There are many ways Harry, my main character, is an idealized version of me. I often joke he’s me if I were younger, thinner, smarter, stronger, a better shot, and had hair. Other than that, we’re identical. We have the exact same sense of humor and smart mouth that is not well filtered. We both […]

I know it’s the day after 9/11, but we did our observation at school today, so the memories became fresh again today rather than yesterday. I always associate the memories of that event with school. This is partly because I was at school when it happened. Like everyone else, I remember where I was and […]

I assume everyone–or at least everyone who listens to music at all–can name at least one favorite piece of music. For me it would be hard to narrow it down to one single song. I can say my favorite genre is definitely the great American Songbook. I love Sinatra and Bennett, Ella and Satchmo, Harry […]

Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.” Well, in my parents, I feel like I received some pretty spectacular garlands and pendants. I am so blessed to, at age 58 (staring down 59) […]

It’s Wednesday, which means you can expect an excerpt from my latest work-in-progress. And you’ll get that, but I’d like to share some thoughts first about the massacre in Texas. If you don’t want to read them, I don’t blame you. I don’t want to write them. But there are some things I just feel […]

As promised, here is a new excerpt from my work-in-progress. I hope you enjoy it. It’s an unusual scene. The style is different than usual and that’s on purpose. See what you think of it and also tell me what you think the intended purpose is and whether I achieved it. I’d love it if […]

Note: this is in place of my WIP Wednesday post, which will reappear next week. One of the questions that readers ask, whether consciously or not, is, “Why should I buy your book?” Most people have a finite amount of money to spend on books, so they want to know what makes an author’s works […]

How is it Wednesday again already? I will try my hardest to remember to put up an excerpt each week from now on. In keeping with that, here’s a scene that follows hard on the scene from last week. In it, Harry meets a stranger who seems kind of familiar and who gives him some […]

For those of you who don’t already know this, I’m a Christian. I’m really open about that. I also work part-time at my church as a youth director. Part of my job is to fill in for our pastor occasionally with preaching duties. Recently I preached a sermon on what God does for us when […]