“The first draft of anything is shit.” –Ernest Hemingway I’m nearing the completion of the first draft of my first chapter on my latest book. And the more I write on it, the more unhappy I am with it. One of my father’s sayings was: “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s … More Ugly Baby
My wife, Shelly, and I have been going through the Bible this year. We have an app that reads it a few chapters aloud each day. Then we listen to a quick commentary that helps us make sense of what we have just heard. Right now, we are entering the book of I Samuel. They … More A Writer in the Wilderness
Life has its ups and downs. Writing does too. I’ve learned not to sit by the mailbox, waiting to hear from the editor as to whether they plan on publishing my story, or proceeding with my book idea. I have enough story ideas to keep me going until I am pushing up daisies. And I … More Hits and Misses
I’m currently working on my 29th book and, well, not my first novel, but it’s far from my first. I’ve been writing a long time and even though I haven’t gotten rich off it, there are many who know me because of my writing. Once I had my university president tell me that someone stopped … More How to Build A Novel
When my son was involved in a car accident 20 years ago and suffered a traumatic brain injury, I learned a bit about the brain and how it works, mostly through talking with doctors. They often refer to the brain as a “black box,” meaning that whenever there’s an accident, they really don’t know what’s … More When There’s Nothing To Say
Arkwright by Allen Steele. 336 pages. Tor Books. Going back to my early childhood, one of the reasons why I became a writer is that I wanted so much to live so many lives. I wanted to be a soldier, a fireman, a detective, a scientist, an astronaut, well, you get the idea. What I … More Review: “Arkwright” by Allen Steele
The Day Jesus Moved Next Door: Jesus Still Goes After Lost Sheep by Sean Elliot Russell. Independently published. 350 pages. I’ve mentioned here before that I look for two things when I read Christian fiction: (1) an entertaining story; and (2) a spiritual message. It’s not often easy to provide both of these, and for … More Review: “The Day Jesus Moved Next Door” by Sean Elliot Russell
Hey there. I haven’t been posting like I used to, mainly because I am retired now. But let it be known that I’m not dead yet. I’m still writing books, teaching an occasional class, and babysitting our three-year-old grandson a great deal. I was just mowing the backyard, which is where I do most of … More Right brain vs. left brain writing
The Black Company by Glen Cook. Tor Essentials. 274 pages. I first came upon this book when I was looking for the sequel to The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes. As I have mentioned many times here before, I loves me some military science fiction. And the review on Amazon said, well if you like … More Review: “The Black Company” by Glen Cook
The Last Watch: A novel of the Divide by J. S. Dewes. Tor Books. 477 pages. A lot of times when I have picked up a science fiction novel, I find that it excels in one or two areas, such as story or characterization, but lacks in something else, such as science. I was pleased … More Review: “The Last Watch” by J. S. Dewes
The Great Adventure 