The card catalogue
Poems, research notes, musings, analysis, and noteworthy anecdotes. Pull a drawer to read a card.
I have sharpened my pen for moments like this, Filled the knifepoint with enough ink to poison anyone. And now that I’m wounded, Examining my pride like a tire leaking air, Hearing the source…
The other day, my wife and I went to the movie theater for the 20th anniversary of Joe Wright’s film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Anyone who knows me—and my opinions on storytelling—likely kn…
My Dearest Readers, I trust this letter finds you well, and I pray you have not been scandalized by the goings-on at this so-called author office thus far. I promise you, dear reader, that things a…
I can’t tell you what time I woke,but it was dark and reality was fuzzy.I had just been somewhere elsewhen my eyes cracked and the dream cracked with it. You’re never farbecause we refu…
This blog post was originally featured on an old blog I managed called Back to Being Gentlemen. That site is now defunct, but on a quick read, I found the content worthy of republication here with …
Autumn has come a month too early. When I was flying down the road and a cool breeze slid from its hiding place to tug at the sides of my shirt, I could not ignore it. It was the face of a friend a…
Sometimes, when I sit alone at lunch many seats comfortably away from the nearest stranger, it hits me. It crushes me. The nervous anxiety of a studying student slowly eating their bowl of ramen. T…
Today is Cancer Survivor Day, which is a day I didn’t know existed until my mom texted me with a heartfelt message of gratitude. It’s been almost ten years since I was first diagnosed w…
I use what's called a nanny cam to make sure my toddler stays in bed all night. It allows me to pull him up on my phone to see that he's jumping on the bed, tossing his books all over the floor, abandoned his covers and blankets to build a tower with his blocks,
This blog post was originally featured on an old blog I managed called Back to Being Gentlemen. That site is now defunct, but on a quick read, I found the content worthy of republication here with …
Once upon a time, I ran a blog that encouraged me to seek out and memorize meaningful poetry. For whatever reason, I gravitated toward poets who have anchored themselves in the annals of tradition …
Do you ever have too much up in the air at the same time? I’m up to my neck in research for my next historical fantasy series. It takes place during WWI, and it’s been really eye-openin…
When I was in law school, I spent a lot of my time poring over dense technical readings for many hours on end. It was difficult to keep all of the competing abstract theories and reasonings straigh…
This past summer, I spent my weekend evenings working as an actor in Utah’s Evermore Park. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an immersive adventure fantasy park. The park is design…
The third book of the Luella Winthrop Trilogy is called The Onyx Door. In that book, I included several elements that made me, as an author, nervous. One of them was a 19th-century criminal trial p…
Today instead of writing, I’m reading the first chapter of my historical fantasy novel, The Crimson Inkwell. See what type of trouble Luella gets into by picking up your copy of the full nove…
October is just around the corner! I’m a big believer that the holidays are a special time of the year. After the year we’ve had, I think making the most of the holidays will be especia…
Parody is hard! As a writer, there are several plates you have to keep spinning to make sure that your parody not only delivers laughs but stays memorable. In this video, we’re covering: 1. H…
Ernest Hemingway once said that writing is easy, you simply go to your typewriter and bleed. Most of the time, for me, it doesn’t feel like bleeding, it feels more like trying to get a splint…
In just a few days, The Silver Currant, sequel to The Crimson Inkwell will be available to readers. It has been a wild ride. Second installments of trilogies have a longstanding tradition of being …
Midnight Sun on Amazon: Stephanie Meyers recently announced a new addition to the Twilight Saga, Midnight Sun. She joins a host of other authors who have attempted to add to their popular works yea…
The term “echo chamber” is enough to send chills down your spine. I know I just got goosebumps thinking about it. When I was kid, I saw The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey. If you have…
A lot of writers struggle with writing good dialogue, especially when it comes to humor. I’ve got four suggestions to improve your dialogue significantly. Dialogue is great because it’s…
I’m really excited to share that I’m going on a virtual book tour with my book, The Crimson Inkwell, ahead of the release of The Silver Currant later this year. The virtual tour will la…
You may find yourself with ample time on your hands. Even if you love books and not interacting with other human beings, eventually the call for companionship emerges and even us most bookish, intr…
