Category: News

I had a fantastic time at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference last week, attending workshops led by Barnaby Conrad, Melodie Johnson Howe, Matt Pallamary, and Laura Taylor. Each workshop had its own feel, but all were excellent and included some great readings and insightful critiques.

There was also a very informative and dynamic talk by Bob Mayer on the business side of things, and various other talks and panels to enjoy.

Last, but certainly not least, I met a lot of wonderful people and made some new friends. There are too many to list here, but I do want to mention a couple who have new books out. Andrew Peterson‘s thriller, First to Kill, is coming out in September. And Lorelei Armstrong‘s mystery, In the Face, is available now. Also want to mention travel writer/photographer, Rachel S. Thurston, who has a nice website with some great photography from around the world.

I am already making plans to return next year.

I am flying down to California tomorrow to visit family and attend the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. There will be many exciting workshops, panels and talks to attend. I’m looking forward to learning a lot, meeting new people, and of course getting some writing done in the midst of it all. I will have a chance to pitch Heir to Elara to few agents as well.

Ray Bradbury will be giving the key note speech again. I wrote a post called “Ray Bradbury Speaks” about his inspiring speech last year.

After almost a year of blogging about my creative endeavors on Impulse I have decided to merge its content with my website here.

The posts page here will still feature updates on my various projects, publications, and whereabouts, but will also now include the more blog-like bits and journal pieces that I wrote on Impulse.

Thanks to WordPress for making this work smoothly. All previous posts were shuffled together according to date, so it’s as if they were together all along.

It’s still possible to view just the News posts or just the Journal posts by using the categories in the sidebar.

Heir to Elara has surpassed 62,000 words. It was slow going for a while there but progress has been picking up and I am anticipating a complete first draft by the end of July. I am very excited about the direction the story is taking and am already working out various plot arcs for volumes 2 and 3, Dark Mage of Midgard, and Crypt at Maleistria.

Heir to Elara has passed the 50,000 word mark and is going strong. I am well into the middle of the story and the plot-line has passed the first major breakpoint for the trilogy. I’m excited about the progress and still expect to finish the first draft sometime over the summer.

I will be attending the Santa Barbara Writers Conference June 21st-26. Last year I had a chance to see Ray Bradbury give the key note speech. This year I’ll be checking out the rest of the conference and taking part in some of the workshops.

Let me know if you’re going to be there. (email)

Also, I wrote a post in Impulse on the subject of Groups, Workshops, and Conferences.

My story “Old Growth” has been published in the Dec/Jan issue of AlienSkin Magazine and can now be read online.

I’m excited to see this story published. This story is set in the pacific northwest but it is one of a series of horror stories that are set or make some reference to Auxerre University in Auxerre, Wisconsin. This is the first of the stories to be picked up. In this one, an ancient horror awaits a young botanist who finds more than he bargained for when he enters an old growth forest in search of a new species of tree.

Hope you enjoy it!

Previous visitors will notice that the website has a new look to it. This layout features prominent page tabs across the top, and two sidebars for better presentation as more content comes online. The header is from a photo I took near Sahalie Falls on the McKenzie River.

Hope you like it. Your feedback is always appreciated (email).

My story “Old Growth” is scheduled to be published in the Dec07/Jan08 issue of AlienSkin Magazine. In “Old Growth,” a young botanist finds more than he bargained for when he enters an ancient forest in search of a new species of tree. A horror awaits him the the heart of the old growth.

The story takes place in the Pacific Northwest, but this is one of several horror stories I’ve written that have some link to the fictitious town of Auxerre, Wisconsin. Strange things are afoot there.

AlienSkin Magazine just marked their 6th year of publication in August.

Short Story production will be slowing for a while as I focus my energy on writing Heir to Elara, the first book in an epic fantasy series. I’ve passed the 30,000 word mark and the work is going really well. I’m excited about the story and very happy about what’s been written so far. The master plot arc will unfold over the course of three books. I’ll update periodically as I reach further milestones.

For a longer description of the book see the Novels Page.