writing

  • The Man Behind the Microphone

    I’ve spent most of my life behind microphones and in front of cameras. In many ways, it is where I feel most comfortable because it was what I was trained to do. Broadcasting. Debate. Theater. Public speaking. Years of learning timing, rhythm, presence, and how to hold the attention of a room. I actually prefer…

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  • This is Where it Actually Started

    I don’t think I’ve ever said this out loud before. People ask where my writing comes from, and for a long time I’ve given the easy answer. Life. Experience. The cases. The places I’ve been. All of that is true, but it’s not where it started. I was writing long before the paranormal ever entered…

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  • Defining Myself

    Defining Myself

    I get asked a lot what kind of author I am. “A good one.” It’s a smart answer. A little attitude in it. I know exactly how it sounds. And the people who know me recognize the wink in my eye and the smile on my face. They know I’m poking fun at myself. But…

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  • The Emotional Pandemic

    The Emotional Pandemic

    This morning I sat down to write and worked on a few things. The grammar was right and the punctuation was right. The sentences did exactly what they were supposed to do, and that was the problem. None of it felt like me. It felt like I was behaving on the page, keeping things in…

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  • Two Weeks Left

    Two Weeks Left

    We are in our last two weeks living in Playa del Carmen. In a little over a week the movers will be here, and after that we will head to Querétaro. Lately, our days have been spent going through things, deciding what still belongs with us and what has quietly finished its time. That part…

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  • Why I Write

    Why I Write

    Why do I write is a question I get from time to time. Most people assume it is for money. It is not. Writing has never been a good way to make money anyway, and I already have what I need in this life. I am grateful for that. I am not chasing more. Some…

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  • Walking With My Father

    Walking With My Father

    I had a dream last night that stayed with me long after I opened my eyes. It felt real in that quiet way some dreams do. In the dream I was walking with my dad at Christmastime. We were at Northwest Plaza in St. Louis, going to see Santa, and I was maybe four years…

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  • WHY I SELF PUBLISH NOW

    WHY I SELF PUBLISH NOW

    People ask me why I self publish now, especially since I have been traditionally published and my work has been recognized in places that still surprise me. Some of my books are preserved in major archives. They are studied, referenced, catalogued, quoted and even taught. I earned my place on the shelf, and I am…

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  • Grace: Born from the Ashes

    There are moments when fiction stops being fiction. When the story you thought you were writing to escape the world suddenly becomes the mirror that refuses to turn away. Grace was born out of one of those moments. I first began the story in 1992, in the shadow of the Rodney King verdict. The country…

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  • Horror as a Mirror

    Horror has always been more than entertainment. At its core, it is a mirror that reflects the fears buried in our collective heart. Every great horror story grows from something real inside us, a shadow of the anxieties we live with. That is why these stories never die. They adapt, change, and take on new…

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