| Booksie Address: | http://www.booksie.com/Bill_Rayburn |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Other site: | View Link |
| Favorite book: | Prince of Tides/Beach Music/All The Trouble in the World |
| Member Since: | Apr 2, 2012 |
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jan 2, 2013
A Polish immigrant in Brooklyn, on the brink of his 40th...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jan 1, 2013
A genuine fantasy written about, and for, the woman...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jan 1, 2013
Contemplating the last twenty years, and the changes...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 30, 2012
A practical joke between good friends, played out across...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 20, 2012
A young man loses everything to his first love.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 20, 2012
The NRA continues to resist the gun control advocates who...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 17, 2012
I have written a 10,000 word novella, titled “The...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 16, 2012
A woman wonders how she has let her life get to the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 16, 2012
How to move on from the loss of a loved one. We all do it...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 12, 2012
An open mind can lead anywhere. A closed mind is a hurdle.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 11, 2012
A simple yet unique home for my baseball cap became the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 11, 2012
Ruminations on how and why some people can choose, rather...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 4, 2012
A man discovers a revealing bronze plaque on a park...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 1, 2012
A writer in his mid thirties meets an older gent who may...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Dec 1, 2012
Toughness is a quality practically impossible to measure...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 26, 2012
A fictional account of what Coach D'Antoni might have...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 26, 2012
An intrepid Chief's fan stumbles into the Raider's...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 26, 2012
A fictional tale from the Oakland Raider's infamous fan...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 26, 2012
Friends play a bar game conjuring up squalid ways in...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 24, 2012
When gay people don't come out of the closet, everybody...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 23, 2012
An ex-Pat experiences Thanksgiving in a country that...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 22, 2012
Should we measure our own level of excellence in life, or...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 22, 2012
A writer reflects on his success, in spite of the loss of...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 15, 2012
Dogs and humans share at least one emotion: gratitude...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 15, 2012
Opening paragraph.....
"It took the comely little...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 10, 2012
A sociopath murders his wife, unintentionally, on their...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Nov 4, 2012
An annual pilgrimmage to Rodin's sculpture garden in...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 31, 2012
Author reflects on the pleasures of writing in a pub.
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 31, 2012
The final, pathetic bleatings of heart about to stop......
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 28, 2012
Thoughts on the poignant death of Amy Winehouse, and...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 26, 2012
A Yank's recent move to London is highlighted by a...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 14, 2012
A Yank ventures into London Pub with an open mind and a...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 9, 2012
Leaving the US....the moment you've left soil....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 8, 2012
Thoughts on reflection on the eve of changing countries....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Oct 8, 2012
Musings on moving across "the pond".....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Sep 21, 2012
No second acts in life are guaranteed, and not all second...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Sep 19, 2012
Thoughts as i sit on the brink of a life-changing move....
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Sep 6, 2012
Lamenting bad news from a former lover.....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 27, 2012
A friend retreats....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 23, 2012
A run-of-the-mill professional golfer goes up against...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 20, 2012
Thoughts on a favorite female body part...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 17, 2012
A slice of life from this small central California town.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 12, 2012
The author contemplates replacing his family.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 11, 2012
Facing another major transition, I face the concept of...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 9, 2012
A man ponders the desertion of the people in his life...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 6, 2012
A comedy writer and frustrated comedian goes to Hollywood...
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 5, 2012
Golf....like ex-wives...makes you wonder, WHY??
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 3, 2012
A man reminisces about a meteor-like love affair of 45...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jul 2, 2012
An anonymous death drags a columnist out of retirement to...
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 30, 2012
Denial + Delusion = Death
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 29, 2012
A Hispanic Stanford grad goes undercover in Central CA as...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 26, 2012
Ruminating on the concept of 'Brownie Points'....
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 24, 2012
We all die...enjoy the ride
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 23, 2012
Musing on how we'd all like to go out with a bang...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 23, 2012
A man bemoans the fact his good looks have kept him from...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 21, 2012
A couple discusses the age old sex myth over cocktails....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 20, 2012
The fifth entry in an ongoing mythical series of late...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 19, 2012
A coffee house chance meeting leads to....well, you're...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 19, 2012
I wrote this for the loyal denizens of my Facebook room,...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 18, 2012
Elation follows love, and with it comes, well, everything.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 18, 2012
Uncovering the deceit behind the famous 3 letter acronym...
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 15, 2012
Poem for my long ago deceased dad as Father's Day...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 14, 2012
How memory fades with age, and why "what was" becomes...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 8, 2012
The lone black resident of a cul de sac finally wanders...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Jun 2, 2012
Mothers and daughters must surf some choppy waters to...
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 31, 2012
Sports can save a young boys' life.
