Author Archives: Deb Houdek Rule

Remembering Robert Heinlein

I posted this article on both the Heinlein Prize Trust and the Heinlein Society websites. Robert Heinlein was one of the major influences on my life. All the activities listed below, I am in some way involved in. May 8, … Continue reading

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Succeeding Through Paying It Forward

An article I wrote for the Heinlein Society website: The Heinleins’ Adopted Granddaughter Invents Medical Product by Deb Houdek Rule “When your hero adopts you at age 12, there’s little that seems out of reach.” —Amy Baxter, M.D. Amy Baxter, … Continue reading

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Heinlein Publishing History is Made

Heinlein publishing history was made on March 26, 2013 when the Kickstarter project to fund a graphic novel version of Robert A. Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy achieved its funding goal! With several days yet before the funding date of … Continue reading

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Heinlein Citizen of the Galaxy Graphic Novel

Citizen of the Galaxy will be the first graphic novel adapted from Robert Heinlein’s Virginia Edition, which is the complete and definitive 46 volume collector’s set of all of Heinlein’s works. This project is approved by the copyright owner, the … Continue reading

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New Publication from Variations on a Theme

Variations on a Theme Press Release March13,2013 in PDF   Variations on a Theme publishing announces the release of THE BLACK HOLE PROJECT by G. David Nordley and C. Sanford Lowe in print and ebook. The Black Hole Project is … Continue reading

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Tales of Television: Vanished Into Electrons

So what is it I’ve done in this past 30+ years? In the final analysis, I’ve arranged electrons into interesting patterns, flung them into the ether, and seen them vanish. Continue reading

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Hobbit: The Musical

Peter Jackson’s new movie, The Hobbit, certainly delivers value for your ticket price. The three hours you spend at the movie will feel like eight or nine! True value. The film is a brilliant example of the film editing concept … Continue reading

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Christmas Lights Denial

The Stages of Christmas Lights Denial: I’m just not going to do lights this year. It’s too much work and I don’t have time. Christmas, bah! Waste of effort. Anyhow, no one cares about my Christmas lights. Sure I’ve enjoyed … Continue reading

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Future History is Made Today!

11-11-12: It’s Lazarus Long’s 100th Birthday ! Happy 100th Birthday Woodrow Wilson Smith, aka Lazarus Long; Ernest Gibbons; Captain Aaron Sheffield; “Happy” Daze; His Serenity Seraphin the Younger, Supreme High Priest of the One God in All His Aspects and … Continue reading

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My Virginia Edition Arrived!

My Virginia Edition of the Complete Works of Robert A. Heinlein arrived and has a new home on shelves in my office! My goodness… with as many things having to do with Heinlein and his legacy I’ve been involved in … Continue reading

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I Know a Place…

I know a place where there is no smog and no parking problem… and no television commercials… So begins Robert Heinlein’s novel Glory Road. It’s a happy place the hero finds, with lovely land and friendly people. And quiet. We … Continue reading

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Father’s Day Memories

 I wrote this for a booklet for my father’s funeral in March of 2008…   My father, Calvin George Houdek, was born June 11, 1927 in Pine City, Minnesota, the only son, and only child, of George Houdek and Clara … Continue reading

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Season of Marvels: Viking Tales

It’s Vikings past, present, and future! Available on Amazon Kindle Season of Marvels: Viking Tales joins my novel, Of All the Western Stars, and science fiction story collection, Stars That Sing the Requiem, on Amazon Kindle, all published by Variations … Continue reading

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Tales of Television: Becoming a Tourist Attraction in Hollywood

Millions of people visit Hollywood every year hoping to see a real movie or television production. Sure, you can go to the Universal Studios Tour, and it’s great fun, but it’s also contrived and carefully orchestrated to keep people herded … Continue reading

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Tales of Television: Britney Who?

For about five years in the late 90s I worked at a PBS television station in California. At its most normal, it’s safe to say, a PBS station is a strange place to work. Sometimes it’s dull, as long programs … Continue reading

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Tales of Television: What Not to Say

Inevitably, when off the air, someone will rush in and ask, “Can’t you put a slide up?”, with said slide being the Technical Difficulties, Please Stand By graphic everyone at every tv station wishes to never see on the air. Continue reading

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Tales of Television: When Take 2 Would Have Been a Good Idea

The news story usually was ‘written’ by the receptionist; cribbed, in reality, from the newspaper. Whoever really wanted to be on television became the news anchor (also usually the receptionist). Continue reading

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Coming in Tales of Television

What to say, or not say, to the Military Police at 2am when it’s raining and you just want to get the shot Great Moments in Closed Captioning: Do you know what “sinned-re-la-la” means? What not to say if your … Continue reading

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Tales of Television: An Easter Bunny Tale

A sobbing bunny-girl was probably not going to sell cars. Continue reading

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Stars That Sing the Requiem

Stars That Sing the Requiem, a science fiction short story collection, joins my novel, Of All the Western Stars, on Amazon Kindle, published by Variations on a Theme publishing. Four of the six stories in Stars That Sing the Requiem … Continue reading

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The Hunger Games

Originality of concept often isn’t as important as the freshness and the vitality of the approach. As the Harry Potter series breathed a vibrant new life into some very old fantasy concepts, The Hunger Games gives a hint of that vitality to the post-apocalyptic survival scenario, at least in the first book. Continue reading

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Prophets of Science Fiction

Most of you who read here probably know I’m heavily involved in the world of Heinlein. I am on the Board of Directors of the Heinlein Society, and spend quite a bit of time and efforts advancing our goal to … Continue reading

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Romance Guest Author

Today I’m guest blogger on romance writer Bernadette Marie’s website talking about how I came to be interested in Tudor history, and how it led to the writing of my historical time travel romance novel Of All the Western Stars. … Continue reading

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Warrior Princess Romance Writer

I am delighted to be the guest author this week on romance writer Bernadette Marie’s website. On Warrior Princess Romance Writer blog site, I am the featured interviewee today, will have a guest blog on Thursday, and will be giving … Continue reading

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Of All the Western Stars

My historical-time travel-science fiction romance novel, Of All the Western Stars, is now available on Kindle from Amazon.com published by Variations on a Theme publishing. You don’t need a Kindle to read Kindle books. Just select to purchase the novel, … Continue reading

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Tudorland

I’m pleased to announce the launch of a new website, Tudorland. Tudorland explores an area I’ve long been interested in, which is the history of the Tudor and era in England. Since I was only eleven-years-old and saw the movie … Continue reading

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Emeralds, Diamonds and Amethysts

It’s with a great deal of pleasure I direct your attention to an upcoming book by friend, and college roommate, Mary Matthews. Emeralds, Diamonds and Amethysts is the sequel to Splendid Summer, a novel of the Roaring Twenties set in … Continue reading

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Boat Day: With Spiders

We’re in the last waning days of summer. I just moved to sit outside on the deck, to enjoy the summer sun, but it’s sixty-seven degrees right now, and feeling very much like autumn. The aspen tree has already lost … Continue reading

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Remember Flight 93

In the midst of the remembrances and reflections on the tenth anniversary of 9-11, I will remember and honor the brave people of Flight 93. That flight, aimed for our nation’s capital, was crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. … Continue reading

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Splendid Summer Honors Tasha

Mary Matthews, the author of Splendid Summer, available on Kindle from Amazon.com, is honoring the memory of our dearly beloved Tasha with a donation to PAWS of Coronado. The $1000 donation was the award for having one of the best … Continue reading

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