The Shack by William Paul Young. Windblown Media. 248 pages. I read The Shack because it was out in movie form and my wife had read it. She wanted to see the movie and wanted me to read it before we went. We never ended up going to see the movie–we plan on seeing it … More Review: “The Shack” by William Paul Young
For those who don’t know much about me, I’m a novelist who makes a living as a university professor during daylight hours. I’ve been doing this (the professor part) for 19 years now, and before that I was an editor. I teach in the communication department of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, and consider … More Storytelling 101: Why It’s All About Worldview
Every good idea I ever had, I stole from someone else. It’s a truism I made up and recited time and time again over the years to student writers. The idea is that every idea is not original, but is a synthesis of what you see and hear and experience every day of your life. … More The Price of Being Honest
This morning I broke down and revisited my Amazon sites to read reviews (mostly positive) on my books. Work on Tesla’s Ghost is struggling right now, and I needed a little encouragement, so reading words of affirmation always helps me. And it got me to thinking how most of the books I write are about … More The Words You Speak While You’re Asleep
If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, have read my Great Adventure Manifesto, or have read one or more of my books, you’re probably aware that I’m a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. My background includes ten years as an editor for a Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in Idaho, as well as another five as managing … More It’s Not So Odd Being Peculiar
Last night was the long-awaited season premiere for The Walking Dead that answered the question: Who was Negan going to kill? I won’t include any spoilers here, because I know there are probably some readers out there who haven’t seen the episode yet, and I hate it when that happens to me. But on top … More It’s the Kobayashi Maru All Over Again
Despite all evidence to the contrary, I am not a believer in ghosts. When my father died in 1993, my older half-brother came to the funeral and talked about having my dad come and visit him at his bedside. I had no belief that would happen to me, simply because I believe that when I … More Ghost Story
I had a journalism student–who shall remain nameless–quite a few years ago, who was a marginal student. He did just enough to get by. I found myself constantly having to push him to put enough effort into classes just to pass the class, and I worried about what his career would be like when he … More Something To Say
“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
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
The Great Adventure 