Many authors describe publishing a book in terms of pregnancy; you have conception, gestation, development, labor, and then—“Here it comes!”—the birth. I’ve been through two pregnancies and have two wonderful sons to show for it. Alright, so I was not the one who actually carried them for nine months, but, as a father, I had an important role to play just the same. Today, I am the one giving birth—to a 500-page novel that was conceived nearly twenty years ago,…
You’ve heard the saying often enough: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Yet we all make judgements based on outward appearances, don’t we? It is a difficult thing to avoid, especially for visual learners, astute observers, artists, and those who just seem to have been hardwired with aestheticism. For example, how do you not make a judgement when presented with something beautiful? Beauty must be appreciated before it becomes beautiful. The idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover,”…
I recently learned an important lesson from someone very special to me: beauty can come from brokenness. “Here,” she said jokingly, placing a red, plastic shard into my hand. It was a piece of her damaged tail light. We had been talking about how a careless driver clipped the corner of her Ford F-150, denting the fender and cracking the big lens. “Aww. Thanks!” I said in mock appreciation. I had no idea then that her funny gesture was about…
For over two thousand years, humanity has been celebrating an invasion from outside of our world: we call it Christmas. That’s an interesting thought, right? Today, we debate about the existence of extraterrestrial, intelligent life—that is, intelligent life on other planets. Some people are convinced that it must be out there somewhere. Others are doubtful, and still others completely reject the notion. Beyond the historic debates, now we’ve become worried about how this could affect our national security. If aliens…
Expressing gratitude when things are going your way is easy. Being thankful anyways…that’s stepping up. I want to send some encouragement out to you if you’re struggling with the whole idea of “thanksgiving.” In just a few days here in the U.S., we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving Day, an official holiday originally established by America’s first President, George Washington, in 1789. Despite all the pre-Christmas cheer already in full swing, Thanksgiving Day still gets its time of celebration. I used to…
It is not often during Halloween that one receives a trick and treat. Usually, if you are of the age of going door to door seeking candy, or to a special event that includes sweet giveaways, you expect only the treat. Tricks come only from pranksters and grumps, and it is quite obvious which houses in the neighborhood to avoid. I thought about the idea of “trick and treat” after reading an October 30, 2023 article about well-known actress Goldie…
I don’t know about you, but I have always been a sucker for a good coming-of-age love story. There is something sweet that happens when love is shy—when two people are trying to make sense of romantic feelings for the first time. Of course, this is not limited to youth. Young or older adults who have fallen in love know that age does not insulate them from that same tender awkwardness. They would probably tell you the shy love experience…
If there were aliens, would it matter to you? If the existence of other intelligent life in the universe was proven without a doubt, what would that knowledge do to you? Would you be scared? Would you be glad to finally have the mystery solved? What would happen to your long-held religious beliefs? Would you doubt everything you once thought was true? Would you be angry? Indifferent? When I sat down to write Planet of Eden, I had these questions…
As an author, I often write about fictional relationships, calling upon my own experiences, as well as those of others, to create characters that are believable and relatable. Here is something important I learned along the way—that we all have been made for relationship. “No man is an island.” You may have heard that phrase before. It means every human being needs intimate connection with another. Never is that sentiment more keenly felt than when one is adrift upon…
If you’ve ever gone through a heartbreak, you know the pain of betrayal, rejection, loneliness, and loss. Those emotions represent something that was done to you, or taken from you—actions against your heart. But there’s another source of pain that comes from within your heart: the pain of overflow. Your physical heart was designed to pump blood in two directions: blood comes in and blood goes out. If there is damage or a blockage, the heart ceases to function properly,…
