I’ve always considered myself somewhat of a coward. I’ve always been a big guy–or a big kid. Knowing this, my mother always instructed me to never fight back, to look for solutions other than physical fighting. When I didn’t fight back in school, some of the guys considered me a coward, and I started believing … More Redemption of a Coward
It’s time to revisit The Great Adventure Manifesto, in which I try to spell out what I believe, and my marching orders for my writing from this point on. Item one is: I believe in the power of stories. Jesus shared stories because He could share Truth in ways that struck deep into the … More The Power of Story
I am somewhat of an odd duck when it comes to my writing. I have positioned myself (with a lot of exceptions) as a Christian suspense writer who also writes science fiction. Here’s why: I am a born-again Christian who also loves science fiction. I believe each has something to teach the other. And I … More Magic, no. Supernatural, yes.
When people ask what my doctoral dissertation was on, I hesitate to tell them. The problem is that most dissertations are so obscure and so complex that by the time you have explained it, the listener’s eyes have glazed over and you realize that they have heard little of what you have said and understood … More Demons and Vampires and Zombies…oh my!
I have a lot of respect for Orson Scott Card. By linking his name with mine in the title, I am not presuming that my writing is the same caliber as his, at least not yet. But I admire him greatly because he has been able to do something that I am trying to do … More Orson Scott Card and Me
Heroism: 1. extreme self-sacrificing courage esp. in fulfilling a higher purpose or attaining a noble end; 2. the qualities of a hero. My doctoral dissertation dealt with mythology and how the myths we buy into cultivate our view of the world. And so it’s probably no surprise that I succumb to a bit of hero … More I’m Holding Out for a Hero
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”
As I have mentioned here many times before, I’m teaching a Narrative Writing class this semester that is presently winding down. In addition to requiring students to write the first 50 pages of a novel as well as the outline, they will have an essay final. One of the questions on the final I have … More Can you believe it?
I’ve always loved to write. In fifth grade, my teacher told me I would someday make a great freelance writer (I had no idea at the time what that meant, but it stuck with me). When I was in high school, my friends dubbed me the poet laureate of our class. And so I dreamed … More Quitting Your Day Job
I am finishing up the last few chapters of a three-book, four-year series entitled “The Champion.” My protagonist is a pastor who is called by God to accuse a corporation of wrong doing and thwart their efforts. In the process, he is tried and sentenced to prison as a terrorist, not once but twice. In … More Should he live? Should he die?
The Great Adventure 