It had been called Magic Valley for as long as anyone could remember. And when you visited the region, it quickly became obvious why. Even in the bitterest Montana winter, when cattle froze in huge drifts of snow and breath crusted into icicles on your face, the valley remained mild and temperate. When the hot … More “The Grove”
I can still remember the day that I was introduced to Contemporary Christian Music. I was on a business trip and listening in my rental car to WMBI in Chicago. It was the late 80s, and I had never sung anything but traditional hymns and southern gospel songs in my church before that. On came … More Secret Ambition
Hex by Allen Steele. Berkeley Publishing 331 pages. I picked this book up while on our Communication Field Trip last week. I mainly bought it because I am a great fan of Allen Steele’s Coyote series. This book is an extension of that universe, based on the premise that in 2070, a group of political … More Review: “Hex” by Allen Steele
Today I head back into the classroom after a week off for Spring Break. Although “off” is relative (I ended up working the whole week), it will be good to get back into the classroom. I start off at 8:30 with my Narrative Writing class. The Friday before break, the students were supposed to hand … More Easy A
Cain at Gettysburg by Ralph Peters. Forge Books. 549 pages. I’ll have to give Ralph Peters credit for writing a book on a subject that has been thoroughly explored, as well as flying in the face of one of the best written books having to do with the Civil War. In the author’s notes at … More Review: “Cain at Gettysburg” by Ralph Peters
“Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” –-J. Frank Dobie, American folklorist I deal with students and student writers everyday. Most of them are interested in writing fiction; many of them want and do write fantasy. In the mind of the common reader, fantasy is one of those genres that … More Truth and Fiction
I am presently reading a book about the Civil War–Gettysburg to be exact. I picked it up on the discount rack at Wal-Mart. I am embarrassed to say that most of the books I buy come from some sort of discount rack, either in a store on online. Because I am one of those who … More Hits and Misses
Sometimes writing is the greatest pastime you can have. Sometimes it is just work. This week is shaping up to be the latter. It’s spring break, and the indication is to be a slacker because, after all, my day job of being in the classroom isn’t happening. But I have another job, that of editor … More Slogging
Like the vast majority of authors out there, I also have a day job that pays most of my bills. In my situation, I am also a professor. Add to that freelance work as an editor for the alumni magazine and serving as the university’s webmaster, and you can see that I wear a lot … More Why Multitasking Is Bad for Authors
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller. Thomas Nelson, 2009. 257 pages. A couple of weeks ago, the University library asked me to put together a list of five books that I would recommend to students. One of those books was Blue Like Jazz … More Review: “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” by Donald Miller
The Great Adventure 