George Ochoa

Writer, reader, madman, Catholic, and movie fan. My first novel, the thriller STRANGER STILL, is out now on Amazon. No unsolicited DMs.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

Today is the official Relaunch Day for my thriller STRANGER STILL, now with the scary new cover!

https://t.co/0RF9OB6xPh

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@RyanGabriel_RC But it is the rational soul that confers intelligence. Why couldn’t God give a rational soul, with its intelligence, to a machine—if that was his will?

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

If you’re Catholic and faithful to the magisterium, you know that humans have rational souls. But why couldn’t God give a rational soul to something else—say, an artificial intelligence? I’m not saying he has, just asking why he couldn’t.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

In a business piece of writing, I once wrote “several” and one of the people who reviewed it changed it to “multiple.” As far as I can tell, this is just because in business writing today “multiple” is preferred. But I prefer the way “several” rolls off the tongue.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

I’m retiring soon, and people are starting to tell me congratulations. I’m pleased, of course, but why is retirement something to congratulate me for?

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

At my job, we have summer Fridays, which means we get to leave work at 3 instead of 6. In practice, I use this time to watch a movie in my basement, rather than travel or otherwise enjoy the nice weather. What would you do with a summer Friday?

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@GirlsandGoblins I’m enjoying it.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@oddsyntax That’s a good trick, reading aloud.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

Is it easier to proof someone else’s writing or your own? The nice thing about someone else’s writing is it’s fresh when you proof it. The nice thing about your own is that you care more.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@janvbear I move to extend the expiration date.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

I’m reading Dickens’s OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, published in 1864-1865, and there’s a big twist in the middle that I already knew about because I made the mistake of reading about it on the internet. Even a novel from the century before last needs spoiler alerts.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

I just found out that a friend of mine, a Baptist, has a tattoo from Hebrews on his right arm. You never know how Christians will express themselves.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@ElChandler Subway. He practically lives in the subways.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

Sum 41 once put out an album called “All Killer, No Filler.” I felt it had some filler and not enough killer. Has there ever been an album that you felt authentically was all killer and no filler?

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@NovelistRJones The secret link between Scorpio and Cancer…

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

A friend who was into astrology once asked me what my sign was. I said, “Scorpio, but I don’t believe in that stuff.” He said, “That’s exactly what a Scorpio would say.”

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@FaceMoss Clever!

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@GailSpeculates Then you know what we’re like!

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

@dasinfogod Great poster!

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

I call it STAR WARS, because that’s what the title was when I saw it on its first run in 1977. I know others call it A NEW HOPE because that’s the name it got later, but I prefer the title under which I first saw it.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

When people ask me what I do for a living, I say I’m a writer. Their eyes light up as if this is something exciting, so I add, “For a company.” Then they’re less excited.

[George Ochoa @OchoaWriter]

I sometimes adore the Blessed Sacrament on YouTube. It’s not the same as adoring in person, but it helps. It gives me a chance to be with the Body of Christ, if only by video link to a live presentation far away from me.