Pamela and I initially met online through LinkedIn, from there we connected on Facebook and then moved onto communication through email. In this crazy world of social media and online networks, occasionally a real one-on-one friendship evolves. I was fortunate to have discovered a genuine friend in Pamela, a colleague to share ideas, inspiration, and encouragement. The following is a text from a recent interview I conducted with her. Interview with Pamela Lee Dale: How and wh

There’s way too much information to cram into one post, so here’s a quick overview of the history of GAY PRIDE and where it all began. Pride Commemorates the Stonewall Riots The history of the gay rights movement in this country is usually dated to 1969 when the patrons of a New York City bar fought back against a discriminatory police raid. At the time, homosexuality — or “sodomy,” as it was referred to in the legal books — was still a crime. Men could be arrested for wearin

No. This is not just any ol’ rag. It’s a fountain pen enthusiast’s ink rag. This swatch of cotton fabric represents colors of bottled inks I’ve used over the past four years. Each time a fountain pen is re-inked, the pen and or the nib are wiped of excessive ink. Over time, the ink rag has grown into a story of inks used by this fountain pen enthusiast. This particular rag represents ink blots from various inks like the highly sought after vintage Script Peacock Blue, traditi

There’s an old saying “write what you know” a popular expression among writers. So what happens when you write a story of “what you know” but you don’t have all the factors to conclude the story? Over four decades ago, when I was a high school student, there were some unconventional incidents that took place in my teens. Years later, I considered writing an autobiography which would have revealed a real and intimate part of my life, but I was missing a key component, the “why

Had an amazing afternoon with A Dude Abikes. A budding new author to watch for. Take a look at his blog and make sure you LIKE his posts and don't forget to Follow A Dude Abikes. He's an awesome dude. Dale Thele fiction with an lgbt twist #DaleThele #Author #Novelist #Writer #Fiction Get new blog post notifications sent directly to you by email. Don't ever miss another blog post! Click here to subscribe.

Who handwrites any more? That's so old school. Well, just call me old fashion. Back in December, I completed the rough draft of CLIPPED WINGS, entirely handwritten in cursive with a fountain pen in a total of eight college-ruled composition books. Why would I put myself through such cruel torture? Well, I love writing with fountain pens, there's nothing that can compare with the feel and sensation of watching liquid ink form words on a piece of paper. In 2012 I ran across a Y

Waterman "Carene" fountain pen is an elegant and classy pen making me feel as if I'm composing an epic tome. The Carene is a deep black luminescent lacquer finish barrel with electroplated palladium trim with a shape inspired by the streamlined symmetry of the world's finest yachts. The french translation of “carène” is “hull”. This quality fountain pen features a highly lacquered barrel and extremely smooth in-laid rhodium-plated 18k solid gold extra fine nib. Heavy weight (

Here is another of my go-to pens, the Hero 616 in black plastic and chrome metal is a Chinese manufactured fountain pen which pays homage to the great Parker 51 model fountain pen. The pen is well copied in detail even down to the Parker arrow clip and the steel "jewel" crowned cap. The thin metal cap is etched with separated groupings of 7 pinstripes and has the Chinese characters for "Hero" and the model number "616". Once the slip cap is removed, the clutch ring at the joi

My very first fountain pen: the Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen captures the fun of writing with a fountain pen in a modern plastic body style. It's medium stainless steel nib and Advanced Liquid Ink Feed System provide a smooth writing experience, and the black ink supply is visible through a window on the side. The Varsity is a great no-maintenance everyday fountain pen, when the ink runs out, simply toss the pen in the trash. However, fountain pen enthusiasts have de

Yes, I'm a fountain pen addict, it all started in April 2015 when I purchased my first fountain pen. I fell in love with the little boogers and began collecting and using fountain pens, both vintage & contemporary. As of to-date, my collection exceeds 200 vintage and contemporary fountain pens as well as a few dip pens and an assortment of vintage and contemporary ink pen paraphernalia. My ink collection consists of mostly traditional inks (Parker, Waterman, Chesterfield, She

This is the first refillable fountain pen that sent me on the road to collecting and using fountain pens: The Fountain Pen Revolution (F.P.R.) Indus Clear Demo with gold-tone accents. This is not an expensive pen by any means, it's made in India exclusively for F.P.R., an Indian fountain pen distributor located in Arkansas, USA. The Indus is a clear demonstrator made entirely of transparent plastic except for the gold-toned metal clip, ring and stainless steel Extra Fine nib.