Husband, father, communication professor, frustrated writer and novelist. I love Jesus, my wife and kids (and grandson), kayaking, football and science fiction.
It’s a necessary evil for authors. I’m talking about the M word. Yes, that’s right. Marketing. If you’re like me, you’d rather be churning out pages toward your next title, or even editing the one you have, OR talking to other authors about the challenges of selling books these days. But the hard part, the … More The Writer Who Speaks
I’ve read–and reviewed–quite a few book series over the past few years. Usually my modus operandi is to read the first book in the series with no intention of continuing the series. That’s because I either wasn’t thoroughly entertained by the first book, or because I’ve become convinced that sequels are generally not as good … More Review: “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson
One of the real perks of teaching is that I often find myself learning more than I think the students themselves are learning. Out of the mouths of babes, and all that. I was thinking back on a statement that one of my otherwise not-so-impressive students shared in class several years ago. It had a … More You Have to Have Something to Say
Ever since I started this blog back in 2006, it’s been my pledge to be totally honest about the writer’s life and what’s going on in mine. And so it’s time to talk about the dark side that happens to some of us. I’ve been struggling with a bout of depression for the past ten … More Dealing with Depression as a Writer
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough. 480 pages. Del Rey Books. This book is pretty impressive for a debut novel. It’s polished and is very detailed. It’s also a unique idea. The concept of a space elevator or a skyhook, a stationary orbiting station that is hooked to earth and allows materials to be … More Review: “The Darwin Elevator” by Jason M. Hough
When I listed on my bio on Twitter a couple of years ago that I write Christian suspense, one of the writers who connected with me asked (partly in jest and partly serious, I think), “What is Christian suspense?” I then had to explain that a Christian suspense novel is like any other suspense novel, … More How to Write a Christian Thriller
Armada by Ernest Cline. 372 pages. Broadway Books. Armada is a classic example of when you buy a book by an author simply because they hit it out of the park on another book that they wrote. It’s also an example of a one-hit wonder. Here’s the Amazon description: From the author of Ready Player One, … More Review: “Armada” by Ernest Cline
Supraphysica by Drew Boudreaux. Amazon Digital Services. 384 pages. In the process of interacting with a group of fellow Christian speculative fiction writers on Goodreads, I met Drew Boudreaux, who convinced me to read and review his book Supraphysica. It had two things in it that I really like (actually more than that, but I … More Review: “Supraphysica” by Drew Boudreaux
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne LaMott. Pantheon Books. 276 pages. I first met and fell in love with Anne LaMott when a fellow writer recommended her book Bird by Bird as a book on writing. I read it and promptly adopted it as a textbook for one of my writing classes. LaMott … More Review: “Traveling Mercies” by Anne LaMott
One of the bad–and good–things about teaching other people how to write is that you have to stop and think about the process yourself. I’ve been teaching writing as a professor now for about 20 years, and taught writing workshops before that, so I have a little practice. But even so, I find myself scratching … More How do I do this? I really don’t know.
