My son, Matthew, was the kind of teenager that most parents dread. Obstinate, short-sighted, rebellious, he was a handful all through his teen years. A friend of mine, who was himself raising three daughters, told me, “I can’t imagine raising a teenage boy. It must be incredibly difficult.” And it did have its challenges, like … More Believing Is Not Enough
It seems like I am always switching gears. A little over a week ago, we had commencement, and I left teaching behind to focus on my writing career over the summer. Sometimes that takes a while to switch gears, but this time around, it doesn’t seem as hard. Maybe that’s because I have been spending … More Switching Gears
The following is a new short story that I intend to turn into part of my project Pilgrim’s Progress novel this summer. Enjoy. The sun baked our brown, supple bikinied bodies, and we reveled in it. Four of us—Marcie, Kimmy, Infinity and me, Ellie—were on permanent spring break. School was out, and we had no … More “The Stranger”
The last blog I wrote talked about my goals for the summer. One of the big ones is writing my first screenplay. This is in anticipation of teaching a class this fall entitled “Drama Writing.” I figured that I would start by reading one of my textbooks and visualizing how I would write my chosen … More This Just In: I’m a Chicken
Maybe it’s because 2012 is the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar. But I have certainly seen a lot of apocalyptic stories being circulated out there. Of course, it all depends on how you define “apocalypse.” Most of those these days have to do with zombies (and defining that is another issue, … More What I’ve Learned from the Apocalypse
The following is a short story I recently wrote in anticipation of a screenplay I am working on this summer. Enjoy. “Never Say Die” The ballroom at the Top of the Mark was filled with the romantic sound of Artie Shaw and his big band playing “Begin the Beguine.” It was pretty busy for a … More “Confronting a Monster”
The following is the original short story that my new book “The Kiss of Night” is based on. If you like it, you can find the book here. A jolt of electricity slapped the dozing student between the shoulder blades, and he jerked in his seat. He shook himself, turned his head and looked … More “Extreme Measures”
Harald was alarmed to see a cluster of fellow college students standing outside the old bookstore. It was thirty minutes until curfew, and to see four young men standing in the cold, facing each other, their breath puffing smoke in the frigid air, looked to him fairly suspicious. He locked wary eyes with Sigi from … More “Buried Alive”
About two decades ago, I was a book editor at Pacific Press Publishing Association in Boise, Idaho. One of the books that came through for my consideration was a manuscript from my friend Clifford Goldstein entitled “Best Seller.” In it, he tells of his desire to become a world-famous novelist and how he struggled for … More Sacrifice, Surrender and Commitment: A Christian Writer’s Dilemma
What are you really afraid of? … More Embrace the Fear
The Great Adventure 