David Hunter

David Hunter is a freelance writer and the author of 16 books. His latest book, "Tempest at the Sunpshere," was recently released and is available at area bookstores and through Amazon.com. You can write him at P.O. Box 1124, Powell, Tenn. 37849

• David Hunter: Plumbing the depths of Friday the 13th Published 7/17/2012 at 3:00 a.m. 3 comments

  When I sat down to write last week, I realized that there was a Friday the 13th approaching, so I decided to research the origin of the superstition surrounding the day.

• David Hunter: How to rough it when the power fails Published 7/10/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 2 comments

  It was around 5:40 last Thursday evening when I lost my Internet connection, along with my television and landline telephones.

• David Hunter: Deadlines are a cure for writer's block Published 7/3/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments

  There's an old story about humorist, writer and sometimes-actor Robert Benchley, the grandfather of Peter Benchley of "Jaws" fame. Supposedly Benchley went into work one morning, rolled a sheet of paper into his typewriter and hit a few keys.

• David Hunter: Hysteria fuels rising demand for drugs Published 6/26/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments

  In 2006, Chicago heroin pushers began to sell heroin laced with fentanyl, a painkiller so potent that except in operating rooms as anesthesia, it is prescribed only in slow-release patches. Many times more potent than heroin, the Chicago mixture reportedly ...

• David Hunter: Ray Bradbury's influence on geeky writer endures Published 6/19/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 11 comments

  My sophomore year, I staked out the library at Halls High School for weeks, waiting for the arrival of a new book by Ray Bradbury called "Something Wicked This Way Comes." One of the student library assistants exercised a prior ...

• David Hunter: Web has been a boon for researchers Published 6/12/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 3 comments

  When I first started writing a column for the now defunct, Knoxville Journal, around 1990, I researched and wrote my columns on paper and either mailed or hand delivered them to my editor. It was hard to be current with ...

• David Hunter: On the incredible shrinking columnist Published 6/5/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 7 comments

  There are worse things than being short.

• David Hunter: Internet has been a boon to researchers Published 5/29/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 2 comments

  When I first started writing a column for the old Knoxville Journal, around 1990, I researched and wrote my columns on paper and either mailed or hand delivered them to my editor. It was hard to be current with that ...

• David Hunter: 'Housemade words burrow under skin Published 5/22/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 12 comments

  One of my Facebook chums recently posted a complaint about the overuse of a trendy new word, "housemade." Truthfully, I didn't know it was being overused — probably because I eat at the wrong restaurants — so I looked it ...

• David Hunter: Common aphorisms commonly wrong Published 5/15/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 8 comments

  Proverbs, aphorisms, sayings, maxims and adages mean essentially the same thing. If you dig into a dictionary of etymology or a thesaurus, you may find subtle differences listed between them, but the differences matter only to people who earn their ...

• David Hunter: A friend's death is never easy to accept Published 5/8/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments

  Not so long ago, when my friend Jim Wester was dying of cancer that started in his pancreas and spread throughout his body, he contacted his friends to say goodbye and to tell us to stay away because he didn't ...

• David Hunter: Lady fits in at the Hunter household Published 5/1/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 4 comments

  Because of my affinity for writing about dogs in general and German shepherds in particular, I receive frequent enquiries about my canine household members.

• David Hunter: A skeptic finds Facebook useful Published 4/24/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 3 comments

  In September of 2011, I joined Facebook and became one of those people who had never expected to have an account because I could see no reason why I would ever need it. I don't play online games, a primary ...

• David Hunter: A logical Legislature? That's just a theory Published 4/17/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 17 comments

  Tennessee…s House Bill 368 — nicknamed "the monkey bill" — has caused a lot of controversy. Actually, the only controversy is among people who put too much faith in science and not enough faith in faith.

• David Hunter: Quiet desperation speaks volumes Published 4/10/2012 at 4:00 a.m. 72 comments

  Our Knoxville Utilities Board payment was not mailed on time this month, so I went by to drop the payment off at the Western Avenue location. While I was there, one of Thoreau's statements popped into my head: "The mass ...

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