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 […]

I have to be the worst blogger in the history of blogdom. Not sure that’s a word, it probably will be eventually. I know it’s weeks and weeks in between posts. I also know that’s no way to get a following. I promise to try my darndest to do better now that the school year […]

Greetings on this cold, snowy winter day. I hope you’re staying warm. It’s Wednesday, which means time to share an excerpt from my work-in-progress. I’m excited about how the story is coming together. Hope you’ll agree. In this scene, Harry is riding with his best friend Otis and praying he survives intact. Here you go: […]

It’s traditional to share an excerpt from your work-in-progress on Wednesdays. Unfortunately, I’ve not made any progress this week on Shalan #6 (or Shalan #2, depending on how you decide to number them). It’s been a busy, productive week, just not in the realm of writing. I’d love to be one of those writers who […]

For the first time in forever, I am sharing an excerpt from my work in progress. That’s because my W is finally IP again. Here’s something I wrote recently. In this scene, we learn yet again how Harry’s love for coffee is exceeded only by his love for Dee. Well, and some other, more case-related, […]

Have you ever looked at one of those optical illusion puzzles where you have to kind of let your eyes quit focusing and look past the surface of the paper until suddenly an entire complex image takes shape? I remember the first one I ever saw. It was poster-sized and depicted the major events of […]

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I’ve felt that way since my childhood. I often joke I grew up in a Norman Rockwell painting, but I’m only half kidding. Did our family have it’s quirks? Sure. But did I ever, even for a second, question whether I was loved and safe? […]

Ephraim Cutler sure doesn’t seem like the type of person to commit a cold-blooded murder. He’s a soft-spoken young man with an eye for Isabel, the local mercantile owner’s daughter, and a soft spot for folks in need. But all that doesn’t change the fact that he shot a man, an old friend in fact, […]