Husband, father, communication professor, frustrated writer and novelist. I love Jesus, my wife and kids (and grandson), kayaking, football and science fiction.
I’m invested in National Novel Writing Month for what I think is the seventh time. I’m not doing as good as I should. I think I have just over 9,000 words written. I can blame it on having a more challenging book this time, one that calls for me to research every time I turn … More “This Above All: To Thine Own Self Be True”
Easter Eggs. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Not the kind that kids look for on that spring holiday out on the lawn. I’m talking about the kind that you find in movies and books where authors and filmmakers include little clues for you to find. They’re fun, they’re free and they show that you’re paying … More Hunting for Easter Eggs
Today is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, and this is the eighth time (at least I think it is) that I have participated. I’ve completed the 50,000 words in 30 day challenge five times. The first time I did it, I started two days late, and finished it in 17 days. A … More Want to learn how little you know? Write a book.
Red Metal by Mark Greaney and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings, IV, USMC. Berkley Books. 638 pages. I happened to pick this book up at my friendly neighborhood library last weekend, and since it was in the seven-day loan area, I hustled through reading its 638 pages in six days. Fortunately, it was a fast … More Review: “Red Metal” by Mark Greaney
People say that the Root of All Evil is the love of money. But I’ll wager that it’s just money, period. The fact that we need it, and most of us don’t have it. Right now, it’s pretty much running my life. And I’m sick of it. I’m not writing right now. Okay, I’ve admitted … More The Root of All Evil
Words of Radiance: Book Two of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. 1096 pages. Tor Books. It took me a while to get back to this series after the immense first book that was The Way of Kings. At 1,258 pages, it was a lot to swallow, and took me a while to read. The … More Review: “Words of Radiance” by Brandon Sanderson
I attended a writer’s conference in Park City, Utah back in 2007 because I had a question in my head. I’d been writing for quite a while, but mostly for my own people. When I say “my own people,” I talk about members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There’s about a million of us in … More Big fish in a small pond…or small fish in a big pond?
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi. Tor Books. 372 pages. John Scalzi is a very good writer. I thoroughly enjoyed his award-winning and bestselling book Old Man’s War, which really put his name on the map as far as science fiction writers. This book, The Collapsing Empire, is an example of a book that was … More Review: “The Collapsing Empire” by John Scalzi
I was watching Jerry Seinfeld’s great series on Netflix called Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee where he interviewed Seth Rogen. Something Rogen said stuck with me, and I immediately thought of writing books–of course. Seth Rogen was talking about being a stand-up comedian, and why he decided to quit. “It’s like that famous quote, ‘I … More What Writers Can Learn from Boxers (and other Pugilists)
Deliverance: Forgotten Colony Book 1 by M. R. Forbes. 350 pages. Amazon Digital Services. Once in a while I treat myself to my guilty pleasure of military science fiction for some brainless fun. That’s especially special when the book is offered free of charge, as was the case for Deliverance, courtesy of Amazon Prime. It’s … More Review: “Deliverance” by M.R. Forbes
The Great Adventure 