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All Things Vile and Vicious
Tyger, tyger, burning bright In the forests of the night ... Did he who made the lamb make thee? An interesting thing happens to many writers the first time they write a story with foul language, erotic scenes, butcher knives dripping with blood, or characters with...
Stories and smartphones dont mix
Compare the following props that might appear in a story: a pearl-handled straight razor an Egyptian broach a 1964 six-shooter pistol a bag of marijuana a faded polaroid photo of twin, pre-teen, strawberry blonde girls at a fishing trip cut in two with scissors,...
What’s your book about?
This is a question I get fairly often. Here is a synopsis. The Former Hero, by Jeffrey Mays An abusive, alcoholic, single mother goes into a frenzy when she learned her daughter, Penny, is abducted. City services have fallen into decay because of rampant corruption,...
What is it about heroes?
[Once upon a time, I had a blog called The Vale of Tears. I had to leave it behind. This is my new blog in which I contribute to the great conversation. You can get email updates by clicking "follow" out to the side. It wont hurt. It wont fill your inbox with spam or...
Catapult article
Here's an article I wrote that was published by Catapult Magazine. I did not choose the title - the editors made one up. Nevertheless, its up there in cyberspace for all to read. Michael and I stood side-by-side panicking. We were in third grade. Sam was about six...
Blue Like Jazz, or Why Evangelicals Still Aren’t Good At Telling Stories
I saw Blue Like Jazz recently, and although I liked some aspects of the movie (the actors, some of the characters, parts of the plot), and while I admired its attempt to break out of the strict verbal and behavioral codes mandated by ... Oh, wait, stop! Were you even...
Great Expectations – perhaps little read anymore, but a great book
1981. My 9th grade English class. The assignment was Great Expectations. It was a time when reading and literature was my enemy. Books were stuffy old furniture. Reading conflicted with my life goal of being a slacker. It threatened to tame the animal nature that was...
Profanity, vulgarity and abusive speech
My completed novel has a few places with strong vulgarities, F-bombs, and some references that many Christians would consider blasphemous. So there I was, on the phone with Westbow Press, the self-publishing branch of Thomas Nelson, a major publisher. They wanted...
I just finished reading a Hemingway book
If you are reading this blog, I assume that in addition to enjoying my stories, you have at least an interest in cultivating an appreciation for good books. Some of my readers are old book hounds. They could definitely wax rhapsodic much better than I will be able to...
Malefic, part 5, The Conclusion
Parents always identify the most exceptional aptitudes in their own children. Perhaps then I can be forgiven for what I have to say next. My little creature began to manifest remarkable talents and cleverness beyond those of other pets, and it would perform unbidden...
