I’m scrambling for some semblance of literary excellence to bestow upon you, dear reader. I’m currently sitting in a motel room near Topsail Island, Continue Reading
A Week That Felt Like a Yes
Things are happening. Finally. The culvert pipes were delivered on Monday afternoon, and they were digging in my backyard on Tuesday morning. So far, Continue Reading
Breaking the Wall Between Thinking and Doing
When I get something stuck in my head, it festers, with ideas multiplying like the eggs of some parasite. Until I end up checking it off my to‑do Continue Reading
What Rises from All My Failed Lives
Brick by brick, I’ve built a foundation. To an outsider, it must seem that I’ve lived a thousand lives with myriad failures. If you were to measure Continue Reading
Metaphors and Metamorphosis
Most of my creative life has revolved around metamorphosis and metaphors. I love telling stories, and stories with a transformative ending are even Continue Reading
When the Night Goes Quiet
While doom-scrolling social media, I came across a picture that said, “We are the last generation to see fireflies.” Later that evening, my wife said, Continue Reading
When Everything Breaks and You Don’t
Everything is after my wallet lately. We have home projects coming out of our ears. We had to cut down a massive dead tree. Truly a monster. It Continue Reading
When the Floor Starts to Crawl
There’s been something brewing just below the surface for quite a while. If I had to guess, I’d say it started around four years ago. It started Continue Reading
The Bridge
I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. The man on the bridge. That cursed bridge. I’d put him out of my mind for Continue Reading
I Was Wrong About the Man on the Bike
Last week I drove a few hours to a book signing for one of my favorite living fiction writers. When I go somewhere, I’m typically early. This trip was Continue Reading
The Quiet Religion of the Front Porch
As a kid, I wondered why I’d see so many old people sitting on their front porches. It seemed like they were doing nothing at all. They’d wave at cars Continue Reading
When War Reveals What Endures
The war in Iraq was ugly, but the country was not. I’ve never seen a more perfect sunset than when I was in the turret of a gun truck. The horizon Continue Reading