Husband, father, communication professor, frustrated writer and novelist. I love Jesus, my wife and kids (and grandson), kayaking, football and science fiction.
What If?: The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. Edited by Robert Cowley. Berkley Books. 416 pages. I’m a big fan of speculative history. On the other hand, my daughter, the purist, rolls her eyes whenever I talk about What if the South had Won the Civil War or What if there … More Review: “What If?” Edited by Robert Cowley
Let me tell you a story about a book, a bear, and a beginning editor. Back in the 90s. I was just getting started as a book editor. I was given the assignment of editing a children’s book. It was one of my first books, and to my elation, it was a very good book. … More The Woeful Story of Pepper Bear
Zealot Finale: Book One by Jason K. Bailey. Independently Published on Amazon This was another book in the thread of Christian speculative fiction authors on Goodreads that I belong to, and the good news is: this one was completely different than the last. My best definition of this book is a cross between Douglas Adams’ … More Review: “Zealot Finale” by J. K. Bailey
A Weight of Reckoning: Sequel to the Seven Words by C.S. Wachter. Shadowfall Publishing. 402 pages. As I’ve mentioned several times before in this blog, I’m a member of a thread on Goodreads where authors of Christian Speculative Fiction share their work with each other. In addition to getting other professionals to read my work … More Review: “A Weight of Reckoning” by C.S. Wachter
Every good idea I ever had, I stole from someone else. –Me I mentioned Paul McCartney recently, and the documentary on Hulu about him and his life with the Beatles. In it, he talks a lot about the ideas that came to them that ended up in their songs. Sometimes it had to do with … More The Source of All Ideas
Life is what happens while you’re making other plans. — John Lennon There’s the dreamer’s view of the writer’s life: the writer wakes up about nine-ish, gets some coffee and sits down to write. After a day of literary masterful material flowing magically from his or her laptop, he wanders off to spend time in … More Life, or Something Like It
I’ve been watching the six-episode documentary on Hulu entitled “McCartney: 3, 2, 1” that is an extensive interview with Paul McCartney about his life with the Beatles and the music they created. It’s a fascinating look at the craft of creating music from a master, and I highly recommend it. But as I’ve been watching … More Layers: Making Your Story More Complex
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Ballantine Books. 496 pages. One of the first things I noticed when I picked up Project Hail Mary to read was a statement by author Brandor Sanderson on the back cover: “I loved The Martian, but I actually find Project Hail Mary to be Mr. Weir’s finest work to … More Review: “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
Rise of the Ranger: The Echoes Saga: Book 1 by Philip C. Quaintrell. Quaintrell Publishings, Ltd. 538 pages. I picked this fantasy book up recently because (1) the cover looked professionally done and interesting; and (2) the book was free. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it looked promising, and I wasn’t disappointed. … More Review: “Rise of the Ranger” by Philip C. Quaintrell
I’ve been writing a long time. Two dozen published books, a handful of awards, and several hundred articles and short stories published leads my students and fans to ask a lot of questions. And one of the questions that comes up pretty often is: “Where do you get the ideas for your books?” Well, the … More How It All Starts
The Great Adventure 