Husband, father, communication professor, frustrated writer and novelist. I love Jesus, my wife and kids (and grandson), kayaking, football and science fiction.
One of the things that totally boggled the mind of my darling wife when we came to Texas 18 years ago was that professors (my new profession) weren’t given any instruction in teaching. In fact, in the years that I have been in front of the classroom, I can count on one hand the number … More So Easy, Anyone Can Do It.
One of the toughest times in my life was when my father was dying of cancer. It also marked a breakthrough in my writing. My father was never the kind of person to express himself, and I always felt at a loss when it came to communication with him. In those last few months, I … More Writing as Therapy
My students hate it when I ask trick questions. And of course, this is one of them. The short answer to the question: What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional is simple. A professional gets paid. It’s not more profound than that. But I said it was a trick question. All of us want … More How Amateur Writers Become Professionals
In a perfect world, someone who wanted to write (me) someone who had the aptitude to write (again, me), someone who had the ideas to put on on paper (once again, ME) would be able to find the time to do so. I have author written after my name here and there. I have book … More Reality Bites
I started to entitled this blog simply “Swamped,” or “Overwhelmed,” or something along those lines. I haven’t been keeping up with my blog lately, simply because I have been so incredibly busy with my day job. In addition to teaching a full load and an independent study, I’m responsible for writing all the pages for … More An Unexpected Journey
Lights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath by Ted Koppel. Crown Books. 280 pages. Amazing. This is my second non-science-fiction book in a row to read and review. I must be changing my ways. But then again, former ABC News Nightline anchor Ted Koppell dares to tackle a topic that most would … More Review: “Lights Out” by Ted Koppel
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande. Metropolitan Books. 283 pages. My students would think it a little bit weird if I were to tell them that I just finished reading an exceptional book on death and dying. After all, when you’re 20 years old, you don’t want to think … More Review: “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande
Containment by Christian Cantrell. 47 North. 297 pages. In Rough Writers, the student-led creative writing club at our University that meets every week, there’s an ongoing friction between the fantasy writers and those who are into science fiction. Often the discussion is about magic versus science, but really I think a lot of the conflict … More Review: “Containment” by Christian Cantrell
Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, by Jan T. Gross. Princeton University Press. 261 pages. Whenever I teach my Persuasion class at Southwestern Adventist University, I start it off by showing a very old film that was an after-school TV special in the 80s called “The Wave.” It’s based on what … More Review: “Neighbors” by Jan T. Gross
“This is the way the world ends….not with a bang but a whimper.” –T.S. Eliot The other night I noticed a trailer for another dystopian movie coming out soon, this one “The Fifth Wave,” a so-so story about an alien invasion that comes in waves of devastation. I got hooked on the storytelling a couple … More It’s the End of the World As We Know It…
