Husband, father, communication professor, frustrated writer and novelist. I love Jesus, my wife and kids (and grandson), kayaking, football and science fiction.
I just sent in an email. It was addressed to our person in charge of HR, our university president, our academic dean, and my department chair. In it, I officially announced my retirement as of June 30, 2021. I know it’s still early, but I hate leaving things unresolved. And the indecision has been driving … More The E-mail
Ethereal: The Complete Trilogy by K.R. Queen. 693 pages. Independently published. A savior has come to Res Mysticum, but no one knows who it is. Doran Kane wants to be the savior, but he will first have to put his analytical mind to good use and learn some things. For instance, if he wants to … More Review: “Ethereal” by K.R. Queen
May, 1996, Nampa, Idaho: Randy Maxwell and I, co-editors watch as the first issue of ParentTalk magazine rolls off the webpress at Pacific Press Publishing Association. The glee and awe is apparent in Randy’s eyes, but I have been here before. It’s our baby, and we are seeing it being born. “Enjoy it,” I tell … More A Writer’s Favorite Moment
First of all, I’m pretty smart, but I don’t assume that I’m smarter than my readers. I don’t want to give that impression. Well, actually, I DO want to give that impression. That’s the point of writing books. You know something that the reader doesn’t know. They come to you for your knowledge and you … More How To Know More Than Your Readers
The Lazarus Chain by J.R. Baude. 407 pages. Amazon Services. As I get older and read more books–and let’s face it, write them as well–I get more and more particular about the books I read, and what I like. I’ve got a Kindle reader full of books that I started and never finished, as well … More Review: “The Lazarus Chain” by J. R. Baude
Yesterday we had the first day of Colloquium, our official meetings to signal the beginning of the school year for our university. And I started my 23rd year of teaching at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas. It will also, for all intents and purposes, be my last year of teaching. Unless the unforeseen happens, … More The Last Year
If he hadn’t died in 1993, my father would have been 97 today. This poem is in honor of him. God bless you, Dad. CONTENT Tired eyes have seen so much. Blowing dust that swallowed lives. Smallpox, caravans of desperation. California, the promised land. Weathered hands have touched the world. A seaman’s tunic … More Poem: “Content”
Like a lot of you, I’ve been cooped up in my house, wishing I was at the beach, in the mountains, or visiting family. Instead, Netflix has become my closest friend. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t taken advantage of these days of isolation. I told Celeste Perrino, my friend and co-author of Salome’s … More The Remnants of a Fruitful Summer
Lander’s Legacy (Stone Sovereigns #1) by C.S. Wachter. Shadowfall Publishing. 201 pages. Most of you who read my blog regularly know that I am part of a thread on Goodreads that allows authors of Speculative Christian Fiction to share and critique each others’ work. While I wasn’t asked to critique Chris Wachter’s book Lander’s Legacy, … More Review: “Lander’s Legacy” by C.S. Wachter
The Great Hunt (Book Two of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan. Tor Books. 653 pages. This is the second book in the classic Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. As I mentioned in my review of the first book, The Eye of the World, it’s taken me years to work up the … More Review: “The Great Hunt” by Robert Jordan
The Great Adventure 