I’ve been a fan of The Princess Bride since I was a child. Something about the daring rescue, the high stakes, and the quasi-magical setting had me hook, line, and sinker. When I first read t…
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is the start of an intense series where Hunger Games meets Ender’s Game meets Julius Ceaser. With a lot of sci-fi/dystopian stuff already out there, is this book wo…
The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, is largely touted to be a gripping tale of the rise of America’s most notorious serial killer. I’m here to tell you that it isn’t true…
It took me a while to dig in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere. It came out in 1996. But I’m glad I finally picked up a copy. An urban fantasy set in a magical world below contemporary London, t…
This week, I return to a wonderful place called Evermore Park for its Aurora season. The portal to their town has opened again and welcomed a new, unique set of guests and trouble. Frost lords, Wol…
It’ll soon be an Amazon Original series, and you may be asking yourself. Is the Wheel of Time worth reading? After all, it’s a long epic fantasy series, and you won’t be finishing…
Don’t overcomplicate your comedy writing. On this episode of Instead of Writing, I’m trying to strip away all of the crutches and force you to have two characters hash it out. All write…
This week on Instead of Writing, I’m taking my background in business operations to offer you a strategic approach to actually accomplishing something through your New Year’s resolution…
It’s never been easier or more difficult to get into comedy writing. On this episode of Instead of Writing, I offer you a three-step foundational approach I’ve developed from my experie…
I’m not sure how I missed it, but Suzanne Collins announced a prequel to her smash hit Hunger Games trilogy. On this episode of Instead of Writing, I’m breaking down all of the must-kno…
Evermore Park is a complete playground for people who love fantasy. It is also set during the reign of Queen Victoria, which makes it doubly fun for me as it plays right into the gaslamp genre I lo…
Harry Potter is a worldwide phenomenon. It’s by far the most successful book series in recent memory. However, what if I could make a case that many of those lovely little quirks found in Har…
Hey everyone, today on Instead of Writing I’m diving into a review of a book called The Affinity Bridge by George Mann. I also take this opportunity to dive into what that crazy thing called …
Hey everyone, I’m excited to say that I’ve started up a new video blog called Instead of Writing. Each week, I’m sharing what tool I’ll be using to procrastinate my next dra…
My Marie Kondo kick is ongoing. I don’t think she ever suggested taking this long to go through her several-step declutter process, but here I am nine months later. It’s the “pape…
We’re in 2019. Knowledge and information are at our fingertips in ways never before experienced in humanity’s history. But, with this firehose of input, I think as a society we’ve…
I hear it all the time. “I don’t do sports.” Everywhere I turn I find more artists and creatives who turn up their nose at athletics because they don’t understand them or th…
I’m a bit of an Anglophile. Technically, I think that I can actually claim to be a citizen of Great Britain due to some of the Queen’s citizenship laws. It’s always fascinated me …
I’m a sucker for historical fantasy. I mean hey, that’s the genre I’m currently writing in. There’s something about the passing on of information and stories that shrouds re…
Helene Wecker’s 2013 title is a methodical, unhurried dive into a blend of novel magic systems, historical novel, and cultural commentary. Her story follows two mythical beings. The first is …
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, you may want to do so before you miss the “read it before it was cool” boat. That window is vanishing quickly. In fact, it may have alr…
After fifteen years, I can finally say that I’ve completed the first draft of a novel. When I shared my news with my friend Kat, she looked at me excitedly and asked, “How did it feel?&…
It’s hard to imagine a field of business that cannot benefit from a healthy dose of lateral thinking and creativity. But, in our rush-hour, results-driven world, it’s tough to find reli…
When I was probably eight years old, one of my mom's friends gifted me the Star Wars Roleplaying Game and its accompanying sourcebook. As an intense Star Wars fan, I was immediately wrapped up in the pictures and the cool details of everything in the Star Wars universe. Years later, I discovered that the
Sometimes, it feels like all the good plots are taken. I wrote movies off completely for a couple of years because they started feeling like a re-microwaved piece of steak. The two-hour block format Hollywood has so subtly exploited had me sick and frustrated. I mean, with a basic understanding of the Hero's Journey,
I really meant to get this whole thing going a long time ago. I guess I can hang my hat next to the millions of other writers that know the fickle mistress "Procrastination" all too well. The truth is, I used to write more often-- then law school started.