The recent civil war controversy over Nikki Haley’s response to the question about the cause of the Civil War has brought back memories of Stillwell Junior High School and my history teacher William Nicholas. When Mr. Nicholas asked us what caused the Civil War, our response was “Slavery, duh.” “Are you sure?” he questioned back, […]
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This past week I read the Facebook post by Fr. James Martin about the passing of his friend and mentor, Sr. Martha Buser. I have never met Sr. Martha (nor have I met Fr. James Martin though I follow him on X, aka Twitter) but I was inspired by her, in particular by what she […]
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Most writers are aware of the axiom – write what you know. That certainly is the case for character development. When we start out, we tend to create characters that are like us. That might work for the first or second book, but eventually it gets to be boring and repetitious. We need to create […]
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Are you ready to roll out the holly, start the holiday baking, trim the tree and listen to endless Christmas music? Why not start with a collection of Christmas stories? My Christmas book is now available for pre-order. If you love Christmas and stories (and who doesn’t?), you will love Christmas in Cascade Falls, small […]
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Have you ever wondered why dog is God spelled backwards? Was it some random fluke of the English language? Or one of God’s happy coincidences? I like to think the latter. Seamus Last week our dog, Seamus, was put to sleep after an aggressive form of lymphoma ravaged his body. No longer able to gulp […]
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During the first week of September, I enjoyed a feast for the senses as part of a writer’s retreat on Harvester Island, one of the many islands off of Kodiak Island in Alaska. Harvester Island – Fish Camp Harvester Island is the site of an active fish camp, one of a dwindling number, with boats […]
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My Christmas in July gift to you–the short story, Follow the Star, part of my upcoming book: Christmas in Cascade Falls. Christmas in Cascade Falls: Follow the Star Despondent over multiple losses, Wesley and Hattie had decided to forego Christmas this year. But then a delivery shows up at their door on Christmas Eve, a […]
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I got out of bed, looking forward to the bike ride I had planned for later, opened the windows to let in the cool morning air, started my coffee, then checked the weather. An air advisory of 139. I closed the windows. No coffee on the patio and as for that bike ride, well, that […]
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Psalm 133 tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount […]
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A Long Day’s Journey into Night is an American classic. Over the course of one day, Eugene O’Neil tells the story of his family’s struggle with addiction. The promise of day gives way to night as Mary, the mother in the play, sinks back into the darkness of opioid addiction. But for me, thinking about […]
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