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 30, 2012
A father recalls heartbreak and tragedy.
Poem by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 29, 2012
Read at your own risk. This is meant for fun and...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 29, 2012
Self absorption falls under my knife, as I slash away at...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 28, 2012
Why an Army Brat can be the most interesting person in...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 27, 2012
Happiness may be just around the corner. You never know....
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 27, 2012
Through two divorces, the lessons I have learned about...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 27, 2012
Musings on patriotism and my deceased father, a WWII POW....
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 20, 2012
From a wonderful book by Robert Fulghum. The book is...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 16, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled “Grand Canyon”,...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 13, 2012
My ode to all the moms I know.
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 12, 2012
Why do smart women put themselves in, and refuse to...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 7, 2012
The fourth installment of President Obama's secret diary...
Book by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 6, 2012
Chapter one of a novel I am writing; a memoir of my...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: May 3, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Redford and Newman:...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 25, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled “Now What,...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 22, 2012
The story continues in southeast France, as the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 20, 2012
Mental meanderings on death, our reactions to it, and how...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 19, 2012
A southeastern France tale of beauty, nature's...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 16, 2012
Weather can, and often does, dictate mood. (approx. 260...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 15, 2012
Thoughts and ramblings on escape: why we do it, how we do...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 14, 2012
Late at night on Friday the 13th, President Obama writes...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 12, 2012
Setting the record straight with Google. (approx. 350 words)
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 11, 2012
Absolutism is often at the root of human discord. Why...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 7, 2012
A man entertains thoughts of his own suicide. (approx....
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 6, 2012
A sort of rough draft, but part one of an opus on the...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 5, 2012
Paradise: Freedom to do, think, feel....anything. Pelting...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 5, 2012
Musing on the loss of a good friend; the how, the why,...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 5, 2012
How weather can be a conduit to kindness. (approx. 400...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 5, 2012
If you get your mail by boat, you are definitely living...
Book by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
I am currently at work on a novel, 'Deadly Dominoes', a...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Determining what is important to us, understanding what...
by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
A variety of very short pieces or jokes or reflections...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Questioning why young people are in such a hurry to grow...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
A couple analyzes the husband's just completed 30th high...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Why you shouldn't delay instant gratification. (approx....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
A visit to New York City proves sobering enough to make...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Why is high school often a graveyard of free thought and...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
The elusive pursuit of happiness, the good life, and the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Attractive people seem to have an easier road through...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
In search of a Sports Fan Wing Man, male or female: Apply...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
A man seeks the ultimate judge, jury and executioner for...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
The breakup of an interracial relationship leads to a...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
How religion can breed hypocrisy. (approx. 465 words)
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
An overcast beach provides the backdrop for a lifetime of...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
A boy's defining moment with his father leaves a...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
The end of our lives...why some race to it, others...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
An entire generation of young women sits poised to rule...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
Considering my legacy, while wondering, as the last...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 4, 2012
The lurking fear of feeling happy and content, and the...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Why has American culture put even more pressure on aging...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A look at how contradictions are not only inevitable when...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Getting to know a thoughtful, educated young black woman....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The longer we live, the more death is on our mind....
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Editorial column written for the newspaper I used to...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Young women seeking equality with men may find it not all...
Article by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
What would we do if we could remain, for one week, privy...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Dealing with the haymakers life throws with some grace,...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A shocking delivery room discovery ruins 3 lives, one...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A poker game between famous musicians provides the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Can we live without respect? Why respect is so important...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A Baby Boomer shucks the label and strives for separation...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Regrets. Before, during and after. What do we do with...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Escaping the jungle that eventually finds us all. It can...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The incredible dichotomy that Trust imparts on people who...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A man's take on the mental machinations behind a woman's...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A brief, occasionally sordid, but no less accurate peak...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
When a father recently shot his daughter's lap top...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The constant repairs and reclamation projects that...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Why the entire issue of Gay rights can be distilled to...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
How a garbage chute can can clean up the ENTIRE world....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A condensed essay on why men should NEVER make the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A look back at a lovely vignette of my month in Paris....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
A father struggles with raising his young girl, with the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Musings on loves lost, loves attained, and ultimately,...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
What part of the week is the best? One man breaks it...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Reflections on the mating rituals within the world of...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The myriad of emotions spanning race, class and gender...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
In defense of what many think is indefensible. How being...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Wrestling with the age old dilemma: eye for an eye?...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
Bullying, Cyber and otherwise, has been with us forever....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The battle of fate versus our own control over our lives...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 3, 2012
The ability and willingness of people to bounce back from...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
A sociological experiment develops out of the simple act...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
A man (moi) muses on his first childhood exposure to a...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
How much should we share upon meeting someone? Must there...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
An homage to the human mind and the daily calisthenics it...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Hitting rock bottom, and where you go from there....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
I reminisce back on past New year's Eves. (approx. 500...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Thoughts on adulthood, traversed without parents....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
I look back on an impactful evening with my nephew, and...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Emotional wanderings and wonderings in search of the...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
The slow death of meritocracy bleeds into all aspects of...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Thoughts on how fear controls the mind and our behavior....
