Stories Exploring Wonder & Darkness
I write about the dark, the mysterious, and the fantastic. From fantasy to horror, science fiction to romance, I seek to uncover what’s really there.
Each month, I send out my current projects, the music that influences them, the images driving them, and my publishing successes.
Links & Projects
Read My Ramblings
Fiction Writing Classes for Teens
This year, I’ll be teaching a series of courses on writing different character types and my favorite fiction writing courses for teens. Check out my upcoming schedule and classes!
The Bakery is That Way: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
With a single hand, the traveler adjusted his long hair to ensure his pointed ears were covered. In his other hand, he cradled the last two bites of a pastry, delicate flakes clinging to his palm. Need to devour the remnants itched at the back of his throat, but he resisted. He needed them to find their creator.
It Won’t Suit Me: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
His cold hands ghosted over her bare shoulders as Elizabeth stared into the old mirror, only her reflection gazing back.
He Liked to Play with Words: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
Shouting rumbled through the walls below, and the boy lazily stuck a bookmark into his comic book and tossed it on his bed. The shouting grew louder, and rushed footsteps ascended the stairs. One breath, two breaths. The boy’s bedroom door slammed open.
Green Should Have Been More Tranquil: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
The splash of water falling from cliffs ahead cut through the eery silence. Jessica dragged Mark by the hand, both pushing through the ache burning in their calves. Cold air sliced at their lungs as their breaths quickened, and the green mountains before them never seemed to end.
The Wake Behind the Boat: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
Moonlight sparkled on the cresting waves behind us as we sped across the dark lake, away from the smoke billowing in the forest depths. I pulled my legs to my chest, resting my chin on my knees as my hair turned into small whips against my face in the wind.
Detailed Outlines Matter: Lessons Learned From Work
My writing process has never been the same for each book. Sometimes I outline heavily; sometimes I just discover the world as I write and see where it takes me. Usually I’m somewhere in the middle, a strange balance of outline and discovery that shifts for what the story needs. Yet the outlining process at work has me rethinking my methods.
Life Update: July 2024
I’m rather failing a whole lot of everything. Writing, writing community responsibilities, work responsibilities, kid things, family things. Every single personal goal I had.
The Tattered Work Gloves: A Wednesday Words Flash Fiction
Through a sliver of light sneaking in around old curtains, Joseph stared at the deserted workshop, taking in the scattered tools, toppled tables, and the tattered work gloves drenched in a pool of blood. Someone else found his target first.