I haven’t been contributing much to this blog lately, other than my obligatory book reviews. But there’s a reason for that. One, I’ve been working pretty heavily on my latest book project, Never Say Die, which is down to the last few chapters. And two, I haven’t really had a lot to say. But now … More Bottom of the Ninth…Three Men On
Words of Radiance: Book Two of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. 1096 pages. Tor Books. It took me a while to get back to this series after the immense first book that was The Way of Kings. At 1,258 pages, it was a lot to swallow, and took me a while to read. The … More Review: “Words of Radiance” by Brandon Sanderson
Despite my better sense, I’ve been mulling over the sequel to the book I just launched, Soul Survivor. Here’s a taste: Salzburg, Austria After his introduction, the gray-haired man in his 60s got up from his chair on the platform amid applause from the small audience. He looked out over the thirty-some people in the … More Short Story: “The Serpent and the Dove”
I’ve read–and reviewed–quite a few book series over the past few years. Usually my modus operandi is to read the first book in the series with no intention of continuing the series. That’s because I either wasn’t thoroughly entertained by the first book, or because I’ve become convinced that sequels are generally not as good … More Review: “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson
In my bookcase of my office (which is currently in transit across campus) is a book that includes an essay by author Stephen Lawhead talking about J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer he says had the largest influence on him. In it he talks about when he learned the reality that who you are as a person–your … More Called To Be a Hero
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” –John 15:13 NIV I’ve come to the conclusion that the essence of a writer’s life is seeing how otherwise disparate elements in your life come together to make sense. We look for patterns that other people can’t see, and then … More Hero Worship
The Runaway Prophet (Morgan James Fiction) by Michele Chynoweth. Morgan James Books. 308 pages. Writing Christian suspense isn’t easy. As someone who writes and reads it, I am constantly looking for good examples of others who do the same. The problem is that some writers get caught up in sharing the spiritual aspects of the … More Review: “The Runaway Prophet” by Michele Chynoweth
Belisarius II: Storm at Noontide by Eric Flint and David Drake. 859 pages. Baen Books. My daughter Melissa, the English major purist that she is, rolls her eyes when I talk about alternate history stories, as if they were worse that pornography. And I guess it is sort of an eye candy to me, especially … More Review: “Belisarius II: Storm at Noontide” by Eric Flint and David Drake
Two weeks ago, our University Communication Department took its students on their annual Communication Field Trip in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This year, just for a change, we included two historical sites: the Sixth Floor Museum that commemorates the assassination of John F. Kennedy and his tenure as president, and the Holocaust Museum, which talks … More Who Do We Need More: Leaders or Heroes?
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. 249 pages. Sentinel. One of the distinct pleasures of teaching at a university is having immediate access to a library that holds a million books. Well, maybe not a million, but a bunch. More than I could ever read. And while waiting for … More Review: “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” by Kilmeade and Yaeger