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
The decline of meritocracy will soon be felt by all of...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Cultural musing on the fall of dignity and humility in...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
How does one arrive at a misanthropic mindset? Nature or...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "You Are Here: The...
Essay by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
My take on the racial controversy over the Trayvon Martin...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
A love letter to HER, and what might have...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
An elderly woman swims against the inevitable tide of her...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Eulogy For An Asshole"...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "The Talk", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Innocence", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Counseling", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
One night in the Oval Office with the President and his...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Hooking Your Class",...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "The Cooler", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Death Bed" (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Commencement",...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Confrontation",...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "One Night in the...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Watchin' Scotty Grow"....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Precocious", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled “Yesterday, When I...
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled "Shank Beach", (approx....
Short Story by Bill Rayburn
Posted: Apr 2, 2012
Enclosed is a short story, titled “A Life Unlived: A...
Updated November 25, 2012
Hello,
My name is Bill. 52 years old, twice divorced, no children, and currently living in London, England. I have been writing prolifically (that means "a lot", not necessarily well ;=}) for the past year or so, and have amassed a collection of short stories of fiction, and opinion pieces of non-fiction on cultural events, world affairs, and probing into the psychology of why people behave like they do. I have more than enough for a book of these pieces and am currently looking for a publisher.
In addition, I have written a 10,000 word novella, titled “The Dainty”, set in 1969 Detroit: One day in an Irish Pub, and that day is Christmas Eve. The dysfunctional denizens of The Dainty plow through a fierce snowstorm, cocktails, and their personal baggage as Christmas Eve plays out before them.
I have also written a slightly longer piece on President Obama keeping a fictional diary and holding late night bull sessions/cocktail hours with his porter, an older black man from Chicago in the Oval Office. There are so far 5 diary entries and the succeeding sessions with his porter so far, at approx. 12,000 words. There will be more to follow, and probably this will grow into book length. It is written in real time, commenting on current events through the voice of Obama.
I am currently at work on a novel/memoir of my family, starting with, and revolving around, my father and his year-long stay in a Nazi POW camp in WWII, up through his suicide in 1979 after my mom divorced him. They had six children, three boys and three girls, four of which remain alive today.
I have lead an interesting life so far. Some hi-lights: married at 22 to Susie. Divorced at 26. Remarried at 35 to Laura, divorced at 36. Single since then.
Lived for a month in a Left Bank flat in Paris in 1998, a trip that was much more a soul-searching sojourn than a pleasurable vacation in the City of Lights. Fell in love with the city.
Now in London, I am further rejuvenated.
I hail from the San Francisco Bay Area, born and raised. San Carlos was my home (20 miles south of SF) for the first 18 years of my life. I have lived for six years (1990-96) on the east coast of America, in northern New Jersey, a stone’s throw across the Hudson River from Manhattan (NYC). I fell in love with the bohemian lifestyle and ambiance of Greenwich Village, a virtual island of sanity and safety on the southern end of the island of Manhattan. Could easily live there someday. In fact, could easily live almost anywhere I found interesting and fascinating and progressive in its culture and politics.
I am a secularist. I am pro-gay rights, pro-choice on abortion, virtually pro-choice across the board on most issues. Fairness is probably the single most important word in my vocabulary. It crosses EVERY issue, and I reside on the side of fairness virtually every time. Live and let live. Politically, if pressed, I might label myself a Libertarian. Never a Republican; maybe in some cases a Democrat. Clearly an independent in all things that matter. I am a reluctant alpha male with no posse, no entourage, and no desire for any of that bullshit.
I am currently in love and committed to the most wonderful woman I have ever met or loved or been lucky enough to have love me. I go to sleep next to her, I wake up next to her, and I want neither of those aspects of my life to change.
We have recently brought a dog into our lives, Leo, who is beyond description. Just the perfect dog for us.
Perfect.
If happiness, and feeling content, can spur a writer on to greater heights, than look out above, because here I come.
I am, ascendingly yours, and genuine...
I think, therefore I am.
My favorite quote:
RALPH WALDO EMERSON: "If you are noble, I will love you; if you are not, I will not hurt you and myself by hypocritical attentions. If you are true, but not in the same truth with me, cleave to your companions; I will seek my own."
Bill Rayburn