’ve been dealing with sluggish loading times and frequent crashes—especially in that scenario. So much for a relaxing gaming session.

I also spent a few hours reading and analyzing Reunion: Coda—partly for pleasure, but mostly to spot any lingering flaws I can correct in The Jim Garraty Chronicles and in future revisions of the novel. To my pleasant surprise, my prose still sounds good in my head as I read it. That’s not always the case; I’m a demanding reader, whether the author is Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts, Herman Raucher, or yours truly. Careless writing puts me off quickly, and I try to hold myself to the same standard I expect from others. My name is on that byline, after all, and I have no desire to be lumped in with indie authors who chase quick sales and unearned four- and five-star reviews.

My inner copy editor did catch a few minor bloopers in Reunion: Coda, and I made mental notes so I can address them tomorrow. They’re small, hard-to-spot glitches—especially considering I’ve already made several editing passes since publishing the novel last April. Still, spending time with my magnum opus was both enjoyable and productive.

As for the rest of today, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I don’t want to spend my entire Sunday in Reader/Writer/Editor mode. I love my chosen profession, even if it hasn’t been particularly rewarding financially, but I’m no spring chicken—I turn 63 on the 5th—and even authors need to switch off their creative brains now and then. Maybe I’ll watch something from my home media library, or read, or play a computer game—preferably one that doesn’t take eons to load or crash without warning.

Whether your Sunday is filled with creativity, calm, or a little bit of both, I hope the first day of spring—meteorological or otherwise—brings you something that feels like renewal. Thanks for stopping by and sharing a slice of the day with me. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.