Here’s a sneak peek at the writing project I am working on this summer. Some of you may recognize some of the names already. Prologue: Land of the Free July, 1892 Off the Coast of New York Fritz Lowenstein let the cool morning ocean breeze hit his face as he leaned against the ship’s … More “Land of the Free”
The City of Mirrors: A Novel (Book Three of The Passage Trilogy) by Justin Cronin. Ballantine Books. 624 pages. Back when I was a kid, there was a well-known, very successful author named James Michener. He was known for novels centered around specific geographic locations, with perhaps his most famous being his book, Hawaii. He was also … More Review: “City of Mirrors” by Justin Cronin
I am a man who is relatively quick to decide things, but often I change my mind as well. And like most people, I am never satisfied with how my face looks. Yes, I know, God made me a certain way, and the features that I have are consistent with the features that my father, … More Beard? No Beard?
Spain In Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939 by Adam Hochschild. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 485 pages. Like most of the 2,800 nonfiction books that I read, this book was historical in nature and was done as research for an upcoming writing project of mine that partially takes place during the Spanish Civil … More Review: “Spain in Our Hearts” by Adam Hochschild
I started getting published in the 80s and 90s when I realized it was a simple as one thing: give the editor what they want. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized that there were more important things than cashing a paycheck from a publisher. I tell my students there are two good reasons … More First, Find the Fun
Constitution: Book 1 of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy by Nick Webb. Amazon Digital Services. 362 pages. Decades after a war against aliens almost destroyed the human race, the last of the old line of fleet ships who held the line against the invaders is about to be turned into a museum. And with it, the … More Review: “Constitution” by Nick Webb
“Why did God make us all so different if he wanted us all to be the same?” — Mary, Saved One of the things the students in my Editorial Techniques class learn is that when you’re an editor–and a serious writer, for that matter–you never stop looking for story ideas. And so it was that … More Diversity vs. Control: The Great Conflict
“I see my mind as a cluttered desk.” —Me, not too long ago. In case you didn’t know, I just came back from a week-long Alaska cruise. My wife Shelly and I visited Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, British Columbia, and then back to Seattle. It was something that I had to talk my … More Vacating the “Cluttered Desk”
Last Light (A Restoration Novel) by Terri Blackstock. Zondervan Books. 400 pages. It’s always refreshing to find another Christian author who is trying to accomplish what I’m in the middle of doing; that is, writing secular stories that include Christian themes or characters. In this situation, I came across Terri Blackstock while I was stocking … More Review: “Last Light” by Terri Blackstock
Shelly came home from work last night, and immediately asked me to come out to the garage with her. We kept the dogs from following us, and I knew it was something special. Trapped inside our garage was a hummingbird. It had flown in the open doorway, and now seemed panicked by the car in … More Trapped
The Great Adventure 